Dawud Wharnsby Ali - Midnight (Music Video)
Published by Haseeb December 7th, 2006 in Music(Thanks to Amir for the link)
A beautiful Music Video about a young man accepting Islam, while breaking up with the girl he loves because she isn’t willing to accept as well. From the end of the video it appears as if this song was autobiographical, as the young man in the video transforms to Dawud Wharnsby himself.
Lyrics:
He sat back in his arrogant sort of way.
He said, “There’s nothing more to say.”
then lectured on for another hour.
She said, everything was fine.
She said, she didn’t like to whine,
then cried on for another hour.
They sat there screaming through the room was silent.
They sat so still though the scene was violent.
And words can never really help you say,
what you want them to anyway.
And words can never really help you see,
what you really want to be.
He took a last sip of cold tea.
Last chance to stop all these lies.
Last chance to clean up these lives.
This could be the final hour.
This could be the final hour, or
this could be the finest hour.
And words can never really help you say
what you want them to anyway.
And words can never really help you see,
what you really want to be.
He took a last sip of cold tea.
45 Responses to “Dawud Wharnsby Ali - Midnight (Music Video)”
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from: United States us
Pingback on Dec 7th, 2006 at 10:36 pm
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from: United States us Pingback on Jul 1st, 2007 at 8:48 pm
my friend cathy accepted Islam a month ago.
it feels great to have a friend like her.
I know Dawud Warnsby is a respected muslim and he does a lot of good work, but I respectfully disagree that such a video should be produced. Of course this type of music itself is an issue, but let’s leave that aside for now since there are a minority of scholars who say it is permitted. I don’t see why it was necessary that the female in the video had to be wearing inapproriate clothing. I also didn’t see why they had to show the man and woman hugging and such. The lyrics are not all that islamic, I mean it’s not filled with praise of Allah
or His messenger. The whole message of the video is not that crystal clear. It just seems that now some nasheed artists are pushing the boundaries and are going beyond singing about Allah 
or the prophet. I respectfully disagree with this alarming trend. This is why some muslims don’t listen to music, not even nahseed, for fear that it will lead to listening to other types of music. Allahu aalim. Indeed Allah 
knows best, if I am wrong then may Allah 
guide me to what is right and if I am right then may Allah 
guide Dawud Warnsby and other munashid to what is right, ameen.
Dawud Wharnsby on the video:
Salam my dear brother or sister
I am a muslim nasheed writer and from my research on this topic, i would have to respectfully disagree with your opinion that this music is not “islamic” or appropriate. I respect the tone of your comment, mashallah, but i think for too long have nasheeds be inappropriately confined to explictly speaking of Islam in very literal means, there is nothing wrong with a non-muslim hugging another muslim or a girl dressing like that in her face. Dawud in courageously in trying to do something that many of us as muslim artists are doing, dealing with deep problems that people are going through that are not addressed in songs like “Tala Al Badaru Alayna” or your average Yusuf Islam song or Native Deen music. I am not saying this as someone part of a weird ideology but someone who has been seriously studying islam under scholars my whole life and you are right to say Allah
knows best, but i completely disagree with.
Dawud wharnsby must write and reach out to many Muslims who cannot connect with other islamic music. we have to expand our idea of what we think is Islam. So, although i would have agreed with your comment years ago, i have changed my mind. we need a more nuance and deep understanding of our situation and the music needed to deal with it. May Allah
bless dawud and all of us and guide us to the truth.
-saad omar
Salam
I appreciate your respectful manner of writing. But as a Muslim Naseed artist and someone who has been studying this topic carefully with scholars in the US and abroad, i respectively disagree with you..
Islamic music has to move beyond “educational” muslim like Native Deen and Yusuf Islam (which are great in their own purposes) to “expressive music” that deals with these real issues.
as far as shariah goes, the actors in the video are NOT muslim, so shariah does NOT apply to them.
we have to have a more nuanced perspective on music and understand that videos such as these are necessary to reach out to people who may not find everything they need is “tala al badaru alayna” or a song about how to do hajj.
For too long have we stifled art, and i believe this is within shariah. i am not saying this as a Muslim with some strange ideology but as someone who has been studying islam with proper scholarship for many years and who is also very involved with Islamic music.
I have also worked with Dawud Wharnsby in the past on a cd he produced and i know that he has carefully made the opinion that he now holds about music. he knows what he is doing. i hope we as the muslim community has the wisdom to see it also.
