Can you listen to music during Ramadan?

Olivia Waring

Published March 10, 2024 4:18pm Updated March 10, 2024 4:18pm

What are the rules around listening to music during the festival? (Picture: Getty Images)

Ramadan is a month-long period where Muslims abstain from eating, drinking, smoking, and sex during daylight hours.

It leads up to the celebration Eid al-Fitr, and is designed to purify followers spiritually, bringing them closer to God and making them more aware of those living in poverty.

This Ramadan begins on March 10 and the fasting period will continue until around April 9.

The period is also defined by prayer as well as donations to charity, and there are many rules and customs surrounding it.

But are Muslims allowed to listen to music during Ramadan, or is music haram (forbidden)?

Is it haram to listen to music in Ramadan?

The subject of music in Islam is a complicated one, as some interpret the Qu’ran as saying music ‘misleads [men] from the path of Allah’.

This has led parents to pull their children out of music classes at school in the past.

But then again, other Muslims do not interpret the Qu’ran as making statements against music, and music isn’t ever specifically mentioned as haram in the text.

For some, listening to music will be fine, as long as it doesn’t encroach on other people’s Ramadan (Picture: Getty)

Some Muslims have advised that during Ramadan it’s okay to listen to music on your phone, through headphones, or in a private space.

Playing loud music is not advised, nor is driving and playing loud music at the same time.

The jury’s out, though, as an interview with a Muslim published by the BBC in 2005 states that you should reduce the amount of time you spend on music, films and board games during Ramadan.

It seems the issue of music is not clear-cut by any means and whether you listen to it really depends on how you interpret the Qu’ran and the meaning of Ramadan itself.