Q.1. In our local mosque, people gather after Asr prayer on Thursdays for a session of congregational glorification of God. This starts in very low voices, but become louder as it progresses. Toward the end, the sound is so loud, it is deafening. Afterward, people distribute fruit. Although it appears rude, I refuse to take it. Please comment.

Q.2. What is the position of nasheed in Islam? Why is it so widespread in Muslim countries?

S.N. Shafiullah

A.1. It was never known that the Prophet (peace be upon him) asked his companions to engage in such sessions, nor was it ever known that they organized them. We have no Hadith recommending them. Therefore, such functions are not part of Islamic worship. They constitute deviation from the normal Islamic practice.

As for the fruit, if people place the fruit in front of the group or in the middle and consider that it becomes blessed by the glorification, then this is alien to Islamic practice and better not to be taken. If, on the other hand, no such thought is entertained, but the fruit is made as a gesture of hospitality, it is better to accept a person’s hospitality.

A.2. Nasheed is a poem recited in accordance with a particular tune. Sometimes it is accompanied by music. The idea of singing on joyous occasions is acceptable. When the Prophet (peace be upon him) arrived in Madinah with his companion Abu Bakr, the Muslim community there received him warmly singing the well known poem, Tala’ al-badru alayna. One day the Prophet came home to find that his wives were out. On inquiring, he was told that they were attending a wedding at some quarters of the Ansar. He said: “Why have they not taken a maid to sing?” He also suggested the lines to be sung.

But it is important to point out that the wording of the song is of great importance. Some poems made for singing include strange ideas that may not be acceptable. Some express ideas of pantheism, which runs against the basic Islamic beliefs, while others exaggerate the Prophet’s qualities in a way that displeases God and the Prophet. Such poems must never be used.