How to Quit Listening to Music (the Islamic Way)?
1. Begin by Clarifying Why You Want to Quit
Quitting music is not a lifestyle trend. It is a spiritual decision tied to obedience. Every lasting change in Islam begins with intention. The Prophet ﷺ said:
إِنَّمَا الْأَعْمَالُ بِالنِّيَّاتِ، وَإِنَّمَا لِكُلِّ امْرِئٍ مَا نَوَى
“Actions are only by intentions, and every person will have only what they intended.”
[Sahih al-Bukhari, 1 | Sahih Muslim, 1907]
When your reason is Allah, not guilt, not pressure, not fear of people, your quitting becomes steady instead of fragile.
2. Understand Why Music Is Spiritually Dangerous
The Qur’an directly warns about vain amusement that misleads hearts:
وَمِنَ النَّاسِ مَن يَشْتَرِي لَهْوَ الْحَدِيثِ لِيُضِلَّ عَن سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ بِغَيْرِ عِلْمٍ وَيَتَّخِذَهَا هُزُوًا ۚ أُولَٰئِكَ لَهُمْ عَذَابٌ مُّهِينٌ
“And of the people is he who purchases idle talk to mislead others from the path of Allah without knowledge and takes it in mockery. Those will have a humiliating punishment.”
[Qur’an 31:6]
‘Abdullāh ibn Mas‘ūd (رضي الله عنه) said about this verse:
الغناء ، والله الذي لا إله إلا هو
“It refers to singing, by Allah besides whom there is no god.”
[Tafsīr Ibn Kathīr]
3. Accept That Music Affects the Heart Before It Affects Behavior
Music is not neutral. It reshapes emotions, desires, and spiritual sensitivity. The Prophet ﷺ said:
لَيَكُونَنَّ مِنْ أُمَّتِي أَقْوَامٌ يَسْتَحِلُّونَ الْحِرَ وَالْحَرِيرَ وَالْخَمْرَ وَالْمَعَازِفَ
“There will be people from my ummah who will regard as lawful fornication, silk, alcohol, and musical instruments.”
[Sahih al-Bukhari, 5590]
The pairing of musical instruments with alcohol and fornication is not accidental. It shows their shared effect on dissolving restraint.
4. Replace Music With Qur’an Immediately
The heart cannot live in silence. If you remove sound, you must replace it with guidance. Allah says:
أَلَا بِذِكْرِ اللَّهِ تَطْمَئِنُّ الْقُلُوبُ
“Surely in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find tranquility.”
[Qur’an 13:28]
The same ears that carried music can carry Qur’an. One softens the heart toward dunya. The other reshapes it toward the ākhirah.
5. Identify when You Use Music as Emotional Anesthesia
Many people rely on music to numb sadness, anxiety, loneliness, or anger. Islam does not teach emotional avoidance. It teaches emotional healing through dhikr, du‘ā, and tawakkul. When you feel the urge for music, ask what pain you are trying to silence instead of heal.
6. Clean Your Digital Space
Music is no longer just a playlist. It is embedded in social media, reels, backgrounds, games, and ads. Truly quitting requires digital discipline. Removing triggers is not weakness. It is wisdom.
7. Understand That Quitting Music Is Also a Test of Identity
For many people, music is not just entertainment. It is self-definition. Quitting may feel like losing a piece of who you were. Islam replaces identity based on sound with identity based on submission.
Your identity is not what you listened to. It is who you submit to.
8. Expect Emotional Resistance From the Nafs
The nafs dislikes being restrained once addicted to stimulation. Quitting music may initially feel empty, boring, or even painful. That does not mean you made the wrong decision. It means the nafs is losing control.
9. Replace the Dopamine Cycle With Worship-Based Joy
Music floods the brain with instant pleasure. Worship builds slower but deeper satisfaction. The Prophet ﷺ said:
وَجُعِلَ قُرَّةُ عَيْنِي فِي الصَّلاَةِ
“and the coolness of my eyes was placed in prayer.”
[Sunan al-Nasa’i, 3939 | Sahih]
Qur’an, salah, and du‘ā rewire pleasure from artificial stimulation to spiritual serenity.
10. Stay Away From Defensive Debates
During early quitting, people often feel the need to justify their decision publicly. You are not obligated to debate every critic. Protect your intention. Not everyone deserves access to your inner struggle.
11. Remember That Leaving Something for Allah Is Always Replaced
The Prophet ﷺ said:
إِنَّكَ لَنْ تَدَعَ شَيْئًا لِلَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ إِلَّا بَدَّلَكَ اللَّهُ بِهِ مَا هُوَ خَيْرٌ لَكَ مِنْهُ
“You will never leave something for the sake of Allah except that Allah will replace it with what is better for you than it.”
[Musnad Ahmad, 23074 | Sahih]
What you lose in sound, you gain in clarity, peace, and spiritual strength.
12. Expect Withdrawal and Do Not Panic
Restlessness, silence discomfort, emotional swings, and nostalgia are normal withdrawal effects from stimulation. Do not interpret discomfort as failure. It is detox.
13. Use Salah as the Anchor During Cravings
When the craving peaks, stand before Allah physically. Movement breaks urges. Sujūd realigns the heart. Sound is replaced with submission.
14. Keep Company That Honors the Change
If your environment is constantly filled with music, your willpower will erode. The Prophet ﷺ said:
الْمَرْءُ عَلَى دِينِ خَلِيلِهِ
“A person follows the religion of his close companion.”
[Sunan al-Tirmidhi, 2378 | Hasan]
Your environment will either carry you forward or secretly pull you back.
15. Do Not Replace Music With Another Addiction
Some replace music with endless podcasts, videos, or scrolling. The problem is not just sound. It is spiritual distraction. True quitting means returning to conscious presence with Allah.
16. Remember That Music Gradually Weakens Hayā’
Repeated exposure normalizes desire, flirtation, rebelliousness, and emotional dependency. Hayā’ erodes silently before it collapses openly.
17. Keep Tawbah Open at All Times
Slips may happen. Do not let one relapse turn into surrender. Allah says:
إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُحِبُّ التَّوَّابِينَ
“Indeed Allah loves those who continually repent.”
[Qur’an 2:222]
Quitting is a journey, not a switch.
Quitting music is not about becoming empty.
It is about creating space for something higher.
It is not about punishment.
It is about purification.
It is not about silence.
It is about finally hearing your soul again in the presence of Allah.
