[cristmiff]

An interesting passage from one of the most authoritative books of the Hanafi Madhab:

Imam al-Marghinani (d. 593 H) wrote:

قال : (ومن دعي إلى وليمة أو طعام فوجد ثمه لعبا أو غناء فلا بأس بأن يقعد ويأكل ) قال أبو حنيفة: ابتليت بهذا مرة فصبرت، وهذا لأن إجابة الدعوة سنة، قال عليه السلام: "من لم يجب الدعوة فقد عصى أبا القاسم" فلا يتركها لما اقترنت به من البدعة من غيره كصلاة الجنازة واجبة الإقامة وإن حضرتها نياحة، فإن قدرعلى المنع منعهم وإن لم يقدر يصبر، وهذا إذا لم يكن مقتدى، فإن كان مقتدى ولم يقدر على منعهم يخرج ولا يقعد لأن في ذلك شين الدين وفتح باب المعصية على المسلمين والمحكي عن أبي حنيفة في الكتاب كان قبل أن يصير مقتدى، ولو كان ذلك على المائدة لا ينبغي أن يقعد ، وإن لم يكن مقتدى لقوله تعالى: { فلا تقعد بعد الذكرى مع القوم الظالمين }وهذا كله بعد الحضور، ولو علم قبل الحضور لا يحضر لأنه لم يلزمه حق الدعوة ، بخلاف ما إذا هجم عليه لأنه قد لزمه ، ودلت المسألة على أن الملاهي كلها حرام حتى التغني بضرب القضيب، وكذا قول أبي حنيفة رحمه الله : ابتليت ; لأن الابتلاء بالمحرم يكون

'He [i.e. Imam Muhammad in al-Jami' al-Saghir] said: "And whoever is invited to a Walimah or food, and he finds amusement or singing there, there is no harm in sitting and eating." Abu Hanifah said: "I was afflicted by this once, and I remained patient."

'This is because answering an invitation is Sunnah. He (upon him peace) said: "Whoever does not answer an invitation, he has disobeyed Abu al-Qasim." Thus, he will not leave it for what is joined to it of bid'ah from other than it; just like it is obligatory to establish Salat al-Janazah even if wailing accompanies it. If he is able to stop [them], he should stop them, and if he is unable he should be patient.

'And this is when one is not an authority (muqtada - i.e. scholar, imam etc.). If he is an authority, and he is unable to prevent them, he should leave and not sit, because in that is disfiguring the religion and opening the door to sin for the Muslims (fath bab al-ma'siyah 'ala al-muslimin). That which is related from Abu Hanifah in the book, that was before he became an authority.

'If that [i.e. singing and amusement] was on the table [that one is seated at], he should not sit even if he is not an authority, due to His (Exalted is He) saying: "And do not sit after the reminder with the wrongdoing people." (Qur'an 6:68)

'All this is after attending. And if one knows before attending [that there will be singing and amusement], he must not attend because the right of invitation is not binding on him; as distinguished from that [situation] when he heads to it because it is binding on him.

'This juristic ruling proves that all musical instruments (malahi) are haram even singing with hitting a stick. Similarly the saying of Abu Hanifah: "I was afflicted" because affliction is only by haram.' (Hidayah, Part Four, Kitab al-Karahiyah)"