Indeed, the devil is afraid of you, O ‘Umar! I was sitting while she beat the tambourine, and then Abu Bakr entered while she was beating it, then ‘Ali entered while she was beating it, then ‘Uthmān entered while she was beating it, ...

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Buraydah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) went out for one of his expeditions, then when he came back, a black slave-girl came to him and said: "O Messenger of Allah, I made a vow that if Allah returned you safely, I would beat the tambourine before you and sing." So the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said to her: "If you have made a vow, then beat it, and if you have not, then do not." So she started to beat the tambourine, and Abu Bakr entered while she was beating it. Then ‘Ali entered while she was beating it, then ‘Uthmān entered while she was beating it. Then ‘Umar entered, so she put the tambourine under her buttocks, and sat upon it. So, the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Indeed, the devil is afraid of you, O ‘Umar! I was sitting while she beat the tambourine, and then Abu Bakr entered while she was beating it, then ‘Ali entered while she was beating it, then ‘Uthmān entered while she was beating it, and then when you entered, O ‘Umar, she put away the tambourine."

Authentic hadith - Narrated by At-Termedhy - Narrated by Ahmad

Explanation

When the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) returned victorious from one of his expeditions, a black slave-girl told him that she had made a vow that if he returned safe and victorious, she would beat the tambourine and sing in celebration of his arrival. The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) told her that if she had vowed to do so, she should fulfill her vow and beat the tambourine. Otherwise, she should not. She beat the tambourine and kept doing as Abu Bakr, ‘Ali, and ‘Uthmān came in. It was only when ‘Umar entered that she stopped beating. She put the tambourine under her buttocks to cover it in awe of ‘Umar. On that, the Prophet, may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him said that the devil feared ‘Umar, for the girl beat the tambourine in the presence of the Prophet, may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him; Abu Bakr; ‘Uthmān; and ‘Ali and only stopped when ‘Umar came in. In fact, playing musical instruments is forbidden, as per the consensus of scholars and the indications of multiple texts. The only exception is the tambourine that women may beat in weddings, festivals, and for the arrival of a dear one who was away for home.