Language
Arabic

Songwriter
Popular

Inspiration
This recitation of the 99 revealed names of God in the Islamic tradition was placed at the beginning of this album as a practical expression of BismiLlah ar-Rahman as-Rahim, the oft repeated formulaic beginning of all chapters of the Qur’an, save one. The phrase is popularly translated into English as “In the name of God, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful“, and has been devoutly repeated by Muslims throughout the ages and across the continents at the beginning of any undertaking.

This recitation is also the very first one that I had ever done in a formal gathering of dhikr, at the December 1997 Deen Intensive Program at a winter campsite 2 hours north of Toronto. It was a clear, cold night. The multitudinous stars of an Ontario country sky lit up the crisp foot-high snow all around us. We were in a large, log cabin with subdued lighting, in the company of Shaykh Hamza Yusuf, Shaykh Jamal Dhahabi, Shaykh Abdullah Al Kadi, and Shaykh Talal Ahdab. Also present were Sidi Nazim Baksh, Sidi Abdul-Rehman Malik, and many devoted students of sacred sciences and spiritual matters in the Islamic tradition. My recitation was followed by Shaykh Jamal’s recitation of the second chapter of the Burdah, and Shaykh Hamza’s moving commentary on it. It was a very special evening that remains vivid in the minds of all those present.

A recording of my performance from that session is still floating around somewhere on the internet.

Huw Allahu llathi la ilaha illa Hu

Ar-Rahman, Ar-Rahim, Al-Malik, Al-Quddus, As-Salam, Al-Mu’min, Al-Muhaymin, Al-Aziz

Al-Jabbar, Al-Mutakabbir, Al-Khaliq, Al-Bari

Al-Musawwir, Al-Ghaffar, Al-Qahhar, Al-Wahhab, Ar-Razzaq

Al-Fattah, Al-Alim, Al-Qabid, Al-Basit, Al-Khafid, Ar-Rafi, Al-Mu’izz, Al-Mudhill, As-Sami, Al-Basir , Al-Hakam , Al-Adl, Al-Latif

Al-Khabir, Al-Halim, Al-Azim, Al-Ghafur, Ash-Shakur, Al-Ali

Al-Kabir, Al-Hafiz, Al-Muqit, Al-Hasib, Al-Jalil, Al-Karim, Ar-Raqib, Al-Mujib

Al-Wasi, Al-Hakim, Al-Wadud, Al-Majid, Al-Ba’ith, Ash-Shahid, Al-Haqq

Al-Wakil, Al-Qawiyy

Al-Matin, Al-Waliyy, Al-Hamid, Al-Muhsi

Al-Mubdi’, Al-Mu’id, Al-Muhyi, Al-Mumit, Al-Hayy, Al-Qayyum, Al-Wajid, Al-Majid, Al-Wahid, Al-Ahad, As-Samad

Al-Qadir

Al-Muqtadir, Al-Muqaddim, Al-Mu’akhkhir, Al-Awwal, Al-Akhir, Az-Zahir, Al-Batin, Al-Wali, Al-Muta’ali

Al-Barr, At-Tawwab, Al-Muntaqim, Al-’Afuww, Ar-Ra’ufm Malik al Mulk, Dhu al Jalal wa al Ikram

Al-Muqsit, Al-Jami’, Al-Ghani, Al-Mughni, Al-Mani’, Ad-Darr, An-Nafi’, An-Nur, Al-Hadi, Al-Badi, Al-Baqi, Al-Warith, Ar-Rashid

As-Sabur

He is God, besides Whom there’s no other god

The All Beneficent, The Most Merciful, The King, The Sovereign, The Most Holy, The Source of Peace, The Guarantor, The Guardian, The Almighty

The Powerful, The Tremendous, The Creator, The Maker

The Fashioner of Forms, The Ever Forgiving, The All Compelling Subduer, The Bestower, The Ever Providing

The Opener, The All Knowing, The Restrainer, The Expander, The Abaser, The Exalter, The Giver of Honor, The Giver of Dishonor, The All Hearing, The All Seeing, The Judge, The Supremely Just, The Subtly Kind

The All Aware, The Forbearing, The Magnificent, The All Forgiving, The Grateful, The Sublimely Exalted

The Great, The Preserver, The Nourisher, The Reckoner, The Majestic, the Generous, The Watchful, The Responsive

The All Encompassing, The Wise, The Loving, The All Glorious, The Raiser of the Dead, The Witness, The Real