Allah
knows best
-saad omar
I agree with Dawud Warnsby’s comments and I respect him deeply. I also agree with what lamb kabob said. I think it’s okay to throw a word of caution to videos like this. I mean look at the evolution of nahseed among mainstream muslims. First we had nasheed where people just used their voice. Then percussion instruments like duff were used. Then Sami Yusuf came along and his use of all kinds of musical instruments has become very popular among many mainstream muslims. Now we have nasheed whose lyrics don’t focus on Allah
or the prophet but various “islamic” topics. Now we have “nasheed videos”. It just seems the further we go along the more we are pushing the boundaries of islamic music. No one is arguing that this video conveys an inspirational message. It’s a beautiful story, no doubt. But at some point these songs and videos cross the line of what is islamically permissible. Now I am sure most of you will say we have not crossed that line and that there is nothing whatsoever wrong with this video. And I’m not necessarily saying you’re wrong or that I am right. I just think the music and videos are more and more imitating the non muslims and I think eventually what’s going to happen is you’re going to see more and more muslims make music videos which veer off of what is islamically permissible and its all leading to a slippery slope. I know there is a minority opinion among the ulema that state that instrumental music is halaal and I respect this opinion, I do. But I would just like to close with this hadith from Bukhari because I am beginning to see the wisdom of this hadith in a whole new light…
“From among my followers there will be some people who will consider illegal sexual intercourse, the wearing of silk, the drinking of alcoholic drinks and the use of musical instruments, as lawful.”
Saad Omar, I understand what you are saying and I agree with you somewhat. I just have some reservations about some of the images that were depicted in the video. The issue is not so much that the actors are non muslim, the issue is whether we muslims should film such scenes like that. For instance, hypothetically, lets say the actors were kissing. They are non muslims, but should we film that? I think you would agree that we should not, similarly filming a scene where the woman is not properly clothed, where a man and a woman are touching each other, being intimate, I don’t think it’s islamically permissible to film such scenes.
I agree with you that art has been stifled and I am not against art, I am very much a fan of it. Allah
loves beauty. I just think we need to tread carefully. You say islamic music has to move beyond what you call “educational” and move into the “expressive” realm. I respectfully disagree. I am by no means a scholar, but I have researched into the matter and consulted muslims of knowledge and from what I learned, I have a difference of opinion. That’s ok though. I don’t hold any ill feeling toward you or Dawud Warnsby, for whom I have deep respect. There are bigger issues in the world today and we need not let such issues divide us. I know your intentions are pure. May Allah 
guide us all to the straight path and keep us on that path, ameen.
Aameen. I truly hope more Muslims can think outside the box and take heed of the wisdom of brothers Dawud, Sami, Yusuf Islam, and others (including yourself) and not only for all the present work out there but for all future endevours.
Jazakallah khair brother Saad for the comments
May Allah
reward you for your great work. Keep it up bro!
SubhanAllah, islam began as something strange and will end as something strange. May Allah
count lamb kabob and I among the strangers, ameen.
walaikum dear brothers and sisters who joined this discussion
let me first just clarify, the opinion posted about me “Saad Omar,” not Dawud Wharnsby, he is a friend of mine but i was not speaking for him.
Also, a couple of other things. I think its best adab that when we make dua that we include everyone in it, there a story when a bedouin said, “Forgive me and the Prophet and no one else” and the Prophet instructed him to not limit Allah
’s mercy. so “Stranger” i hope that in your dua, i am also included amongst the “strangers,” u may disagree with my opinion but i have also dedicated my life to this religion and will inshallah spend my next 8 years (at least) studying islam in syria and turkey, so i hope that my agreeing with this video doesn’t exclude me from the “strangers” group.
Furthermore, you are right, hugging may have some problems in a video, but please think of it like this, dawud was showing the closeness that was broken, would we disagree with the filming of “The message” because of the scene where the pagan arabs were dancing before the battle of badr?
Please realize where i can coming from, until 5 years ago, i considered all music except a few nasheeds haram and then i started realizing the hikma of branching out. Everyone who replied to me i respect, however, we must be careful as people who are probably pretty practicing and in the core of the community, that we don’t only think of what we personally need but people in the fringes. It may NOT be appropriate for you to watch these videos but for people who watch mainstream movies or music videos, this is definitely much more modest, and if it has a islamic message people can connect with, we should be more open minded to it. I again stress that i think many muslims (not the scholars) have incorrectly been taught regarding music.
that hadith quoted is actually been mentioned by many scholars to be weak, btw.
i know most Muslims will disagree with me and be against this video and that is expected as that is how we are raised. but this is one time where i must go against the mold.
And btw…in this case, i think that makes me the STRANGER, i come from a conservative muslim background but i have to disagree with the majority because i see clear Maslaha (benefits) in allowing these types of videos
May Allah
bless you all
your bro
-saad omar
btw, i didn’t know i posted my earlier comment twice, i thought it didn’t send the first time.
one thing i didn’t address, someone said that they disagreed with what i said, “music must move from educational to expressive,” i think, with all due respect, you may not understand what i meant by this, but please take the time to before u disagree with me
the famous “tala badara alayna” that the companions sung when the Prophet (S) was entering mMedina is EXPRESSIVE not EDUCATIONAL, it was not teaching the Companions about the Prophet (S) or Islam but rather celebrating his coming and the blessings he brought. this is what i meant, so everyone song doesn’t have to necessarily teach us specific lessons like Sunday School to be beneficial. They can also express genuine feelings people have that other Muslims also deal with and are struggling with.. that will also benefit people
sorry for writing so much on this, islamic music is just a passion and im currently working on a large album project with many prominent muslim artists from around the world.
take care wa Allahu Alam (God knows best)
Saad Omar (Amman, Jordan)
nice song!
