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I don’t recall *exactly* when it was, that I heard this Urdu Na’at in praise of The Beloved of God, May God bless him and give him peace, during in my childhood. I do remember being very young, and in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in my parents’ home. I also remember that it was being rendered by a person who became my absolute favourite Na’at reciter later in life – the late Hazrat Khursheed Ahmed, may he be enveloped in Divine Mercy.
This was my earliest memory of an introduction to the tradition of praising the Prophet, Sall Allahu ‘alaihi wa sallam. This na’at remains one of my all-time favourite ones to this day. I hope you all like it too.
This particular recording was recorded live at blessed evening in November 2009, at the Ta’leef Collective in Fremont California.
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This piece was written immediately following the RIS 2009 conference in Toronto, in December 2009. It was originally intended as a poem, but Shaykh Faraz encouraged me to set it to a tune and record it.
It was recorded with Blue Microphones’ Yeti Pro – the best USB microphone I’ve used thus far. It’s rich capture of sound is … very cool.
I’ve kept this recording Acapella on purpose, as I intended for the listener to focus on the lyrics. I also wanted to hear the recording quality of this new microphone up close without distractions.
The song itself is a reminder, and an admonition to myself as an artist, and perhaps to other artists as well, to help orient myself against the ego entrapments that come with this line of work.
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This set of lyrics was originally composed as a poem by Shaykh Hamza Yusuf. I composed a tune to it in March 2009, on my second flight to Scan Fransisco in a month, en route to a private gathering of commemorating the month of the Prophet’s birth, Allah bless him and give him peace. AlhamduliLlah, Shaykh Hamza Yusuf was able to hear the initial draft himnself and encouraged me to continue refining it.
The tune is loosely based on a cello solo that my brother had composed in 1990.
This specific recording is from a live performance at the Ta’leef Collective in Fremont California, in November 2009. It was recorded live using a Canon Powershot SX 20i that I mounted on a $20 tripod. Not sure about the specs of the sound system at Ta’leef that day, but they always seem to know what they’re doing in that department.
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Dear visitor,
Many greetings of peace. Thank you for visiting.
For the past few weeks now, I’ve started a podcast hosted at SoundCloud, and cross-posted here on this website. Posts from this podcast have begun circulating over social media. I’m working on having this podcast available on iTunes very soon – stay tuned for more info on this in the coming week or so.
This podcast will include song ideas that are works in progress, or new things that I’m trying out, whether new equipment, or new experimental ideas of tune, rhythm, and lyrical fusion and innovation, or just something I feel inclined to record put out for the listeners.
Feel free to post comments and feedback below, or under each song’s blogpost, or on the Facebook Fanpage.
Those looking to just listen to the songs and download them, they may scroll to the player below and do so. Those looking to read a bit more about the tracks themselves, may click >>here<< to browse through all the Podcast blogposts on this website.
Thank you, and I look forward to your feedback.
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The entire podcast song list can be found below. FREE DOWNLOADS have been enabled – Share The Link, Spread The Love.
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Ramadan is now upon us and we are looking for your support to respond to hunger in their communities.
“O Son of Adam, I was hungry, and you didn’t feed Me,” says Allah in Divine Words (hadith qudsi) related by the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace).
There are 800,000 people in Canada who use foodbanks on a monthly basis, 40% of them children.
SeekersHub’s FeedMe Fast campaign is a way for you to make a difference in your own city: a $5/day donation feeds one hungry Torontonian for a day, and a $20/day donation feeds a family. (100% of funds raised will be given to local GTA food banks.)
“None of you believes if they sleep full, while their neighbours are hungry,” said the Prophet.
DO Something::
• Donate via Email Interac to: feedmefast@seekershub.org
• Donate canned food at SeekersHub: 2355 Royal Windsor Dr, Unit 10, Mississauga
• Get five friends or family members to donate
• Encourage three friends to get involved in the campaign.
As you approach the time to break your fast this month, please consider what a tremendous difference you can make in the lives of the hungry in your own neighbourhoods, for whom hunger is not a consequence of choice. For the increasingly burgeoning masses who find themselves heading towards the foodbanks for help, almost half of whom are children, we can’t afford to do nothing about it.
During this blessed holy month, we get to experience by choice and for a limited time, what 2.7 Million people live with everyday in this beautiful country of ours, our Canada, our home and native land. This Ramadan, let’s manifest The Prophet’s concern for the well-being of others by making a difference in someone’s life.
I wish you all a blessed Ramadan, and a festive Eid.
Dear visitor,
