O Garden of the Lovers,

You have stirred up my flames

O Presence of the Absolute,

You have made my longing overflow

Ramadan Kareem

I’ve just released ‘Madad’. It’s the Arabic version of my Azerbaijani composition ‘Nasimi’ from my ‘A Timeless Presence’ album. Recorded on a moonlit night at the Fes Festival of World Sacred Music, ‘Madad’ captures all the magic of that very special live performance.

‘Madad’ means help. I’m releasing this now because, while we all find ourselves in need of help at times, this past year has been especially hard for so many of us. ‘Madad’ cries out in longing for Divine comfort and it sings in ecstasy of that longing fulfilled.  

The lyrics are inspired by traditional North African Sufi poetry. Although these lyrics come from a different ethnic origin and time than the Azerbaijani lyrics in ‘Nasimi’, they all express the wisdom of the timeless, placeless world of the spirit. They all reflect the genius and richness of the Islamic artistic legacy and the unity that underlies its multiplicity of expression. They all tell the stories of lovers of God.

I pray that this month of Ramadan brings the help and healing that we all long for.

I hope you enjoy this new piece. SY

Listen/Watch ‘Madad (Nasimi Arabic Version)’ now: https://sy.lnk.to/Madad-Live