Does Singing Break Wudu? Understanding the Impact of Music on Wudu

Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with notes. Some people pursue it as a hobby, while others make it their profession. I believe there are some Muslims who fall into these categories. That's why it's not uncommon to see many Muslim singers. This leads to a logical question: Does singing break wudu? This inquiry is important because, as Muslims, they have several obligations that require them to be in a state of purity or have performed wudu. Therefore, it's essential to understand everything that can invalidate wudu.

Regardless of your reason for opening this article, I am sure you are seeking an explanation regarding the effect of singing on wudu. I won’t let you down today, as that is precisely what I will explain in this article. So, I hope you enjoy reading it.

Is It Sinful If You Sing in Islam?

Hi! First of all, I will explain the answer to a fundamental question on this topic that you should understand well: Is it sinful to sing in Islam? There is much debate among Islamic law experts about this issue. That’s why some Muslims are still uncertain about the legality of singing in Islam: is it halal or haram?

Read Also: What Types of Farts Break Wudu?

Before I delve into the answer to this question, I would like to point out that the differing opinions of Islamic law experts regarding the legality of singing stem from the notion that singing can be a waste of time. Some believe that engaging in useless activities is sinful. They base their argument on the following verse from the Quran:

وَمِنَ النَّاسِ مَنْ يَّشْتَرِيْ لَهْوَ الْحَدِيْثِ لِيُضِلَّ عَنْ سَبِيْلِ اللّٰهِ بِغَيْرِ عِلْمٍۖ وَّيَتَّخِذَهَا هُزُوًاۗ اُولٰۤىِٕكَ لَهُمْ عَذَابٌ مُّهِيْنٌ

"And of the people is he who buys the amusement of speech to mislead [others] from the way of Allah without knowledge and who takes it in ridicule. Those will have a humiliating punishment." (Luqman [31]: 6).

In addition to the verse above, they consider singing to be included in وَالْمَعَازِفَ, as mentioned in the following hadith:

لَيَكُوْنَنَّ مِنْ أُمَّتِيْ أَقْوَامٌ ، يَسْتَحِلُّوْنَ الْحِرَ وَالْحَرِيْرَ، وَالْخَمْرَ وَالْمَعَازِفَ

"Indeed, there will be some of my Ummah who will justify zina, silk, liquor (al-Khamr), and musical instruments."

Meanwhile, several other Islamic law experts argue that singing is permissible in Islam, based on the following hadith:

عَنْ أَبِيْ هُرَيْرَةَ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ أَنَّ عُمَرَ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ مَرَّ بِحَسَّانٍ يُنْشِدُ فِي الْمَسْجِدِ فَلَحَظَ إِلَيْهِ، فَقَالَ: قَدْ كُنْتُ أُنْشِدُ فِيْهِ، وَفِيْهِ مَنْ هُوَ خَيْرٌ مِنْكَ. مُتَّفَقٌ عَلَيْهِ

"From Abu Hurairah radliyallahu anhu, that Umar radliyallahu anhu encountered Hassan, who was reciting poetry in the mosque. Umar then looked at Hassan with a disapproving glance. Hassan replied, 'I have recited in this mosque, and in it, there is someone who is better than you.'" The hadith is narrated by al-Bukhari and Muslim.

Now, how do we address the differences of opinion regarding the legality of singing in Islam?

The main issue in discussing the legality of singing in Islam is that if someone sings, they might forget Islamic laws. There is a significant concern that if someone sings, they could commit violations of Islamic laws, such as getting drunk, fighting, or using inappropriate language.

So, is it sinful to sing in Islam?

For me, the answer to this question is as follows:

• If singing causes someone to violate Islamic laws, then singing is not permissible.
• If singing does not lead someone to violate Islamic laws, then singing is permissible.

Does Singing Break Wudu: Are You Sure?

Now, I will explain the main topic of this discussion: Does singing break wudu? I hope you read the explanation below thoroughly so that you have no further questions about it after reading this article. However, if you still have other questions, please write them in the comment section. I would be very happy to engage in dialogue with you.

Before answering that question, it's better to clarify what can break wudu. I believe that understanding these concepts will help you grasp the answers more effectively.

What Breaks Wudu?

Not all Muslims understand the factors that can break wudu. If you read some Islamic legal literature regarding wudu, you will find that there are five things that can invalidate it:

• Something coming out of the two private openings.

By "two private openings," I mean the front and rear. Generally, anything that comes out of these openings includes urine, blood, feces, and similar substances. Therefore, anything that exits from the two private openings breaks wudu.

