Samāʿ
Definition
Samaʿ is the practice of listening to spiritually oriented poetry, song, or music with the intention of stirring the heart toward Allah, deepening longing for the divine, and producing the inner states that draw the believer closer to genuine spiritual reality. Al-Ghazali's treatment of sama' is one of the most carefully qualified in Islamic scholarly literature: he argues that it is permissible in principle but genuinely dangerous in practice if the conditions — the right heart, the right environment, the right content, and the right intention — are not met. The same physical experience of listening can be an act of worship or an act of corruption depending entirely on what is in the heart of the listener.
As understood in the classical tradition of Imam al-Ghazali and the scholars of his school.
Appears in
1 book in the library
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