Islam allegedly forbids Muslims from playing musical instruments like guitar, piano or trumpets as they go against the hadiths, a religious scholar said today.
In his paper on Islam and entertainment presented at a national forum here, Abdul Raof Nurin said the Shafie stream of Islam only allows Muslims to listen to music that touches on love for the religion, and urged those who want to play musical instruments to preferably stick to the gong or kompang.
He added that the Shafie school, however, will make an exception for the "gabus", a stringed instrument similar to the guitar, only if they are played according to Islamic laws.
"To listen to music that has nothing to do with religion that includes instruments that is prohibited in Islam, coupled with concerts that allow mixed socialisation, this distracts you from praying.
"Majority of ulama forbid the use of musical instruments except for those drummed like the kompang, percussions even those with bells," he said.
The forum was organised by the Malaysian Muslim Consumer Group (PPIM) and the Human Development and Investigation Bureau.
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