An Analysis of Fiqhi Rules on Manufacturing, Using, and Selling Musical Instruments with Emphasis on Ayatollah Khamenei's Viewpoints

Music- as a subclass of intellectual sciences, has always been among the most attractive arts throughout human history. For this reason, Sharia has a comprehensive set of rules on music. Based on ample reasons and evidence, all derived from Fiqhi (jurisprudential) sources, manufacturing as well as making use of musical instruments is haram (forbidden) and any income derived from musical activity is also haram. This research analyzes this issue by looking into available sources and referring to works of Faqihs (Islamic experts), particularly those written by Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei. Although preceding Islamic jurists' opinion, obtained from the appearance of evidence, forbids manufacturing and making use of musical instruments, succeeding jurists -such as Ayatollah Khamenei- reject this application and state that one of the criteria in the impermissibility of musical instruments is whether they are entertaining (lahvi) or not.  The present article, with emphasis on the Leader's opinion, seeks to re-identify the criteria used to assess entertaining (lahvi) and non-entertaining (ghayr-lahvi) musical instruments under the titles of deviating from the path of God, provoking sexual desires, encouraging individuals to commit forbidden acts, making an individual heedless to the obligatory commands and making a person careless about religion.