Contemplations of Love
Ahlan wa Sahlan, seekers of Love! All of you are invited to SimplyIslam.sg’s 9th Mawlid Festival 2022 Dinner this 30th December to celebrate the love and expression of our beloved Prophet Muhammad, Peace and Blessings be upon him. The theme ‘Contemplations of Love’ this year running evokes our Eternal Love for the Prophet, Allah’s Peace and Blessings be Upon Him. Our relationship with the most Beloved ﷺ is the most special and unique of Love. There are no parallels that can be drawn as a comparison. As the Prophet ﷺ told us: “None of you believes until he loves me more than he loves his children, his parents, and all people.”
This year, SimplyIslam.sg in collaboration with SimplyIslam Academy, Itqan Schools and Baraka Bazaar, is organising the 9th Mawlid Festival Dinner, with the theme ‘Contemplations of Love’ featuring amazing speakers, reciters and Nasheed performers celebrating light and love, SubhanAllah.
‘Contemplations of Love’ revives the ideal of Love in our hearts through means of spiritual contemplation. In developing the Muhammadan Heart, we must contemplate how we develop and express our Love for the Prophetﷺ, Allah’s Peace and Blessings be Upon Him, and also Allah’s relationship with His Beloved ﷺ. This is the ideal of Love that we should all strive towards, and honour and nurture within our hearts. May this special occasion bring us closer to the Divine Love such as has been described of the Love that Allah The Glorious has for His Beloved, Prophet Muhammad, Allah’s Peace & Blessings be upon him.
Spread the word to your loved ones and let’s celebrate our love towards our beloved Prophet ﷺ together at this year’s Mawlid Festival Dinner, InshaAllah!
Dr Ali Hussain
Dr Ali Hussain Ali has a doctoral degree in Islamic Studies from the University of Michigan, Department of Middle Eastern Studies. His research focused on the image of Jesus Christ AS in the writings of the Andalusian mystic Muhyi al-Din Ibn al-‘Arabi (QS). He has authored several publications including, “Mystical Musings of a Contemporary Dervish”, “The Souk of Nostalgia: A Childhood Between Rivers and Mountains”, “The Art of Ibn ‘Arabi”, “Art in Memoirs: Setting Forth” and “Rumi and Gibran in Conversation”. He has also taught academic courses like "Ibn Arabi: The Eloquence of Imagination", "The Walking Remembrance: Prophetic Praise in the Qur'an", "Sufism in America", "Historical Jesus in Christianity, Judaism and Islam".
Alongside this academic tract, Dr. Hussain has also studied classical Islam with various prominent Muslim scholars. In 2013, he studied for several months in Dar al-Mustafa in Tarim, Yemen, with His Eminence Habib Umar Bin Hafidh, where he studied Qur’an, Hadith and the science of Ihsan. Since 2015, Dr. Hussain has also studied with His Eminence Shaykh Muhammad Hisham Al-Qabbani, and learned from him the various Islamic disciplines.
Dr Ali Hussain is currently a Faculty Lecturer in Classical and Qur’anic Arabic at the University of Michigan. He is proficient in various languages like English, Arabic, Turkish and French, and is married with a child.
Sidi Anass Samsar
Sidi Anass Samsar is a native Arab from Fes, Morocco. He holds a Masters Degree in Islamic Civilisation & Inter-Religious Dialogue, Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University in Morocco.
He also received his Degree in Islamic Studies, Abdelmalek Essaâdi University in Morocco. Known to have written and recited volumes of Arabic poetry as one of his passions, he is a certified Munshid & Linguist of the Arabic Language.
Farhatul Fairuzah
Nor Farhatul Fairuzah started studying the Quran and Tarannum at the age of 5 and participated in recitation competitions at the age of 7. She holds a Bachelor's Degree with Honors (Al-Quran and Al-Sunnah Studies) at UKM.
