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Name
Umair al-Kushiari
- United Kingdom
Profession
artist
Question
What advice would you give to those seeking to become Nasheed artists/and or to work in the Music industry? What guidelines should one go by?
Answer
Assalamu alaikum brother Umair. This is indeed a very important question.
My advice to the muslim youth wanting to enter this important field is to be weary and aware of the many dangers involved in it, e.g. the unfortunate amount of fasaad and egocetrism that is rife within this industry.
It is absolutely crucial that we purify our intentions before embarking on a venture in nasheed/music etc, and review our intention regularly, as we can start off with the correct intention of pleasing Allah, but this can over time change to greed or hunger for publicity and fame.
However, I still strongly encourage Muslims to enter this crucial field, to promote morality and ethics, as people around the world are strongly influnced through the medium of music.
Wallahu a'lam..
Name
Gale
- United States
Profession
factory worker
Question
Am I allowed to have family pictures on display in my home? On the walls? In a photo album?
Answer
Assalamu Alaikum sister,
I am not qualified to issue fatwas or legal opinions. Kindly refer to the many knowldgeable scholars here on this excellent website.
Wassalam..
Name
zaki
- Malaysia
Profession
student
Question
Assalamu Alikum brother Sami Yusuf,
You have so beautiful voice and the melody you sang is very touching and reminding. MashAllah, my questions are:
1) Are you still studying in university or college?
2) There are few famous nasheed groups here like Raihan and Hijjaz, do you have any plan to cooperate with any of them?
3) When would you come to Malaysia?
Answer
Assalamu Alaikum brother Zaki, and thank you for your kind words. Any talent that I may have is from Allah (swt), and any good that I have done is from Allah, and any mistakes are from my self and from Shitaan.
Regarding your first question; yes, I am at university, studying musical composition.
Answering your second question; I am always ready to work with talented nasheed singers, because, ultimately, we are all working for the same cause, and I've already had the pleasure of performing with the brothers from Raihan here in the UK.
Finally, Malaysia is a country I have been wishing to visit for some time, and Alhamdullah, I will inshallah be performing in Malaysia in May. I do not remember the full details right now, but the details have been posted on
www.samiyusuf.com
May Allah bless you
Wassalam
Name
Bethany
- United States
Profession
Student
Question
Assalamu Alaikum Br. Sami
I have visited your website and listened to your downloads, and I must say, MashAllah! You have a wonderful talent
My question is; do you often get criticized by other Muslims for singing/performing with music? It seems that a lot of Muslims can be hard-headed about the subject, and I was just wondering what kind of reactions you have received. Also, can you PLEASE come to Chicago this year?
Answer
Assalamu Alaikum sister Bethany,
There has always been a difference of opinion amongst scholars over the issue of music. For this reason, I have chosen not to use string or wind instruments in Al Mu'allim, as the vast majority of scholars have deemed the use of percussive instruments permissible.
To be honest, I have received some criticism, but alhamdullah, it has been insignificant compared to the overwhelming support and encouragement I have received from many people around the world, from Egypt to the US to Malaysia, the amount of support has been amazing, alhamdullah. As to the brothers and sisters who are unaware of this difference of opinion and who attack others with a dogmatic and often ill-mannered approach, my response to them is to overlook their mistakes and to seek excuses for them, for that is the only thing they have been taught, and they think their opinion is the only correct opinion, whilst everything else is Haram(religiously forbidden).
With regards to your final question, I will inshallah be coming in September to the ISNA conference in Chicago to perform and hopefully launch my second album.
Name
Makram
- Australia
Profession
Doctor
Question
Were you always intended to sing for Islam or was there a turning point in your career?
Answer
Salam,
I haven't always been a practicing person, but Alhamdullah, Allah guided me through contemplation and through keeping good company, and I began to think that I should use any talents He has given me for His sake. So, with the help of some friends I started on this humble endeavor, may Allah bless it and reward us for it..
Name
omer
- United Kingdom
Profession
student
Question
What type of music is allowed in islam. I was taught to believe that only percussion instruments were permitted and any other were haram.
Answer
Assalamu Alaikum brother,
I am not suitably qualified or knowledgeable enough to give any legal opinions, but shaykh Yusuf al Qaradawi, a scholar whom I respect greatly, has given his legal opinion on this matter, and I trust his judegement.
Dear Brother my question is, will your songs be a form of Dawah to the non muslims and how will you acheive this? As muslims we are not doing enough to represent Islam in it's pure form. And also please if you can give me a tip that I may use to do dawah. I really like your songs particulary the childrens songs and I don't mean to be noisy but are you SUFI. jazakalaahukhier may Alahh reward you for your efforts.
Answer
As salamu alaikom,
yes my songa are a form of Dawah but Dawah does not have a strict 'technique' or 'form'. Allah (SWT) commands the believers to invite people with wisdom. It may be the case that most non-muslims would find it difficult to relate to my album Al Mu'allim, because its themes and form may be too 'direct' for them.
There are many things which we believe in such as morality, ethics, respecting parents, being kind to neighbours, charity, helping others, showing love, mercy and compassion, wanting good for everyone, human brotherhood, etc these beautiful aspects of Islam are always hidden behind the headlines of terrorism and violence which dominate the news, and these are the meanings we wish to should convey to others.
As to music for da'wa, that is indeed a very important medium, but I think you would agree that nasheeds as a musical genre are a product of the east, and most Western ears would find its sound alien. In the future, I intend, by the will of Allah to produce something targeted at the Western listener. Please make du'a for God to facilitate this.
