Abul-Hussein writes:
“Hip hop” in the 21th century has taken the position of heavy metal in the 80’s. To the conscious observer the clear references to “satan” are evident and the indirect references are abundant. From Kayne West to Outerspace hip hop has traversed the boundaries of moral action and life affirming values, it is a realm where moral consciousness is obscured and human being has no worth. Today hip hop celebrates musically and honors poetically idolatry, occultism, illicit sex, theft, drugs, materialism, death, killing and now homosexuality.
Claiming the status of a new global religion as the singer Erika Badu has claimed it is a demonstration and affirmation of the ignorance (jahillia) of old that was celebrated by “poets of the age of ignorance” who resided in the Arabian pennisula before the emergence of Islam. What hip hop managed today was to universalize the values of heavy metal across ethnic lines making “necrophila” a way of life.
Something many Muslims have a difficulty in facing is that Islam as a notion no longer carries the weight of a transformative concept in hip hop. 50 cent’s claim to recite a “Ghetto Qur’an” is a sign of the triumph of ” far fetched ta’wil” and the celebration of supreme “kufr.” The Ghetto Qur’an he refers to is his words put to music making himself a prophet who is giving revelation to the people. This as a theme is not uncommon in hip hop, the claim to prophecy. The task of the da’ee today is how to present the Qur’an as a way to transform the personality molded by hip hop in the 21 th century, inspired by the way of satanic being in the world. Lectures, and books will not be sufficient to transform the necrophilic personality nor soften the heart inspired by satanic values. What is needed is a righteous patient teacher who imbibes the Qur’an and is aware of the culture of death celebrated by hip hop.
Abul-Hussein
Wa Billahi at-Tawfiq
Suhaib Webb responds and writes:
Excellent post and thoughts akhi. I was brought into Islam through the Hip-Hop world. That being said, once I became Muslim and started studying, I realized that in order for me to develop and grow as a Muslim I would have to amputate my relations with Hip-Hop and its community. I realized that the Qur’an and Hip Hop simply don’t mix. What is sad about many of our Muslim Hip-Hoppers and well as performers in general is their acute poverty when it comes to religious knowledge. I have never understood how people could stand on stage, carry themselves like some type of Rakim rejects knowing that they lack the basic fundamentals of religion and faith?
I have gone back and forth on this issue trying to be just, but have failed to find any excuse for Muslim Hip Hop and comedy. Let’s be honest, when one listens to hip-hop what is the feeling found in the heart? Is it a feeling of bliss? Is it a feeling of tenderness and love, or is it a feeling that “I’m the baddest [you insert the swear word] on the planet and can’t nobody [insert] with me?
That being said, one of the greatest problems with hip hop is its inability to provide effective solutions to the problems of the hood while presenting itself as some type of savior for its people. Since the 1970′s hip hop as done nothing to help the hood except throw its women on BET while some self styled Uncle Tom runs a credit card through their cleavage, served to degenerate basic language skills; create a culture of hyper masculinity based on a feeling that one is greater than God!
In addition, it allows people to create false heroes. In a Muslim summer camp some years back a brother said, “Tupac was a kafir fasiq!” Suddenly a Muslim youth began to cry saying, “Don’t’ talk about him! He was a righteous man! He did great things!” When I was a D.J. I had a friend who called me one night after a Tupac show, “Wax! That N*$*# tried to rape me!” So much for being a righteous man concerned about the plight of the women of the hood. The last image of Tupac kicking that man in the lobby is telling. It represents the very controversy that hip hoppers live: claiming to love the hood, but raping and mutilating it at will. I remember when Biggie was gunned down in a hail of bullets, hijabis at a local Islamic school started crying saying “He isn’t dead!” Where were the tears for the 24.000 people who die every day of hunger?
Now in our own communities we allow hip hoppers and entertainers to stretch the limits and moral of our community in the name of dawa and popularity?
That is the reality of hip hop and its lesson is clear: any act not founded on the general principles of Islam is bound to wreck havoc on communities. Unfortunately Muslims are adopting the same attitude. Musicians and other entertainers are given the status of Muslim Messiah’s, paid up to $40.000 dollars per performance while Imam’s like Siraj Wahaj have to be put in the public sphere just to raise money for their cancer treatment! While Muslim bloggers went rapid over Jacko’s funeral, what was done to save masjids closing in New Jersey and to raise funds for the family from Mali who lost 8 children in a tragic fire some time ago! Again, our priorities are telling. I will be honest, I have struggled with this for some time trying to understand where our brothers and sisters are coming from. But after greater reflection and thought I’ve realized that there is no good in these endeavors. What they have served to do is take many of our practicing brothers and sisters a notch down. Instead of listening to the shuyukh, Qur’an and memorizing Qu’ran, Hussari Cd’s are replaced with loads of Nashid artists and comedians. I noted once that a brother had well over 500 songs on his I-phone and not one Islamic lecture or Qur’anic reciter. Again, the fruit from this entertainment enterprise is bitter and its seeds are spoiled. It is another symptom of the C.R.E.A.M virus.
While I’m open to certain types of music, I find hip hop and the idea that it is a savior sickening. It has gotten to such an extreme that artist like KRS ONE are claiming it an independent religion calling it the “Temple of Hip-Hop.”
Dr. Trica Rose said it well,
“I’m dismayed by the genius of hip hop and the production of music as the unconscious promotion of misogyny,” she said. “They are always looking for a new way to rap about the domination of women and other people. They use the same limited language of insult. It’s not lyrically creative. The ‘N’ word, the ‘B’ word…we’ve got all of those words. They can’t seem to not say it, it’s like a knee-jerk reaction to prove you’re down. It filters into male-female relationships and the ‘pimp-ho’ model becomes a reasonable way to construct relationships.”
On the Imrul al-Qaiys of this century Kanye West she said:
““He’s a self-promoter. He has talent, but his music is not as conscious. People see him as some sort of radical savior, which is part of the problem I am talking about. If he wants to say Bush hates black people, he needs to figure out what the answer is. I know 10 academics who would help him.”
Suhaib
http://www.city-journal.org/html/13_3_how_hip_hop.html
72 Responses for "Muslims and Hip Hop – Abul Hussein and Suhaib Webb Comment"
I love this article! Thanks for posting this! I really think that hip hop and Islam really don’t mix either! I hate hip hop… It’s really useless. .
As salaam alaikum wa barakaatu!
I agree with Sh. Suhaib’s points 100%. Basically, why do you want to listen to music, even if it is calling you to Islam (like ANP, or SOA) when you have Quran. Why would you allow non-Mulsim rappers to violate your ears.
As for the comments of Abul-Hussein, they lack creditability and a lack of understanding. The only emcee I can remember calling for the direct worship of Satan in a cat name Shan… (not MC Shan, and maybe my memory is failing me, walhumdulialh). He was a small time emcee from the early 90s. Unlike heavy metal and it’s over the type Satanic followers.
wa Allahuualim.
Taqiudeen
The comments of Abul-Hussein are spot on. Just because a rapper doesn’t explicitly mention Satan, or intend it, the fact is that the whole process is skewed away from really coming to Allah. It’s all ego, ego, ego.
In essence, the hip hop culture is satanic, for it glorifies lust, intoxication, greed, and the ego. These are tools certainly used by the devil to keep people in a degenerate state. Furthermore, you have the 5% thing that was popular back in the late 80′s and early 90′s (and perhaps the Wu Tang Clan is still around and some others). These 5%ers openly made a call to kufr–in the guise of (pseudo) “Islam.”
Also, some of the rap groups today are pretty heavy on the demonic symbolism, such as, the 666 Mafia… that won a Grammy(?) for bragging about pimping. Biggie Smalls had the Jr. Mafia, that was divided into three groups, and each group was called a “6.” Also, there was a cut that DMX did in which he brags about “selling his soul to the devil.” And there is one rap video that Snoop Bastard did in which there is a cross hanging upside down in the background. Of course, we don’t believe in this stuff, but it does indicate the mindset of the people behind it.
The whole rap/rock world is based on Satanism. It comes from the mushrik African culture of the slaves that were brought here back in the day. The most famous early blues singer Robert Johnson himself spoke of selling his soul to the devil for women and fame “down at the crossroads.” In West African mushrik religion, there is a demon called “Eshu” or “Elegba” who would wait at the crossroads and make deals with lonely travellers. The rural South (like, down in the Delta, where the blues came from) is still filled with people doing all kinds of satanic stuff (in addition to the demonic things that take place in the churches). And it is from the rural South (back to mushrik Africa) that the blues/rock/rap music descend.
Lastly, the general pop culture itself has STRONG satanic undercurrents, and hip hop has made itself part of that pop culture. And today, to a large extent, defines popular culture. The music culture is all part of the psy-ops campaign that the mega-corporations use to control the masses of humanity. Al-Hamdulillah, if Muslims simply implement the rules of the Religion, it insulates us from these demonic schemes.
swarthmoor.wordpress.com
Hey folks,
Need we say more:
The most popular (music) program on television is called:
American IDOL!!!
It’s quite simple, Music & Islam don’t mix.
‘hip hop has made itself part of that pop culture. And today, to a large extent, defines popular culture. The music culture is all part of the psy-ops campaign that the mega-corporations use to control the masses of humanity.’
you couldnt have put that better bruv, and personally i believe that ,now , as hipop has become more mainstream and commercial rappers are forced to base thier songs on what the record labels tell them to and as we know most of the entertainment industry is owned by the masonries illuminati etc so all this degrading women and violence is a tool for them to bring around the new world order.
howver, i believe hiiphop is also a tool to help the problems humanity faces today and we are starting to see some artists,mainly in the underground scene, who are consistantly talking about the issues the plague our societys and using hip hop as what it started of as, a tool to unite, motivate and help the people who were being terrorized during the 20th century.
Well,
I guess more can be said on this topic:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pe_VCMZAmug
You can pay particular attention at 2:29. The point is that folks are on a slippery slope, and once one accepts part of this culture, he pretty much has to accept the thing altogether.
So wait, does this mean New Muslim Cool isn’t cool?
As Salaamu Alaykum
while I to pretty much deplore the state of Hip Hop and its failure to live up to the transformitive promise many hoped (myself included) it would build on, nevertheless hip-hop must engaged period. The “music is haraam and hip hop is worst” isn’t going to cut it.
