Seven 8 Six (786)
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The name SEVEN8SIX (or 786) is a popular numeric shorthand for the Islamic bismillah,or saying, "In the name of Allah, the Beneficent,the Merciful." The talented singing group consists of Shahaab Quraishi, Omar Razzacki, Zafar Razzacki, Muhammad Saadullah (Saad), and Muhammad Saeedullah (Saeed). These five guys come together to share a single stage with a single voice. SEVEN8SIX is the definition of harmony.
SEVEN8SIX first began in the summer of 2001 in the suburbs of Detroit. The group began as the guys unknowingly came together to sing at a friend's wedding. They received such a positive response to their performance that the five decided to stay together as a group and direct their talents towards delivering an Islamic message. The group performed as SEVEN8SIX for the first time at the 2002 ISNA convention in Washington, DC. Most of the group's subsequent public appearances have been at large concert events organized by Muslim groups, including major events co-sponsored in part by the Islamic Society of North America and other community organizations around the United States. Omar is currently studying at the University of Michigan in preparation for law school. Saad, who plays the tabla during performances, graduated from Eastern Michigan University, where he is a double major in Economics, Fine Arts, and is in the process of going to dental school. Zafar has a B.S.E. degree in Chemical Engineering and an M.S.E. in Biomedical Engineering. He currently does research at the University of Michigan and is planning to pursue an MD and a career in medical research. Shahaab, who attended the University of Michigan-Dearborn, majored in Economics and minored in Computer Information Systems. After working for a prestigious consulting firm, Accenture, he now does marketing strategy at Ford Motor Company. Saeed is a pre-med student at Eastern Michigan University and plans to pursue a career in medicine.
This group is working far and wide to please Allah (SWT). As Shahaab says, “We are using SEVEN8SIX as a tool for propagating Allah's message. Although we all love to sing, that is not the reason for the group. It is something we do well together and share a passion for, but more importantly, we share a passion for being Muslim and spreading the message of Islam. None of us claims to be perfect, or that we do everything correctly, or even try to preach to others. We just want to open people's eyes to what Islam truly is about and to tell the youth of this country that we know what you are going through and simply…we understand.”
Read An Album Review for Seven 8 Six's Newest Release, Straight Path
www.seven8six.net
Visit Seven 8 Six on their myspace:
Albums by 786:
786 US Edition
786 int. Edition
Straight Path
Khaleel
Muhammad
Khaleel
has been ubiquitous on the Islamic media domain for years. From
captivating us with his powerful graphic designs, singing harmonious
melodies in the background of top nasheeds and producing audio
masterpieces, there are few places you can go without seeing
his name.
Best
known for his innovative audio play 'The Adventures of Hakim'
and providing the backing vocals to songs by Yusuf Islam and
Zain Bhikha, Khaleel is far from just a nasheeds artist. He
is an accomplished designer, voice-over artist, as well as prolific
writer, producer and Workshop leader. His writing and production
contributions include 'A Simple Guide to Prayer' and the audio
story 'Salah ad-Din: Champion of the Crusades’ read by
Gai Eaton and produced for Mountain of Light productions. He
has provided voice over parts for documentaries and cartoons
include numerous projects for Mountain of Light, cartoons ‘Habil
and Qabil’ and ‘Tuva’, documentaries: ‘Historic
Lands of Qur’an’ and ‘Jerusalem: Promise of
Heaven’.
In
2003 Khaleel Muhammad made the transition from providing backing
vocals for Yusuf Islam and Zain Bhikha and moved into the limelight
to perform his debut album HEAVEN along side Dawud Wharnsby
Ali, SHAAM, Mecca 2 Medina and Sami Yusuf at the sell-out Nasheed
Extravaganza 2 tour of the UK. His successful debut album HEAVEN
pushes back the creative envelope and is his distinctive contribution
to the growing English nasheed genre, making him the first ‘Soul
Brother’ in the UK nasheed Industry. Taking traditional
sounds, themes and sentiments, Khaleel adds his own rich harmonies
and contemporary style and blends them into well-crafted and
memorable nasheeds. And all this using voice and percussion
only!
