Is Reciting Naats with Daff and Dhikr Permissible?
بِسْمِ اللہِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ
The Ruling on Reciting Prophetic odes with Daff and Dhikr
Darulifta Ahlesunnat (Dawateislami)
Question
What do the scholars of Islam say regarding the following matter: How is it to recite and listen to Prophetic odes with a Daff (frame drum)? Also, is it permissible to recite and listen to Prophetic odes that have the Dhikr of Allah in the background? Requester: Zayn al-Abidin (Gulistan Colony, Rawalpindi)
Answer
Reciting the praise of the holy Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم is undoubtedly a source of reward and blessings. It causes the mercy of Allah Almighty to descend and is a way to gain the pleasure of the beloved Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم and increase in his love. However, like all other matters, it is necessary to follow the Shariah in this as well.
Therefore, if a daff has cymbals, playing it is completely forbidden. Reciting a Prophetic ode with such a daff is even more forbidden and is a severe sin. If the daff does not have cymbals, playing it is allowed with three conditions. If even one condition is missing, it is not allowed:
1. It should not be played in the style of musical entertainment (i.e., it should not follow the principles of music).
2. The people playing it should not be men, because playing the daff is absolutely disliked (makrūh) for them.
3. The women playing it should not be from noble families, and if young girls play it, it must be in a context free from temptation (fitnah).
The playing of the daff mentioned in the noble Aḥādīth was of this nature.
The methods used nowadays do not meet all the conditions for playing the daff. Therefore, playing such a daff and reciting Prophetic odes with it is not permissible.
As for reciting dhikr along with the Prophetic ode: the common way dhikr is recited nowadays—where a sound like a drum is produced and the dhikr is used as a "background" to make the Prophetic ode sound more attractive—has been forbidden by senior scholars. Our fatwa is also the same. In some places, it has been seen that those performing dhikr do not even pronounce the name of Allah Almighty properly, or they change the words to create a loud beat. This is very disrespectful and is not allowed. Listening to such dhikr is also forbidden.
وَاللہُ اَعْلَمُ عَزَّوَجَلَّ وَ رَسُوْلُہ اَعْلَم صَلَّی اللہُ تَعَالٰی عَلَیْہِ وَاٰلِہٖ وَ سَلَّم
(Allah Almighty knows best and His Messenger صَلَّی اللہُ عَلَیْہِ وَ اٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم knows best.)
Answered By: Molana Muhammad Naveed Chishti Attari Madani
Verified By: Mufti Muhammad Qasim Attari
Date: Islamic Magazine Faizan e Madina July 2026