Just as the “paid Islamic lecture curcuit” has upgraded its “production values” those Muslims have to produce better matterial the music is swaying the youth, the lyrics are a far secondary importance.
“and once one accepts part of this culture, he pretty much has to accept the thing altogether.”
So also when one accepts Islam and becomes part of the muslim community he should also be held accountable for the actions of rapists and murderers who happen to be muslim?
***
I disagree with the shaykh, and i think its telling that he didn’t really deal or mention any muslim rappers.
Also i would be interested to hear the shaykh’s problem with comedy. (Since i have heard some Muslims tell me that laughing is haram)
Phil,
The underlying principles of hip hop culture–from its onset–were based upon the haraam. Hip hop in NYC was PARTY MUSIC. That is, it was played at events that were intended for people to “hook up” and fornicate.
In the case of Islam, it is not built upon the haraam. It is based in large part upon ordering the good and forbidding the evil. Rape and murder are condemned in Islam–as is fornication. Rap music was started with the intent for people to “party”–that is, a “polite” way of saying fornicate.
The issue with comedy is that the Prophet said that excessive laughter hardens the heart. Also, there is the incident when the Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa-sallam) was passing by some Companions who were laughing, and he said to them in effect: “If you only knew, you would laugh little and cry a lot.” It’s not sinful to laugh, but to be preoccupied with laughter damages one’s spiritual inclination. Furthermore, many comedians tell lies in making jokes–and they take money for telling lies. Lying in seriousness or in jest is sinful. And even worse is that i’ve heard that some of these so-called Muslim comedians even make jokes about the Religion. Making fun of the Deen of Allah is kufr.
Phil,
I meant to add this point. Given that many (and that is being generous) of the Muslim youth today in the West are ignorant of basic Shar` rulings, how would they distinguish between what is acceptable and what is forbidden from the hip hop culture? The lay Muslim is not allowed to pass judgments on his own, so he would have to study under people trained in the traditional religious sciences to understand what are his limits regarding rap music. And here is a two fold issue: one, a person is not allowed to get involved in an activity until he knows the Shar` judgment related to it. Two, hip hop culture–at its very core is based upon takabbur (arrogance and self-glorification), so it is not likely, that a person immersed in such a culture and value system would be willing to submit himself and “Ask the people of knowledge.”
With Allah is th success.
Salaam everyone,
I don’t agree with Suhaib or Abul Hussein. Not that there isn’t any merit to what they are saying but Hip Hop is what you make it or let the commercial world turn it in to.
I f you’re about pimp’in and bang’in than thats what your Hip Hop is about. If you are about trying to get throught the struggle of life and being a practicing Muslim, accomplishing goals, articulating and bringing attention to various causes then this is what your Hip Hop will reflect.
Ofcourse too much of anything is bad like a iPod with all Hip Hop tracks and no Qu’ran or taleems. Abul Hussein see’s nothing but bad in Hip Hop but that’s his experience and perception and you may share that. Suhaib dropped Hip Hop and now don’t care for it, well that’s what he had to do and maybe you too.
But for me and like minded practicing Muslims, there is good Hip Hop out there if you are willing to find it and there is what we are creating, supporting, and defining what is Muslim Hip Hop. It’s there wether one may want shun it, ridicule it, belittle it, there will be an audience, a venue, and relation to it. Either it can be accepted or outcasted by various masses and sheihks but either way for our contemporary spirit of age it’s here.
http://www.remarkablecurrent.com and http://www.deenmusic.net is a good place to look up good Muslim Hip Hop and documentaries DeenTight and New Muslim Cool is a good start to understand the current social paradigm of Muslim Hip Hoppers and ofcourse all praise due to Allah(swt) for making all things possible and the Imams and communities that support us.
“Swarth Moor”
Honestly you don’t know what your talking about. And the point i was making is that you do not need to adhere to every part of a community to be part of the community. For example i am part of the Australian community(no buts or ifs), i live here so i am part of it, if i like it or not. I am also part of the Muslim sub community, again if i like it or not is irrelevant.
There are some in the Aussie community who drink on fridays to get wasted and there are some muslims who made trouble for a particular scholar who came here recently.
I am not going to be judged (inshallah) for what the other part of the community does, be it the muslim or non muslim community. This is where the “one soul does not bear the burden of another” kicks in. (aka you get judge on what you believe and or do)
Now as for the issue of how hip hop started. It didn’t start as “PARTY MUSIC. That is, it was played at events that were intended for people to “hook up” and fornicate. ” it started as innovation and a protest method. Undoubtedly the one big issue with the classical hip hop was the swearing in it, but the other dodgy stuff only came later which the big money and record labels.
And if one was not totally ignorant of Hip hop culture one would know that the biggest critics of the particular scene you painted are in fact hip hop heads. (check out we are lasers on google)
Lastly you said “The lay Muslim is not allowed to pass judgments on his own” just after, in your previous post you made a claim about what is or isn’t kufr.
I think this issue is more about a particular idea of Islam where you need to reject all things western to be “authentically” muslim.
This whole conversation can start and end with the following quote…..
“I was brought into Islam through the Hip-Hop world.”
-Suhaib Webb
This whole debate is embarrassing, immature, and disappointing. It never ceases to amaze me that the narrow-mindedness of oil rich money hungry Bedouins can continue to seep into the consciousness of my blue-blooded Yankee compatriots. It’s amazing what an ivory tower can do to a soldier.
anas canon
“It never ceases to amaze me that the narrow-mindedness of oil rich money hungry Bedouins can continue to seep into the consciousness of my blue-blooded Yankee compatriots. It’s amazing what an ivory tower can do to a soldier.”
Now that is “embarrassing, immature, and disappointing.”
@ QAS
Would be from your acumen.
I just expected better from brother Anas.
Phil,
I don’t think you are familiar with the origins of hip hop music. It did NOT start as “protest music.” It was clearly PARTY music that started in the 70′s. It started up in the Bronx, and was used as means to encourage young people to fornicate instead of kill each other gang bangin’. The earliest rap 12in. had very little swearing in them, virtually NO political commentary or protest, but they did talk a lot about gittin’ with women.
Regarding passing judgments,. one judges according to the rules of the Deen as he has learned them from people who have isnaad back to the Prophet. A person who considers the Bible a legitimate source of guidance that leads one to Paradise cannot be considered a Muslim. That isn’t something i made up in my head, but it is something that is necessarily known to be part of the Religion.
Phil, it is not about rejecting everything Western, it is about rejecting everything sinful. Egotistical bragging, bragging about unjust acts of violence and dope dealing, boasting about crass materialism, encouraging fornication, non-married men and women dancing (besides the general judgments pertaining to dancing), being in venues where people are getting high and drunk, ad nauseum are UNISLAMIC. It has nothing to do with being “Western.” Belly dancing is haraam, and that is considered to be something from the Muslim world. The issue is about people assessing matters from the rules of the Shari`ah. When Muslims do that, then it eliminates much of this bickering.
With Allah is the success.
@ Qas. I wouldn’t expect too much from me nowdays Brother Qas. Seeing as I don’t really self identify with Muslims anymore my comments are probably irrelevant. Perhaps this conversation is better had amongst arm chair scholars and bloggers who are afraid to post thier names after thier inflamatory comments.
@ Swarth Moor. Not every early Bronx 70′s Hip Hop 12in talked about meeting potential companions in a lewd way, albeit there was plenty of reference to fornication due to the secular society that we live in.
According to the rules of the Deen, done in a appropriate manner, there is nothing wrong in seeking out a potential companion.
To be Muslim does not mean to give up one’s culture or sub culture for that matter all together, but calibrate it to adapt to Islam, meaning
whatever haram is found on the general Hip Hop scene will have very little to no presence in ‘Muslim Hip Hop’.
From Mauritania to Indonesia, with the core things aside Islam in those places have different expressions due to cultures, sub cultures that were present before Islam, otherwise we all would be monolithic and of shallow imitation of the Arabian peninsula.
Also there is a difference between ‘Muslim Hip Hop’ and Hip Hop artists who happen to be Muslim.
Brother Kareem,
I really don’t want to beat a dead horse, but i challenge you to show us any rapper between 1979-1985 that had three consequetive releases (talking about A/B side singles) that did not glorify enormities. We’ll put aside the issue of takabbur; i am talking about evident external sins.
One of the weak points in this “cultural Islam” argument is that in the past, when Islam spread into various lands, the people SAT AT THE FEET OF SCHOLARS, and took their Deen. That in the culture which did not oppose the Religion was kept–that which did not was rejected…. OR you have the disastrous case of so-called religious syncretism, and people not distinguishing between the haraam (and sometimes kufr) of local cultures and Deenul-Haqq. This is the case in some parts of West Africa, India, and Indonesia (and many other places), where kufri ideas are mixed in with what people call “Islam” and (pseudo) “Sufism.”
What we have in the West are people who lack religious training with undisciplined nafs addicted to this insipid shallow consumer culture. These can’t be the people forging an Islamic culture and determining what is “halaal” and what is “haraam” in hip hop. We’ve already seen one person use Mos Def as an example. If you want to talk about people producing an American Islamic culture–which i have no problem with–let it be done with people who deeply rooted in the knowledge of the Deen, and not kids with a smattering (at best) of traditional knowledge.
With Allah is the success.
@ SwarthMoor
So you are challenging me to show any rapper between 1979-1985 that did not glorify excessive wickedness, offense, evil etc.? It seems you are getting it twisted with what is called “gangsta rap”
Pardon us if you can’t tolerate political license and hyperbolic languange which doesn’t neccesarily equates to enormities, even in Qu’ran there is languange that take poetic license.
We got “Superapp’in” by Grandmaster Flash, “The Breaks” by Kurtis Blow, “Al Naafiysh” by Hashim, “The Show” by Doug E. Fresh to name a few and these Hip Hop tracks is far from enormities. Asking me about a rapper with three consequtive release..is your point that good Hip Hop doesn’t get the support or demand as the other stuff? Because that is beside the subject and a entirely ‘nother one and not all pride (takabbur ?) is bad either.