In 2004, Khaleel’s activities have taken him on a UK wide
tour with American boy-band sensation 786. Khaleel has also
performed in front of thousands in France, Sweden and the USA.
In 2005 Khaleel travelled to Malaysia to record his second album Dhikr of Life' with world renown Abu Bakr of nasheed group Raihan. Whilst ther he also filmed 4 music videos.
In late 2006 Khaleel is scheduled to release the long awaited 'Adventures of Hakim: 2' which features a host of celebrity voice overs from members of Mecca2medina and Seven8six!
www.khaleelmuhammad.com
Visit Khaleel Muhammad on his myspace:
Albums by Khaleel Muhammad:
Heaven
Dhikr of Life
Adventures of Hakim 2 (Coming Soon!)
Suhail Najmi
Suhail Najmi is a French Nasheed singer. He was born in 1973 and brought up in Paris, the diversified and cosmopolitan capital. He started singing in Urdu when he was only 11, later on, he added Arabic, French and English to his repertoire. His first album “Ilâhî” is a tribute to this rich cultural heritage and provides the listeners with an original and unique synthesis of the art of Nasheed. In this album, Suhail presents some classic odes of the Islamic legacy in an actualised composition and modern rhythmic. Some items are in solo, while in some others, his voice is accompanied by a choir of male voices and percussion instruments. The variety of instruments is deliberately limited in order to preserve the authenticity of the traditional Islamic music.
The Nasheed is an ancestral and millenarian art. Since the dawn of Islam and in all Muslim societies, these poetries praising and exalting God and The Prophet (saw) and these religious odes have been a source of spiritual delectation for souls searching for peace and serenity. In this modern era, there is a great scope for young artists to innovate and modernise this noble art to make it more accessible and penetrable for the young generations. The Nasheed is a vivifying and nourishing experience for the relationship of the human being with God. As Imam Al-Ghazâlî righteously said: “The purpose of the ode is to inspire the love of God, and the ode which provides the listener with that love is a beneficent ode.”
www.suhailnajmi.com
Albums by Sohail:
Ilâhî (Coming Soon!)
Iman
As Muslims, group members Wahied Kannemeyer, brothers Rifaat and Nizaam Moses, and Faizel Abrahams, found themselves growing up in a community which strongly adheres to its faith and traditions amidst a predominantly Western society in Cape Town, South Africa.
Besides enjoying and appreciating the tradition of Qur'anic recital, dhikr (remembrance of Allah) and qasidah early on in their lives, they were also influenced by the music of 'Western' bands as well as those groups specialising in Spanish musical tradition, including the flamenco guitar, by way of artists such as Jessie Cook, Gypsy Kings and Paco de Lucia.
Outside of Western groups, Īmān's members also enjoy and are influenced by the musical genre of Malaysian and Indonesian nasheed groups such as Raihan, Rabbani and Nowseeheart.
These influences can be appreciated in the group's ability to sing with and without musical accompaniments (acapella).
Albums by Iman:
Just Remember
Inayet
Petker
A
proven, confidant, versatile and charismatic performer, Inayet’s
sweet and unique voice & style enables him to melt hearts
across the cultural, racial and religious divides. His works
educate, inspire and transform global audiences, touching them
at their very core. Born in Zimbabwe but now residing in Pretoria,
South Africa, Inayet developed his style of nasheeds while studying
in the USA. He is a voice-only artist who has proven extremely
popular in South Africa and is now reaching out to audiences
worldwide.
Albums
by Inayet:
Salutations
SHAAM
SHAAM
came together in late 1997 seeking to present and re-interpret
traditional Islamic songs known as nasheeds - a genre that originates
from the time of Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah
be upon him).
