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What’s up with that Rock Star and those
Mullahs
A documentary on PBS’s Wide Angle called “The Rock Star and the Mullahs”
discussed the attitude of the religious leadership of North West Frontier
Province of Pakistan on music. The entire show was based upon Mr. Salman Ahmad
(the guitarist for the Pakistani rock band Junoon) going to that part of the
country and trying to figure out what it is that makes what he does so wrong.
The first thing that was shown in the documentary was Salman playing a guitar
juxtaposed by young boys reading the Quran. Both Ahmad’s audience and the
youngsters were moving to the rhythm available to them. My question is, putting
the issue of music being halal or haram aside, how dare they compare the
recitation of the Quran to any other kind of rather that anyone else can make. I
am not one of those people who are strictly against music but I don’t think that
the recitation of the Quran can be compared to anything else. At the same token
I was surprised that no one in the entire city of Peshawar what the difference
is between playing the kind of Music Junoon or other bands play and the humming
people were doing in the praise of God.
I know I left an unanswered question above-it is intentional. I want to leave
that, and first tackle another question. Why is music considered wrong? I will
try to answer this question for Mr. Ahmad by stating what the scholars of Islam
say about music. It is not the rhythm that is forbidden, because as Mr. Ahmad
pointed out that rhythm is all around us in nature. Scholars have different
opinions about the use of different musical instruments as well. However, All
agree that vulgarity, and lack of modesty is absolutely forbidden for women and
men. So, when those rhythms are used to spread or condone men and women mingling
in ways that are forbidden in Islam and promote ideas that would be considered
improper in Islam then it becomes something that should be forbidden. What kind
of contact men and women should have is very clear in Islam, so is what is
considered immodest behavior. It is save to say that Junoon or most other
musical concerts, or even lyrics a lot of times, exhibit most of these behaviors.
I can’t give detailed research on this topic right now but I would like my
readers to refer to Sura Ahzab and Sura Nisa, and the section of the Hadith
books that talks about recommended behavior for a Muslim to confirm this fact.
Now, I am guessing it has answered the question why humming or even singing to
praise Allah would be considered okay. I am not trying to convince people to
stop listening to Junoon or even music for that matter because I don’t think
music itself is wrong. In fact, many inspiring and motivating songs came out of
Junoon and some other musicians. All I am trying to do is give the side of the
story that the documentary failed to give. As a journalist I feel that people
should be completely familiar with both sides before they make a decision. It is
not fair to pass judgment on any people without completely knowing their side of
the story. That’s why it bothered me that everyone opposing music in the program
was shown somehow affiliated with a Madarasa. This was not a very fair
representation of the people who hold this belief. There are thousands of
Muslims in Pakistan, in fact all over the world who have never seen a Madarasa
in their lives, and have studied in the most upscale schools available and have
the same view about music. So its not about the Madarasa, its not even about
that part of the country, its about different people having different opinions
and beliefs.
There is much more I can say about the documentary but I have decided to leave
it for some other time and focus on the issue of music. I will say this much
however that in the documentary Mr. Ahmad was told that the people in power came
in power because they “played” the religion and anti-American card. But someone
explain to me that if the public was not interested in religion or didn’t want a
government that disliked America then why would they elect such people? It is
obvious that those “cards” worked because people agreed with them. This is what
democracy means. Whether we like it or not government applies the rules of the
majority and some of those rules the minorities (such as people who want to sell
music or want concerts) have to put up with it.
My advice to Salman Ahmad would be that he should do his work where he can and
not mess with others who are different. Just like he has a right to be different
and live by his own rules others have the exact same right. Just like he doesn’t
deserve others imposing their lifestyles on him he does not have the right to
impose his lifestyle on them and drag them through mud in public for
self-satisfaction.
Mahvish Akhtar
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