As I am reiterating, I am aware of culture adapting to Islam and Islam not adapting to culture. Islam is a way of life and a faith but it’s not monolithic, there is different persuasions and interpretations, it doesn’t all look the same for the most part. This is true independent of people who SAT AT THE FEET OF SCHOLARS, and neither were these scholars all monolithic and they represented a variety of opinions and understandings in all areas including music.
I am confident, as apparently you’re not , that lay Muslims largely have the capability to use their cognitive reasoning (‘aql) to distiguish between the haram. I know there is cases where ths isn’t so but let’s not use them as a blanket statement by and large for all people and societies from West Africa, India, and Indonesia. You don’t need a ijazah to articulate and decipher every single step of the way unless like a infant you can’t get off the suckle of low esteem and taqleed.
Whatever beef you have with Tasawwuf belongs on another thread regarding that, I’m sure going down the path of who’s opinions, beliefs, and scholars are right, wrong, or better.
Lack of training and undisciplined nafs??? We need Sheikhs to instruct us how to do turntablism? Write 16 bars? get the b-boy routine down? how to do tags, throw ups, bombs and pieces?
Let’s not get melodramtic here, yes the ulema has hikma to provide on our conduct and what not but vast majority of them would be our students as far as Hip Hop sub culture is in it’s bare essentials.
Mos Def leans alot to a Hip Hop artist that happens to be Muslim while at the same time have enormous show of potential of doing good ‘Muslim Hip Hop’. We should make dua that he moves beyond his faults.
These “kids” would love to hook up with those deeply rooted in knowledge but not at the expense of being condescended to, which could be a bad measure of how deeply rooted one’s knowledge is.
Kareem,
“RAHEEM… in all the ladies dreams.” That’s from Super Rappin’. As soon as you mentioned it, that’s what immediately came to mind. “Super Rappin’” is 15 minutes of guys boasting about themselves and their skills with women. Kurtis Blow… i guess you don’t know where his name comes from (snort-snort). He also, by the way, did a “Christmas Rap.” Dougie Fresh and the Show… according to Suhaib Webb, they don’t cut it–after all, that’s who he (apparently) is talking about on his blog. Furthermore, Dougie Fresh also said: “And with your wrinkled …….. i can’t be your lover.” (That’s after he bragged of trying to bag the daughter of aforesaid woman–oh, and that’s on the B side of “The Show”.) Additionally, Dougie Fresh did a thing that had the Israeli propaganda in his song. Come on dude–i grew up on that garbage–the lyrics got stuck in my heard as soon as you mentioned the cuts. I know my dates–i am not talking about gangsta rap; i’m talking late 70′s to mid-80′s. I’m talking the early stuff. After that early period, the black nationalist and 5%er kufr became popular, and then after that, the gangsta crap. I began to withdraw from rap after i learned the religious judgment related to music, and when the gangsta rap crap came to dominate the scene, it was all the more easy to break my addiction to it.
Kareem, you are proving my point regarding the type of culture that hip hop inspires. It disrespects authority and tradition for the sake of what is “trendy” and “”hip.”" The majority of people who are advocating hip hop culture, have virtually NO TRAINING IN TRADITIONAL SCIENCES. We don’t use such ignorant people as examples for our Deen… yet, these are the same people who want to get on stage, be seen, be famous, and forge out a “new Muslim culture.” These people are in deep need of tasawwuf (which i have no problem with–just pseudo-sufis), for they wish to gain notoriety amongst the people. At best, this is riyaa’, and that constitutes an enormity.
The Prophet has told us that the knowledge is taken by oral transmission. It is not taken from people ignorant of the most rudimentary aspects of the Deen. And we do not teach ourselves the Religion. Can you show us any saying of any religious authority who has said: “The lay people by using their minds can learn the matters of what is haraam?” The Qur’an says: “Ask the people of knowledge.” And the Prophet said that learning is by ta`allum. We learn from those who have learned from those who have learned all the way back to the Prophet. Engaging in an activity before learning the religious judgment related to it is itself sinful (even if the act itself is not a sin). That is why Al-Bukhari entitled one of the sections of his book: “Knowledge Precedes Deeds and Speech.”
Just curious, on WHOSE PROPERTY are you talking about “throwing up bombs?” How are you going to go “all-city” when you don’t have the right to use other people’s property in a manner contrary to their consent? How many Muslim grafitti artists give this even a consideration–or are even aware that there are Shar` judgments about what they are doing–or about places where it would be haraam or even kufr to write religious words? Do you see, this stuff doesn’t work from the rules of Shar`? In-sha’ Allah when we as an Ummah devote more time to learning the Deen, God-willing, we will be equiped to distinguish truth from falsehood, and we will be able to unite in obedience to Allah.
With Allah is the success.
“Raheem in all the ladies dream” and? This statement isn’t hell fire damning in it self, unless you are coming form a puritanical point of view.
I know sisters around the community that thinks such and such brother is cute, vice versa, and dreams of it manifesting to companionship if Allah wills it. I suppose it’s haram to verbalize this reality? uh right.
Again nothing wrong giving a good account of one’s self, the Prophet and his Companions use to wrestle etc. competing in fun and jest playfully gloating about their skills, as Classic Hip Hop is, it’s convivial competition and entertaining social outlet unlike a whole lot that Hip Hop has regressed to.
Really where is all the austere sentiment coming from? Kurtis “snort snort” and all..I have brought up the palpability of these kind of issues being the background of the secular society we live in. A Muslim should be able to tell the good from the bad and build on the good. It seems you just emphasize the bad and dismiss everything else.
So what Doug E. Fresh did a “Christmas rap”. Doug E. Fresh is Ahl al Kitab. You think he’s going to do a “Eid Mubarak rap”?
Suhaib Webb is entitled to his opinion as you are entitled to agree and moving on..we all know there is examples of statements of bad taste, something for ‘Muslim Hip Hop’ to avoid and exemplify better taste.
Swarth Moore I, Kareem, am making a point that like America, there is good in Hip Hop and bad in Hip Hop. ‘Muslim Hip Hop’ does not disrespect authority and tradition for sake of hip and trend and I wouldn’t cast that judgement on all of Hip Hop in such a xenophobic way.
Our Hip Hop ‘culture’ is a expression of our Deen not an absolute example of the definitive Muslim, and NO TRAINING IN TRADITIONAL SCIENCES does not equate to uninelligence. Does having a ijazah allow such a arrogant thesis? And you know all the various genuine artists on the ‘Muslim Hip Hop’ scene whats in their hearts? You know all they want is to be seen and famous? You don’t think many “Scholars For Dollar$” on the lecture circuit isn’t subjected to such? Ijazah makes them immune to this? We are all human trying to be good Muslims.
Muslim Hip Hop can orally transmit to stay away from gangs, drugs, illicit sex, come to prayer without spending years at Al Azhar. This is common sense which you seem to think isn’t so common among Muslims without Sheikh, Ustadh, Imam, or Sidi infront of their names.
The Qur’an on numerous occasions challenges humanity at large to think, reflect and ponder. (HQ.S.10 A. 24), (HQ.S.30 A.8), Islam does not have a hierarchical clergy class that has a monopoly on reasoning. We are not Catholics.
Show me in Qu’ran explicitly where it’s a sin not to leave your ‘aql at the door and pick up your crayons? That is a assertion and opinion to dumb down the masses and be dependent on every word falling out some big head sheikh. We know the Ulema is inheritors of the hikma of the prophets and should be respected and sought out but they don’t have entitlement for us to hand over our intellect to them.
To satisfy your curiosity, I didn’t talk about NO BODY’S PROPERTY in throwing up bombs. I can’t talk for and explain about Muslim grafitti artists and if they are appropriately applying artwork to property or not.
I don’t run around being “haram police” to gather that info. What one or two I can personally vouch for has art work displayed on property where it is wanted. So no I don’t see what Shariah point you’re making because you’re drawing up a straw man.
Insha’Allah when we as a Ummah spend more time supporting eachother instead of demonizing eachother, God willing, we will have the Islamic Revival in obedience to Allah.
With Allah indeed is success.
With all due respect to Sh. Suhaib Webb, it is a fact that Western Muslims come in all shapes and sizes. Muslims, especially in the West need to realize that when it comes to religion “one size does not fit all” – and IT NEVER HAS. This is an issue of principle that transcends Hip Hop.
If Muslims claim any truth in the notion that Islam beautifies their lives, then who gives someone the right to tell others that they cannot speak about their lives and their experiences?
As someone born in the West, with no third-world country to run off to, I am deeply saddened to be associated with anyone who preaches intolerance and narrow-mindedness, ESPECIALLY when they are referring to people who they feel are less “knowledgeable” than them. That was never the Prophetic model and is not an example that I subscribe to.
Kareem,
Just for the record, i didn’t say that Doug E. Fresh did a Christmas rap. I said that he was the one that a certain person was speaking of in the gang rape scene (Kurtis, Snort-Snort, Blow did a Xmas rap). Regarding Raheem, it’s the first lyric that comes to mind when i think of Super Rappin’. So you have a guy with a Muslim name who brags about gittin’ with women. Not exactly what a God-fearing Muslim would talk about. (Furthermore, Kareem, you need to stop playing pretend here–afterall, at least you could learn to keep it real from the hip hop crowd.) So there you have it: the rappers you deem relatively “positive:” one names himself after his drug of choice, another does a song about a celebration of kufr, another is accused by a Muslim of gang rape. Keep in mind these are not your outrageously kufri 5%ers and the cretinous gangsta rappers.
Kareem, you should also be aware that your attitude towards people who encourage others to learn is problematic. God-fearing Muslims–or those who strive to be–don’t call those who order the good and forbid the evil, “haraam police.” Nor is it “puritanical” to condemn those who glorify the use of cocaine. But again, that is all part of the rap culture, and the disrepect for authority and tradition.
Also, for the record, i am nowhere encouraging people to be ignorant. I ENCOURAGE Muslims to learn their Deen so they can X-ray these ignoramuses and frauds that are out there–like the (so-called) “Scholars for Dollars.” And with knowledge of the Deen, a person will come to realize how utterly vile and repulsive this hip hop culture is. As we can see, Kareem, what you advocate does not encourage people to gain understanding of traditional sciences. To the contrary, it encourages people, lacking knowledge in the first place, to teach themselves the Deen–and on their own figure out what is halaal and haraam. We do not judge matters simply by our `aql–for the average person can’t distinguish what sounds RIGHT and what sounds right to HIS NAFS. The Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) told us to sit at the feet of the people of knowledge AND not to dare speak without knowledge. This isn’t what hip hop culture teaches.
