Assalamu-alaikum brother, and thank you for taking my question. I was wondering what is your inspiration for writing your songs, and do you first write the words as poetry?
Answer
Wa alaikum as salam dear sister Salma and thank YOU for taking the time to ask your question. :)
Inspiration for my songs and poetry comes from many places - usually from experiences I have or thoughts, feelings or questions that strike me as important. Often I find that my songs address situations of an "every day" nature...they are observations of the world I see around me. I often tell people: singing is not really so much about what comes out of your mouth, but more about how well you listen...and songs/poetry are not so much about what comes out of one's pen, so much as they are about what one takes into their mind and heart through opening up one's mind, heart and senses to the world.
Normally I write my words and lyrics before I set them to a melody or instrument - indeed I'd say almost all my "songs" start off as poems.
Thank you.
God bless.
Dawud
Name
yusra
-
Profession
Question
I find it interesting that both yourself and Yusuf Islam are directing your efforts to more of a mainstream audience. How did you come to decide to take this direction in your work?
Answer
Thank you for your question Yusra.
Though I can't speak for my dear brother Yusuf, my music (since I started writing and performing at the age of 17...waaaaaay back in the day) was always a tool for me to express my thoughts and feelings about the world that is my home and the human race that is my species. Naturally when the Quran entered into my life and helped me grow spiritually, the poetry and songs I started to write were reflections of the faith I was dipping my toes into. I was learning about my purpose in life like a little child, and thus my songs were aimed at other "young children" who were learning about the Qur'an as I was... albums like "A Whisper of Peace" and "Colours of Islam" were for the kid in me, as much as the kids around me...there were celebrations of fitra.
Now - being older and with more life experiences under my kuffy (and less hair!) I felt a need to write on other topics and in a new direction - in many ways returning to the spirit of my late teens - seeking not to write just about my joys of faith, but also to write about how faith should be "lived".
My new music reflects a need in me to challenge my own spiritual and artistic growth, and addresses the cultural need of providing music to the masses that is thought provoking, reflective and rooted in something deeper than what we commonly see on MTV.
Hope this answers your question.
Peace.
Dawud
Name
sumayya
- Egypt
Profession
Question
Assalamu-alaikum! Could you please tell me what kind of musical training do you have? And are you planning on expanding your audience, for example to include here in the Middle East?
Answer
Wa Alaikum As Salam dear Sumayya!
Musical training! hahah... I have always loved to sing...ever since I was a kid. I would pretend I was a singer when I was really young and lip-sync in the mirror...air guitar my tennis racket... but never in a million years ever thought I'd actually be a singer.
My dream was to be a writer but with learning disabilities I never thought I'd get that dream either!
In high school I took some vocal music classes and sang in theatrical plays, but my passion for poetry really took the best of me. When I left high school and had no interest in school, I started playing guitar and several other instruments by ear (I still can't read or write music) and began to combine my self penned poetry with my original melodies.
I literally began singing on street corners in cold Canada... kids would pass by and laugh at me or spit on me... some folks though would stop and listen or buy my home made cassettes...Gradually I ended up here! A learning disabled, musically disfunctional songwriter with no official training, writing an answer to your gracious question! (please mind the spelling mistakes!)
But dreams and prayers come true - alhamdulillah...
As for the Middle East... a new music label in Dubai called Beloved Musika has taken on my albums for release in 2007 - which I am very excited about. Thus - I hope I will be performing more in the Middle East in months/years ahead... if not in a concert hall someplace, you might see me in Tahrir Square singing with my guitar infront of Hardee's burger restaurant!! ;)
With peace and prayers,
Dawud
Name
yusuf
- United States
Profession
Question
May I first say, may Allah reward you for all you have done in writing your beautiful songs. Now for my question: How did you begin writing Islamic nasheed? Thank you.
Answer
Wa Alaikum As Salam Dear Yusuf,
Thank you so much for your gracious words and support. They mean a ton.
As for your question, I sort of answered it one or two responses ago... but in a nut shell, I started writing a capella nasheed mainly for Muslim children in 1995. I was seeing that many children of Muslim families were being taught about faith in a very "dogmatic" way... faith was not an organic part of their lives... I wanted to use songs to reach the parents and thought the best way would be to reach the children first.
Children getting excited about their faith would (I hoped) result in parents lending an ear to the music too!
With peace,
Dawud
Name
Mustafa
- Canada
Profession
Question
Could you give us an idea of what first attracted you to Islam, and how can we best convey the beauty of Islam to non-Muslims?
Answer
Great question Mustafa, thank you.
What attracted me most to "Islam" was the concept of fitra. I renounced - and continue to renounce - a belief in the institution of religion when I was about 15. There was no desire in me to "choose" a "religion" or want to "leave" one "religion" and "join" another. Religion and faith to me is not, and has never been, about "belonging" to a group or party.
