Praise God, the Lord of worlds and prayer and peace be upon the Imam of Messengers Muhammad and upon all of his family and companions.

The believer…that man who bears a quiet, peaceful and dignified heart that finds rest in the remembrance of God and flows over with love for God, His Messenger and believers. It is a fighting heart, and consequently it becomes tired, and if it became tired, it needs rest and refreshment. So, it was said: "refresh the hearts hour after hour, as if the hearts were tired, they would become blind" and the soul of the believer is gourmet of beauty: the beauty of nature, beauty of creation and beauty of voice. Therefore, the exalted God sent down in his noble book in an evident Arabic tongue… and this tongue is distinguished by the musical tone and the concordant rhythm to which the soul inclines, finds rest and becomes happy with its meanings and buildings. From this we understand the saying of the exalted God (And recite the Koran (aloud) in a slow, (pleasant tone and) style), and understand the hadith of the Prophet, prayer and peace be upon him, (he who does not sing Koran is not from us), and the first Islamic song which the Prophet, prayer and peace be upon him, heard and was delighted and his soul found rest for it when the beloved Yathrib (Al-Madina) people received him when he arrived thereat as an emigrant, with his religion, from Mecca Al-Mukarrama :
The full moon appeared to us from the folds of farewell, thanks were our duty as long as anyone called for God; O, you sent to us, you came with the obeyed matter, you came and honored Al-Madina, you are the best one who calls for God, was of noble lofty meanings, adorned by a nice rhythmic tune which plays on the heart's strings to fill its beats with a nice atmosphere of pleasure and calmness, refresh the heart and renew the meanings of right and power, and strengthen the believer's ambition with a spiritual power which motivates him to more certainty and patience against adversities.

The committed Islamic song is distinguished with basic factors including untroubled and attentive notion, overflowing spirit, excited sincere compassion, pure climate and fragrance of pure aromatic fighting smell and emotional loftiness which outbursts in the paths of completeness, beauty and purity.

Nowadays, our nation in general and our Moslem rising generation in particular badly need the clear Islamic notion, religious and political awareness, good education, refined culture, mental and cultural openness, submissive worshipping, science, remembrance and fighting for the cause of God.

The recent Islamic awakening is indebted, to a great extent thereof, to the brethren active learned experts, sincere propagandists, faithful poets and committed singers who exerted good praiseworthy efforts, especially in the field of education, and at the head thereof the distinguished brother Muhammad Mustafa (Abu Rateb), may God grant him success and guide his steps, who benefited the modern Islamic library with this valuable art.

مع أطيب تحياتي وخالص دعائي بالتوفيق والفلاح

Abu Salah-Iddin Meeqati

Praise God who makes the truth prevail "To Him ascend (all) the goodly words" and payers and peace of God be upon who was blessed with the general speech, and we invoke God of his overflow, gifts and blessings, now then :

Day after day, the man certainty increases of the importance of word, its great role it assumes, value of its pioneering the ways of life and its lighting the darkness of minds and souls, especially if it was, though it is of the right metal and truth bed, winged and perfumed with the fragrance of poet-ship and illustrative talent; and thus, it came as essentials diffusing musk, true with singing chant, coming out openly with clear, unique and glorious truth, linking us and our solemn present with an inherited blooming past of us, awakening feelings in us, warning sensation centers in us, igniting enthusiasm in us, blazing the awareness flare, and opening the future and hope doors widely for a better, free and distinguished future.

How then, after this, the matters would be, if all this included a marvelous performance with a pure pleasant tune; they would reach a goal, an end and a limit where the good therein would be abundant and comprehensive… Hence, the Islamic song, no doubt, defends this great religion from a pioneer advanced position and a trench which cannot be outraced by many of the conveyance and propaganda methods…. The Arab individual has recovered, therewith, his stir he used to feel when hearing the nice clear word issued by truth and talent…the stir which was absent in the market of showy deceiving falseness and decoration. And the Moslem has recovered, therewith, his confidence in literature, poetry and word, and the public has recovered the taste which was corrupted by the sick word, ill tune and heavy disgusting crow-like voice.

All these emigrant birds came back with the returning voice and the coming back plainness, and the nature returned an ecstasy and the nightingales and birds returned happy with their twins and the dew of their flowers and the fragrance of their jasmine which came back to the veins of their life after dryness, desiccation and emigration.