And I think its healthy to have discussion and debate about how the genre of music known as “nasheed” should evolve in America and Europe.
Cool song, and cool video.
Thanks for posting that, bro.
salam guys,
i think you also have to remember the reasoning and purpose of songs and videos like this. This isn’t br. dawuds typical blue sky song. these last couple cds, he’s started to completely hit a different audience. He’s no longer singing for kids, he’s starting to hit the young adults and others in DAWA…
This isn’t the type of song to teach us about the prophets etc like other songs that he’s made in the past. i think that Yusef Islam is making the same sort of transition in his new cd too. These songs are meant to connect w/ nonmuslims as well as muslims and attract ppl to Islam. I’m not speaking on behave of any of these artists. But i did grow up listening to br. dawud and hes come to my small town a few times. I do know that he talked about this transition and did use the word da’awa (da3wa) in reference to it.
i want you all to keep an open mind and remember the world were living in. Its a long shot but maybe really late at night we can see this video on mtv, maybe not in the us but in europe. kind of like outlandish….
salamulakum
In watching Br. Dawud’s song: “Midnight”, part of me couldn’t believe what I was seeing….I had to walk away from it……and I literally needed to watch it two or three times to truly understand the message that was being conveyed….videos can be a powerful means of conveying ones thoughts……and I guess what gave it meaning was to see Br.Dawud reveal a glimpse of himself through it, which I guess I was more interested in then anything else……but as I sat back and reflected on the words, further meanings and truths continued to reveal themselves likewise….
the beauty of poems and poetry……so powerful Mashallah.
Masha Allah
.
Haseeb, good work on scoping out and informing us of the latest Muslim musical happenings. May Allah
reward you.
I had a feeling when I saw the post that the discussion would turn towards issues of permissibility. In fact, i almost thought it would “disintegrate” into a discussion of permissibility, being sometimes frustrated when that discussion rears its head at any mention of music. Kind of like the expected moonsighting debate every Eid, for example.
That being said, I think the discussion here has been healthy, as it is important for people to sort these issues out and, as some have mentioned, consider the direction our “Islamic entertainment” is taking (not trying to insinuate anything with those quotation marks, except to encite thought on what exactly we mean by that concept). (By the way, since I mentioned moonsighting, I should add that I believe that the scholarly debate that took place in Ramadan was a healthy one as well. Unlike the kind that goes on between uncles at dinner tables.)
Anyway, to what I really wanted to say: First off, Haseeb, thanks for adding Dawud’s comments here, because having read them before, I was a bit unsatisfied with your initial explanation of what the video was about. Don’t worry, it is an obvious move to describe the story line rather than see the deeper ideas the story it is trying to bring out, and I made a similar mistake in thinking about it before reading Dawud’s explanation.
Some are confused about how this can possibly be Islamic without mention of Allah
and the Prophet. From what I know of Dawud, he would probably not be so concerned that it is “Islamic” in outward appearance, but that it is spiritual and reflects humanity. He’s not the type who wants to be cast into some mold, as a “nasheed artist,” for instance. He wants to convey his emotions and thoughts through his music - and these are not always and only “love of Allah 
and his prophet.”
That said, if you listen closely to his music, you will find that they contain Islamic messages. If I write an anti-war protest song, or a song about the plight of the homeless, without mentioning Allah
, is it somehow not Islamic? What about if I write a song about patience, tolerance, humility, hypocrisy, materialism, about the nature of our existence? Music like Dawud’s should help us realize that we need to broaden our perspectives, not just of what music and song should be, but of what we should be concerned with. Our focus shouldn’t be solely on praising Allah 
and sending praise upon the Prophet, but human/social concerns as well. These concerns are no less religious; in fact, you will find them discussed in the Quran!
When we widen our perspective, we are able to speak in terms that are meaningful not just to Muslims, but to all of humanity. You can beat someone over the head with a Quran all you like, but it won’t help if they don’t even realize the social ills that need fixing, or the need for spirituality at all. But by speaking in ways that make sense to non-Muslims, we can have interactions with them, indeed work with them for good, as Dawud has worked with many non-Muslim artists. Part of the motivation may be Da’wah in the strict sense, but I think it is more than this. It is seeing the world of humanity, instead of a world of Muslims and non-Muslims, and truly living that world. It is part of contributing to a tolerant world.