Her parents (Hajah Jaliah Haji Simin and Allahyarham Haji Panut bin Haji Markum) are also former Qari and Qariah. Her father had been recognised as a Qari around the 1990s and her mother, a Qariah in 2004.
Farhatul Fairuzah enjoys listening to and singing Arabic songs in her free time since she was 14 years old as a means to learn how to speak the Arabic language, thereby improving the quality of the pronunciation of the verses when reading the Quran.
Delving into the study of the Quran and often sharing her interest through Instagram, she managed to attract the attention of netizens with more than 700,000 followers, especially teenagers who are interested in learning more about the art of Tarannum. So that some of them send video recordings of reciting the Qur'an to be checked for tajwid or taranum that is sung.
Throughout her life, she received accolades, awards and gained achievements as follows:
Experience:
Art Fazil
Folk singer-songwriter Art Fazil is often regarded as Singapore’s Bob Dylan. Like Dylan, he is known for singing socially conscious songs accompanied by the acoustic guitar and harmonica. Art writes and sings both Malay and English songs, and has written many songs for Malay artistes. His own albums have been critical successes. Art has been writing his own songs – both Malay and English – since he was 16. Fluent in both languages, Art once said that that his Malay songs speak to the Malay community, while his English songs have a more universal appeal. Since 1986 he has written Malay songs for many Singaporean and Malaysian artistes like Datuk Ramli Sarip, Lovehunters, Left-handed, Ella, Kathy Ibrahim, and others.
In 1991, Art got together with his friends Mohd Khair Mohd Yasin and Mohd Esham Jamil to form a Malay rock group called Rausyanfikir, a Persian term for “thinker”. Their self-titled debut album was released in 1992 to critical and popular acclaim. The Straits Times described it as “a mine of songwriting talents, intelligent lyrics and strong vocals, packed solid in a debut album”. The record sold more than 25,000 copies in Malaysia and Singapore. The group’s second album Rusuhan Fikiran, released in 1994, did well, with one of its singles, “Dikir Fikir Fikir” (“Think, Chant”), won a Composers and Authors Society of Singapore (COMPASS) award for top local Malay song in 1997.
Since 1992, Art Fazil has gone solo and went on with labels like Pony Canyon and several of his English songs did well in the local radio charts - his single “Sometimes When I Feel Blue” went on to win the Top English Pop Song award at the 1995 COMPASS Awards. Despite his local successes, Art packed his bags and left for London, England, in 1995 to be "where all the greatest bands in the world converged". Art soon settled in and made a name performing in the acoustic club circuit. In 1997, Art won the Edinburgh Fringe Festival songwriting competition for his compositions “Monsoon Rain” and “Karma Train”, and was feted for being the only non-British songwriter in the competition. In 2000, he was awarded a COMPASS scholarship to pursue a postgraduate diploma in continuing professional development at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, and graduated in 2003.
In 2000, Art released his second solo album, an introspective collection of Malay songs called Nur ("Light"), inspired by his overseas experiences. The album was nominated for six awards at the Anugerah Planet Muzik, a local Malay music awards event, and won the titles for best new male artiste, best local artiste and best local album. During his time in London, Art tried to promote Malay music and culture to the people there by organising the first London-Malay festival in 2005. The festival, held at the The Royal Horticultural Halls & Conference Centre, was well-received, piquing curiosity about Malay culture in many people. In 2008 Art completed a course in Business Music at the Institute of Contemporary Music Performance. That year he also performed alongside Malaysia's superstar M. Nasir at the Ambassador Theatre in Dublin, Ireland.
In 2009, Art released his second Malay album titled Syair Melayu (“Malay Poems”) comprising traditional folk tunes he had grown up with. That year, Art relocated to Malaysia to run his own record label, Moro Records. Since then, Art has continued performing, composing and producing music. He has also ventured into acting, landing roles in two telemovies aired on Malaysian cable channels. In 2013, Art's humorous song Rilek Brader – which encourages people to be rational – performed with Malaysian comedian Imuda was a social media hit, generating more than one million views on YouTube. In the same year, in celebration of the 20th anniversary of his debut English album (1993–2013), Moro Records released a Special Collector's Edition CD with all 12 tracks digitally remastered.
