thirty thousand, and as an ordinary slave she is worth twenty dinars." He said: "She is not to be sold except as an ordinary slave." They argued for its prohibition based on what was narrated from Ibn al-Hanafiyyah regarding the Almighty’s saying: {And avoid false speech} (80). He said: "It is singing." Ibn Abbas and Ibn Mas’ud said regarding His saying: {And of the people is he who buys the amusement of speech} (81): "It is singing" (82). From Abu Umamah, that the Prophet (peace and blessings of God be upon him) forbade buying singing slave girls, selling them, trading in them, and that consuming their price is forbidden. It was recorded by al-Tirmidhi (83), who said: "We do not know it except (84) through the hadith of Ali ibn Yazid, and scholars have spoken regarding him." Ibn Mas’ud narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings of God be upon him) said: "Singing induces hypocrisy in the heart" (86). The correct view is that it is a statement of Ibn Mas’ud. In any case, whoever adopts singing as a profession, is sought out for it, and performs it, or takes a male or female slave who are singers, and gathers people for them, his testimony is not accepted; because this, according to those who do not deem it forbidden, is foolishness, baseness, and a lack of moral integrity. As for one who deems it forbidden, he is, along with his foolishness, a sinner, persistent and publicly manifesting his corruption. This is the opinion of al-Shafi’i and the scholars of reason (Ashab al-Ra’y). If he does not attribute himself to singing, but only hums to himself and does not sing for people, or his male or female slave only sing for him, this is based on the disagreement regarding it. Whoever considers it permissible or dislikes it, his testimony is not rejected. Whoever considers it forbidden says: If he persists (87) in it, his testimony is rejected, like other minor sins; but if he does not persist in it, his testimony is not rejected. If one who believes in its lawfulness performs it, the analogy of the school of thought is that his testimony is not rejected for something he is not widely known for, like other disputed branches of law. Whoever frequents houses of singing, or singers frequent him for listening (88), while manifesting this, and it is frequent from him, his testimony is rejected in all their opinions; because it is foolishness and baseness. And if he is