I have done much more than my share of sounding preachy, and forgive me for that, but let me add one more thing: I hope that music like Dawud’s can help us to see deeper than the skin. What’s the difference between judging music by whether or not it contains the words “Allah
” and “Muhammad” in it, and judging a man or woman by his or her physical beauty alone? It is good to be concerned with whether or not the video meets Islamic requirements, but this all we notice? Most of us (myself included) seemed to miss the theme and the message behind it; this may be because we’re used to listening to songs that are rather opaque and lack all notions of subtlety. Thinking deeply is important - we need to think deeply about the Quran, the Hadith, and everything around us. Interestingly, most of Dawud’s songs are geared towards this deep reflection. When some hear the music, the words may drown out, but I think Dawud would definitely hate to have his songs reduced to “ear candy”. If you listen carefully, you may find yourself thinking about Allah 
without being directly prompted to by Dawud’s words. Isn’t that profoundly more spiritual?
If you give up something for the sake of Allah
, then Allah 
will replace that with something much much better in the akhira, inshAllah.
It’s so interesting to me that most (but not all) of the scholars have stated quite clearly that the use of musical instruments is haraam, yet most (but not all) of the muslims today believe it is ok. SubhanAllah, is there any other example where most of the muslims follow the minority opinion? I wonder if people approve of musical instruments because of their nafs or due to scholarly agreement. Allahu Aalim.
Islam began as something strange and will once again become something strange. SubhanAllah, that is so true. We can already see that happening today.
From Sahih Bukhari, Volume 7, Book 69, Number 494v:
Narrated Abu ‘Amir or Abu Malik Al-Ash’ari:
that he heard the Prophet saying, “From among my followers there will be some people who will consider illegal sexual intercourse, the wearing of silk, the drinking of alcoholic drinks and the use of musical instruments, as lawful.”
Nowadays people ask, “What? you don’t listen to music? You listen to quran instead? That is strange.”
“What? You don’t watch music videos? You read quran instead? That is strange.”
“What? You don’t watch tv? Not even sports? You read hadith instead? That is so strange.”
“What? You don’t watch movies? You listen to islamic lectures instead? You pray in the masjid instead? Why? That is so strange.”
May Allah
count us among the strangers, ameen.
Salam
Once again, “stranger,” i really respect your thoughts and if you are someone that doesn’t need any type of music and you prefer prayer and Quran recitation, thats amazing. I am just saying and “buckmister” eloquently explained this, many people can be brought into the fold with this music.
as far as that hadith, just quoting Sahih Bukhari without giving the context of the hadith, the way the scholars have looked at it, etc. can at times not paint the full picture.
but anyways, i think i’ve said more than enough, may Allah
guide us all to the straight path.
if you are against this video, i definitely think that the album i am working on with several muslim artists including the ‘usuals’ may be quite controversial, but oh well, we’ll see!
-saad omar
:thumbs up: to buckmister abbey and haseeb bhai
Beautiful clip video, it describes some reality in our current society and we don’t be blind on contrary we must be aware of this issue.
Thanks for posting this video brother.
Grreat you have posted even the lyrics, mashallah you forget nothing.!!!!
Thanks a lot!!!
“Our focus shouldn’t be solely on praising Allah
and sending praise upon the Prophet, but human/social concerns as well.”
Wanted to start with saying something about the above comment. Just like we dont want to limit Allah
’s mercy, we also dont want to limit what it means to praise Allah 
or our Prophet saaw. Who would be more concerned about human and social ills than our Prophet? So exploring such issues so that we may reflect on some basic human values(while staying balanced by staying within the shariah) is infact praising the prophet saaw! After all he was sent to perfect good character. And he was also sent as a mercy/rahma. It seems like this is exactly the area we all need alot of work in! Having compassion enugh for all human beings just like our prophet saaw. And included in this “human” group is a vast population of muslims that are not mainstream and who only show up for eid prayer along with a large population of convert Muslims that are struggling with resolving issues from their non-Muslim past. Alhumdulillah that br. dawud is widening the circle and opening arms to all by exploring the common denominator — the inner human strife for good character. The balance lies in staying within the shariah so even if it is a minority opinion, it is still valid. And if we choose to be real safe and stick to the majority opinion then alhumdulillah that we have the strength to do that. And along with this strength lets also have compassion for all others and make excuses for them. Lets fight our nafs that exploits us into becoming self righteous, judgemental and harsh. In the end falling into this will only affect our own heart. So lets learn to be hard on ourselves and easy on others — just like Allah 
pours down rain on everyone without any bias, lets emulate this mercy that was exeplified in our prophet saaw.
May Allah
grant us all the good that our prophet prayed for and protect us from everything that he sought protection from.
Salaams peeps!!
8-10 years ago the (limited) nasheeds, at least in the west/ in english language, consisted of simple lyrics with no instruments (or the accompanying occasional percussion beat), and a handful of well known nasheed artists.