One other point: we can point to a whole generation of urban Muslim youth who got lost in this wicked ghetto hip hop culture. It was their inability to extricate themselves from the deviancies of that culture that has wrecked the lives of thousands of young Muslims. Go to your local urban prison, look at your second generation Muslims locked up therein, and see what is their music of choice.
I suggest to you Kareem, break your nafs and abandon this rap stuff for a year. Find some teachers; memorize two or three juz’ of Qur’an, a text on `Aqidah (like, An-Nasafi’s or As-Sanusi’s), take a text on Fardul-`Ayn Knowledge, and then let us have this discussion about the detriments of hip hop culture. It will be much easier for you to have this discussion then, when your nafs is tamer, and you can be more objective.
With Allah is the success.
Yeah SwarthMoor & Abul Hussein!!
Tell ‘em! Forget all this “differences of opinion” nonsense. Its quite simple. Parties are haram, laughing is haram, music is haram, and Native Deen’s songs about “making intention,” “doing good deeds, even small,” and “loving the prophets” are just subversive tricks of a satanic hip-hop agenda! Every single person who ever rapped is just a degenerate drug dealer calling to fornication, and my proof is because 50 Cent was. Blam!… what do you got to say now Kareem and Anas! Haha! (Oops, that was haram.)
All you hip-hoppers need to stop compromising the deen to try to be like the kuffar. Stop trying to make Islam “attractive.” That’s selling out. If Islam is attractive, someone must have watered something down somewhere. We don’t want wishy washy Muslims getting into jannah. There might not be enough room! The real, true, pure Islam is going to spread because people like how hardcore, inflexible, and uptight we are. No compromise is the ONLY way.
There is no other way. We must attack and fight the hip-hoppers. Don’t listen to their absurd excuses about “music is part of my cultural identity.” Islam has its own culture. Any activity that is not reading Qur’an or teaching the shariah is clearly a haram waste of time. Actually all art is haram. There are many painters who paint naked women. Hence, painting is haram. There are many writers who slander the Prophet, peace be upon him, hence literature is haram. And reading Qur’an is better than writing so…wait…um….
Actually I officially condemn this and all blogs and all their writers! You are compromising the deen to try to “explain” Islam. That’s a VERY slippery slope. And the interent? Oh man! Of course, because its distracting from reading the Qur’an, it has mostly depraved pornography on it, and it was started by the Muslim-killers known as the U.S. military (kuffar BTW), the internet is ultra-uber-haram. So I’m going to log off now, and watch satelite TV. But you can follow me on Twitter at the-only-real-path.
Everyone come follow and join my path to jannah! I am with the saved ones!!
@ Swarth Moor
I’m not arguing that Hip Hop doesn’t have alot of flaws, various things in America have alot of flaws but there is good to be found. Islam among many reasons came to reform and Muslim Hip Hop can reform alteast for the Muslim audience what is distatseful for Muslims.
I don’t see “gettin with girls” written in the phrase “Raheem in all the girls dreams”, and besides all the negativity you can showcase about these various early Hip Hop artists, ceartain singles by themselves as I provided is very ‘G-rated’ as to what else is out there. You don’t have to keep digging up the negative. I suppose by the same measure you will dismiss any good of Abu Hanifa becaue of his dictum declaring the legality of drinking datewine.
If you listen to ‘these are the breaks’ I don’t hear anything about using cocaine and you ceartainly won’t hear that in Muslim Hip Hop.
Kareem does advocate people to understand traditional sciences and if you take time to listen to quality Muslim Hip Hop you will find the advocacy there as well.
It’s too bad you have such a low opinion of the average guy to use their ‘aql to distinguish right from wrong. I guess we all need a sheikh on speed dial before picking up that BLT sandwich…
Muslim Hip Hop culture teaches to worship Allah(swt), stick to salat, sawm, zakat, make the hajj, get married..you support that right?
To your your other point: Its problems in the home of bad to lack of parental supervision that got these Muslim kids lost in the wicked ghetto culture. Just becasue people have names like Mohammed and Ali doesn’t mean they raise children well all the time. Many, many immigrants didn’t come to America for deen but dunyia. Alot off AA Muslims still havn’t shook off the bad cultural habits of predominant Black culture. It’s comical your conclusion “The music made them do it.” It’s not that simple.
I suggest Swarth Moor for you to break your nafs and spend a year in seclusion reflecting on the flexibility of Islam, and if you want I can introduce you to a Muslim who have memorized about 3/4 the Qu’ran and have a partial ijazah on tajweed and guess what? He does Muslim Hip Hop.
Then I think it would be easier for you to differentiate the good from the bad and support Muslims in the arts, it will be much easier to have this discussion with you once nafs isn’t preoccupied with so much adamantine and you can be more clear headed.
With Allah indeed in success
@ Official Commander of the Good, Forbidder of the Evil
Slow your roll..I know rappers who are teachers and sound engineers not dope dealers.
A party isn’t haram if there isn’t any drugs or suggestive free mixing of the sexes.
There is plenty in seerah to exemplify that laughter is not haram, only the laughter of excess.
If you want a fight come wit it.
With your high and mighty, holier than thou attitude talking down on those who isn’t exactly Deen’in like you in slanderous and comproming on your part.
I hope we all go to jannah firdaus.
btw some examples of positive Hip Hop you haters!!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CtrNj47u1D8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXGgWf2lacM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_t13-0Joyc
and a Kumasi ,Muslim Hip Hop artist praising ALLAH(swt)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3pG-SUDgg_Y
I think a distingtion should be made between ‘lyrics and a beat’ of the hiphop style [genra of music], and “Hip-Hop” that we are talking about. We are talking about the culture and mentality of rappers today.
Hip Hop today basiclly has Iblis as its poster child. An arrogant one who tried to tell Allah that He [Allah] was wrong about who is better than who when it came to Iblis and Prophet Adam. His problem [Iblis] was arrogance. Not a “type of arrogance”, not a “threashold” of arrogance. He was just ‘arrogant’. He was proud to be who he was. And that is all that mattered. … And this is coming from Iblis, you have to remember, he knows more than nearly every and all the people alive today, what is truth and what is false. He is more aware of truth than you and I. He even knows that he is not better than Prophet Adam. And still he chooses to call Allah a liar. … That is the power of arrogance. And you have people today, very close to that level. Very close to the level of Iblis. And Hip Hop.. well, Hip Hop promotes Arrogance. It promotes the Iblis mentality. That is the purpose of Hip Hop today.
As for ‘muslim hiphop’ most of it is by people who don’t know what they are talking about, and they say incorrect things. Obviously promoting incorrect information isn’t good. Promoting misguidance is sinful.
In terms of what is dangerous. Telling people to fornicate is one thing, but promoting arrogance, trying to get people to act and feel like Iblis, is another thing. And is more dangerous.
@ Kareem,
Official is attempting to be humorous.
Regarding the Raheem comment–the intent is obvious–since that is what the rap is about: guys boasting about themselves, and their prowess with getting women. Again, it was party music, which meant making a venue to encourage people to fornicate. We can all at least keep it that real.
The `aql comment doesn’t work. A person doesn’t learn halaal/haraam merely by using his mind. It’s not an insult to a person’s intelligence; it’s just the fact of the matter that there are a multitude of judgments that can only be learned by sitting with people of knowledge.
To the “music made’em do it” comment… back at you. If the music doesn’t influence a person’s behavior, then what’s the point of “Muslim” hip hop? To get on stage, show-off, and be seen–or to inspire people to fear Allah? If we follow the argument that music doesn’t have a major influence, then if a person doesn’t have a pious inclination to start with, then listening to “Muslim” hip hop isn’t going to influence him to want to be religious. And chances are if he had a pious inclination, he wouldn’t need hip hop to make him feel closer to the Deen, in the first place.
The fact of the matter is that the music has a TREMENDOUS influence on people and their behavior–very often in spite of the type of home they were raised in. And for those Muslim locked up and jacked up in this ghetto culture, the music has been a SIGNIFICANT factor in their lives, their behavior, their dress, their speech, the trends they follow, their notions of normalcy, and morality, etc. Simply invite them to leave this music for a year–shoot, even a month–you’ll probably see their nafs transform into some sort of raging beast. That goes to show you the influence of this music.
In spite of my tone, i am not totally unsympathetic to the plight of Muslim artists–even those who produce poetry. The problem here is that the people attempting to do much of this “art” have very little knowledge (and that’s assuming they are not straight up deviants). They say things that are WRONG religiously–because they have little knowledge–and their wrong statements influence others to imitate them in behavior/speech. Furthermore, the hip hop culture is in itself, something that encourages arrogance, looseness of morals, disresepect of authority and tradition, and divisiveness. Hip hop forges a generation gap in the Ummah. And, as we all can see, it leads to some people, in their poor sense of humor, deeming halaal haraam and haraam halaal. If the person had learned and feared Allah, he would know that we don’t joke about the Deen, and we don’t deem the permissible to be forbidden or vise versa. And if you try to explain to such a person that doing so is kufr, he probably won’t listen, because he’s too arrogant to take advice. This is not the attitude of those who have respect and honor for traditional knowledge–but it is the attitude generated by the hip hop culture.
With Allah is the success.
Praise be to Allah
Hip hop is influencing the lives of a lot of young people. These kids feel that they can idenify with these rappers and r&b singers. The fact of the matter is the music contains a lot of haram. There are some rappers claiming to be muslims, but you cannot tell by listening to their music. Every year the music gets worse.
It seems to me that they are trying to make wrong seem right. Hip hop is helping destroy the morals of the society.
@ TheSoundMind
I’m not oblivious to the negative elements of culture and mentality found in and around Hip Hop and at the same time I’m asking you not to be inattentive of postive elements of culture and mentality found in and around Hip Hop.