The Trustee, The Strong

The Steadfast, The Protecting Friend, The All Praiseworthy, The Accounter

The Initiator of all, The Reinstater Who Brings Back All, The Giver of Life, The Bringer of Death, The Ever Living, The Self Subsisting Sustainer of All, The Perceiver, The Magnificent, The All Inclusive One, The Indivisible, The Self Sufficient

The All Powerful

The All Determiner, The Expediter, The Delayer, The First, The Last, The Manifest, The Hidden, The Patron, The Self Exalted

The Most Kind and Righteous, The Ever Relenting, The Avenger, The Pardoner, The Compassionate, The Owner of All Sovereignty, The Lord of Majesty and Generosity

The Equitable, The Gatherer, The All Rich, The Enricher, The Withholder, The Distressor, The Benefactor, The Light, The Guide, The Originator, The Ever Enduring, The Inheritor of All, The Infallible Teacher

The Timelessly Patient

Language
Urdu

Songwriter
Popular

Inspiration
An Urdu song in praise of the Prophet and well-known in the Indian subcontinent. Current rendition is based on a version composed by the Indian music director Ravindra Jain and sung by Mohammad Aziz for the popular 1990 Indian movie “Henna”. The familiar opening rubai was reportedly composed by Shaykh Sa’di Shirazi.

Ya sahibul jamalu wa ya sayyadul bashar

Min wajhikal muniro laqad nawwarul qamar

La yumkinuth thana`uka ma kaana haqquhu

Ba’daz Khuda, buzurg toi, qissa-e-mukhtasar

Marhaba Sayyadi, Makki Madaniyy-ul Arabi

Dil-o-jaan baad fidayat che ajab khush laqabi

Hoke mayus tere dar se savali na gaya

Khali haath aaya magar lawt ke khaali na gaya

Hai tu hi afzal-ul-insan tu mehbub-e-khuda

Ae Quraishi, O Bani Hashmi, O Muttalabi

Sayyadi anta habibi wa tabib-e-qalbi

Marhaba Sayyadi, Makki Madaniyy-ul Arabi

Kab ata hoga mujhe zawq-e-sanakhwan-e-nabi

Ae qamar, ye meri koshish kisi qabil to nahin

Meri khatir to ye nisbat bhi bohot hai mawla

Mae kahaan, varna kahaan zikr-e-khuda, naat-e-nabi

Dil-o-jaan baad fidayat che ajab khush laqabi

Marhaba Sayyadi, Makki Madaniyy-ul Arabi /

O possessor of beauty! O leader of mankind

It is from your enlightened countenance that the moon is illumined

It is not possible to praise you in a befitting manner

In short, after God, you are the greatest

Welcome, my Leigelord, O Makkan and Medinan of the Arabs

How wondrous! May my heart and soul be your ransom, O sweet-titled-one

Never has a questioner turned away from your threshold in a state of despair

Though he arrived empty handed, he didn’t depart empty handed

You are the best among men, the beloved of God

O Quraishite, O Hashimite, O Muttalabite

My Leigelord, you are my beloved, and the healer of my heart

Welcome, my Leigelord, O Makkan and Medinan of the Arabs

When will I taste the refinement of being one who truly praises the Prophet

O Qamar, this meagre attempt of mine is not worth anything at all

For my sake, this association is sufficient, my Lord

Who am I to be endowed with the remembrance of God, and the praise of His Prophet

How wondrous! May my heart and soul be your ransom, O sweet-titled-one

Welcome, my Leigelord, O Makkan and Medinan of the Arabs /

Language
Arabic

Songwriter
Popular

Inspiration
Imam Muslim narrates in his Sahih, that Imam Ali said, “By the One Who split the grain (with growth) and created man, the Unlettered Prophet’s promise (Allah bless him and grant him peace) to me is: none shall love me except for a believer and none shall hate me except for a hypocrite.” Shaykh Muhammad Zahid, out of concern that I could be misunderstood, advised me to add the line “Kullu man sara `ala darbihimu” to the song when he first heard me perform it. It took him almost 10 seconds to compose a line that matched the song both in rhythm, and in propriety. This has been the first song that either of my children has ever heard, and today it’s their lullaby of choice.

