Here's the music video on YouTube: https://youtu.be/xNWP_2JHSBo

A song of intense heartache that still retains some hope in the good conscience of people, “War And Peace” has been specifically rendered for the current (beginning 7th October 2023) humanitarian crisis inflicted upon the people of Gaza, it is sadly relevant to many such conflicts everywhere around the world.

This MP3 is being sold on a pay-what-you-can basis — simply specifiy the price in the box below and complete your purchase. As per our #ShareTheProphet model, we are directing 100% of profits from streaming and sales of this song toward aid in Gaza, through Action for Humanity.

The lyrics are based upon a poem that was penned and published by Imam Zaid Shakir in April of 2012.

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CREDITS:

Vocals NADER KHAN; Lyrics IMAM ZAID SHAKIR, NADER KHAN, DR BANO MURTUJA, NORM SABOURIN; Songwriter NORM SABOURIN, NADER KHAN; Recording AQUASOUND STUDIOS; Editing, Mixing, Mastering AQUASOUND STUDIOS, FIRST SPRING STUDIOS; Producer, Sound Engineer NORM SABOURIN; Artwork FIRST SPRING RECORDS DESIGN TEAM; Executive Producer DR. BANO MURTUJA, NADER KHAN

Special Thanks STORIES FROM THE SEERAH, ALL JAZZ NEWS

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LYRICS

A way of life, steeped in blood, from the river to the sea
Genocide, veils of lies, cloaked in liberty
We'll give an hours notice, such "astonishing restraint"
Then carpet bombs come pouring down, like torrential rain

Indiscriminate attacks, bullets through their hearts
Ignore children crying, as the ground offensive starts
The art of blame erases shame, for sanctity of life
Oppression loves a war machine, no matter what the price

Look into the mirror of my eyes, can you handle what you see?
Is this who you really are?  Is that all that you can be?

You’re either with us, or against us - there IS no in-between.
Extermi nate, or make them flee, just wipe them off the scene.
Let them reject their hateful creed, as if they ever would.
While we sell the world our exclusive right to victimhood.

O Pharaoh dressed as Moses, how many will it take?
How many children sacrificed at the altar of your hate?
How many babies will you kill, Before you realize,
Each time you kill an innocent, it’s your heart that dies. 

Look into the mirror of my eyes, can you handle what you see?
Is this who you really are?  Is that all that you can be?

The souls of those who sell us war have
deadened to the core
But the martyred victims will live on
forever in righteous lore

Resilience stood face to face 
with annihilation’s reign
Reminds us of Karbala, 
and the courage of Husain

Even dead hearts can be revived, with God's amazing grace
To find the enemy within, to see his wretched face
The only enemy I've found, is the fool inside of me
Being used with callous disregard, by overt hypocrisy

And that's the fool I must defeat, and that's the fool I fight
With God as my companion, And His message as my guide
"Thou shall not kill." is the only path to a peace that will last.
It's up to us to shed the violent shackles of our past. 

Look into the mirror of my eyes, can you handle what you see?
Is this who you really are?  Is that all that you can be?

© Copyright Nader Khan 2024, All Rights Reserved.
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WAR & PEACE

War And Peace

Buy this song

WAR and PEACE

This album has been a long time coming. It showcases a very specific form of Islamic devotional singing from South Asia / The Indian Subcontinent, commonly referred to as “Na’at”, literally “description” in the Arabic origin of the word, and specifically in praise of The Prophet (ﷺ). Most of the more commonly spoken languages in this region have a na’at tradition – Punjabi, Urdu, Bengali, Malayalam, Tamil, and others. For this album, I’ve selected a few from my most favourite Urdu ones that I’ve heard and sung growing up. (There’s more than a few that I’ve deferred for future releases.)

For those who are new to the Na’at genre, it comprises of poems recited in solo acapella, without any dependence as such on any accompanying percussion or backup vocals. This is a difficult genre to excel in – there’s nothing whatsoever for the vocals to hide behind, and it takes a certain amount of fearlessness to do this live. Many talented and accomplished contemporary reciters have experimented in recent years by adding a vocal chanting percussion, but I wanted to go totally old school with this rendition.


DEDICATIONS:
I’m specifically dedicating this album to first to the elders in my family – both sets of my late grandparents, and both sets of my wife’s late grandparents. My wife’s grandmother, Nani Ammi, was the most recent to pass away from among our grandparents. Whenever we would visit her, after our meals, she would make the entire family go silent (all 536 of them!), sit me down by her knees, and announce, “Everyone will be silent now! My son will recite some na’at!” I now make it a habit to recite a na’at every time I visit her grave in Sheffield UK, and have hope in my Lord’s generosity that He allows her to hear it.

This album is also dedicated to my parents and to my parents-in-law, who have always appreciated these na’ats every time I’ve recited them in their presence.

And lastly, this album is also dedicated to our dear recently departed sister, Sr. Parween Baksh, who would often request these Urdu recitations whenever we would visit her home and would enjoy them greatly.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:
Many thanks go to my wife, Dr. Bano Murtuja, who had been encouraging me for over a decade to record and release a na’at album. She was also instrumental in the actual recording process by being my soundboard and director in the studio. Like many of my professional achievements, this wouldn’t have happened without her involvement and encouragement.

Thanks are also due to my dear friend Mohamed Adel Rassoul, who snapped the picture on the cover art when we visited the Best Of Creation (ﷺ) in March of 2022, and to my producer in Toronto, Norm Sabourin, who did an amazing job with the final production, creating just the right ambience for a sound that’s entrancing, contemplative, and sacred.

All album credits, lyrics, and translations, will insha’Allah be posted on the Discography page when this album becomes publicly available on Monday, Dec 12, 2022.


Please recite the Fatiha** and send prayers on the Beloved Messenger (ﷺ) on behalf of everyone who has worked to bring this song to you.

__________________________
** The first chapter of the Holy Qur’an

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Dive into the vibrant and poetic journey of discovering the Prophet Muhammad’s ﷺ favorite color in this captivating song, “Prophet’s Favorite Color.” With lively verses and a soulful chorus, this track weaves together rich imagery and heartfelt devotion, celebrating the beloved hue of green—a symbol of paradise, peace, and the unmatched beauty of the Prophet’s ﷺ legacy. Perfect for children and families, this song brings to life both creativity and love for the best of creation. 🌿🎶

Taken from our Shamail Reader for KG–Grade 2: https://swordsandbutterflies.com/product/first-shamail-reader/

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