In April 2015, Art Fazil curated a one-month-long exhibition at The National Museum of Singapore as part of the SG50 Celebrations. The exhibition was entitled ‘Ole Ole Temasek: 50 Years of Singapore Malay Pop Music’. It showcased 50 years history of Singapore Malay Pop Music beginning with 1965 right to 2015. As part of the exhibition, Art gave a talk on the rise of the Nusantara music movement in the 1990s. In 2019, Art released a single "Kerana Mu" with a spiritual pattern like a nasyid or qasidah (Islamic poetry), produced in collaboration with Caravan of Praise, a Malaysian group that produces Islamic spiritual songs.
Art Fazil has been regularly featured by SimplyIslam during its events and will be performing once again at SimplyIslam's 9th Mawlid Festival Dinner on Friday 30 December 2022.
Dr Ali Hussain
Dr Ali Hussain Ali has a doctoral degree in Islamic Studies from the University of Michigan, Department of Middle Eastern Studies. His research focused on the image of Jesus Christ AS in the writings of the Andalusian mystic Muhyi al-Din Ibn al-‘Arabi (QS). He has authored several publications including, “Mystical Musings of a Contemporary Dervish”, “The Souk of Nostalgia: A Childhood Between Rivers and Mountains”, “The Art of Ibn ‘Arabi”, “Art in Memoirs: Setting Forth” and “Rumi and Gibran in Conversation”. He has also taught academic courses like "Ibn Arabi: The Eloquence of Imagination", "The Walking Remembrance: Prophetic Praise in the Qur'an", "Sufism in America", "Historical Jesus in Christianity, Judaism and Islam".
Alongside this academic tract, Dr. Hussain has also studied classical Islam with various prominent Muslim scholars. In 2013, he studied for several months in Dar al-Mustafa in Tarim, Yemen, with His Eminence Habib Umar Bin Hafidh, where he studied Qur’an, Hadith and the science of Ihsan. Since 2015, Dr. Hussain has also studied with His Eminence Shaykh Muhammad Hisham Al-Qabbani, and learned from him the various Islamic disciplines.
Dr Ali Hussain is currently a Faculty Lecturer in Classical and Qur’anic Arabic at the University of Michigan. He is proficient in various languages like English, Arabic, Turkish and French, and is married with a child.
Sidi Anass Samsar
Sidi Anass Samsar is a native Arab from Fes, Morocco. He holds a Masters Degree in Islamic Civilisation & Inter-Religious Dialogue, Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University in Morocco.
He also received his Degree in Islamic Studies, Abdelmalek Essaâdi University in Morocco. Known to have written and recited volumes of Arabic poetry as one of his passions, he is a certified Munshid & Linguist of the Arabic Language.
Farhatul Fairuzah
Nor Farhatul Fairuzah started studying the Quran and Tarannum at the age of 5 and participated in recitation competitions at the age of 7. She holds a Bachelor's Degree with Honors (Al-Quran and Al-Sunnah Studies) at UKM.
Her parents (Hajah Jaliah Haji Simin and Allahyarham Haji Panut bin Haji Markum) are also former Qari and Qariah. Her father had been recognised as a Qari around the 1990s and her mother, a Qariah in 2004.
Farhatul Fairuzah enjoys listening to and singing Arabic songs in her free time since she was 14 years old as a means to learn how to speak the Arabic language, thereby improving the quality of the pronunciation of the verses when reading the Quran.
Delving into the study of the Quran and often sharing her interest through Instagram, she managed to attract the attention of netizens with more than 700,000 followers, especially teenagers who are interested in learning more about the art of Tarannum. So that some of them send video recordings of reciting the Qur'an to be checked for tajwid or taranum that is sung.