Inna fil jannati nahran min laban

Li `Aliyyin wa Husainin wa Hasan

Kullu man kana muhibban lahumu

Kullu man sara `ala darbihimu

Yadkhulu ljannata min ghairi hazan

Hubbu ahlil bayti fardun `indana

Wa bi hathal hubbi la nakhshal mihan

Surely, in paradise, is a river of milk

For Ali, and Hussain, and Hasan

Whosoever loves them

Whosoever goes forth upon their path

Enters paradise without experiencing any sadness

Love of the People of the Prophetic Household is incumbent upon us

And because of this love, we do not fear tribulations

Language
English

Songwriter
Nader Khan

Inspiration
A song based on a story cited by Imam Ghazali in his book “Duties of Brotherhood in Islam”, translated into English by Muhtar Holland. The story is of two friends from an ancient Jewish community, and deals with their lifestyle of devotion and worship, how one of them goes astray, and how his friend takes him by the hand, back to his original path.

Take my hand, come with me

Take your time, but don’t you see

That your ways, won’t set you free

Take my hand, come with me

Take a look, inside the door

Of my heart, you’ll see for sure

That my love, for you is pure

Take my hand, come with me

I won’t judge, won’t put you down

While you lie, down on the ground

Take your time, I’ll hang around

Take my hand, come with me

I don’t know how I would fare

If your trials, I was to bear

But your burden, do let me share

Take my hand, come with me

Take this hate out of your heart

It’s alright that we’ve grown apart

Let’s give this thing a brand new start

Take my hand, come with me

Turn your anger, your glowing rage

Against yourself, break out of the cage

Write your story, on a brand new page

Take my hand, come with me

I won’t shout, I’ll stay composed

This is where, you need me most

It’s not too late, the door hasn’t closed

Take my hand, come with me

And if i stumble, as I walk with you

I’ll take your hand, oh I’ll come with you

I’ll need your strength, to pull me through

But now take my hand, and now come with me

Language
Urdu

Songwriter
Popular

Inspiration
This naat was rendered to popular acceptance by the Pakistani Qur’an reciter and Naat performer, Qari Waheed Zafar Qasmi, and enjoys a strong emotional attachment all across the Indian subcontinent. The current rendition presents it in a typically Arabic tune of the hijaz mode.

