Can I Learn to Play the Duff to Show Our Love for the Prophet?

Answered by Shaykh Yusuf Weltch

Question

Is it wrong that I bought duff to learn how to play nasheeds? If not, how do I reassure myself when people say that bringing in music is haram and it shouldn’t be used to show love to the Prophet? (Allah bless him and give him peace)

Answer

In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate

It is permissible to use the duff when expressing one’s love for the Prophet (may Allah bless him and give him peace) in the form of Nasheeds.

Anas bin Malik (Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Prophet (may Allah bless him and give him peace) passed by some of the inhabitants of Madina, and suddenly some little girls came out, beating their drums (duffs) and singing saying, ‘We are girls from Bani Najjar – what a blessing is Muhammad as a neighbor.’ So the Prophet (may Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “Allah knows that I surely love you (all).” [Ibn Maja]

Hope this helps
Allah knows best

[Shaykh] Yusuf Weltch
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Shaykh Yusuf Weltch is a teacher of Arabic, Islamic law, and spirituality. After accepting Islam in 2008, he then completed four years at the Darul Uloom seminary in New York where he studied Arabic and the traditional sciences. He then traveled to Tarim, Yemen, where he stayed for three years studying in Dar Al-Mustafa under some of the greatest scholars of our time, including Habib Umar Bin Hafiz, Habib Kadhim al-Saqqaf, and Shaykh Umar al-Khatib. In Tarim, Shaykh Yusuf completed the memorization of the Qur’an and studied beliefs, legal methodology, hadith methodology, Qur’anic exegesis, Islamic history, and a number of texts on spirituality. He joined the SeekersGuidance faculty in the summer of 2019.