Your statement that Iblis is Hip Hop’s poster child is a broad monomaniac statement. As I name off these Hip Hop gems like, Black Star f/ Common “Respiration”, A Tribe Called Quest “We Can Get Down” “Stressed Out”, Lupe Fiasco f/ Jill Scott “Daydreamin’”, Mos Def “Umi Says”, Talib Kweli “Get By”, The Roots “False Media”, Souls of Mischief “’93 ‘Til Infinity”, Queen Latifah “U.N.I.T.Y.”, Public Enemy “Don’t Believe The Hype”, Pete Rock & CL Smooth “They ReminisceOver You (T.R.O.Y.)”, Jadakiss “Why?”, De La Soul “Stakes Is High”, dead prez “Hip-Hop” and Arrested Development “Mr. Wendal”…I don’t see this representation of a Iblis complex.
I challenge you to go through the music catalog of Remarkable Current and associates 580 and DJ March The 5th and try to find that they don’t know what they are talking about and with a slim margin of human error allowed to find incorrect things said. The music sets the standard for Muslim Hip Hop and be assured that incorrect info isn’t being promoted and nothing sinful is going on.
@ Swarth Moore
Lets not deal in “oh his intent” either you got what you say as exhibit or you don’t. Hip Hop can be more than “party music” and on that lets keep it real.
I’m not surprised the ‘aql comment doesn’t work with you. I’m all for halaqa’s, taleems etc. but not for undermining common sense.
Again so simplistic of you, so yea it doesn’t come down to the bare essential of ‘the music made ‘em do it” and so what is the point of Muslim Hip Hop? If only Allah makes Muslim then why bother with dawah? I mean you can explain, illustrate, argue until dusk comes in but there are masses of people that will not take, your dawah isn’t guaranteed as marketing or influential material isn’t a guarantee.
Its bad enough we do have alot of negative Hip Hop out there contributing to the social ills, why not have good Hip Hop to pose as an alternative and contribute to the social good?
You need to listen to the good Muslim Hip Hop and get acquainted with the scene, then you won’t be on blog boards making blanket indictments, negative speculations, and complain about the generation gap. Various Imams and Sheikhs have done this and they certainly have not deemed halal haram or vice versa and the generation gap is non existent.
What is basically comes down to is that Hip Hop has left an awful taste in alot of people’s mouths and no matter how positive the genre can get you and your like minded friends will never run out of criticisms, insults, broad sweeping statements.
So there is two different opinions in our contemporary time, either you are of those who think Muslim Hip Hop is okay or you are of those who does not think it’s okay.
@ Idris 8291, Muslim Hip Hop does not destroy the morals of our society, go ahead and take a listen if you care for that genre of music.
A Salaamu Alaikum,
As someone who actually IS involved in Muslim entertainment or as I prefer to say Muslim Arts and Culture, has been booked for Islamic concerts (10,000 at the Manchester Evening News Arena, 30,000 at GPU, 10,000 at ISNA, several global and national TV networks, Radio, lots of press blah blah blah) , has released albums (with actual distribution), but also has been taught traditional fiqh by most of the well known American shuyookh and knows them all personally (no need to name drop) let me chime in. So that’s my little “here’s my credentials intro” for those that may be tempted to simply dismiss my comments ha ha.
——————————————–
There are a couple of things going on here in my opinion and one of it relates to issues of power, control, and what I would call “Fear of A Black Planet”.
Firstly let me say at the outset that I am all for us being critical of society, culture, religion and most importantly ourselves (oh how quickly we forget this last point huh?). I am told that Suhaib has even referenced some of what I have written regarding Muslims and Hip-Hop. Here are a couple of articles:Muslim Entertainment An Insider’s Perspective Muslim Hip-Hop: The Dawah Hope, The Dawah Reality and Changing The Game But unlike some of the anti-Muslim Hip-Hop rhetoric I am not condemning people, calling into question their Islamic knowledge or calling what they do to “Satanism” (utterly ridiculous and not worth a response honestly). I call for honest critical analysis with respect, understanding and with a sense of moving us TOWARDS something ARTISTICALLY good. It’s not about condemnation it’s about elevation of our artistic creation. Well I am a poet you know…had to slip a li’l rhyme in there somewhere. Since this is a comment to a post I’ll keep this brief.
Power and Control
Frankly I think alot of folks are bothered that Muslim poets, rappers, singers and comedians are “taking their shine”. I think some people are bothered that we no longer go to Islamic lectures in droves which frankly was fueled in part by our desire to have a “halal” form of entertainment. Let’s keep this REALLY REALLY real. Many of us were under the assumption that music was haram and so we tended to go to Sheikh Fulan Fulan’s lectures as a way to get our entertainment fix. The most popular lecturers are those that frankly also “entertain” through being fiery, comical, or somewhere in between. But as we grew in our deen and as we started to remove the shackles of a particular brand of Islam exported and sometimes imported into our American and British communities we started to support Islamic entertainment. That meant Sheikh Fulan Fulan was now taking a backseat to Sami, Native Deen, Allah Made Me Funny and our dear brother DJ BeLikeMuhammad aka Anas Canon. The people were starting to support these entertainers (I prefer the term artist or simply poet for myself by the way) who were non-lecturers. And they were supporting something that Imams and Sheikhs and lay Muslim hood tyrants COULD NOT CONTROL. So you have issues with Power and Control.
Lastly…FEAR OF A BLACK PLANET.
I use this as a metaphor for Fear of indigenous culturally relevant forms of expression, education and activism and yeah sometimes literally fear of Black people. On this last point some people don’t like the fact that ultimately you are talking about Black American culture and its relationship to Islam in the West in particular. But we don’t have time for this point.
The more important point is the metaphor. Some people are afraid of a narrative that doesn’t come from the Najd, Misr, Gujarat or Lahore or whatever they feel is truly “Islamic”. So often we mix culture and Islam that we forget Islam has ALWAYS been in a cultural context and that is what we all are as human beings. We are CULTURAL beings. The question is how we express ourselves culturally in a way that does not violate the very wide parameters of Islam.
Let’s make artists feel like they are a PART of the conversation not these ignorant, degenerate Muslims who need to be saved by born-again Muslims.
As Salamu Alaykum,
First:
@ Brother Dash. Nicely stated. Some in this discussion have said that folks are leaving Islam because of hip-hop. From what I see many are leaving because the only “entertainment” some Muslims allow is sitting listening to a “lecture.” In a society and age where music and movies are absolutely everywhere, that simply is not gonna work for most folks. And as for that “fear of a black planet” angle, I’m feeling you. If the music has some takka-takka bellydancing drums to it, it can pass as “nasheed,” but if the drums got some of that heavy boom-bap, its suddenly unacceptable (even satanic), no matter what the lyrics are about. For many there’s somehow something scary about knockin’ Black music.
@ Kareem. Don’t let these stubborn brothers frustrate you too much. They aren’t likely to concede any of your points. But I think you are hitting some solid ones that will help others as they try to explore this issue in a balanced way. BTW, Here’s a few deeper examples of that positive, even inspiring(gasp!), hip-hop sound from our brother Mos Def:
* Mos Def – Shinjiro (“Allah is the King of this world!”) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZDSrFv_fIE
* Mos Def – All Praises Due (“Who is really in control”) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LqUn0GiH7kk
* Mos Def – Fear Not of Man (“God is Sufficient…”) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8BEg38-bWY8&feature=related
(Now watch the haters slander him and unveil all his faults in the name of “commanding the good and forbidding the evil.”)
Now here’s my little two cents.
I love hip-hop. I grew up on it, moved completely away from it to draw closer to my creator, and have now found a small place for it in my life, in my appreciating-human-art-and-culture box. I am very, VERY selective about what I listen to, and with some careful work I am able to find hip-hop music that I think is nurturing, enriching, and useful to me.
That being said, I do not go to hip-hop shows or concerts. I never found them much fun in my jahiliyya days and I think they are totally absurd now. I consider concerts and shows in a totally different category than listening to music in an appropriate private context. If I were a hip-hop artist, I honestly wouldn’t even do shows, and just ask that people appreciate my music for what it is.
This problematic stuff related to hip-hop music and even Muslim hip-hop music and events is not necessarily a proof against hip-hop altogether, but it certainly raises some red flags. Hip-hop is, like any other human cultural form, something that CAN be free of inappropriate haram stuff. What is problematic is that so many artists and fans too often are not sorting that stuff out? ItPerhaps we need some clearer guidelines, as Mustafa Davis, director of the insightful Deen Tight (http://deentight.com/), suggests. The game may have to change drastically, but hip-hop CAN be done right; nice and halal.
I think its silly to say assert that all hip-hop by Muslims must be dawa or imploring directly toward knowledge and worship. Like any art, it can be about a lot of things; and it can still have modesty and hikma. It’s totally possible, can we encourage Muslim artists and listeners toward that direction or must we push them away with ridiculous declarations like hip-hop is satanic and absolutely “nothing” good has ever come from hip-hop. Any slightly knowledgeable hip-hop head will just shake his head and dismiss such talk. If you are trying to help protect the Muslims from the pitfalls and dangers or hip-hop, know that such sweeping declarations won’t work. They are not at all in line with the prophetic hikma for calling people away from bad toward good.
Perhaps, people should not just be making blanket condemnations of hip-hop as a human artform, but advising its Muslim participants to cut out the problematic nonsense that can work its way into the Muslim hip-hop scene. Now, I know the response some will have: if something can lead to haram than it too is haram, so we cut the harm off at its root. That is a clearly sloppy causal argument in this case. It’s just as sloppy as “hip-hop influenced me to become Muslim so it is completely good.”
THE REALITY IS that while some will get the “hip-hop-is-haram” message and drop the music altogether, the vast majority won’t. This is a simple fact, for a very wide variety of reasons. So can we call to ways to cut out the nonsense from it.
It may not currently be becoming of a scholar to openly advise people how to listen to hip-hop, so in the mean time I will provide a few of my SUGGESTIONS:
1. Make a priority of the Qur’an, prayer, and seeking Islamic knowledge.
2. Try to be around Muslims who are serious about their religion, be they hip-hop heads or not. Your companionship is one of your most important factors. Take it very seriously. If you don’t have good companions now, you can find some at your local mosque. (Sometimes
)
3. Do not listen to commercial radio. At all. It is garbage hip-hop that is designed to engender materialism, misogyny, and nihilistic behavior. Also, the music on there today is soulless, synthesized trash. (IMO
)
4. Do not watch music videos, especially on MTV or BET. This is where the stuff gets really ugly. I don’t think I need to describe it, but somehow Muslims sit and watch this dajjalic trash.
