Instruments of Amusement and Music, Mohammad Soroush Mahallati, Miras-e Ahl-e Qalam, 1402 AH (2023 CE), 210 pages
The book Instruments of Amusement and Music is the outcome of lectures delivered by Mohammad Soroush Mahallati during Nowruz 1401 AH (2022 CE), in which he examined the jurisprudential aspects of music, instruments of amusement, and shared instruments through a series of virtual sessions presented to audiences. Some jurists consider the prohibition of instruments of amusement and music to be among the essentials of religion, beyond the scope of ijtihad (independent reasoning), such that denying it leads to disbelief and apostasy. However, such opinions cannot prevent jurisprudential discussions or close the door to reflection. This book is an example of such reflections, critically reviewing various Quranic, narrational, and rational arguments and evaluating their validity. The discussions in this book serve as a continuation and complement to the author’s previously published work, Jurisprudential Examination of Singing and Ghina.
The main sections of the book Instruments of Amusement and Music include: Rational and Quranic Foundations, The Rational Ruling on Music, Immoral Music, Examination of Narrations on Instruments of Amusement and Music, The Ruling on Non-Amusing Music, The Theory of Prohibiting All Forms of Music, The Scope of Prohibition in Using Musical Instruments, The Prohibition of Instruments of Amusement in Light of Weak Narrations and Strong Fatwas, The Meaning of Amusement and the Criterion for Amusing Music, The Use of Shared Instruments, The Criterion for Determining the Amusing Nature of Tools and Instruments, Religious Prohibition, and Utilitarian Prohibition.
Singing and Ghina (Jurisprudential Examination), Mohammad Soroush Mahallati, Miras-e Ahl-e Qalam, 1401 AH (2022 CE), 182 pages
This book, divided into four chapters, examines the ruling on ghina from the perspectives of reason, Quranic verses, and narrations. It is stated that many jurists believe the ruling on ghina can only be derived from narrations. However, this book strives to elucidate the issue by relying on two more significant sources, namely reason and the Quran, while also considering the historical context of the narrations. Thus, in addition to the conventional discussion of narrations, the book explores three other dimensions. The Quran contains several titles that can be applied to ghina, and their applicability must be discussed, as ghina is not explicitly mentioned in the Quran. The main sections of this book include: The Prohibition of Ghina, Is It a Rational or Narrational Ruling?, The Reason of the Wise or the Reason of the Religious?, The Rational Perspective of Ayatollah Haeri Yazdi, The Rational Perspective of Ayatollah Borujerdi, The Relationship Between Religious and Rational Rulings, The Titles of Futility (Laghv), Amusement (Lahw), and False Speech (Qawl al-Zūr), Examination of the Implications of Quranic Verses, The Approach of Narrations: Interpretation, Application, or Allegorical Explanation?, The Concept of Amusement in Quranic Verses, The Relationship of Narrations with the Apparent Meaning of Verses, Ghina in Narrations, The Views of the Companions, Successors, and Jurists, The Historical Perspective and Evolution of Ghina, and Criteria for the Ruling on Ghina.
Amusement and Play from the Perspective of the Quran and Narrations, Mahdieh Khadem, Danesh Amouz, 1390 AH (2011 CE), 352 pages
The subject of this book is an examination of the issue of amusement and play (lahw wa la‘b) from an Islamic perspective. The present work seeks to elucidate the concept and nature of amusement and play by analyzing Quranic verses and narrations from the Infallible Imams (peace be upon them). It also explores various instances of amusement and play, such as ghina and music, futile poetry, idle talk and jesting, dancing, gambling, chess, and worldly life, while explaining the factors that lead to their inclination and the consequences of engaging in these matters. Additionally, the author has endeavored to provide readers with solutions to avoid these matters by drawing on divine revelation and the valuable sayings of the Infallible Imams. Overall, it can be said that the approach of this book is largely promotional and less focused on jurisprudential reasoning or in-depth analysis of the topics.
Instances of Futility from the Perspective of the Quran and Narrations, Soghra Radan, 1397 AH (2018 CE)
The author of this book has sought to explore the instances of futility (laghv) in Quranic verses and narrations. After conducting a lexical analysis of futility in linguistic texts, the author concludes that while futility has a single meaning, it encompasses multiple instances. According to the author, some forms of futility in the realm of speech and discourse can lead to heedlessness of God’s remembrance, such as ghina, futile oaths, profanity, or excessive and inappropriate jesting. Some Quranic commentators have opined that there are instances of futility in the realm of actions and behavior, which similarly result in heedlessness of God’s remembrance, including idle thoughts, meaningless games and entertainments, gatherings of sin, and the like.
Although this book does not contain jurisprudential reasoning in the conventional sense, it takes significant steps in exploring a topic like futility, which has rarely been examined, by meticulously analyzing its meaning and instances in Quranic verses and narrations. This makes it valuable for researchers of jurisprudence.