Music and al-Islam: A Complimentary Pair

Music is often thought of as harmonious sounds with rhythm and melody. Though accurate as a description, music encompasses much more and is derived from invisible energy and frequencies that give birth to thoughts, feelings, and actions. Baytul Sabr Jameel (House of Beautiful Patience) is where African American Muslims explore the art known as music and uncover its natural relationship to al-Islam and their Muslim identity.

“For indeed, remembrance benefits the believers” (51:55)

The ayah listed above stresses the importance of remembering, thinking, pondering, and meditating. The Arabic word used is الذِّكرَيٰ from the Arabic root letters ذكر. When juxtaposed with music, we will find that the two words can be described as synonyms because of the activities that occur in the mind. Music is more than sound and heavily involves thought. The word muse becomes more apparent by removing the suffix -ic, which means “a likeness to”. Like ذكر, muse means to think, ponder, reflect, and meditate, and good music should invite us all to be the best version of ourselves by following the guidance of the Source Creator.

“For indeed, remembrance benefits the believers.” Join Baytul Sabr Jameel as we explore music and its relationship to al-Islam and uncover the medicinal properties of sound frequencies.