Music can take deep root inside an individual’s heart. If it settles in there, then nothing else (that is good) can take its place, unless it is forced out. Music is a rival of the Quran, as it is the invocation of Shaitan, meaning that whoever listens to it follows the path of the devil.
“And incite [to senselessness] whoever you can among them with your voice…” (Al-Isra 17:64)
Getting addicted to music is easy and so is everything, which is evil, once a person falls into it. When a person is sincere in setting himself free from some evil habit, then Allah (swt) helps and makes it easy for him. Following methods, proven by experience, can be effective to curb this addiction:
Be Sincere and Do Good
First and foremost, if a person wishes to save himself from doing evil, he has to be sincere in letting go of it, otherwise his efforts will be wasted. With sincerity comes the help of the Almighty. To motivate us, Allah (swt) says in the Quran: “So whoever does an atom’s weight of good will see it, and whoever does an atom’s weight of evil will see it.” (Az-Zalzalah 99:7-8)
Never stop doing good, as Allah (swt) guides those who do good: “And those who strive for Us – We will surely guide them to Our ways. And indeed, Allah is with the doers of good.” (Al-Ankaboot 29:69)
Quran: A Cure for Mental Illnesses
People say that music is soothing and it helps cure depression. How can something which is forbidden by Allah (swt) be helpful? Allah (swt) only forbade those things which are harmful or their losses outweigh their gains.
A study taken by Prof. ‘Abd ad-Daim al-Kaheel, who speaks from personal experience on how listening to the Quran benefits a human body, suggests that the brain cells are very responsive to frequencies and they behave differently when exposed to different frequencies. He experimented by listening to the Quran and concluded that some of the mental illnesses that scientists have been trying to cure using sound therapy can be cured by just listening to the recitation of the Quran.
He says and I quote:
“Although there is very little scientific research in this field… But sometimes people do not need the sayings of scientists to be convinced of what he sees with his eyes, realizes his heart and feels it in his body!”
So try listening to the Quran attentively and see the effects it has that music can never have.
Be Better Than Yesterday
I used to love music so much that not a day went by without it. I thought that music was really amazing and it made me happy, but all praise be to Allah (swt) Who guided me. I realized that I was starting to distance myself from my family. I got angry easily, talked back to my parents and disliked talking to my family.
At that time, I did not know that the root cause for this could be music. I tried to become a better version of me than I was yesterday. I started listening to the Quran, when I was idle, and I began to love it. I got so involved that unknowingly, I did not have the time to listen to music and slowly but surely, it got out of my life. I realized that I, by Allah’s (swt) mercy, am living a very peaceful and happy life and the people around me are happy, which in turn makes me happy. The key is to analyze and accept your mistakes and just try to be better and see the changes take place.
Lastly, keep making Dua, and Allah (swt) will help you in ways you cannot even imagine.
How Wael Ibrahim (an ex-musician) said good bye to music
By Umm Isam – Freelance writer
“I didn’t just listen to music, I actually composed and created it for others,” Wael Ibrahim, a current life coach, confessed. He continued: “Even when I started to offer my Salah, the first thing I did right after Salam, was that I folded away my prayer mat and grabbed my stereo remote to switch on music. I was addicted to it.”
How do addictions work? Try and understand that first.
- Cue – Certain triggers in our life propel us towards a certain action. If we see, smell or touch something that reminds us of those addictions, we run towards them. Wael Ibrahim burnt all his music CDs and deleted all his music files to distance himself from music.
- Craving – When we try to get off a certain addiction, we start missing it. Find someone or a group that has already mastered this and spend time with them. Most addictions haunt us in solitude so do not be alone.
- Response – When we get our hands on whatever we are addicted to, we want to experience it instantly – in this case, listen to music. It is best to replace it with some alternative, for example, listening to a lot of Quranic recitation in our favourite Qari’s voice or Nasheeds without music.
- Reward – When we finally experience our addiction, we get high, which is the last step of the journey. Later, most addicts crash into depression, feel guilt, low-self-esteem and lack of inner power to combat. Here Duas help. Do not give up invoking to Allah (swt) for forgiveness and relief, until you are out of your addiction. Trust Allah (swt) never to give up on you, as long as your efforts are sincere.
Do not say: “I cannot change.” The key phrase is to say: “Change is possible. I do not know how to change. Hence, I will strive, learn and change by Allah’s (swt) will!”
Today, Wael Ibrahim counsels scores of people to give them hope and courage.
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