المعنى الاصطلاحي :

Any beautiful sound that a person enjoys listening to.

الشرح المختصر :

"Samaa‘" (listening) is of two types: 1. Legislated, which is to listen to the recitation of the verses of Allah, which He sent down to His Messenger, may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him. This type is the basis of faith, and it is of three types: listening by perceiving the sound through the sense of hearing, listening by understanding through using the intellect, and listening by understanding, responding, and accepting. 2. Dispraised listening, which is of two types: a. listening for entertainment and rapture, such as listening to singing and musical instruments. b. innovated “samaa`” as an act of religiosity and seeking thereby to draw close to Allah, the Almighty. This type is a religious innovation and an error because people are commanded to draw close to Allah through the means He legislated, not by following whims and religious innovations. This type usually involves chanting, melodious tunes, musical instruments, clapping, swaying, and other similar deeds which are done for the sake of religiosity, while in fact they are the worst forms of transgression in reciting Dhikr and supplication. Samā‘ (spiritual rite involving dancing and listening to music) frequently includes poems that reach the point of disbelief or Shirk such as those raising the Messenger of Allah, may His peace and blessings be upon him, to such a high status that was not advocated by any of the Companions, or mentioned in the Qur’an and Sunnah. Samā‘ is an innovated matter that appeared at the end of the second century. A big number of scholars denounced it such as Ash-Shāfi‘i and Ahmad. It was not witnessed by Ibn Ad'ham and Al-Fudayl.

التعريف اللغوي المختصر :

"Samaa`": perceiving the sound through the ear. Other meanings: a pleasing sound that the ear enjoys.