These
spiritually uplifting songs seek to praise Allah and His final
Messenger. They are distinguished by their emphasis upon vocals
and percussion only, with stringed and wind instruments being
shunned in deference to orthodox Islamic precepts. It is this
style of song that SHAAM have mastered over the past few years.
The
group, composed of Haroon Bashir, Mahmood Norris, Yasin Alam
and Imran Bashir - all young men from Birmingham, England -
took their name from the place that had inspired them: Syria
(in Arabic, Shaam). All had at some stage or another studied
and visited Damascus and there had come into contact with groups
who would sing timeless nasheeds with moving lyrics, accompanied
by the rousing and intricate beating of the duff, a traditional
one-sided hand drum. Though having been taught this art by some
of the best teachers, alongside studies in more formal Islamic
subjects, the idea of forming their own group was not an obvious
one. It was only the encouragement of learned people, family
and friends, who, impressed at their grasp of this unique, mainly
Arabic art by non-Arabs, pushed them to sing live. So what started
out as a tentative foursome gradually evolved into a confident,
polished quartet. It was therefore no surprise to see, in a
short period of time, how popular SHAAM became as a live act
touring around the British Isles performing at weddings, celebrations
and events.
Presenting
themselves as heirs of this unique, ancient Islamic art, SHAAM
have sought to make nasheeds accessible to young and old, and,
mindful of the fact that the majority of their audiences do
not understand Arabic, have added Urdu and English nasheeds
to their large repertoire of songs. Their stirring renditions,
coupled with exquisite drumming, have led to invitations to
perform in countries as far afield as the USA, Syria and Pakistan.
It is no exaggeration to say hundreds of thousands have witnessed
the mastery of SHAAM live and the group considers itself fortunate
to count the likes of Prince Charles amongst its many admirers.
Despite
hundreds of performances and many albums, SHAAM's passion for
their art remains as strong as ever as they strive to make Islamic
devotional songs widely accessible in a variety of languages
and styles, some old and some new. Yet all the while they are
aware that they are carriers of weighty words with yet weightier
meaning.
Nasheeds that remind and above all else bear witness to the
majesty of Allah Most High and the culmination of His religion,
Islam, through the last and greatest of his Messengers, the
Seal of the Prophets, Muhammad, may the peace and blessings
of Allah be upon him.
www.shaamgroup.com
Albums by SHAAM:
Mercy Like The Rain
Spring Has Come
SHAAM In Concert
Mawlid At Abbey Road
Aa'shiq-al-Rasul
Aa'shiq-al-Rasul
(AAR) – meaning ‘Lovers of the Prophet’ (SAW)
– formed as a nasheed group in the summer of 1998. The
core members of Amran Ellahi, Sheraz Yaqub, Kamran Ellahi and
Tahir Khan hail from Birmingham, England and are classically
trained singers who perform an impressive repertoire of traditional
nasheeds or spiritually uplifting songs, in Arabic, Urdu and
English.
Their
debut album ‘Blessed Mustafa’ (1998) – from
which this album takes its name – received great critical
acclaim and was soon followed by ‘Divine Lights’
(1999), the group’s excellent rendition of the Asma ul-Husna,
or Beautiful Names of God. ‘The Chosen One’ (2001)
went on to further develop their distinctive sound – a
combination of rousing, powerful vocals married to exciting
live percussion – that was also a feature of their fourth
release, ‘Lord of the Worlds’ (2003). Each album
presented cover versions of traditional material mixed with
tracks developed by the group.
These
albums together with their stirring live performances helped
cement their reputation as a unique nasheed group and brought
forth many plaudits and invitations. AAR have performed in front
of thousands, Muslim and non-Muslim alike, at some of the most
prestigious venues and events including Glastonbury, the International
Sufi Music festival, The Muslim Millennium Festival and Birmingham
Symphony Hall. They have also worked and performed with renowned
nasheed artists like Yusuf Islam – featuring on two of
his compilation albums – Raihan, Sabri Brothers Qawwal,
Arshad Mehmood, Khaleel Muhammad, Sami Yusuf, Mecca2Madina and
Zain Bhikha. Yet it is worthy of note that alongside their high
profile engagements the group members make time for groups and
causes dear to them; hence they are renowned for their performances
in aid of charities and the community plus their school visits
and workshops.