Given the development of, what has now undeniably become, the nasheed industry the trend is worrying indeed. From simple lyrics without or with minimal percussion instruments to the current trend where any musical instrument under the sun goes accompanied by “islamic” lyrics, professionally produced videos and the ever increasing list of “nasheed artists” seems very worrying to me. Often the arguements of:
- more expressive ways of reaching out to non-muslims/ non-practicing muslims
- da’wah purposes
- alternative methods of entertainment to “what’s out there”
are put forward as justifications in favor of the nasheed phenomenon. I just wonder what our beloved Prophet or his early community who helped the light of Islam reach from Spain to the Orient within a span of century or so would make of this? Are we burrying our heads in the sand………
I was present at the 2006 GPU and it was my second visit to such a major Islamic event (first one being “Uniting for the Prophet” in 2005). The hysteria of the crowd manically rushing towards the entrances whilst throwing aside islamic adab, people (sorry to say but overwhelmingly it was sisters) holding up their mobile phones in order to record clips/ take pictures of thier favorite artists, the relative disinterest in talks/ Qur’an recitation compared to when the nasheed artists come on stage when there would be hooting, screaming, whisteling and such like which would increase ever more when the artist themselves would urge on the audience for more…… i could go but its depressingly worrying.
Without even debating the music in Islam issue, worrying trend…. or not……..?:
- Chants of recommended adhkaars in a melodic manner (some of MYNA raps stuff, various traditional & relatively unknown groups)
/ Prophet mentioned a lot, simple lyrics mainly aimed at children (old stuff of DW Ali, Zain Bhikha, Yusuf Islam, Silence de Mosques)
or Prophet but still within an Islamic ethos e.g. anti-drugs, anti-injustices (Native Deen, SOA, ANP, BlakStone, various arab artists)
Knows album, female backing vocals in the instrumental version of DW Ali’s ‘Prophet for Profit)
- Islamic songs, no instruments, Allah
- The above but with minimal percussion instruments (as above, Shaam)
- The above but with more variety of instrument (Raihan)
- The above but with wind & string instruments
- The above but with more “creative” lyrics that don’t mention Allah
- Female nasheed artists/ Muslim(ah) musicians: although some have justified the like as long as the sister is below the age of puberty or performing only in front of a female audience (Miss Undastood, Naadira Alli, many malaysian artistes, female opera type singing as background to “We Will Never Submit” from My Ummah album)
- Mixed genders performing duets together (Child’s Prayer from Allah
- Mixed
- All the above with accompanying videos, websites, MySpace sites, posters, CDs, DVDs, memrobilia (many nasheed artists)
- NMA’s (Nasheed Music Awards) - for best male/ female/ video/ genre awards (?……..coming soon)
- Nasheeds in mainstream or muslims doing mainstream music (Outlandish, upcoming DW Ali & Yusuf Islam stuff, Aman, Kareem Salama)
In no way am I trying to be sexist or backbite against any specific nasheed artist/ Muslim musicians. The above artist names are only used to give just a few examples to prove that it is already happening within the mainstream Islamic events. Unfortunately quite a few of our sisters seem to be idolising these artists in the same way that mainstream music artists are idolised in the popular western/ bollywood culture. Islamic events where the audience purely look forward to the ‘entertainment’ and speakers are given shorter and shorter durations to speak, where Qur’an recitation serves no purpose but as a token opener for the events ahead, where nasheed CDs are sold by the bucket loads, where nasheed artists sign autographs/ sell posters promoting themselves & their albums, one has to question where we are headed and how Islamic these events really are.
Beautiful lyrics and stated intentions and all; do the ends justify the means? I think this is an indication of our lack of creativity that we seek such means as ‘halal’ forms of entertaiment and a proof of our ignorance that we use such like as “methods of da’wah”. Who would have though that da’wah was meant to be done through living example, dialogue and wisdom instead of churning out another Nasheed album.
All the major jurisprudence schools of thought bar none have in no uncertain terms unanimously agreed upon the impermissibility of music in Islam. Admittedly those scholars who hold a more open and relaxed opinion/ interpretation on the issue of music, who lets not forget are in a overwhelming minorty, seem to be influencing the majority of muslims when it comes to permissibility of music. Best case scenario regarding the issue of music in Islam is that it is a very grey area, and personally I’m begining to feel the benefits of steering clear of this slippery slope most of us unfortunately seem to be getting increasingly comfortable with.
Entertainment?!? Bring me the desert bedouin who (without any instrument in sight) recited pristine poetry in praise of the prophet NOT as a means of living/ earning a quick buck/ being idolised/ promoting his talents - but purely for the love of his Creator and his Messenger.
The line between islamic music/ nasheeds and the mainstream music industry is becoming more and more blurred each year. I just hope we have not opened up another Pandora’s box for ourselves…………..
Are the prophecies manifesting amongst us? Thank Allah
for the Prophet who came with the truth………
will destroy them during the night and will let the mountain fall on them, and He will transform the rest of them into monkeys and pigs and they will remain so till the Day of Resurrection.”