You can find this explanation in the verses of the Quran and the hadith below:

يٰٓاَيُّهَا الَّذِيْنَ اٰمَنُوْٓا اِذَا قُمْتُمْ اِلَى الصَّلٰوةِ فَاغْسِلُوْا وُجُوْهَكُمْ وَاَيْدِيَكُمْ اِلَى الْمَرَافِقِ وَامْسَحُوْا بِرُءُوْسِكُمْ وَاَرْجُلَكُمْ اِلَى الْكَعْبَيْنِۗ وَاِنْ كُنْتُمْ جُنُبًا فَاطَّهَّرُوْاۗ وَاِنْ كُنْتُمْ مَّرْضٰٓى اَوْ عَلٰى سَفَرٍ اَوْ جَاۤءَ اَحَدٌ مِّنْكُمْ مِّنَ الْغَاۤىِٕطِ اَوْ لٰمَسْتُمُ النِّسَاۤءَ فَلَمْ تَجِدُوْا مَاۤءً فَتَيَمَّمُوْا صَعِيْدًا طَيِّبًا فَامْسَحُوْا بِوُجُوْهِكُمْ وَاَيْدِيْكُمْ مِّنْهُ ۗمَا يُرِيْدُ اللّٰهُ لِيَجْعَلَ عَلَيْكُمْ مِّنْ حَرَجٍ وَّلٰكِنْ يُّرِيْدُ لِيُطَهِّرَكُمْ وَلِيُتِمَّ نِعْمَتَهٗ عَلَيْكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُوْنَ

O you who have believed, when you rise to [perform] prayer, wash your faces and your forearms to the elbows, and wipe over your heads and wash your feet to the ankles. And if you are in a state of janabah, then purify yourselves. But if you are ill or on a journey or one of you comes from the place of relieving himself or you have contacted women and do not find water, then seek clean earth and wipe over your faces and hands with it. Allah does not intend to make difficulties for you, but He intends to purify you and complete His favor upon you so that you may be grateful. (Al-Maidah: 6).

عَنْ أَبِيْ هُرَيْرَةَ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ : قاَلَ رَسُوْلُ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ : إِذَا وَجَدَ أَحَدُكُمْ فِيْ بَطْنِهِ شَيْئًا فَأَشْكَلَ عَلَيْهِ أَخَرَجَ مِنْهُ شَيْءٌ أَمْ لَا ؟ فَلَا يَخْرُجَنَّ مِنَ الْمَسْجِدِ حَتَّى يَسْمَعَ صَوْتًا أَوْ يَجِدَ رِيْحًا . أَخْرَجَهُ مُسْلِمٌ

From Abu Hurairah radiyallahu anhu, he said, "The Messenger of Allah (Prophet Muhammad) sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said, 'If one of you feels something in his stomach and doubts whether something has come out or not, he should not leave the mosque until he hears a sound or smells an aroma.' This hadith was narrated by Muslim.

عَنْ عَلِيٍّ بْنِ طَلْقٍ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ : قَالَ رَسُوْلُ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ : إِذَا فَسَا أَحَدُكُمْ فِي الصَّلَاةِ فَلْيَنْصَرِفْ وَلْيَتَوَضَّأْ وَلْيُعِدْ الصَّلَاةَ . رَوَاهُ الْخَمْسَةَ

From Ali bin Thalq radliyallahu anhu, he said, "The Messenger of Allah (Prophet Muhammad) said, 'If one of you passes gas silently while praying (salat), then let him go out, perform wudu, and then repeat the prayer (salat).' This hadith was narrated by five narrators (Ahmad, Abu Daud, at-Tirmidhi, an-Nasa’i, Ibn Majah).

• Loss of consciousness due to sleep, madness, or similar conditions.

If you lose consciousness due to sleep, fainting, madness, drunkenness, or similar causes, your wudu is broken. You can find this explanation in the hadith below:

عَنْ مُعَاوِيَةَ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ : قَالَ رَسُوْلُ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ : الْعَيْنُ وِكَاءُ السَّهِ فَإِذَا نَامَتِ الْعَيْنَانِ اِسْتَطْلَقَ الْوِكَاءُ . رَوَاهُ أَحْمَدُ وَالطَّبْرَانِيُّ وَزَادَ : وَ مَنْ نَامَ فَلْيَتَوَضَّأْ

From Mu'awiyah radiyallahu anhu, he said, "The Messenger of Allah sallallahu alaihi wa sallam said, 'The eye is the anal cord. If both eyes sleep, then the string will be untied.' The hadith was narrated by Ahmad and ath-Thabrani, who added, 'Whoever has been sleeping, let him perform wudu.'