The
2004 version of ‘Blessed Mustafa’ is a compilation
of tracks from their first and third albums which are no longer
available. Of the nine tracks selected by the group, three are
new versions (the dual title tracks: Blessed Mustafa, English
and Urdu versions, plus Ya Nabi Salaam Alayka); three have been
re-mixed (Talama Ashku Gharami, Ya Rafi ash-Shaani and Ya Rabbi
Bil Mustafa) and three are original. All the tracks have been
digitally re-mastered.
www.aashiqalrasul.com
Albums
by Aa'shiq-al-Rasul:
Lord Of The Worlds
Blessed Mustafa
The Sultan Of Madinah
Shaheed
Alkawn
Shaheed
Alkawn was born Shane Conning in September 1978 in Durban, South
Africa. He was raised and educated within a strong Catholic
background. As a young man Shaheed was very reflective and his
keen sense of perception and thirst for knowledge would not
allow him to accept the Bible as the word of God. Thus began
his tireless search for the truth. After months of researching
different ideologies and religions, his search culminated with
his acceptance of the Qur’an as the word of God and his
subsequent embrace of Islam as a way of life, in 1995 at the
age of 16.
Although still a teen, Shaheed chose to put all other aspirations
on hold and began his mission in the true purpose of believers
to spread the word of God. Being a talented and creatively gifted
person, he approached the work of da'wah in an innovative manner
that has captivated young people wherever he has been and has
been a powerful inspirational force to others.
Coming from a musical background he realised the addictive force
of control that music has over the masses, and thus honed his
talents to deliver the Message in an optimal manner. Shaheed
has performed across South Africa with his unique brand of music,
and released this his first, much awaited album in October 2002
in that country. The album was met with much acclaim and created
an unprecedented furore around his style of Islamic rap. Shaheed
chose rap as it is infectious, trendy and an effective tool
in getting a message across through music. In a recent interview,
he reflected that, 'My rapping is actually a sermon, but accompanied
with rhythm and sound, young people are drawn to hear what they
otherwise would not.'
Another unique feature of Shaheed's music is that it is unaccompanied
by any musical instruments. His versatility as an artist enables
him to accompany his vocals with a complex system of beat-boxing
and harmony that has marvelled many.
Undoubtedly, he is amazingly accomplished for such a young artist,
yet for Shaheed the music is not everything; it is only a tool
towards a greater goal of inviting to submission (Islam) through
the creation of an alternative youth culture that is independent
of vice, drugs and intoxicants. 'Freeing the mind, realizing
our potentials, and fulfilling our individual obligations to
God is what it's really about,' says Shaheed, and he hopes his
efforts are an encouragement to other Muslims to take up this
cause.
Towards this goal of an alternate youth culture, Shaheed has
also founded a nationwide Islamic martial arts society in South
Africa, called Albadaaha (the natural way), which provides youth
with an alternative healthy lifestyle. Based on a fun, acrobatic,
fluid, martial art called Capoeira, Albadaaha is not only a
martial arts academy but a social platform for interaction in
a manner that does not conflict with the Islamic way of life.
Interview with Shaheed in August 2004:
Shaheed Alkawn is one of South Africa’s
most prolific nasheed artists. He’s barely been on the
international scene for a year and yet he already has three
dynamic albums to his name. Otherwise known as 'Madslam', Shaheed
has been in the UK over the summer and has just completed recording
his fourth album.
Amongst nasheed artists he’s widely respected for his
ability to sing in a variety of styles from rap to reggae, from
Arabic to smooth soul; for the fact that he uses no instruments
and only his voice to generate his accompaniment, and that he
produces, composes and writes his own material. But that’s
not all. He’s the inventor of his own martial arts style
and sometimes when on stage wows audiences with a graceful yet
powerful display of his skills. All this he combines with comedy
routines which include funny impersonations and hilarious parodies
of western songs. In fact, he IS Mr. Versatile. We caught up
with him in the studio to find out more...