5. Consider not going to Muslim “concerts.” They are often not conducive to Islamic behavior; particularly for the artists.
6. Discuss and share positive hip-hop resources with other Muslims who are looking for the same thing. You might have to dig a bit, but here’s actually a lot out there. (Cetainly more than just Remarkable Current, may Allah bless them.)
7. Go to an “underground hip-hop” store and ask the experts there, who you could listen to that has decent content. They may have some good suggestions for you. You’d might be pleasantly surprised. Muslims certainly don’t have a monopoly on good music with good content.
8. Try out more pre-1992 hip-hop. It’s not all wonderful content, but back then most of the artists were trying to get radio-play and kept their albums free of cusswords and lewd content. There are many exceptions of course, but the content back then was much much better than today’s stuff and the music itself was more soulful too.
9. Start transitioning your collection to “instrumental” hip-hop. One of the main appeals of hip-hop is the beats. The main problem with hip-hop is the lyrics, and the arrogant rappers. Take the first one and leave out the other one; with instrumentals. There are instrumentals out there for almost album or song, and lots of instrumental-only artists. Here’s one good place to start, http://strictlybeats.blogspot.com/.
10. Be very selective and conscious about what you subject your ears to.
11. Do regular music fasts, especially during Ramadan. It is a great way to keep the music bug in check, and reset your priorities if they start to slip.
12. Read “Islam and the Cultural Imperative” and “Living Islam with Purpose” by Dr. Umar Faruq Abdallah. These brilliant papers help put things in perspective for you. (Highly recommended.)
13. Continue to engage in healthy, respectful discourse with hip-hop’s critics. Those voices (when they are sensible and respectful) will help to remind you of what you need to cautious of.
14. Have taqwa. This is the best advice.
Insha’Allah, we can all progress to a better place; in our art, in our intentions, in our discussions, and in our actions.
Sean
Kareem,
One of the problems here is that half your defense of hip hop is disastrously weak–as per what you’ve posted to Sound Mind. Let’s go thru the list:
1. Lupe Fiasco has a cut that contains explicit kufr in it. He’s a person who can’t recite Al-Fatihah (and he calls himself a Muslim).
2. Jill Scott has a cut with 5%ers (so-called Poor Righteous Teachers), who on that cut are calling themselves God. AND she says that her stuff is so “deep,” that it’s deeper than what’s can be found in the masjids. These are mistakes of kufr, that if a person repeats them, they are not Muslim.
3. Public Enemy: besides talking about hanging out with Ice Cube drinking 40′s, Chuck D. says: “Farrakhan is a prophet i think you oughta listen to.” No… Farkhan is NOT a prophet, and people shouldn’t listen to him. We all know about the antics of Flava-Flav–his on stage persona AND in real life.
4. We’ve already commented on Mos Def portrayed drinking alcohol–and as a thief.
5. De La Soul: “Jenny”/”My Buddy” are enough.
6. Queen Latifah: this is a woman who played a lesbian in at least one film. I’m pretty confident that she (well, at least her role) has become a “poster child” for the black urban butches (BUBS).
Admitedly, i’ve heard of the other names you mentioned, but i don’t know their music (Al-Hamdulillah). The point is that these artists–even if they have ever produced a song with sin free lyrics–OFTEN mix deadly poison in their songs. The music AND THE ARTISTS have tremendous influence on the listeners. So simply digging up one or two songs (out of dozens) that apparently contain nothing (lyrically) problematic doesn’t support your case–if we, and you are a context guy, don’t look at their work altogether.
I’d say, if you want to talk “Muslim” hip hop, then do your duty and order al-ma`ruf and forbid al-munkar by exposing all these deviant rap artists–and their kufri/sinful lyrics–so that people will be able to decipher what is acceptable (of the lyrics) and what is not. Afterall, it is an obligation to hate sin. If you are in that world, and you know that your listeners are listening to rap music (in general), then it becomes your obligation to warn the Muslims of the dangers of what’s in it. The one who is silent in the face of evil is a mute devil. And i know you don’t want to be considered a mute devil.
Lastly, on the intent issue, let’s give it a shot: these are the lyrics of the short version from Super Rappin’:
“And Then Pay at The Door As A Donation
To Hear The Best Sounds In Creation”
(Obviously, not the best sounds in the creation. The Qur’an is better.)
Some more they say:
“You Better Watch Your Woman cause I’ll Tell You Why
Cause I’m Cowboy, I Might Give Her A Try.”
(I wonder what he might “try” with her. Of course, i don’t know what’s in the heart, but i am also not a total fool, either.)
Melle Mel says:
“Signin’ Autographs For The The Young And Old
Wearin’ Big Time Silver And Solid Gold”
(It’s sinful for men to wear silver and gold–with the exception of the silver ring, which is Sunnah. This is one of those many cases that a person could not know regardless of how intelligent he is that it is forbidden.)
Melvin goes on to say:
“You Say 1-2-3-4-5-6-7
Rap Like Hell And Make It Sound Like Heaven”
Obviously, we don’t claim that. (Well, at least the first part is right: repeating kufri rap lyrics will get a person thrown into the bottom of the pit of Naar, as the Prophet said.)
Now Rahiem (that’s how he spelled it) says:
“I’m A One Of A Kind, A Man Supreme
I Know I’m In All The Ladies’ Dreams
I’m The R-A-H And The I-E-M
I Put A Wiggle In Your Butt If a Tell Me When”
So much for humility. Also, i don’t know any traditional scholar who said that in the dancing that is permissible (not talking about juke joint grinding either) that it is allowed for women to shake their derriers.
In summary, the hip hop thing is a matrix of ma`aasiyah (sin). The average Muslim will not be able to listen to that stuff and actually distinguish the haraam from the halaal–and for some it would be feared that they wouldn’t be able to distinguish the kufr from what is not. Consequently, he’ll go about repeating kufri lyrics (consequently, commiting kufr himself), and others will likely imitate him in that kufr. Personally, i don’t see how you can fix hip hop without going to war with it and rooting out all the evil therein. By the time you root out all the sins/kufr, there won’t hardly be anything left. Otherwise, you are just going to be mixing a minuscule amount of relative good with a lot of evil that most people won’t be able to figure out what is what.
With Allah is the success.
swarthmoor.wordpress.com
@ Sean,
Regarding Mos Def, as has been said:
1. The guy is in a flick portrayed as a thief AND he is drinking alcohol (apparently).
2. He host(ed) Def Jam poets. It’s a show LOADED with profanities, people bragging about the enormities they commited, (probably got the homo thing going on as well), and if i remember correctly that some of the poets said kufr.
3. You are being selective here. You forgot those “classic cuts,” such as:
1. “The Easy Spell”–perhaps some will think this is a nice wholesome song for the family
2. “U R the One”–another cut for the all-American dysfunctional family.
3. “Sex, Love, and Money”–no more needs to be said.
4. Oh, let us not forget that–some might say–”classic” title:
“Miss Fat B**ty”
—That’s what i can come up with from his lyrics and i am not even familiar with Mos Def. I hope the best for him; i hope he repents and openly renounces the (open) sins he’s done, for this is his obligation.
It’s not about being “haters”–well, let me take that back–yes, Muslims are OBLIGATED to hate sins. So yes, i am a hater. The guy is talented… but he is ignorant and negligent about obeying Allah. He’s talking about commiting enormities openly; consequently, we judge him as a faasiq. A faasiq is not to be taken as a role model. This is a PRIME EXAMPLE of the problem with hip hop–the relatively little good that is in it is mixed with so much evil, and the proponents of it are not willing to really examine it according to the rules of the Shar`.
With Allah is the success.
@ Swarth Moor..I already addressed your platform of shortsighted, simpleminded, witless talking points you keep regurgitating, although I’m sure you mean well. I stand by my comments. With Allah indeed is the success.
Kareem,
Short sightedness isn’t my weakness in this case. A loooong time ago, i/and others have looked at and evaluated this mess. I might of attempted to make (some of) your argument a DECADE AGO. But it doesn’t work. Simmply consider those you’ve listed as “postitve” rappers. Every one is guilty of publicly doing/advocating enormities.
The mass of Muslim youth are HORRENDOUSLY IGNORANT. They are not capable of distinguishing haraam from halaal. They will not be able to distinguish what you call “good Muslim” hip hop from “bad Muslim” hip hop. And chances are they are listening to all other kinds of kaafir rap at the same time.
What Muslims need to do is condemn this gutter culture. And Muslims need to develop an identity distinct from imitating the dregs of a degenerate kaafir society. Hip hop ain’t gonna be the way. Muslims need to make a break–and make a clean break. That’s that.
With Allah is the success.
@ Swarth Moor..You sure know how to drag our Muslim youth’s self esteem through the mud. You love calling people ignorant if they don’t have ijazah or subscribe to taqleed. Speaks volumes about you.
@Swarthmoor
It is sad how predictable your ghiba (backbiting) is… and lame by the way (“someone on the show he hosted said kufr”). I am sure if you comb the internet some more you’ll find some slander about Brother Mos much more damning than that, and we can surely count on you to broadcast it to the world in the name of “commanding the good and forbidding the evil.” Do you personally know Mos Def? Did you speak with him today? Do you know his current state with his Lord? In your spirit of calling people to safer lifestyles, I think it may be much safer to avoid spreading such venom about fellow Muslims, especially those you’ve never met. “If he does it openly I get to tell everyone about it,” is a peculiarly common statement on the Muslim internet forums. If you find yourself saying, “its not ghiba because…”; its probably ghiba.
And your self-proclaimed long-sightedness from “a DECADE AGO,” what has it produced? How’s that “identity distinct from…kaafir society” coming along? So far, so bad, from my eyes… or if you mean an insular, out of touch, insensitive, unrealistic, and irrelevant community than maybe you are making great progress!
“Islam has its own culture!” people proclaim. I’d like those people to say what they think it is (Anything besides the standard defaults of reading Qur’an and studying shariah?). What is “culture” anyway? Is it food, music, dress, and sports? Or the lack thereof? What is culture for? Just dawa and spiritual teachings? I think not.