Faslon ko takalluf hai hum se agar

Ham bhi bebas nahin, besahara nahin

Khud unhin ko pukarenge hum dur se, Raaste mein agar paun thak jaaenge

Jaise hi sabz gumbad nazar aaega

Bandagi ka qarina badal jaaega

Sar jhukane ki fursat milegi kise

Khud hi aankhon se sajde tapak jaaenge

Hum madine mein tanha nikal jaaenge

Aur galiyon mein qasdan bhatak jaaenge

Hum vahaan jaake vaapas nahin aaenge

Dhundte dhundte log thak jaaenge

Naam unka jahaan bhi liya jaaega

Zikr unka jahaan bhi kiya jaaege

Nur hi nur sinon mein bhar jaaega

Saari mehfil mein jalve lapak jaaenge

Ae madine ke zaair khuda ke liye

Dastaan-e-safar mujh ko yun mat suna

Dil tadap jaaega. Baat badh jaaegi

Mere mohtat aansu chhalak jaaenge

Unki chashm-e-karam ko hai iski khabar

Kis musafir ko hai kitna shawq-e-safar

Hum ko Iqbal jab bhi ijazat mili

Hum bhi aaqa ke durbar tak jaaenge

If distances prove themselves to be pretentious towards us

We are neither helpless, nor are we without support

We shall entreat Him ourselves

Should our feet grow weary along the path

The moment the green dome becomes visible

Slave hood shall manifest itself differently

Who will have respite to bow their heads

Prostrations, of their own accord, shall trickle from the very eyes

We will go out in Madina, bereft of familiar company

And deliberately lose our way in its streets

Having reached there, we shall not return

Be it that looking for us, people grow weary

His name, wheresoever it shall be mentioned

His remembrance, wheresoever it shall be made

Light, and yet more light, shall fill up the breasts of those gathered

Spiritual manifestations shall leap out upon the entire gathering

O Visitor of Madina, for God’s sake

Do not thus share your journey’s narrative

The heart will grow restless, anxious; the matter shall exceed all bounds

My guarded tears shall spill forth

His magnanimous insight is well informed

As to which traveler harbours how much aspiration for his journey

Whensoever it may be that we be granted permission, O Iqbal

We too shall pay a visit unto the court of the Liege-lord

Language
English

Songwriter
Nader Khan

Inspiration
A song of repentance, based loosely on a section of the Hizb al Kabir of Imam Abul-Hasan al Shadhili, the Qasidah of Repentance from the Diwan of Shaykh Muhammad ibn Al-Habib (where the first two Arabic lines come from), the very first couplet of Maulana Rumi`s Mathnawi, and a few other readings. The “covenant” being referred to in this song, is to be found in Sura al An`am [7:172] of the Qur`an, an event sometimes referred to in Persian Islamic literature as “Ruz-e-alast”, but can be taken to refer to any oath, promise, or responsibility. The prayer at the end of the song is the prayer of Adam and Eve as they took responsibility for their misjudgment, also from Sura al A’raf [7:23].

Redemption from desire

Desires a lonely crier

AstaghfiruLlaha inn Allaha Dhu Karamin (I ask forgiveness of God! Truly God possesses generosity)

Wa rahmatin lilladhi qad taba min zalali (And compassion for the one who turns away after his errors)

In the timeless time, before our time

When You called us forth to bear witness

Following the devout

I answered “Yes, without the shadow of a doubt”

Your Spoken Word, was what I’d heard

As I stumbled into wakefulness

As we gathered about

It stirred me within as it shook me without

And the years they passed till the day at last

I awoke with a cry – oh, the pain of severance!

And then I felt it again, and again

But there was a mercy that was hidden in the pain

Ravenous desire, a burning fire

Who am I to claim a share in deliverance?

I can always explain

But my time’s running out, and my guilt is plain

Oh One Who hears, the sound of tears

As they quench the thirst of the earth that I pray on

My Lord, forgive me

I have failed the covenant that I had taken on

Oh One Who sees, my arrogant knees

As they kiss the ground in the hopes of redemption

My Lord, forgive me

I have failed the covenant that I had taken on

As I took the trust, on ruz-e-alast

The mountains quaked at the consequences

As I pledged to obey

The Earth cried over the ones who’ll go astray

As our ships set sail, and worldly veils

Sent us drifting to our distances

The mind did lose The Way

But the heart kept reminding of yesterday

Now here I am, a broken man

I’ve earned the fate that Your justice regulates

Dry, empty hands

Don’t stop the flow of the hourglass’ sand

Oh Free of Need, You have decreed

Your mercy descends on the one who supplicates

Raised, empty hands

Plead mercy, my Lord, plead a generous hand

Oh One Who hears, the sound of tears

As they quench the thirst of the earth that I pray on

My Lord, forgive me

I have failed the covenant that I had taken on

Oh One Who knows the song of those

Who wail in remorse at the sting of separation

My Lord, forgive me

I have failed the covenant that I had taken on

Forgive me and relieve me

And a wing of hope, do give me

Just a wing of fear that’s with me

Won’t get me near the Promised Land

Redemption from desire

Desires a lonely crier

Your closeness I aspire

But I can’t carry on if you don’t take my hand

Oh One Who hears, the sound of tears

As they quench the thirst of the earth that I pray on

My Lord, forgive me

I have failed the covenant that I had taken on

Oh One Who sees, my arrogant knees

As they kiss the ground in the hopes of redemption

My Lord, forgive me

I have failed the covenant that I had taken on

Rabbana dhalamna anfusana, wa illam taghfir lana (O Lord, we have wronged ourselves, and if You do not forgive us)

Wa tarhamna, la nakunanna min al-khasirin (And have mercy on us, we shall certainly be among the lost)

Oh One Who knows the song of those

Who wail in remorse at the sting of separation

My Lord, forgive me

I have failed the covenant that I had taken on

Language
Urdu

Songwriter
Muhammad Iqbal Naqibi

Inspiration
This qawwali was masterfully delivered time and again by Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. It is rendered here more as a song than a pure qawwali. The various tangential improvisations that are expected in a qawwali have been kept to a minimum. I’ve also opted to use an opening verse that was presented in a television rendition by the Indian singer Toshi Sabri.