This huge concern in the Moslem flying resounding voice and the believing heavenly tune, and this brightness which we see in the flicker of eyes longingly following the fighting word make the responsibility great in pursuing the road and continuing movement on this pioneer method and developing it straight ahead on equal footing until it reaches what God ordained of fine outrace and great affair.

The duty of the Moslem poet upon whom God bestowed his overflowing gift of poetry accompanied by guidance is a serious duty…as he supports the battlefield with his flags and provides the soldiers with the ammunition of word, and presents those moving with supplies of spirit food that helps in moving, and if the cameleer speeds the desert ship (the camel), how about the man who enjoys the balsam word, nourishment, water and healing.

The duty of the singer, who was bestowed, of the generosity of his God, with one of David psalms, is to grant this voice generously and improve, refine and perfume it until it touches the passions, inmost and depths, stirs the inanimate body, awakens the sleeper, and shakes out the dust which overcame the hearts and minds.

The believing word is penetrating, and the right is bright powerful. So, let us progress thereby with confidence, certainty and determination, together with all kindness of the earth and gentleness of the world, as the defiant wandering is not faced with rashness and infringement, but it is faced with gentleness and medium method.

The singer brother Abu Rateb asked me to write down a foreword for his poetic collection which includes the poems, songs and pieces he sang and were contained in his singing tapes… The brother Abu Rateb is a good talent, tasteful of the word and affected therewith, and he executes the distinguished, nice and enchanting performance… How often I sat down to listen and enjoy his singing, together with his brethren of young men who are faithful for their religion and who are full of confidence with the future of their nation, certain of the promise of their Lord, and affection and grievance for their situation the sun of which must rise from its darkness and it is hoped that this day would be soon… The situation of darkness has been long, and the time of frost has been long, the matter which destroyed our cultural creation, the clarity of our flowers, the greenness of our trees and the freshness of our safsaf trees. I would say how often I enjoyed while the tears were bathing at one time and overflowing at another, and the firm will and enthusiasm flaming at one time and the soul becoming full of hope at every time.

Dr. Ahmad Nofal

It is narrated that Ibn Hazm sang :

But the drunkenness of hearing is more delicious than the drunkenness of wine; that is without ambiguity. This is because the joy is natural in the regular man, and therefore, we saw, read and heard much about the regular people who were overjoyed for singing; thus, till they said: poetry is singing, and singing is guidance. Since the pre-Islam epoch, poets were singing, and the female children were singing, and their poet was called (the Arab cymbal)… And certain researchers alleged that our Arab poetry preceded our artistic prose in existence, and animating singsong is a type of singing or hymn. The great Messenger, prayer and peace be upon him, heard much thereof…as he listened to the singing of poets, while they were standing before him, who were singing the composed poems for him, and he was stirring pleasantly and saying: part of eloquence is fascination, and part of poetry is wisdom, and even he, prayer and peace be upon him, was teaching women how to celebrate weddings and was asking them to sing poetry such as :

We came to you… we came to you, so, greet us…we greet you.

The great Messenger did not deny what the female children of Al-Madina did when they went out to receive him while he was coming from Mecca as an emigrant to Al-Madina at one time, and when he returned from Tabook battle at another, as the biography books narrated for us, as they went out singing their renewed song over the time :

The full moon appeared to us from the folds of farewell.

Also, history kept and told us that Ibn Abbas, may God be pleased with both of them, used to sit down in Al-Madinan Prophetic mosque, between the evening and morning prayers, listening to poetry narrated for him, or he used to sing and narrate poetry… However, the songs, from the Prophetic epoch till this day, represent what people used to know, as common later on, as the religious songs, in spite of that their ascription to religion is an unsettled matter, otherwise…all songs are religiously accepted, unless they contained shameless saying and low intention.