Throughout her life, she received accolades, awards and gained achievements as follows:
Experience:
Art Fazil
Folk singer-songwriter Art Fazil is often regarded as Singapore’s Bob Dylan. Like Dylan, he is known for singing socially conscious songs accompanied by the acoustic guitar and harmonica. Art writes and sings both Malay and English songs, and has written many songs for Malay artistes. His own albums have been critical successes. Art has been writing his own songs – both Malay and English – since he was 16. Fluent in both languages, Art once said that that his Malay songs speak to the Malay community, while his English songs have a more universal appeal. Since 1986 he has written Malay songs for many Singaporean and Malaysian artistes like Datuk Ramli Sarip, Lovehunters, Left-handed, Ella, Kathy Ibrahim, and others.
In 1991, Art got together with his friends Mohd Khair Mohd Yasin and Mohd Esham Jamil to form a Malay rock group called Rausyanfikir, a Persian term for “thinker”. Their self-titled debut album was released in 1992 to critical and popular acclaim. The Straits Times described it as “a mine of songwriting talents, intelligent lyrics and strong vocals, packed solid in a debut album”. The record sold more than 25,000 copies in Malaysia and Singapore. The group’s second album Rusuhan Fikiran, released in 1994, did well, with one of its singles, “Dikir Fikir Fikir” (“Think, Chant”), won a Composers and Authors Society of Singapore (COMPASS) award for top local Malay song in 1997.
Since 1992, Art Fazil has gone solo and went on with labels like Pony Canyon and several of his English songs did well in the local radio charts - his single “Sometimes When I Feel Blue” went on to win the Top English Pop Song award at the 1995 COMPASS Awards. Despite his local successes, Art packed his bags and left for London, England, in 1995 to be "where all the greatest bands in the world converged". Art soon settled in and made a name performing in the acoustic club circuit. In 1997, Art won the Edinburgh Fringe Festival songwriting competition for his compositions “Monsoon Rain” and “Karma Train”, and was feted for being the only non-British songwriter in the competition. In 2000, he was awarded a COMPASS scholarship to pursue a postgraduate diploma in continuing professional development at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, and graduated in 2003.
In 2000, Art released his second solo album, an introspective collection of Malay songs called Nur ("Light"), inspired by his overseas experiences. The album was nominated for six awards at the Anugerah Planet Muzik, a local Malay music awards event, and won the titles for best new male artiste, best local artiste and best local album. During his time in London, Art tried to promote Malay music and culture to the people there by organising the first London-Malay festival in 2005. The festival, held at the The Royal Horticultural Halls & Conference Centre, was well-received, piquing curiosity about Malay culture in many people. In 2008 Art completed a course in Business Music at the Institute of Contemporary Music Performance. That year he also performed alongside Malaysia's superstar M. Nasir at the Ambassador Theatre in Dublin, Ireland.
In 2009, Art released his second Malay album titled Syair Melayu (“Malay Poems”) comprising traditional folk tunes he had grown up with. That year, Art relocated to Malaysia to run his own record label, Moro Records. Since then, Art has continued performing, composing and producing music. He has also ventured into acting, landing roles in two telemovies aired on Malaysian cable channels. In 2013, Art's humorous song Rilek Brader – which encourages people to be rational – performed with Malaysian comedian Imuda was a social media hit, generating more than one million views on YouTube. In the same year, in celebration of the 20th anniversary of his debut English album (1993–2013), Moro Records released a Special Collector's Edition CD with all 12 tracks digitally remastered.
In April 2015, Art Fazil curated a one-month-long exhibition at The National Museum of Singapore as part of the SG50 Celebrations. The exhibition was entitled ‘Ole Ole Temasek: 50 Years of Singapore Malay Pop Music’. It showcased 50 years history of Singapore Malay Pop Music beginning with 1965 right to 2015. As part of the exhibition, Art gave a talk on the rise of the Nusantara music movement in the 1990s. In 2019, Art released a single "Kerana Mu" with a spiritual pattern like a nasyid or qasidah (Islamic poetry), produced in collaboration with Caravan of Praise, a Malaysian group that produces Islamic spiritual songs.