Hava khilaf thi, lekin chiragh khub jala

Khuda bhi hone ke kya kya sabut deta hai

Tere hi nam se har ibteda hai

Tere hi nam tak har inteha hai

Teri hamd o sana, alhamdu liLlah

Ke Tu mere Muhammad ka Khuda hai

Ye zamin jab na thi, ye jahan jab na tha

Chand suraj na thay, asman jab na tha

Raz-e-haq bhi kisi par ayan jab na tha

Tab na tha kuch yahan, tha magar Tu hi Tu

Kawnain ka masjud hai, ma’bud hai Tu

Har shai Teri shahid hai ke mash-hud hai Tu

Har ek ke lab par hai Teri hamd o sana

Har soz mein, har saaz mein mawjud hai Tu

Tu jo har aan nai shaan dikha deta hai

Dida-e-shawq ko hairan bana deta hai

Dali dali Teri takhliq ke gun gati hai

Patta patta Teri qudrat ka pata deta hai

La ilaha Teri shan ya wahdahu

Tu khayaal-o-tajassus, Tu hi arzu

Ankh ki roshni, dil ki avaz Tu

Khaliq-e-kul hai Tu, is mein kya guftagu

Sare alam ko hai Teri hi justaju

Teri jalvagari hai ayan charsu

Tha bhi Tu, hai bhi Tu, hoga bhi Tu hi Tu

The wind was hostile, but the lantern did burn ever so intensely

How wondrously strange are the affirmations that God presents, of His own existence

From Your name is every beginning

Unto Your name is every ending

To praise You is to say that all praise is for You alone

You are, after all, the God of Muhammad

When this land was not, and neither was this earth

When the moon and the sun were not, and neither was this universe

When the secret of Reality hadn’t yet been bestowed upon anyone

Then, there was nothing here, save You

You’re the one prostrated to, and worshipped in both existences

Every thing attests to Your existence, ergo You are The Witnessed

It’s Your praise and extolling that is on the lips of everyone

You are Existent in every rhythm and in every tune

You Who manifests a novel majesty ever so frequently

You thereby bewilder eyes that are anticipating an experience of Your manifestations

Every branch sings the praise of Your creative feat

Every leaf is a sign that points towards Your supreme power

That there isn’t another god is of Your majesty, O Peerless One

It’s but You Who occupy my imagination, my curiosity, my aspiration

You are the light in my eyes, the voice in my heart

You are the Creator of every thing, without doubt

The entire universe is busied with it’s seeking of You

Your sublime manifestations are evident in all directions

You were Beginninglessly Eternal then, are Ever Present now, and will forever be Endlessly Eternal

Language
English

Songwriter
Nader Khan

Inspiration
A song based on the quoted couplet by Maulana (Mevlana) Jelaluddin Rumi. This song was first conceived of as a poem. Its tune is based on a Turkish song that I’d heard being performed by Tevfik Baba and The Jerrahi Society of Canada at a nasheed concert many years ago in Toronto.

“My heart like a mirror is silent and speaking in the hands of an amazing mirror holder, for when moment by moment there shines in the mirror an amazing figure of beauty.”
- Mevlana Jelaluddin Rumi, The Mathnawi

As a show of love and fidelity, to my beloved, so sublime

I sought to give the most beautiful gift, that had ever been seen in our time

I searched and searched in all the lands, for that very special gift

I trekked the valleys of the earth, and the mountains, and the cliffs

And all the while i kept saying, “Sall Allahu `ala Muhammad”

Praying that Allah would

Unveil the gift to me

So many things I saw in the earth, which with beauty were endowed

But when I drew close to pick them up, I was spoken to from a cloud

“Why to the presence of the sun, do you take a candle frail?”

“Why to the ocean deep and blue, do you take a water pail?”

And all the while I kept saying, “Sall Allahu `ala Muhammad”

Praying that Allah would

Unveil the gift to me

Despair would’ve got the better of me, had I not turned to my lord

He sent mevlana to my help, and hope was then restored

Mevlana came to me and said, “Take this advice, my son

The gift you seek you’ll never find, except with your beloved one”

And all the while I kept saying, “Sall Allahu `ala Muhammad”

Praying that Allah would

Unveil the gift to me

He said “if she is, to your own eye, the most beautiful one around

Greater in beauty than her own image, such a thing shall never be found”

“Take to her this mirror do, and make your poem terse”

“Make your gift a better gift, with a couplet from my verse”

And all the while I kept saying, “Sall Allahu `ala Muhammad”

Praying that Allah would

Unveil the gift to me

He cleaned my mirror of mud and grime, and etched in with his hand

The verse I quote before my own, a verse with wisdom grand

So praise Allah, and peace and blessings do send on his chosen one

Praise him again for a “nader” gift he unveiled to a lowly one

And all the while I kept saying, “Sall Allahu `ala Muhammad”

Praying that Allah would

Unveil the gift to me