““From among my followers there will be some people who will consider illegal sexual intercourse, the wearing of silk, the drinking of alcoholic drinks and the use of musical instruments, as lawful. And there will be some people who will stay near the side of a mountain and in the evening their shepherd will come to them with their sheep and ask them for something, but they will say to him, ‘Return to us tomorrow.’ Allah
Allah
(SWT) knows best. May He (SWT) guide all of us.
Peace
JazakAllahkhair for your comment Aman ‘Ali. May Allah
give us the strength to continue to hold up the banner of islam against an ever increasing wind of change, ameen.
lol i love how i see double comments on my post and on your post.
I’ve noticed this trend that “muslim” speaks of… hm. I recall my own musical inclinations, and thinking about what turned me off, it wasn’t this fatwa or that, but rather this intuition: I found that it was impossible to keep the Quran in my heart if I listened to music. Try it, and you’ll know what I mean. Listen to some beautiful recitation of the Quran, and then go and listen to music. I actually feel very strongly that music is a form of covering one’s feelings or issues by subverting them through external means… similar to when people consume alcohol to forget their problems.
In the Quran, you find that hearing is always mentioned before sight. The reason is that sight is linear: one can only see in front of them, and if light approaches their eyes and enters in a certain manner. Hearing, on the other hand, is encompassing: one hears everything around them. Thus, it’s easy to turn away and not look at something that bothers you, but with hearing it’s altogether different.
A prominent theory in modern physics, as well, is String Theory: that all matter is composed of tiny oscillating strings, as those of a cello vibrating at different frequencies. The different oscillations of the sub-atomic strings produce different forms of matter in the same way that different frequencies produce different sounds. So it’s interesting that we recite the Quran aloud: literally the oscillations cause every part of our physical (and hopefully spiritual) being to quiver, and perhaps change our very composition. So it goes with music. So in listening to something, one is actually choosing who they become in a physical and figurative sense.
And to finish, a story that I like:
After the death of the Prophet, peace be upon him, Abdullah ibn Mas’ud lived in Baghdad, where he taught the people about the deen. One of his most famous students, on his way to lessons every day, would pass by a prominent singer and player of the ‘ud, a very melodious arabic guitar. Each day, this student would fight with the songwriter, cursing him, telling him that what he was doing was haram, as well as breaking his ‘ud. Each day the man would make a new ‘ud, and return to his spot. The student became frustrated and began taking a new route to lessons.
Then, one day, ibn Mas’ud himself passed by the road on which this singer performed. When passing by, he simply turned and looked sadly at the man, and then said “la hawla wa la quwatta illa billah…”, and continued on. The singer was curious, and asked his companions who the man was. Upon being told, he exclaimed “What’s going on! His student smashes my ‘ud, but he just walks on?!” and so he got up and ran after him.
“Wait!” said the singer, “do you know who I am?”
“Yes, I know very well that you are so and so, the singer.” said ibn Mas’ud.
“You know me, and yet you walk on by? Who are you?”
“I am Abdullah ibn Masud, the Companion of your Prophet, peace be upon him - do you know who your Prophet is?”
and so the singer felt ashamed. Trying to divert the subject, and find out why ibn Mas’ud had walked past, he said
“Didn’t you think my voice was beautiful?”
“It is - but it would be more beautiful were it pronouncing verses from the Quran.”
“Will you teach me to sing the Quran?” asked the singer
“I will” said ibn Masud, “Come to me tomorrow.”
And so the singer became a student of ibn Mas’ud. Upon learning to recite the Quran properly, he never did sing it, nor anything else. Asked why, he replied
“Songs and the Quran can never come together in the same heart.”
***
I thought it a nice story not just for the musical dars, but also because of the way in which ibn Mas’ud influenced the man - it shows that each heart is as a lock, with a certain type of key. Use the wrong key, and the lock won’t open. If you try to force the key, as the first student had done, it may break off in the lock, sealing it forever.
hah, i spelled my name wrong the first time.
and MR, you’re right, i find the repeat posts annoying. at least rephrase your ideas, people.
i like the discussion here, even though it’s a tad lengthy. Tariq, thanks for the correction and the well rounded comment. especially your last point about being merciful and refraining from being judgmental and harsh.
Aman ‘Ali, thanks for raising some good points. i agree with you that there are some disturbing trends in the islamic entertainment industry. i do find your chronological sequence of muslim music’s development mildly amusing, though, because i think if you’re careful about it you’ll probably find that there are older musical stuff out there (not that i know too much about the history myself). in any case, you are right that from the popular perspective, the trend has been more music, videos, concerts, etc.
my main concern is the extravagance, the hype, the idolizing. concerts typically imitate the usual pop concert, with the screaming, the ear-and-other-organs-exploding volume levels, and the general idolizing. this is serving as a distraction from what is truly important (listen to Ustadh Yahya Rhodus’ reminder).
i don’t know to what extent musicians enjoy being idolized, but i think they need to be more proactive in countering it. that includes not churning out music videos, not signing autographs, not selling fan gear, dissuading people from screaming at concerts, and the like. i envision muslim music as drastically different from the pop music business. the focus should be on the message, not the hype. musicians should emphasize the themes of their songs and write/speak about them in addition to singing. we should have more “intimate” concerts as opposed to huge “rock concert” styled events, where its all about lots of noise, bright lights, screaming fans, and extravagance.