Art Fazil has been regularly featured by SimplyIslam during its events and will be performing once again at SimplyIslam's 9th Mawlid Festival Dinner on Friday 30 December 2022.
Alkaline Chempaka
Living by the 3S’; SelawatSambilSenyum, Alkaline Chempaka was formed by two jazz musicians from the band 'Alkaline Radiostar' led by Pot Amir from Almawlid & Innuendo joined by three musicians from a "rebanapella" group called 'Chempaka Beats' around October this year.
Singapore Haqqani Ensemble
The Singapore Haqqani Ensemble is often called as “The Naqsh Band”. The group comprises of about 15 members, and are regularly invited for Mawlids and Qasidah (Islamic poetry) recitations. The group members are also part of the Naqshbandi Haqqani Spiritual Order, a Sufi order under the leadership of Grand Shaykh Muhammad Nazim Adil Al-Haqqani (Cyprus) and Maulana Shaykh Muhammad Hisham Al-Kabbani (USA).
The group is considered as among the premier reciters in Southeast Asia, fusing traditional Arabic poetry of Love of Allah and His Messenger ﷺ with heart-pounding drum beats of duffs, darbukas and djembes. The group recites the Qasidahs in Arabic, English and even Urdu.
The Naqsh Band, has led recitations for some of the most honourable Islamic scholars of our time, including Shaykh Hisham Kabbani, Habib Umar bin Hafiz, Shaykh Ahmad Saad Al-Azhari, Shaykh Afeefuddin al-Jailani, Shaykh Ahmed Tijani, Shaykh Ahmed Babikir, Shaykh Yahya Rhodus, Shaykh Faraz Rabbani, Ustadh Usama Canon, just to name a few.
The Ensemble provides a very high level of nasheed and qasidah singing, or amdah nabawiyah, evoking love for Allah and His Beloved through the words of our scholars and predecessors who wrote so passionately about their Creator and His Beloved Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. Their poetry and words will Insha’Allah bring about a similar sense of love and yearning for our Lord and Sayyidina Muhammad, Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him, his family and companions.
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Dr Ali Hussain Ali has a doctoral degree in Islamic Studies from the University of Michigan, Department of Middle Eastern Studies. His research focused on the image of Jesus Christ AS in the writings of the Andalusian mystic Muhyi al-Din Ibn al-‘Arabi (QS). He has authored several publications including, “Mystical Musings of a Contemporary Dervish”, “The Souk of Nostalgia: A Childhood Between Rivers and Mountains”, “The Art of Ibn ‘Arabi”, “Art in Memoirs: Setting Forth” and “Rumi and Gibran in Conversation”. He has also taught academic courses like “Ibn Arabi: The Eloquence of Imagination”, “The Walking Remembrance: Prophetic Praise in the Qur’an”, “Sufism in America”, “Historical Jesus in Christianity, Judaism and Islam”.
Alongside this academic tract, Dr. Hussain has also studied classical Islam with various prominent Muslim scholars. In 2013, he studied for several months in Dar al-Mustafa in Tarim, Yemen, with His Eminence Habib Umar Bin Hafidh, where he studied Qur’an, Hadith and the science of Ihsan. Since 2015, Dr. Hussain has also studied with His Eminence Shaykh Muhammad Hisham Al-Qabbani, and learned from him the various Islamic disciplines.
Dr Ali Hussain is currently a Faculty Lecturer in Classical and Qur’anic Arabic at the University of Michigan. He is proficient in various languages like English, Arabic, Turkish and French, and is married with a child.
Sidi Anass Samsar is a native Arab from Fes, Morocco. He holds a Masters Degree in Islamic Civilisation & Inter-Religious Dialogue, Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University in Morocco.