Meem : This summer (2004) you released ‘Amazing
Allah’ which was very different to the album ‘Unity’.
Which style of singing do you prefer: rap or R&B?
Shaheed : Whatever style suits the audience
and is more efficient in getting the Message across. Yes, I’d
say ‘Amazing Allah’ is a bit more directed at the
mature listener. It’s a collection of melodious a cappella
nasheeds remembering God. I wanted to do them in a reflective
and mellow fashion, so the rap and beat-box of ‘Unity’
was cut out. You know, before I embraced Islam I started a gospel
quartet so I thought I’d fuse some of those harmonic influences
into some of the songs. For those who like their nasheeds in
a more urban, hip-hop style we’ve just brought out ‘Submit!’
So I guess I’d like to explore as many styles of singing
to reach out with the Message to as many as possible.
Meem : Can you tell us more about your background?
Shaheed : I was born and raised in Durban,
South Africa. I have one older brother and one older sister,
so I’m the baby! I come from a very multicultural family
and from a young age I have had a fascination with 2 wheels.
I started studying martial arts when I was five years old and
have been ever since. Back home I’ve run classes in my
fluid style called ‘Albadaaha’ or ‘The Natural
Way’ and I hope to do some here in the UK. Alhamdulillah,
I embraced Islam at the age of 16, after having studied various
scriptures and then coming across the Glorious Qur’an.
Meem : You seem to have built up a great rapport
with fellow nasheed artist Khaleel Muhammad on stage. Any plans
to work together?
Shaheed : We were fortunate enough to perform
together at both last year’s Nasheed Extravaganza concerts
and this year’s FOSIS conference and both times we had
a blast. The comedy sketches were hastily improvised but just
great fun to do, as were the duets we did. Doing something together
on an album would be a natural progression although nothing
is on the horizon just yet.
Meem : Can you tell us something about the
album you’re recording right now?
Shaheed : Well, it’s about the Prophet
Abraham (AS) and it involves kids doing the narrative and Qur’an
recital, and me producing and singing some nasheeds. I just
love their accents and they’re excellent fun to work with.
The songs draw on a variety of musical influences though adapted
to my voice-only style.
Meem : So how's it felt being in the UK these
last few months?
Shaheed : Apart from the rain most of this
summer it has been truly enjoyable. In between my recording
sessions I've had the opportunity to perform in various cities
around the UK and been touched by the excellent response.
Meem : Thanks for your time Shaheed.
Shaheed : No problems and wasalaam. Keep da
faith!
Albums
by Shaheed:
Unity
Amazing Allah
Submit!
Abraham: Friend of God
Ahmad
Abd Raffur
Ahmad
Abd Raffur has been singing professionally since he was at college
back in his native country of Malaysia. His growing talent was
underlined when his song ‘Khabaran Rasul’ (The Prophet's
Advice) was selected for inclusion in a compilation album in
praise of the Prophet, that featured the likes of Raihan and
other major Malaysian nasheed acts. Later he moved to the United
States and today he is a Qur’an and Islamic Studies school
teacher in Oklahoma City, OK, USA, whose aspiration is to further
his study of ‘Ulum-ul-Qur’an. ‘Prophets’
- his first album since leaving Malaysia - was recorded between
June 2002 and April 2003.
His
thoughts on his nasheeds:
Prophets
Of Islam
......goes way back in 1997. I had used it to teach students
Islamic Studies and I had to figure out a way to make remembering
the names of the prophets mentioned in the Qur’an easier.
The rhythm had to be catchy and the words not complicated for
children as young as 5 years old to say or remember. The whole
school sang the song at our first end of school ceremony. In
the process of fine-tuning the song, we came up with double
track for the drums as this would spice up the percussions.
