Visit www.nasheeds.com to purchase SHAAM products
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 - Buy Album Here
Spring Has Come - Buy Album Here
SHAAM In Concert - Buy Album Here
Mawlid At Abbey Road - Buy Album Here
SHAAM The Early Years (out Winter 2006)
Celebrate Life (Coming Soon!)
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This
album was the first international release of the UK's most famous nasheed
group SHAAM and went onto become one of the best selling nasheed albums
of all time. Critically acclaimed, the album includes the delightful
'Mercy like the Rain' together with crowd favourites 'Jashne Aamede
Rasool' and 'Kulama Nadayt Yahu'. It also features the profound 'Mowlaya
Sali' which is derived from the Qasidah Burdah of Imam al-Busiri and
performed in the Damascene style.
Spring
Has Come evokes the coming of Rabi al-Awwal and most of the nasheeds
have the Blessed Prophet (SAW) as their theme; some directly such as
the Urdu classics Makki Madani and Hazoor
Agaey Hein, while others like the title track Spring has Come
allude to him and his mission. All four English songs were written by
the group and each is layered with fantastic harmonies and rhythmic
drum patterns - the hallmark of SHAAM. Signs in particular
is both catchy and deceptively profound. Subhan Allah has an
infectious beat, while the words outline the five pillars of Islam -
children will find it particularly enjoyable and educational. SallAllahu
a'la Muhammad takes a classic Arabic nasheed and transforms it
into a great, rousing English song. The Arabic tracks Antum Muradi
and especially Salawaat meanwhile serve to remind the
listener how effortlessly SHAAM can switch between languages and between
traditional and contemporary styles of rendition.
SHAAM
performing in front of nearly 3000 in their hometown of Birmingham
at the Aston Event Centre on Saturday 6th December 2003, as part of
the sell-out nationwide Nasheed Extravaganza 2 Concerts. A great atmosphere
& performance is captured well on this CD. Features live renditions
of favourites such as 'Mercy like the Rain', 'Jashne Aamede Rasool'
and 'SallAllahu a'la Muhammad' (2 versions!) plus a medley of some
of their spiritual Arabic songs like 'Jood Alayna'