Sidi Anass Samsar is a native Arab from Fes, Morocco. He holds a Masters Degree in Islamic Civilisation & Inter-Religious Dialogue, Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University in Morocco.
Nor Farhatul Fairuzah started studying the Quran and Tarannum at the age of 5 and participated in recitation competitions at the age of 7. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree with Honors (Al-Quran and Al-Sunnah Studies) at UKM.
Her parents (Hajah Jaliah Haji Simin and Allahyarham Haji Panut bin Haji Markum) are also former Qari and Qariah. Her father had been recognised as a Qari around the 1990s and her mother, a Qariah in 2004.
Farhatul Fairuzah enjoys listening to and singing Arabic songs in her free time since she was 14 years old as a means to learn how to speak the Arabic language, thereby improving the quality of the pronunciation of the verses when reading the Quran.
Delving into the study of the Quran and often sharing her interest through Instagram, she managed to attract the attention of netizens with more than 700,000 followers, especially teenagers who are interested in learning more about the art of Tarannum. So that some of them send video recordings of reciting the Qur’an to be checked for tajwid or taranum that is sung.
Throughout her life, she received accolades, awards and gained achievements as follows:
Experience:
Folk singer-songwriter Art Fazil is often regarded as Singapore’s Bob Dylan. Like Dylan, he is known for singing socially conscious songs accompanied by the acoustic guitar and harmonica. Art writes and sings both Malay and English songs, and has written many songs for Malay artistes. His own albums have been critical successes. Art has been writing his own songs – both Malay and English – since he was 16. Fluent in both languages, Art once said that that his Malay songs speak to the Malay community, while his English songs have a more universal appeal. Since 1986 he has written Malay songs for many Singaporean and Malaysian artistes like Datuk Ramli Sarip, Lovehunters, Left-handed, Ella, Kathy Ibrahim, and others.
Art Fazil has been regularly featured by SimplyIslam during its events and will be performing once again at SimplyIslam’s 9th Mawlid Festival Dinner on Friday 30 December 2022.
Since 1992, Art Fazil has gone solo and went on with labels like Pony Canyon and several of his English songs did well in the local radio charts – his single “Sometimes When I Feel Blue” went on to win the Top English Pop Song award at the 1995 COMPASS Awards. Despite his local successes, Art packed his bags and left for London, England, in 1995 to be “where all the greatest bands in the world converged”. Art soon settled in and made a name performing in the acoustic club circuit. In 1997, Art won the Edinburgh Fringe Festival songwriting competition for his compositions “Monsoon Rain” and “Karma Train”, and was feted for being the only non-British songwriter in the competition. In 2000, he was awarded a COMPASS scholarship to pursue a postgraduate diploma in continuing professional development at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, and graduated in 2003.
In 2000, Art released his second solo album, an introspective collection of Malay songs called Nur (“Light”), inspired by his overseas experiences. The album was nominated for six awards at the Anugerah Planet Muzik, a local Malay music awards event, and won the titles for best new male artiste, best local artiste and best local album. During his time in London, Art tried to promote Malay music and culture to the people there by organising the first London-Malay festival in 2005. The festival, held at the The Royal Horticultural Halls & Conference Centre, was well-received, piquing curiosity about Malay culture in many people. In 2008 Art completed a course in Business Music at the Institute of Contemporary Music Performance. That year he also performed alongside Malaysia’s superstar M. Nasir at the Ambassador Theatre in Dublin, Ireland.
In 2009, Art released his second Malay album titled Syair Melayu (“Malay Poems”) comprising traditional folk tunes he had grown up with. That year, Art relocated to Malaysia to run his own record label, Moro Records. Since then, Art has continued performing, composing and producing music. He has also ventured into acting, landing roles in two telemovies aired on Malaysian cable channels. In 2013, Art’s humorous song Rilek Brader – which encourages people to be rational – performed with Malaysian comedian Imuda was a social media hit, generating more than one million views on YouTube. In the same year, in celebration of the 20th anniversary of his debut English album (1993–2013), Moro Records released a Special Collector’s Edition CD with all 12 tracks digitally remastered.
