Music Is (not) My Drug
Music is generally frowned upon in religious Islamic culture. Singing, dancing and music are considered to harden the heart towards the message of Allah, the Quran. Qawwalis, no doubt, are sung in Dargahs and music was a close part of Sufi culture, but these were innovations which were more cultural than religious. Singing and music was not a part of traditional Islamic culture and was considered a distraction from true religious devotion. Dargahs themselves are doubtful places of worship because Islam has no tradition of visiting graves of learned men and asking them for intercession. Islam advocates asking the Creator directly, and even the graves of the prophets are not places of worship. No matter how we justify it, the instruction in the Quran is straight. Ask any scholar and he will tell you that listening to music is to be avoided. I could never be fully convinced as to why. We had gone for a trek to Vasota fort. It was February. The nights were cold but days were