What does Al-mwsyqā mean?

Islam > Glossary > Al-mwsyqā

Discover the meaning of the term Al-mwsyqā (موسيقى) in Islamic vocabulary.

Definition Al-mwsyqā

Al-mwsyqā according to Dustur al-'Ulama (Al-Ahmadnagari)

In the collection of Shaykh Baha ad-Din al-Amili, it is a science through which one knows the notes, the rhythm, and their conditions, as well as how to compose melodies and use musical instruments. Its subject matter is sound with respect to its organization. The note is a sound that persists for a time during which melodies flow, acting in the manner of letters in words. Its basic elements are seventeen and its strings eighty-four. Rhythm is the consideration of the time of the sound. There is no legal impediment in Islamic law to learning this science, and many jurists excelled in it. The musician conceives melodies in terms of them being audible in general from whatever instrument they agree upon. The performer takes them only as being audible from natural instruments such as human throats or artificial ones such as musical instruments. What is said to the effect that musical melodies are derived from the ratios of celestial frictions is among their symbols, since there are no frictions in the celestial spheres.

Al-mwsyqā according to Maqalid al-'Ulum (As-Suyuti)

A science by which one knows the method of composing melodies and the method of timing.

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