I and others are not saying hip-hop is THE WAY. The dangers of it and modern commercial music scenes are serious and should be pointed out. We just think characterizing it as 100% haram and “satanic” is absurd.
All snide comments aside, I do respect your opinion and think you have a critique that needs to be heard. There are many many problems to be addressed, and many approaches to dealing with them. I personally think the well-intended firm harshness WILL NOT WORK and that a little more tactful hikma and rahma is in order.
Anyways, I think I/we am/are spending far too much time on the internet discussing this. Come to think of it, I am quite ashamed how much time I’ve given to this. Actually, I am more fearful for our community from the internet and its addictive forum debates than I am from hip-hop. Forgive me for all that I’ve said. Insha’Allah we’ll move on…
If Mos Def hosted a show and allowed Kufr to be said on it, Mos Def facilitated Kufr, and thus Mos Def would be guilty of Kufr, and would no longer be a muslim. Mentioning this to warn others of deviance is not petty “back-bitting”. This is a very serious situation, one that you don’t simply shove under the rug and move along. You don’t do people favors by hiding deviancy.
I don’t know about Mos Def, but a lot of these other rappers have said Kufr and are out-right not muslims. So there is no such thing as “back-bitting” for them. Back-bitting is harram when its against muslims.
As for Hip Hop and its Culture, stop making petty excuses to satisfy your nafs. If you removed the bad from Hiphop and its Culture, you would have only a kick drum left. This garbage is the main contributor to the pure atrocious situation of the black community in ameirca. And this garbage has spread to many parts of Europe and Russia, and as a result its having the same effects as it did in Ameirca.
I feel like i’m talking to people who are trying to tell us the “good merits” of Cocain.
@ Sound Mind..using your argument then stop paying taxes and working for your empoyer because you’re facilitating taggut and kufr.
In this pluralistic cociety things get murky, stuff has to be taken with a grain of salt, not everything is absolute or balck and white.
Paying Taxes and Working for Muslims isn’t kufr. The worst part of taxes is that people are unjustly taking money from the Muslims. When you pay, you don’t know where that money goes to. So you cannot assume it goes to the support of something bad or good.
In the case of Mos Def, if what is reported is true. He directly facilitated kufr. Its the same as if he would have drove someone to church to worship. Direct facilitation.
So, no, using my argument doesn’t lead to the position you posit.
The military industrial complex takes over half our taxes. Now you know. Even your Muslim employers pay the tax inside the states. You don’t get off that easy.
You don’t know that, all you know is that a peice of your check is missing every two weeks, after that, you have no clue. No one but the guys in the department of the treasury know where your peice specificly goes.
Furthermore, even if your money went to the military, that isn’t kufr. Because that money could go to buy medical supplies that are given to the Iraqis for instance. You don’t know where it goes. Even if you directly paid them to kill a muslim, this isn’t blasphemy. It is however, a major sin, nonetheless. But it doesn’t constitute disbelief. Murder isn’t kufr.
@soundmind..you mean such a gentleman and aspiring scholar like yourself don’t look at your paycheck stub much less even aware of it? Its all there in the ink, and as far as what the military industrial complex gets, if you have internet access or even access to your local congress reps office it’s not hard to dig up the federal discretionary budget of any given fiscal year. so please man
..btw to kill a Muslim is kufr unless in self defense, a Muslim’s life and property should be sanctity to you, havn’t you heard of the many cases when soldiers who’s faith is Islam have opt out as concsious objectors in many recent conflicts like Desert Storm?
Tax money buy more than medecine how bout white phosphorus or cluster bombs, depleted uranium..come on man..if you gonna nick pick at Mos Def then be able to take what you dish out.
To kill a muslim isn’t kufr. When a muslim comits adultery for instance, the calipha is obligated to kill him. This isn’t self defense. If you are hunting with your muslim buddies and you shoot him in the face with a 30-06 and blow his head off by accident. This isn’t self defence. According to your own system, The Calipha and the Guy who shot his freinds are both kafir. [Both of them, of course, aren't Kafir]
You don’t know if your tax money buys those things. You are claiming that when you look at your check stub it says “Your tax money bought Mustard Gas to kill babies and woman in somethingastan” Of course it doesn’t say that. The government is huge, your money could end up anywhere, and you personally have no way to track it. Kareem does not know exactly where Kareem’s money goes. So you cannot be held accountable for what ever the government does with the money. The government gives money to Muslim Organizations and mosques, so for all you know, you could be supporting a mosque somewhere.
All you are talking about is stuff you heard from some stranger on some random website in big ALL CAPITAL TEXT about how we feed the war machine and that we need to boycott walmart. These random sites and rumors that spread thoughout the internet are not how we make judgements. … Sure, the government uses tax money in wars over seas. Do you have any Islamicly legitimate way of tracking the exact path your money took form your check to the death of a muslim? Do you know all the people involved in transfering your money? When you buy a sandwhich and you give that extra 7 cents, do you have any way to track those 2 pennies and a nickle to the death of a muslim overseas? The answer to all of those questions is of course, No. So what that means is that you don’t know where ‘your’ money is going. And you have no way to figure it out. So you do not have the authority to claim that the specific money you pay in taxes, is used to kill muslims.
A Soundmind..just get the fiscal report, you know that money goes to these sort of things, to say oh but which nickel or dime we are not sure so its okay i’m off scott free is silly, and to kill a Muslim for no good reason, like because Uncle Sam wants a new puppet or somebody’s oil is kufr. you sure do make arguments of allowance for yourself, too bad you don’t have that laxity when it comes to others.
I’m not making an allowance for myself, because I don’t kill people or pay taxes. I’m simply telling you what the judgement is. You don’t know where your money [not someone elses money] goes. So you are not accountable for what is done with it. [as you don't know what is being done with it]
As for murder, none of the classical scholars explicitly said Murder is Blasphemy.
Besides that, these two points are not related to someone telling a person its ok to say kufr. To help someone comit blasphemy, is blasphemy. If what is mentioned about Mos Def is true, that he allowed Kufr to be mentioned in a show he hosted, then he comited kufr. Open and closed case.
Sean,
First, Sean, we need to get our defintions straight. Exposing people who OPENLY commit enormities (even BRAG about commiting enormities) does not constitute ghibah. All the more it doesn’t constitute ghibah when we know this person influences others.
(If Mos Def was doing sins privately, and then the paparazzi was shooting pictures in private of him (allegedly) doing X,Y,Z in the privacy of his own home, that’s another matter. For one, i’d remind Muslims that we don’t rely upon reports from non-Muslims to judge other Muslims. However, when a Muslim does enormities in public–not just public, but for the media, and presumably takes money for them, that’s an altogether different story.)
Mos Def has done ENORMITIES openly and publicly. Mos Def is seen as one of those “positive” Muslim artists by those desperately attempting to find some “positive” forces among Muslims and hip hop. He is someone who influences others. Now keep in mind, the person has played the role of a thief, is portrayed as drinking alcohol, has songs that boast about fornication. Warning people that such behavior is deviant does not constitute “backbiting.” Now if Mos Def has publicly repented and told people that what he has done is wrong and to avoid such behavior, let us know. Like i said, i don’t know a whole lot about the guy other than his doing enormities publicly. I hope he has changed.
See this is the problem here: because of the influence of this gutter culture, Muslims are willing to defend people guilty of some of the most horrendous crimes in Islam. Why? Because of their attachment to this gutter culture. As the saying, the fruit doesn’t fall far from the tree. We can all see the pit of sin and ignorance that hip hop is calling to.
Your comments about the web–i agree that it is a major fitnah for the Ummah. But that is another story. And i agree, i could be more tactful, but that’s a job for someone else. We all have our roles to fulfill.
With Allah is the success.
@ SoundmInd..right you don’t pay taxex..if you buy food, gas, have property etc you pay taxes, your empoyer is bound by law to take payroll tax from you, the info is out there, it’s available to know where american tax dollar is going, this is fact. you live in america, you pay the tax, it is ceartain without doubt, that some of your tax money supports many things that can be deemed kufr.
A recent fatwa of Sheikh Yusuf Al-Qaradawi who’s hikma is based on classical scholarship has been made that “Islam has prohibited a Muslim to fight his fellow Muslim brother to the extent that indulging in such a fight is considered a form of disbelief or kufr” and he reported that the Prophet (saw) said “Cursing the Muslim is lewdness and killing him is disbelief”
In fact: “Do not (become kafirs) revert to disbelief after me by striking the necks (cutting the throats) of one another (killing each other).” (Reported by Al-Bukhari)
By the way, which yahoodi’s bank do you bank with? Got student loans or a morgage? You carry a leather wallet from cow hide possibly? We can knick pick at you all day..
@ Swarth Moor..I guess if Mos Def got a role to play Detroit Red before he became Malcolm X on the big screen you would have a problem with it being how asinine you can be..
Well, Kareem, According to your words, you would be obligated to conclude that every Calipha that has obeyed Allah in serving the excution of a Muslim deserving of death, and every person on the battle field or on the hunt or where ever who has accidently killed his brother or sister, are kufar. Because they killed their brothers or sisters in cases where it was clearly not self defence. [According to your system]
This shows that there is a problem in your reasoning. Because it cannot be a case that the Caliphas were all kufar. Even more there is a case where a Muslim came to the Prophet Sallahu Alayhi Wa Salaam, and he told the Prophet that he had comited adultery. The Prophet made 3 excuses from him, but the man still told him he did adultery. So the Prophet had ordered the man to be killed. … So according to your system, you would have to conclude that the Prophet did kufr [According to your system]. … And this is of course very wrong. Prophets do not comit kufr.
Assuming you truely follow the few quotes you posted, neither of them mentioned intention. So you cannot use them to say that it is kufr to murder a muslim, but not to exectue or kill a muslim in another manner.
As for the tax, there is no way you can connect the tax I just spent on bread, to muslims dieing in Iraq. I will wait for you to show me the connection between the two. If you don’t, then this discussion is over.
@ Soundmind…your argument is flawed by false analogy. You offer no proof of connection. I’m quoting a contempory sheikh, exibit a report from one of the four classical scholars of the words of Prophet Muhammed(saw) himself. Not according to my words at all as you say.