In April 2015, Art Fazil curated a one-month-long exhibition at The National Museum of Singapore as part of the SG50 Celebrations. The exhibition was entitled ‘Ole Ole Temasek: 50 Years of Singapore Malay Pop Music’. It showcased 50 years history of Singapore Malay Pop Music beginning with 1965 right to 2015. As part of the exhibition, Art gave a talk on the rise of the Nusantara music movement in the 1990s. In 2019, Art released a single “Kerana Mu” with a spiritual pattern like a nasyid or qasidah (Islamic poetry), produced in collaboration with Caravan of Praise, a Malaysian group that produces Islamic spiritual songs.
Art Fazil has been regularly featured by SimplyIslam during its events and will be performing once again at SimplyIslam’s 9th Mawlid Festival Dinner on Friday 30 December 2022.
Ustadh Muhammad Salleh is a graduate of Singapore’s prestigious Madrasah Aljunied Al-Islamiah and completed his full-time pre-university studies at the madrasah. He also studied at the National University of Malaysia, before pursuing his Degree at the Al-Azhar University.
He is an accredited Asatizah (Islamic Religious Teacher) certified by the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore and the Asatizah Recognition Board.
He has taught Islamic studies to tertiary students and adults at SimplyIslam’s Islamic school. He has a flair and deep interest for Prophetic healing and medicine and regularly conducts SimplyIslam’s popular “Prophetic Healing” and “Ruqyah” course. He is currently the Chief Knowledge Strategist at the SimplyIslam Academy. He is proficient in Arabic, English and Malay languages.
Ustadh Syakir Pasuni is a Deputy Registrar at Registry of Muslim Marriages. He regularly gives lectures on marital relations, an active da’ie and he regularly translates as well as interprets for scholars from the Middle East. Throughout his education years, he studied in the Madrasah Al-Junied for Primary, Secondary and pre-University level before graduating from Al Azhar University. He is now pursuing Masters at Casis UTM.
Living by the 3S’; SelawatSambilSenyum, Alkaline Chempaka was formed by two jazz musicians from the band ‘Alkaline Radiostar’ led by Pot Amir from Almawlid & Innuendo joined by three musicians from a “rebanapella” group called ‘Chempaka Beats’ around October this year.
The Singapore Haqqani Ensemble is often called as “The Naqsh Band”. The group comprises of about 15 members, and are regularly invited for Mawlids and Qasidah (Islamic poetry) recitations. The group members are also part of the Naqshbandi Haqqani Spiritual Order, a Sufi order under the leadership of Grand Shaykh Muhammad Nazim Adil Al-Haqqani (Cyprus) and Maulana Shaykh Muhammad Hisham Al-Kabbani (USA).
The group is considered as among the premier reciters in Southeast Asia, fusing traditional Arabic poetry of Love of Allah and His Messenger ﷺ with heart-pounding drum beats of duffs, darbukas and djembes. The group recites the Qasidahs in Arabic, English and even Urdu.
The Naqsh Band, has led recitations for some of the most honourable Islamic scholars of our time, including Shaykh Hisham Kabbani, Habib Umar bin Hafiz, Shaykh Ahmad Saad Al-Azhari, Shaykh Afeefuddin al-Jailani, Shaykh Ahmed Tijani, Shaykh Ahmed Babikir, Shaykh Yahya Rhodus, Shaykh Faraz Rabbani, Ustadh Usama Canon, just to name a few.
The Ensemble provides a very high level of nasheed and qasidah singing, or amdah nabawiyah, evoking love for Allah and His Beloved through the words of our scholars and predecessors who wrote so passionately about their Creator and His Beloved Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. Their poetry and words will Insha’Allah bring about a similar sense of love and yearning for our Lord and Sayyidina Muhammad, Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him, his family and companions.