However, what concerns us today is what happened in the beloved Syria, two decades ago, of the meeting of certain talented singers regarding songs, where they corrected the low path which we knew as the artistic rising, as those believer young men, with sound taste and good selection, found the alternate for those trivial songs and low purposes…the alternate of what the broadcasting stations broadcast of such objectionable songs, by recording their songs on tapes that satisfy the tastes of general people, and I would like to repeat and specify…the general.. but, as to the outgenerals, they have their own audible and visible broadcasting stations, and they have their own (artistic) and inartistic magazines; as all newspapers, even those political (serious) ones thereof, leave a large space for the art and singing stars, where they are not competed save by the pages assigned for sport…; thus, up to the extent that even everyone, who has (an animal like voice), became a (singer)…even if he was of the category which the noble Koran mentioned their voices as: "Verily, the harshest of all voices is…" But, as to the singers, we do not find he who talks…we did not hear of he who talked about Abil-Jood, Abi Mazen, Abi Dajanah and Abi Rateb, in spite of the fact that the art and voices of these might neither be compared with the voices of those nor with their cheap art…Perhaps, those singers find their comfort in that their colleagues of Moslem poets, authors and writers are like them as regards ignorance and deceit, as you do not hear a critic and do not read an article, for a writer, discussing their poetry, novel, intellectual and literature works…

The engineer artist Abul-Jood was the pioneer, and he was accompanied by his talented poet Saleem Abdul Qader and his band, all members of which have passed away, and only the singer and poet are surviving…Then, he was followed by Abu Mazen, Abu Dajanah and Abu Rateb…in nobility and creation… These singers and their artistic bands had a big role in blazing the senses and exciting and flaming the feelings in the souls of believer young men who look for a prosperous future in the shade of the governing Islam… If the French revolution historians alleged that the singers and artists had a big role in igniting the fires of that revolution, I allege, having my own evidences, that the role of singers in stirring and agitating the young men was great…as it was pushing them to courage fighting, which often led to death for the cause of the exalted God.

Our singer, brother Abu Rateb was and still saying the revolutionary word, rebellious tune and exciting deep-rooted performance, and he knows how to choose his poet, how to choose his poetry, and how to choose, from his poet, his best poems, and then he chooses the appropriate tune, in order to find the fighting song… But, not all that sung by Abu Rateb is of this kind, as there are the submissive supplications which have pity on the heart, make the tear overflow and guide the soul to its Creator (God)… And there is the longing for the beloved country and the yearning for the family, companions and beloved ones, for the living quarters and its mosque, for the school, childhood and youth places, and for the good people who supported him and his brethren at the time of hardship, suffering and revolution.

For this and that, O beloved, we present to you this capability diffusing the fragrance of guidance, fighting and martyring, so that you teach it to your children and make them memorize it, to the flowers of today and fighters of tomorrow, so that their tastes stay safe and sound for them without being scratched by the unsteadiness of the unstable artists, so that their honor, morals and religion stay safe and sound for them, so that they be educated upon the noble values and so that they be of those having lofty objectives.

So, Aba Rateb, stretch your hand, and on the blessing of God, and move ahead to more of this fragrance diffusing.

Mr. Abdullah At-Tantawi

He stood speaking at the wedding party of Abu Ratib congratulating and instructing the Muslim youth crowding directing them to the importance of the Islamic chanting in calling for Islam and fighting the enemy (Al Jihad) and its contemporary distinguished role. He said :

I start my speech by transmitting greeting to Syria Al Islam to Damascus of the Umayyads to Al Asi to Hamat to Aleppo to Al Ma`arrah to Idlib to every spot to every house where the inhabitants are still patient …….. to every family in Syria still reads Quran and still adheres to its teachings.

I send the greeting an the pure invocation asking Allah, the Blessed and Exalted to stabilize the Muslim fighters (Al Mojahidoon) and their affiliates and to grant success to all the fighters for the sake of Allah in every land and to make them victorious upon their enemies whatever false power he wears because victory will be to the right not for the wrong and the honorable respectable life is for Quran holders not for its enemy. I convey my greeting because I see brilliant faces coming to their home.

I don’t say our country only, they conveyed to us that tradition which was never known before …… the Islamic chanting ……… we remember that honorable tradition which the sons of Syria has conveyed to us since they visited their second country, Jordan, their adjacent country, their celebration, in their wedding mentioning Allah, and in their grief’s they remember Allah ……….in their prayers they mention Allah …….. If man comes to his wife and the bride and bridegroom met, mentioning Allah is the crown of that night.