If you bother to study all Qu’ran and Ahadith on this, it would contexulize down to the reality that a Mulim killing a Muslim for no good reason is kufr.
What you discuss is the islamic criminal law side of Shariah and if hudud calls for capital punishment than A Muslim is killed for a valid reason, not cuz Uncle Sam wants a new puppet or tighter control on Iraqi oil fields.
Lets not talk about your bead tax, lets talk about your income and payroll tax…show me that the Federal government doesn’t draw from these to fill their coffers and we know we are burning through it right now with two war fronts. Then this discussion os over.
Kareem,
Let’s be real here. The person who plays the role of Malcolm X in the earlier part of his life AND THEN THE TRANSFORMATION wherein he renounced his former life and explained how vile it was, then this is a good thing. However, when you have a person portrayed as a blunt smoking, alcohol drinking, fornicator–and there is no RENUNCIATION OF SUCH BEHAVIOR–this is problematic. There are CLEAR SIGNS Malcolm X repented from his former lifestyle. Can you say the same of Mos Def, and if so where’s the evidence?
Furthermore, if you want to talk about asinine–people here are using Mos Def as an example of a “positive”(?!?!?!?) Muslim in hip hop/entertainment.
You said the government uses half of the taxes to pay for war. My taxes are in the other half.
Also, you didn’t say “kill a muslim for no good reason” You said “to kill a muslim is kufr unless in self defence”. There is no ayyat or hadith or saying of a scholar that says murder is blasphemy. All the things you posted don’t refer to murder, they refer to “killing”. Murder is a type of killing. Accidental, giving execution, are also types of killing. Since its clear that there are catagories of killing not even harram, then your interpertation of these quotes that say its equal to disbelief, cannot be taken as a judgement. Because they refer to killing as a whole.
I would just like to add that this conversation is getting redundant. Ive shown why the things you have mentioned cannot mean that all killing is kufr. Despite what they [apparently] say. This is also without taking into consideration the fact that they could simply be mistranslated.
La Howla Wala Quwwatta Ilah Bilah, La Ilaha Il Allah, Muhammadur Rasululah
May Allah reveal to us what we need to succeed. Amin.
CLARIFICATION:
When i said about the one who would portray the role of Malcolm X in his earlier life–i did not mean acting in a role commiting sins and saying and doing acts of kufr is a good thing. Committing kufr in serious or in jest is kufr. I meant that it is good that the person RENOUNCES the sinful behavior.
May Allah enable us to be careful with our words.
@ Kareem,
I don’t want to further expand this issue–i want to discuss more about Muslim culture in America. But there are a couple of points here. Qaradawi is a problematic person. For one, he sanctions suicide bombing–so by his logic killing oneself is kufr (which is not the case). Suicide is haraam but not kufr.
Two, Qardawi is heavily influenced by Wahhabi ideology that he has blended with the ideology of Sayyid Qutb. The kufr of the Wahhabis, from their anthropomorphism, to their deeming it LEGITIMATE to slaughter Muslims is well known. Sayyid Qutb’s kufr includes slandering the Nabi Musa (as Al-Qaradawi with Nabi Muhammad), calling Allah the “Creative Quill,” claiming Allah is literally everywhere (Allah created the places and is not in a dimension), claiming that everyone on earth, including the people who call the adhaan, are all kaafir, except those who follow him (Sayyid Qutb). These statements can be found in the books exposing him.
When the Prophet (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) said that “killing is kufr,” it means that the one who does it (i.e., murder–not just killing) has commited an enormity of tremendous proportions. It does not render a person a kaafir, as in non-Muslim. For example, the murderer is not told to say the Shahadah to return to Islam. The Muslim murderer is shrouded and prayed for and buried in the Muslim cemetery. He is clearly a Muslim according to the Shar`.
We have to make a critical distinction between doing a sin and DEEMING THE SIN HALAAL. The former (doing the sin) is sinful. Claiming a sin is permissible is kufr (even if the person does not commit the sin himself). The latter is kufr because it entails rejecting what Allah revealed and the Prophet conveyed. The former may commit a sin either because he has succumbed to temptation or for a worldly gain. He knows and must admit he has done wrong. The latter is, in essence, saying: “Although Allah has made this forbidden, I am going to overturn the Law of Allah and deem it halaal.” This is clearly kufr. This kufr of belying (takdheeb) is especially common nowadays among the apologists/modernists and some of these quasi-traditionalist, so called “scholars” for dollars, that you mentioned.
With Allah is the success.
@ Swarth Moore, SoundMind..with all the accusations and interpolations on yours, we will just have to agree to disagree.
“Any good is from Allah and any bad is of my own my faults, I ask forgivness” -Mos Def
اللهم اهدني فيمن هديت, وعافني فيمن عافيت, وتولني فيمن توليت, و بارك لي فيما أعطيت
Where do people find the time to put so much of their energy and brain power into debating an issue over which there is valid disagreement among scholars of the past and present?…I need to find out what you all do for a living, lol.
Hip hop has become both a culture and a commodity. A study of of our Usuli tradition would demonstrate that the purpose of Revealed Law is to purify our cultures and commodities of kufr, shirk, bid’a and what is CLEARLY haram, not to blot them out entirely. My question is : Can Muslim hip hop not be purified from within without completely abandoning the art form and its positive elements?
I know scores of brothers and sisters who embraced Islam because of the lyrics of 5%-ers in the 90s. What would happen if you had a cadre of Muslim hip hop artists who were striving to please Allah ta’ala and educate people about Islam with their craft and/or character?
There are a number of underground Muslim rappers that live clean decent public lives who write inspiring and enlightening lyrics that reflect the spirit and letter of the Revealed Law.
If you really are sincerely concerned about this issue and the affect this music has on the artists and those who listen to them your time would be better spent using your intellects, contacts, and financial resources to identify, produce, and promote these marginalized artists. Subhanalllah.
was-salam
@ Kareem
That’s good news. I hope the best for him, and i hope that he (Mos) learns and he guides people to the Truth.
Asalamu’alaykum Brothers
I was born Muslim and raised Muslim. I had a tough time being forced to learn Islam by Old Imams preaching that if you did not do this or that that you will burn in the fires of hell. I lost my way from the age of 14 and rediscovered my roots and a thirst for knowledge through Hip Hop. I am referring to hip from late 80′s to early 90′s. My favourite artists at that time were public enemy, poor righteous teachers, Krs 1, but to name a few. Seems people have forgotten the whole point of why hip hop at that time had problems with airplay on the radio. IT HAD A POSITIVE MESSAGE TO PEOPLE FROM THE GHETTOES.
It started to gain popularity and was not something the corporations can afford to accept. If you don’t realize this that the corporations like people to sound stupid and curse a lot, to party and drink which leads to fornication, to be materialistic, and so forth… But you forget what Hip hop meant to the people in the first place. Poetry of Hope within the struggle.
In this time year 2009… you forget the struggles african american people went through and led to poetry thus changing to hip hop. The same struggles we as Muslims are going through right now: labelled terrorists, the disunity of our community, fighting amongst ourselves for selfish gain, egos, one being more right than the other… I amfrom South Africa and I see a lot of fallen Muslim brothers to drugs and AIDS, etc… yet their ears open to hip hop…
I believe that it can once again be the vehicle for knowledge and positive messages. as in everything evil is something good and in everything good is something evil. the vehicle is only deemed what its owner uses it for… Think about this: Why would a pure Muslim brother be rapping about fornication or death or about materialism…
Now going out of America to the rest of the world… Hip hop has gone underground with their positive message and check algeria, morrocco, etc and check their hop hop scene… they are mostly about upliftment and about the struggles.
At the end of the day we should inform and uplift the youth and not cast them out or label them as kufr. Instead lead them and teach them “By any means necessary”, as permitted as halaal and decent. instead of telling people what not to do, show them the way as Suheib Webb discovered in Hop Hop… As surely when a spark of wisdom is lit in the minds of the young they can start their journey and quest for knowledge.
Always remember this.
So Muslim Brothers stop bickering on how evil Hip Hop is and use the vehicle for something positive. Or are you incapable of doing this except by showing evil all the time, this is evil, that is evil, blah blah blah… make a suggestion instead… That is the way forward to a solution.
Blessings to all and may Allah guide us on our quest to teach the young and show them the Light as was shown to us.
alghamdulillah
We are still talking about modernity, democracy, fun, easy ongoing, but do we forget that these attitude are colonial instruments in the way to stabilize post christianity as the world religion. is it not going back? 700 years bfroe Isalm was born?
are we not victims of an imperialist power made in hollywood, harvard, moma?
didn’t we celebrate obama’s appearing , like the messiahs around the world, it is not about deny modernity, but it schould have it’s roots in NON Western culture…
I am sorry for who are just happy because there possibilities, money, vitamin B trimmed to talk and change the world.
I miss intellectually in all this attitudes; in a muslim gils party, with hijab dancing with MJ, 50 cents, rapp or what ever.
yes they are talking to west:
Hey! look we are like you, love us, we are so sweet!
what i am talking about is misunderstanding of modernity and barbarism, in the time that we are collecting non west cultural artifacts in the museum the world we are displacing it with western consumisem.
for sure, it is free where to go, but the islam, if understand it has a spiritual sense,
did you ever enjoy silence as music?
I think going forward can be easier to go a ready made road, but it can be an dead end street.
pop culture in general is an out coming from western culture, which was rejecting uncomfortable elements and use part of them to make their own way. so why we not?
In act of fitnah and cowardice, the above user has shamelessly appropriated my full name and made the above comments in my name.
To those who know me, I do not share such views and I do not express myself in such awful English.
Dear real Damina Khaira, thank you for restoring my faith in bloggers. I know there is a lot of rubbish out there, but after reading the lengthy nonsense above I was thinking no sane mind could have taken the time to compose such rubbish and articulate it so badly to boot. Alas now I know it wasn’t a sane mind that was behind the endeavour, and I feel more at peace.
Dear fake Damina Khaira. You really ought to get some help. Also identity theft is a serios offence, you could get into so big trouble. Actually I hope you do.
the art of war…
…He wrote that . . ….