I firmly believe that all we as human beings can totally agree on are the facts that : A) we were all born B) we all exist and C) we will all die.
Between those truths of birth and death is "life" and the choices we make as we travel down the road of existance. I believed in the importance of scripture, or prophetic wisdom and of learning from life experiences (past and present). Thus studies of scripture were a joy to me as I tried to figure out my purpose in life - and discover where I came from and where I may end up one day.
Studies of scripture are very different to me than studies of "religion" and "tradition". When I came to study the Qur'an and learned about the life of the last prophet of God, I felt comforted as I had final found a scripture that encompassed all the wisdom of previous scriptures AND also confirmed for me that there are not "religions" to choose, there are only "life choices" to make.
I embraced the philosophy of surrender to Allah and I embraced The Recitation of Allah as my guide book and scripture. When I am asked "what my religion is" I usually reply that I believe in God. Suddenly the barriers of "religions" fall away.
So in a word: fitra. It is a natural part of life. I decided to follow it and haven't looked back.
Best way to convey the beauty of surrender to Allah? Feel it in your own heart, and share it in your own actions. People will naturally be drawn to it. Wa Allahu Alim.
Hope this answers your question.
Peace,
Dawud
Name
hassan
- Germany
Profession
Question
Assalamu-alaikum brother Dawud. What advice do you have for someone who would like to become a nasheed artist?
Answer
Wa Alaikum As Salam Dear Hassan,
Thanks for your question.
My advice to anybody - regardless of their specific paths - is to follow your passion with honesty.
As I mentioned earlier - I never set out to be a "nasheed artist". Up until a few years ago - before people saw songs about Islam in various languages as "marketable" there was no "nasheed music industry"... "nasheeds" are just a type of traditional spiritual song, usually sung in Arabic with little or no musical accompanyment.
I write to address needs - needs within myself for growth, needs within a community for growth or social enhancement...or establishment of a cultural identity.... I would never suggest that anybody enter any field, be it science, medicine, art or otherwise - to sell to a "market". I suggest people discover who they are, what their strengths are, what their weakness are, what their passions are...what their God given talents are - and move forward with honesty to contribute towards positive social change.
If you really feel you can provide something of value to the world, and grow spiritually by writing songs about faith and life - then sharing those songs with others - there is no rhyme or reason to it.
Just write, sing and share your music wherever and however you can. Save money and book a recording studio or recording equipment (even your home computer), record your songs, build them into a web site, manufacture a CD...do whatever it takes to get your passion out there.
Companies and investors can help, but they may also water down your passion with their percentages and maketing plans so tred with caution if you choose to have others "back" your work.
Just be yourself and don't underestimate your creative potential, your passion or the power of du'a!
That may all sound cheesy or fluffy...but it has worked for me - thanks be to Allah!!
I expect to hear your songs soon bro!! ;)
God bless.
Dawud
Name
Inas
- United States
Profession
teacher
Question
Ma-sha'a Allah, Brother, you use the medium of poetry and song so wonderfully. How do you suggest that we, parents and educators, build upon this with our Muslim youth?
Answer
Masha Allah Inas, you have been most kind with your words! I truly thank you for your support and for taking the time to write in.
Teachers and parents - you can help the younger members of our community and little citizens of this world by providing safe environments for them to experiment with their weakness and talents. I don't mean "safe" from drugs and violence and those sorts of vices... I mean "safe" from words like "you're wrong" or laughter or condesending directions. Little people are really very very intellegent and thrive on challenges yet too often we feel we need to spoon feed them with ideas and "correct" them when we don't see them doing what we "want them to do".
We can help them by fostering enviromnments in our homes and schools where they are freely able to "express" the thoughts, feelings and confusions that fill their minds.
Parents and teachers can help me (and artists/educators like me) by encouraging youth to not just listen to music (nasheed or otherwise) as a form of retreat (spiritual or otherwise), but to actually write their own essays, stories, songs, poetry and novels.
Grant the youth the ability to play with the family video camera and make a short film...record their own CDs...publish their own books...take education, art and expression to the next level through hands on experimentation.
My favourite gift as a young boy was a tape recorder my parents gave me. I sang into it...made stupid voices into it...I even swore in it as I got older... I am sure my parents thought I was a nut case!! But it gave me the ability to grow an dlearnlimits and discover potential.
Hope these ramblimg thoughts are of some use. It would be wonderful to sit with teachers and parents more often to chat about ideas.
Peace and thanks,
Dawud
I still have some of those old recordings I did when I was a kid. God forbid MY own future children ever hear them!! hahahahaha....
Name
Host
-
Profession
Answer
Dear brothers and sisters.
As the live dialogue comes to an end we would like to thank brother Dawud Wharnsby for giving us some of his precious time.
We also would like to apologize to those who didn't have their questions answered. In sha' Allah we will be hosting a second live dialogue with Dawud Wharnsby next month.