i think it’s acceptable if people enjoy the music because of its aesthetic value and the message, but one must limit oneself. a muslim musician once personally warned me to balance the amount of music i listen to with recitation of Quran. which brings me to zalkhatib’s point about music distracting from the Quran. unfortunately, many of us read little Quran but listen to the music 24/7, and spend time idolizing musicians. the huge concerts seem to be a culmination of this idolizing and extravagance.
i suppose my main concern is that musicians (most of them) aren’t doing their part to dissuade this attitude, and are promoting their product rather than their message.
Check out this talk Yusuf Islam gave at the GPU conference.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLeBJZ7chk8
I know, I know, you all are asking what in the world am I doing by posting this link. Well I want everyone to know that even though I disagree with the use of musical instruments, I still respect and love my brothers in islam, especially brothers Dawud Wharnsby and Yusuf Islam. Check out what Yusuf Islam did at the end
he could have done without transforming the guy into him. that was choppy. it was a dead give away without the transformation (they both had the scarf on). its nice to see something new from muslim singers other than nasheed songs for 5 yr olds and 5 yr old like 20 yr olds.
I really do love the song, and I did like the video, although there are some bits I did not understand. Islamically, you really shouldn’t show your love for your spouse in public. And these people weren’t even married. =P
I have to admit, I really didn’t understand the purpose of the video before, but your explanation does make sense.
Anyway, I really respect Br. Dawud Wharnsby Ali and the like, and it’s great they’re continuing to write such great music.
=)
Wasalaams.
yeah I had qualms about the guy and girl interaction, I mean are they married? are they brother or sister, even then it is not appropriate to have acting like that or whatever but be that as it may.
I think in America, the muslim communities are redefining culture. They are making an American Muslim culture.
Pretty soon 100 or so years from now(that is we do survive 100yrs on this planet or in America). Videos like these would be reminiscent of the good intentioned videos you see now on PTV or ARY Digital, where a vital islaamic message is mixed in with things that are deemed islaamically inappropriate by a lot of muslims(music, musical instruments, women not covered properly, notion of love expressed between unmarried people but not shown in a bad way, etc). And people will “ignore” or “excuse” these things for getting at the greater or broader message. Also, the video might be a tool to attract a wider(non-muslim audience).
salam….i’m a muslim from m’sia and currently studying in jordan…living in such a different place(from my hometown),makes my realize how human could differentiate themselves in order to suit either their own nafs or their surroundings needs…ie:which could leads to either good or bad(depending on iman of themselves)….
therefore,i could really understand how different people would react with other type of reactions(which are different from them)…some would disagree,while another would disagree with the disagrees…
having to watch the peerformance by yusuf islam(thanks to “stranger” for the link),i have finally be able to differentiate my mind to agree with what he said,which was taken from holy quran words…”whatever the differences you have,just leave it all to God in the Day of the Judgement”…
some people in the world today quarrelling for unnecessary matter,even muslim are not excluded(eg:war between shiah and sunni muslim)…..
what will happen in the future? ~Allahu a’lam bissawab~
that’s why our prophet said long,long time ago…”when there’s trouble(quarrel) among you,you must come back to two things that I leave behind…quran and my sunnah”…..
but now,why do people still fighting with each other?
i sincerely hope that all of us could keep this last word deeply in heart…..”if everybody is a guardian of their own action,then this world will become much better instantaneously”…..
Allahu a’lam bissawab….
There are many more IMPORTANT and SERIOUS issues to be talking and arguing about in the world, if we all spent the time and effort on POVERTY or MURDER OF MUSLIMS around the world, or even just looking at our selves as much as we try to debate these MINOR issues, this world and we would a much better place and we would be better people. May Allah
guide us all Inshallah! Only Allah 
can judge
Look above the tunnel and not through the tunnel. Let us not be so snobby and judgemental about the video. Dawud Wharnsby Ali has good intentions. We should be reaching to non muslims too. A lot of non muslims may feel they can relate to the video and it could inspire them. We should show some consideration towards non muslims too. Get wise people. Some muslims seem to be very petty and behave all dramatic about the smallest things so bent in their old ways, so inflexible. Get with the future
Salaam dear Ali, your music video was just fantastic, i really enjoy listening to it&watching it every time it`s on……..hope to see same music videos more&more often,wish you the best luck,take care ……Irana from Tehran
Good nasheed. Beautiful video.