Name
Abu
- United Kingdom
Profession
Saida
Question
Assalamu Alaykum I must admit that you have revived the nasheed era with your amazing talent May Allah (SWT) increase it.I have three questions, Is nasheed with insrumental allowed in Islam? when is your next album coming out? and are you going to perform again after Nottingham
Jazakallah
Answer
Salam,
Baraka Allahu Feek for your kind words, I am truly not deserving of them.
As to your first question, please refer to my earlier question and plese read the link I provided for brother Omer. As for your second question, I plan, God willing, to bring out my next album in August. And as for your third, I have a few performaces planned, and there is an up to date schedule of perfromanves on my website.
Name
Ali
-
Profession
Question
Do you focus on the spiritual inshad only , or do you have a political dimension in your work as singing for palestine and kashmir ?
Answer
Assalamu Alaikum brother Ali,
Inshallah I plan to produce material to raise awareness for Muslims and non Muslims about the issues you mentioned, as well as issues affecting humanity as large, such as third world debt, poverty, child labour, sweat shops and exploitation by multinational corporations ,etc.
Name
Amena
- Germany
Profession
Student
Question
Salam Alaikum!
I have said this a few times before, but can never say it often enough: May Allah give you the strangth to continue in your great work, mashaallah,brother Sami,
Here are my questions:
1) What about your two new albums (Ramadan and The Best GEnerations)? Are they out? I don't get to know here in Germany about their whereabouts...
2) We in our Mosque here in Hanover are working on a schedule for youth.. searching for things that interest them. One of those things is of course Music/ Nasheed. If we invited you to come to Hanover, would you come and perform?
We'd really love to have you as our guest.
Wa Barakallahu Feekum!
Sister
Amena
Answer
Assalamu Alaikum sister Amena, and thank you for your du'a, please continue making du'a for me and for my family. As to my albums, So far I have by the Grace of Allah produced one albu, Al Mu'allim. Inshallah, I'm hoping to bring my next album out in August, as to its title, I may keep Best Generations or it may change.
I would love to come to Hanover inshallah. Last summer I performed in three German cities and I have many happy memories from that tour, such as having the pleasure and honour of being with great inspirational teachers such as Ustadh Amr Khaled, Ustadha Yasmeen al Khayyam, Shaykh Tariq Swidan, Shaykh Omar abdel Kafi, Ustadh Ahmed al Rawi and many others
Name
Katie
- United Kingdom
Profession
Psychologist
Question
What advice would you give to someone who is not sure of their faith?
Answer
I must say that my faith hasn't always been strong, it has had it's ups and downs. Personally I had a lot of questions regrading Islam, and my view was obscured by a lot of the things spread by the media and the common misconceptions people have about Islam, but I wasn't shy, and - praise be to God -I found the right people who could answer my questions in a satisfactory and logical manner, and my faith became stronger. So, I would advise you to find people whom you trust and who have some knowledge of Islam. They don't have to be scholars, but people who are well-read and who can answer any questions you may have from a logical point of view. For me, the signs of God's existence are all around us, and inside us. The Quran is a miracle from a linguistic and scientific view point.
so I believe in God, and in Muhammad, peace be upon him, who is the recipient of the revelation, or Quran, from God, who lived a life of love, humility, simplicity, and compassion, to all fellow human beings, Muslims and non-Muslims alike, even to animals. So my faith in God's existence and in the Prophethood of Muhammad is strong, but my level of Iman or God consciousness goes up and down, as with everyone else, and I try to increase it by remembering God, doing good deeds, reading the Quran etc.
I hope that was helpful
Name
Hamza
- Sweden
Profession
student
Question
Assalam Aleikum...
I´ve heard you are coming to Sweden for a youth conferense, in april, is that true?
Answer
Salam brother Hamza,
Inshallah I will be at the conference in Stockholm on the 11th of April (I think). Inshallah I will meet you there.
your du'a
Name
hatem
- Egypt
Profession
doctor
Question
what is your advise to muslim youth in Arab world from your view to modern life of islamic people ?
wa gazakomollaha koli khair
Answer
Assalamu Alaikum brother Hatem,
Wallahi, I am neither a scholar nor a thinker to give my assessment and my plan for revival of the Ummah; I am but a humble servant trying to do something for the sake of Allah. Egypt is full of scholars and thinkers we should approach for advice, such as Shaykh Yusuf al qaradawi, Ustadh Muhammad 'Imara, Fahmy Huweidi, Salim al 'Awwa and many others However, one observation that I do have is that we in the Muslim world in genral, and in the arab world in particular, have lost our ability to use our initiatve. We are very good at criticising, but we won't actually do anythign constructive ourselves. You see many arab elders and youths spending most of theird days and nights in cafes drinking tea or smoking Sheesha, and discussing the most irrelevant things such as actors and football players and singers, while our society is decaying. This is why I have been inspired and I fully support Ustadh Amr Khaled's Sunnaa' al Hayaa programme, as it encourages the youth, who are the force of change in every society, to be positive, to use their initiative, and to do something constructive, however little. He gave an excelletn example if you go to a mosque, and find that the area where shoes are kept is a bit smelly, instead of complaining to your fellow qoeshippers about the smell, as most Muslims nowadays would do, go and bring some incense to improve the smell. Of course this is a very small thing, and is only an example to illustrate an approach we should all adopt, the cynics will undoubtedly say, "you think to imptove the situation of the ummah by burning some incense?" But, let us ignore the cynics and be positive in whichever way we can, of course with wisdom and by following the guidelines set down by Islam.
