Controversy
Muslims are divided into two groups regarding the issue of sama and the use of music in general: 1) Advocates, which are most Sufis and other mystics, and 2) Opponents.
Advocates view chants as a required practice for spiritual growth. Abu Hamid al-Ghazzali was a firm advocate for music, and believed that wajd aroused passionate love for God Al-Ghazzali wrote a chapter entitled "Concerning Music and Dancing as Aids to the Religious Life", where he emphasized how the practices of music and dance are beneficial to Muslims, as long as their hearts are pure before engaging in these practices.
Opponents find music as an Innovation bidah and associated with infidelity. They compare the physical sensations experienced by a person in the state of wajd to a state of physical drunkenness, and therefore do not condone it.
Read more about this topic: Sama (Sufism)
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