Leaving listening is a station perceived
only by the strong among the people, in the transmitted account.
If He says “Be,” to whom, when the entity is one
and there is no other than He in entity or effect?
“Be” has no effect according to this saying;
indeed, the very “Be” was not, if you possess discernment.
None affirms listening to speech but a youth
enraptured by the meanings of verses and surahs.
Without speech there would be no listening; yet
speech has come, so be wary of it.
Unrestricted listening cannot be left. What the great ones leave is only the restricted listening commonly known as such, namely singing. Our master Abu al-Suʿud ibn al-Shibl al-Baghdadi was asked, “What do you say about listening?” He replied, “It is forbidden to the beginner, and the one who has reached the end has no need of it.” He was asked, “For whom, then?” He replied, “For people in the middle, possessors of hearts.”
A woman came to the Messenger of God, God bless him and grant him peace, and said, “Messenger of God, I have vowed to beat the tambourine before you.” He said to her, “If you have vowed; otherwise, no.”
