Music And The Qur'an

The other day, I came across an artist I thus far very much enjoy, a Turkish fellow by the name of Omar Faruk Tekbilek. He produces some wonderful instrumental music containing the ney and darbuka. However, I have also recently encountered a piece of music that he produced that contains a recitation of the opening surah of the Qur'an, al-Fatiha. I have included a link below, please, do not listen to this if you fear you may be offended by the content. In posting this, I have done so out of example and the need for discussion.

The work is not in and of itself distasteful, but is it wrong? Tekbelik describes himself as being Muslim and Sufi, so I do not believe he added music to the recitation in order to cause offense. If the track is to be distributed for free as a means to advance da'wah, I think it would be a neutral event. However, I have seen the track available on iTunes for sale, and I believe it has been produced to garner a profit. In some respects, I don't find this any more reprehensible than sale of al-Qur'an in a bookstore or through online recitations. While numerous excellent recitations are available online for free, you can also purchase recitations and there's not been any significant fuss about it.

Being that we are now in an age where distribution of the Qur'an can essentially be done through electronic mediums, I am of the opinion that all distribution of it and the message should be absolutely free. If we each truly believe that this is a revelation given as a guidance to mankind, it is our duty not only to safeguard it but also to distribute it freely. In addition to this gratis approach to dissemination, Muslims must be certain to keep the Qur'an free of distractions. In my opinion, this includes music.

There is a great deal of evidence in various hadith with conflicting information on music and Islam. There are some which suggest that believers who listen to female singers will have molten lead poured down their ears, while others claim that Rasulullah heard music at a wedding and it was a good thing. Both are, I believe, da'eef or "weak" hadith. At the end of the day, I think that Muslims are called to look upon the Qur'an as being sacred. In our modern society, there are very few taboos. All of the bridges have been crossed, there is no longer a thresh hold for offense. For Muslims, we should absolutely be concerned with physical abuse towards our revelation (Terry Jones, I'm looking at you), as well as attempts to distract from the message. This verse is not just a song to be heard and then later forgotten, it is intended to be an integral part of the Muslim's daily life.