• If the skin of a man and a woman who are not mahram touches without a barrier.

For a man, his mahram women include his mother, daughters, sisters, paternal and maternal aunts, and his brothers' and sisters' daughters, as well as women who have breastfed him. Women other than these are not considered mahram. If a man's skin touches that of a non-mahram woman without any barrier, then both their wudus are invalidated. You can find this explanation in the following verses of the Quran:

يٰٓاَيُّهَا الَّذِيْنَ اٰمَنُوْٓا اِذَا قُمْتُمْ اِلَى الصَّلٰوةِ فَاغْسِلُوْا وُجُوْهَكُمْ وَاَيْدِيَكُمْ اِلَى الْمَرَافِقِ وَامْسَحُوْا بِرُءُوْسِكُمْ وَاَرْجُلَكُمْ اِلَى الْكَعْبَيْنِۗ وَاِنْ كُنْتُمْ جُنُبًا فَاطَّهَّرُوْاۗ وَاِنْ كُنْتُمْ مَّرْضٰٓى اَوْ عَلٰى سَفَرٍ اَوْ جَاۤءَ اَحَدٌ مِّنْكُمْ مِّنَ الْغَاۤىِٕطِ اَوْ لٰمَسْتُمُ النِّسَاۤءَ فَلَمْ تَجِدُوْا مَاۤءً فَتَيَمَّمُوْا صَعِيْدًا طَيِّبًا فَامْسَحُوْا بِوُجُوْهِكُمْ وَاَيْدِيْكُمْ مِّنْهُ ۗمَا يُرِيْدُ اللّٰهُ لِيَجْعَلَ عَلَيْكُمْ مِّنْ حَرَجٍ وَّلٰكِنْ يُّرِيْدُ لِيُطَهِّرَكُمْ وَلِيُتِمَّ نِعْمَتَهٗ عَلَيْكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُوْنَ

O you who have believed, when you rise to [perform] prayer, wash your faces and your forearms to the elbows, wipe over your heads, and wash your feet to the ankles. If you are in a state of janabah, then purify yourselves. If you are ill, on a journey, or one of you comes from relieving himself, or you have contacted women and do not find water, then seek clean earth and wipe over your faces and hands with it. Allah does not intend to make difficulty for you, but He intends to purify you and complete His favor upon you so that you may be grateful. (Al-Maidah: 6).

• Touching other people's vital organs (front or back) with the palm of the hand or the inside of the finger is a point of contention among Islamic jurists. Some scholars believe that doing so breaks wudu, while others argue that it does not.

If you want to know the basis for the arguments of Islamic jurists who claim that touching the vital organs breaks wudu, pay attention to the following hadith:

عَنْ بُسْرَةَ بِنْتِ صَفْوَانٍ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهَا، أَنَّهَا سَمِعَتْ رَسُوْلَ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَقُوْلُ: مَنْ مَسَّ ذَكَرَهُ فَلْيَتَوَضَّأْ

From Busrah bint Shafwan, she reported that she heard the Messenger of Allah (Prophet Muhammad) sallallahu alaihi wa sallam say, "Whoever touches his penis must perform wudu."

• Vomiting and nosebleeds.

If you vomit or experience a nosebleed, your wudu is broken. This is explained in the following hadith:

عَنْ عَائِشَةَ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهَا أَنَّ رَسُوْلَ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ: مَنْ أَصَابَهُ قَيْءٌ، أَوْ رُعَافٌ، أَوْ قَلَسٌ، أَوْ مَذْيٌ فَلْيَتَوَضَّأْ، ثُمَّ لْيَبْنِ عَلَى صَلَاتِهِ وَهُوَ لَا يَتَكَلَّمُ. أَخْرَجَهُ اِبْنُ مَاجَهْ

From Aisha radiyallahu anha, she reported that the Messenger of Allah (Prophet Muhammad) sallallahu alaihi wa sallam said, "Whoever experiences vomiting, a nosebleed, qalas (fluid from the throat that fills the mouth but is not vomit), or madhiy should perform wudu and then continue his prayer as long as he does not speak." This hadith was narrated by Ibn Majah.

These are five things that can break wudu. It is essential to understand all of this thoroughly to grasp the main topics in this discussion.

Now, does singing break wudu? The answer is "No, singing is not one of the things that breaks wudu."

Do you have a question? Please write in the comment section!