From this outset, we meet at this honorable tradition that spread in our country and these good faces gathered from every place……

Brothers , in this meeting of yours when I see these respectable faces meet for an entertainment but it is an innocent , entertainment but seriousness in itself , an interesting party is the meeting on Allah and the spirit of Jihad ( fighting the enemy , a speech about joy and wedding reminds us of the biggest wedding in Al Quds and on Palestine soil……….. in every spot of Islam world ……in every capital of our land …….. in every land of the Quran land……to have the right flags soar high and to make the Muslim youth stand and to have Al-Rahman (Allah the Most Gracious ) lined up and the flags of the wrong tumble down and tyranny driven away ………to have the darkness dissipated by the light of your lord will never be put out.

Brothers, we have gathered in this blessed night on a word of good …….. on the joy for the wedding of a brother of our we all love ……. For a long time he used to stand celebrating our weddings and our various occasion. He reminds us of the gentle word as breeze and the roaring one like thunder.

Our brothers ….. such a wedding is a peaceful oasis that select us between now and then ……… and we live in the turmoil and clamor of life …… we live in this life which is submerged in money affaires ……. We meet in an oasis between now and then to sit in the shade of the good, the word of right and the anthem of Al Huda, the sweet voice, the good word, the tune that overflows with manhood and faith.

When anyone of us meets a group of these groups ……. the groups of the Islamic anthem which celebrate such occasions …… I assure to you that the matter did emphasize to me and remind me that such groups are enlisted in the enemies list…… for the enemies of Allah ………. The weapon division shoots cannon and shoots a bullet …….. and the group of chanting shoots the word of right and build the good palace and establish the human soul , reminds with the manhood that was humiliated , reminds of faith that is slain , and reminds of humanity that is tortured . We meet in such a meeting and listen to chanting from this group or that when it became a weapon of the battles weapon, a weapon used before the battle and weapon used during the battle.

The intoning singing chanters were with the Messenger of Allah, pbuh, at the core of the battle, used to repeat the live words. Cannons of flame blazing the tyranists and oppressors faces.

The Islamic anthem groups which celebrate our night here- I salute them and I salute their chanters and leaders , I great their voices , words and faith – they did form fighting divisions by word , by tune, making victory ,by God’s will, today.

The Muslim souls are prepared and tomorrow we engage the battle on the Palestinian soil and at Al Quds gates ….. when Aljihad (fighting the enemy ) calls , when the obstacles are removed and when the Muslims set out happily by the victory of Allah .

Our brothers, we are in a society in need to have the manhood built so as to fix feet well in the battle field.

Our brothers, we are in a society in need to have the manhood built so as to carry the rifle well and to have faith established to as to fix feet well in the battle field.

Hearts void of faith can’t have stable feet and the manhood erected on no word of right will vanish. We, on such meetings don’t celebrate just mere family celebrations or normal celebrations , but celebrate to say to the whole people : Islam is still alive , alive in combat , alive in the art groups , the fine art represent in a poetry poem or a tune leading to an anthem recited or sword to play with .

The prophet, pbuh, used to train his companions before the battle on the way of handling swords on the way of shaking swords, on the way how to waive swords. So that when the fighting hour comes , necks strike occur , Then the true believers stand firmly fearing in Allah no one to blame.

O sons of this blessed call to Allah, and the youths of Muhammad, pbuh, don’t be absent for such a celebration …..be available …….. Be with your brothers whenever you are called, to say to the whole world that Islam is still moving as water moves in the tree branches and in every tree leaf. You are the water of this life and its irrigation. We don’t see water flowing before us in a tree represented between our hands. But you walk in this society of yours despite all of the utter darkness, in spit of the obsolete dominant art, in spit of the words of shame mentioned, in spite of the series of corruption broadcast and spread. The Islamic art will be victorious sooner or later and so right will be victorious and Al Huda will be victorious. The religion of Allah will stand high dear and honorable and the creeping army will march as right creeps against wrong good against evil to free Palestine from humiliation , and silence , on the Jews occupation to Palestine.

Brothers you are soldiers of the future , you are the youths of calling to Allah, you are the patients ,the firm, the high in spit of the loss of those who are going astray , you will be the back up support for every loyal division marching to Palestine ,you will be the support to every one creeping to Al Aqsa with a voice roaring :Allah is the Greatest !

Allah is the Greatest!

Yousif Al Athm