It was a bit of a challenge to preserve the enunciation of English
words with a rhythm that is "middle eastern" in nature.
Personally, I think we did a great job.
Everything
Praises You Allah
.....when I was young, I had three Malay albums to my credit.
I released all of them while I was attending college. This was
one of my favourite songs. I like simple rhythm and easy words
but strong enough to convey my message. This song is very representative
of the world we live in. We embellished the main vocal with
three voice-harmonies only at the end of a phrase. It's the
first in any nasheed. I must mention my friend Dr Mohd Haniki
who contributed to the lyrics. I also wanted this song to be
like the original recording, in which we included the ambience
of the beach and seagulls, to replace the musical accompaniment.
It's a great match.
What
Do We Read In The Morning?
.... it was initially my vision that the CD would be like a
"movie on an audio CD". It tells the listeners a story
sans images. This song is short but it is great for youngsters
and teens alike to remind them what we usually read in the morning.
And to "act out" the morning like situation, we preceded
this song with the call to prayer for Fajr salat. In addition
to that, we wrapped the adhan with some sound effects (crickets,
rooster) to give it a realistic feel. Lastly, we faded in the
drums to provide the sense of continuity to the song. It's a
great tool for teachers instructing students Al Quran. I know
my KG students love it.
We
Care
...this song in particular is very special to me. It was composed
ad hoc, on site, with little preparation, sung live, during
Mercy School's performance in one of Oklahoma's major universities.
It was the first year that the school was in operation. I felt
like, okay, this is how I felt about our children and I'm sure
the other teachers felt this way too. We did not add any choir
nor additional vocals to this song as we wanted it to be "pure"
and "dry"...in a good way. The only technical touch
that we did to it was the extra reverb on one part of its chorus.
The finale is great and if you are really into vocals, you are
going to like this song.
Alif
Ba Ta
...teaching students Al Quran has not been my cup of tea, especially
when I deal with over 60 kids in a day, ranging from Pre K to
6th grade. It is always good to come up with something new and
refreshing so that the students don't get bored. Poems have
been tools of learning for ages. There are poems of rules of
Tajweed, poems of Arabic syntax and many more. Composing the
rhythm for this particular song was not the most difficult part.
This song was first used back in 1997 when the school began
to operate. The kids enjoyed learning the alphabets and at the
same time they know how to spell Allah in Arabic. People asked
me, "was this the easiest song to sing?" I'd reply,
"Au contraire. It was the most difficult one." Reason
being, I had to make sure that the pronunciation of each letter
was preserved, the best that I can, as this is the precursor
of reading Al Quran. Secondly, the rhythm is a mixture of Middle
Eastern and Western styles. Conventional harmonies won't work.
We had to relearn the whole vocal harmonies. Special thanks
to Ernie Tullis at PDM Recording who tirelessly coached me and
by the end of the numerous sessions, memorized the whole song
and how to spell Allah!
Your
Signs
... the first time this song was rendered, it was not even with
a chorus and was sung at a wedding! This is my favourite number.
This song was really a challenge. I wanted it to have a whispering
effect but not too complex as I want everyone to be able to
sing this song. Even my first graders love it! It is a sentimental
monologue of a servant of Allah reminding him/herself about
the signs of Allah's existence. It begins softly with consistent
vocal control and then progressed to more powerful rendition
of chorus and a bridge. Then we added the sound effects. That
was the ultimate joy for everyone of us at the studio. It was
then this song came alive. This song will change your paradigm
of how Islamic songs should be.
Allahu
Rabbee
...every song has its unique character. This song is most liked
by my 3rd graders and lower. It brings out the joy and gives
them the opportunity to play the role of a teacher or someone
who wants to teach others about Allah. You would probably notice
by now, that most of the words in my songs are two-syllabled
words. This was very important to me as I, personally love simplicity
in a song and I want people to be able to sing my songs quickly.
How difficult is it to say "Allahu Rabbee"?