Thank you for putting it up.
well well
thats quite a video
and i see a big converstaion and controversy about it
while islam clearly prohibits musical instruments except the duf for women at weddings
you mozlims are trying to justify it just for this convert’s sake
come on !!
there you mozlems go acting inferior to the white man again LOOOL
david wharasby should follow islamic teachings not change them just because he converted
and u mozlims shouldn’t just jump because u got a white man on youe side
have some spine
and all your sheeiks and clerics give u clear sayings from the prophet banning music and intermingling
so u people look like ur trying to run away from the truth of ur religion just to make good with us westerners
have some self respect , this is a multicultral society , and we white people allow u to express your freedom so dont be afraid
and HAVE SOME SELF RESPECT for god’s sake!!!!
well well
thats quite a video
and i see a big converstaion and controversy about it
while islam clearly prohibits musical instruments except the duf for women at weddings
you mozlims are trying to justify it just for this convert’s sake
come on !!
there you mozlems go acting inferior to the white man again LOOOL
david wharasby should follow islamic teachings not change them just because he converted
and u mozlims shouldn’t just jump because u got a white man on youe side
have some spine
and all your sheeiks and clerics give u clear sayings from the prophet banning music and intermingling
so u people look like ur trying to run away from the truth of ur religion just to make good with us westerners
have some self respect , this is a multicultral society , and we white people allow u to express your freedom so dont be afraid
and HAVE SOME SELF RESPECT for god’s sake!!!!!
:x
Assalamu allaikum
salam and as we all try to understand what is going on , some of us really should firstly question what we believe in. If we follow the so called majority” of scholars” who say Music is hararm , then why even bother comment ?
Of course some of us are in tha habit of sayign “islamic” music. What exactly is Islam to you ? Is it simple another expanded version of Judaism or a corrected version of Christainity ? To me islam is not a way of Life BUT LIFE ITSELF. for every thing that benifits man is in encouraged in Islam and everything that harms him is defined in Islam.
Some us here are really close minded that when we talk , in our tone of writing there is no room for debate on the issue of Music. I respect you decision to close your mind.
However if you look at the evidence yourself you will be shocked. Music is not “not bad”. But the point is it isn’t “like what people make it look like’.
In addition some of the strogest hadith and quranic ayats are used to specifcally refer to “singing”. However this ins once again “contradicted” by the fact that Resullah (SAW) promoted singing in some instances. Never mind , I even one hear a shia scholar , “critisize” Imam Bukharri. the shia scholar who was advocating music is “clearly” is hararm, was indirectly staying Saheeh Bukhari allows singing in a kind of very rude way. I am not a shia. But i have listen to a a lot and I MEAN A LOT OF SCHOLARS on this issue. From America, to Syria, to Eygpy to Saudi, to Australia to Canada !!!!!!!! and In the end, i think we as Muslims take the decision based on faith. We follow fitrah.
In my family basically I am one of the few muslims who does listen to music, but the point is that we learn to respect each other’s opinions without getting into conflict.
Things like thsi peg us down. If Muslims don’t like it , simple walk away.
And one more thing , nobody should justify his creversation to Islam. Only he knows why he did it.
At the same time , he is undoubtely one of the greatest muslim artists ever alhamdullilah.
and I agree with the person who mentioned these idolizing concerts. These are really really scary. Even with Nasheed artists !!!!!11 I think Muslim artist really have to look at the issue of concerts honestly. For even if I believe Musical Instruments are not hararm, idolizing is obviously something Islam states against.
and I have not still heard a sunni scholar who has declared Music hararm to be equal to Fitnah (disbelief)
Is this really an issue we should be talking about ?
Many issues remain… from Khilafah to the continual oppresion of our brothers and sisters, to the poverty of the Ummah, to the lack of basics followed etc…
Ma sallamah
Hi,
unite us all and guide us in the right direction.
I saw this video the other day and i was thinking wat is this about. I have seen and heard many nasheeds from dwaud wharnsby and i think think he is great so i decided to check out this video. I was so happy by the video. I think it is amazing and it will really relate to non-muslims and i think that it has nothing which is not suitable. I really love him playing the guitar and i love the lyrics. I’ve been reading some of the comments that people have written and they’re just really horrible. We should keep our opinions to ourselves if we can’t say something nice. We should be encouraging our brothers, not discouraging them. Also, if this video was actually about dawud wharnsby himself , we should respect him even more as he was trying to revert his wife to islam as well. I agree with Saad Omar and uwais. May Allah
Salaam
Salaam,
unite us all and guide us towards the right path inshallah.
bless you all!!! 
I watched this video and I think it is amazing. At first, i was wondering wat was goin on but when i watched the whole video, i understood. I really liked the way dawud plays the guitar and i love the lyrics. I think that this video would really relate to non-muslims. I think that music is totally acceptable when it is being used for good and it is definitely being used for good here. I think we should encourage our brothers instead of discouraging them. We shouldn’t give our opnions if they are not good, it’s better that we keep them to ourselves as they won’t hurt anyone then. I think that if the person in the video is dawud, we should respect him even more as he was trying to persuade his wife to convert to Islam and he turned to the Qu’ran when he needed help. I totally agree with Saad Omar and uwais. May Allah
May Allah
:P
