Islam and music

The debate over the relationship between Islam and music has a long history in Islam. Many Muslims believe that the Qur'an and Sunnah prohibit music (instruments and singing); however, others believe that some forms of music are permissible. Music existed in the Islamic world, although it was often confined to palaces and private homes to avoid censure.

In many parts of the Muslim world devotional/religious music and secular music is well developed. In recent decades, "the advent of a whole new generation of Muslim musicians who try to blend their work and faith", has given the issue "extra significance".

Historically, Islamic art and music flourished during the Islamic Golden Age, and continued to flourish until the 19th century in the Ottoman, Safavid, and Mughal Empires. Ottoman music in particular developed into a diverse art form, and influenced Western composers of the Classical period. Islamic music more broadly is also credited with influencing European and Western music. For example, French musicologist Baron Rodolphe d'Erlanger, in his assessment of the Abbasid Caliphate in Islamic history, cites the Kitabu l'musiqi al-kabir ("The Great Book of Music") by al-Farabi as being influential.