Assalamu'alaykum
...what can I say? This song is pure joy. Just like the du’a
says. Peace be unto you. So far, this song is top of the charts.
If you think any differently, email me. Jivey rhythm and great
percussion make this song, one of a kind. We had already completed
the vocals and percussions for this song and then we decided
to make it a little bit ahead of its time. We changed to a "call
and response" song which was neat since conveying salam
is an action between two or more people. Then, since this is
the final track, we faded it out so that listeners would be
able to sing along....figure-of-speech-ly until the end of time...
www.ahmadraffur.com
Albums by Ahmad:
Prophets
Wahied
Growing
up as a child in the sprawling Cape Town suburb of Mitchells
Plain, Wahied Kannemeyer fondly remembers "visiting a different
house" every Thursday evening, to participate in the Dhikrullah
gatherings, known as the Ratib al-Haddad. It was at those gatherings,
that Wahied’s knowledge and love, for what he calls “melody”,
was nurtured.
Wahied first ventured into Qasa’id in 1997 with the Blue
Downs-based qasidah group, Al-Badr.
In 1998, he joined the renowned Cape qasidah group the Cape
Malaysians following his return from study at the University
of Al-Azhar in Egypt, home to numerous acclaimed Qur’raa.
It is in Egypt that the Arabian melody greatly influenced him.
In July 2002, Wahied launched the CD, Salutations, which was
a rendition of the famous compilations of Shaykh al-Barzanji,
also known as Riwayat al-Barzanji . Salutations went beyond
the shores of Cape Town with requests for the CD pouring in
from Indonesia, Germany, Australia, Canada, United States, Namibia,
Zimbabwe, the United Kingdom, Réunion Islands, Singapore
and Qatar.
In 2004, he launched Devotion, a beautiful rendering of the
Cape style dhikr. Wahied's talent was recognised by Meem Music
in December that year, who signed him up as an artist, and saw
Devotion released as Divine Blessings on the Meem label.
Wahied is also the lead vocalist of the talented nasheed group
Iman. He also writes and performs his own nasheeds and has performed
with Malaysian group Raihan during their tour of South Africa.
Wahied has a great desire to perform overseas, beyond the shores
of South Africa, and is earnestly setting his sights on achieving
this goal. He is currently recording with Iman their first nasheed
CD.
To read Press Release announcing signing
of Wahied to Meem Music click
here
www.wahied.com
Albums
by Wahied:
Divine Blessings
Peace & Blessings
Kismet
Two brothers, one dream. Its that simple. The dream to impact the world with their deep lyrics and emotion filled voices. Brought together by fate and destined to do what they love, they couldn’t have a better name to express themselves than kismet. A word derived from the Arabic term ‘qisma’. The ‘t’ was added by the Persians (Qismat) and then from Turkish it came to English.
They started out performing as members of ‘Nur’ and as directions changed, fate led them to sing as the duo ‘Kismet’. They have performed at many shows including the Ramadan Project 2005, MAS Annual Conference with Native Deen and Amir Sulaiman in December 2005, and Sounds of Peace with Native Deen and Allah Made Me Funny in April 2006.
No matter what level an artist is at, they look up to others who have come before them and who have influenced them greatly. So for Kismet, which artists influenced them and why?
“We have to mutually agree that some of our biggest influences are Josh Groban, Yusuf Islam, oh and John Lennon. These artist have helped changed society as a whole with their work. Their music carries a strong message and has the ability to transform societies as a whole. They are captivating individuals.”
With a strong lyrical message in their songs and a combination of different musical cultures, Kismet is ambitious in delivering a positive and unifying message across the world. “If this was about living a life of fame and fortune we would have dropped all of this a long time ago. The real fulfillment for us is when we can bring hope and happiness in the life of anyone who hears our music, especially this day of age when a lot of people in the world really need it.”
www.kismetnasheed.com
Albums by Kismet:
Laylatulqadr (CD Single)
