Labbayk
Labbayk | |
|---|---|
 Labbayk performing at Eid in the Square in Trafalgar Square, London in August 2009. From left to right: Ehsaan Tahmid, Masum Hamid and Imran | |
| Background information | |
| Native name | লাব্বায়িক |
| Origin | London, England |
| Genres | |
| Instruments | Vocals |
| Years active | 2004–present |
| Labels | Safar Media |
| Website | labbayknasheeds |
| Members | Masum Hamid Ehsaan Tahmid Shafi Imran |
Labbayk (Bengali: লাব্বায়িক; Arabic: لبيك) are a London-based vocals-only nasheed group formed in 2004.[1][2] The group comprises four British-Bangladeshi singers; Masum Hamid (group leader), Imran, Ehsaan Tahmid and Shafi. Most of their nasheeds are in English and Arabic, though some are in Bengali and Urdu.[3]
History[edit]
In May 2004, Labbayk was formed in a secondary school in London. Masum Hamid (b. 1987), Imran (b. 1991) and other students showed an interest in the idea of a nasheed collective, and sang at Islamic events for the school.[4][5] Ehsaan Tahmid (b. 1987) joined Labbayk in 2006 becoming its third member. He left the group in May 2015 pursuing his solo career, and was replaced by Shafi (b. 1990) in the same year.[6] Ehsaan later rejoined the group however. All members of the group originate from the Sylhet Division in Bangladesh.[4][5] They are represented by the Gloucester-based record label Safar Media.[7]
Style[edit]
Musical instruments are not used in composing the vocal harmonies in Labbayk's nasheeds.[5] The style of their nasheeds is Islamic a cappella, using their voices only. Their singing styles originate from Bengali, Hindustani, Arabian and Western melodies. Their aim is to give dawah (inviting others to Islam) through melodies and lyrics that portray a positive message of Islam to the world.
Labbayk ensure that the lyrics and content are verified by independent Islamic scholars. The scholars include Dr. Shaykh Hussain Ahmed (UK), Mufti 'Umair Zulfiqar (UK), Imam Tahir Anwar (U.S), Shaykh Muhammad Sibbini (UK) and Shaykh Suliman Gani (UK).[4]
Recording[edit]
In August 2008, Labbayk's debut album Rhymes of Praise was released by Safar Media. It also features Qur'an recitation by Shaykh Shah Mizanul Hoque. The lyrics and content were verified by Muslim scholars to maintain the limits and boundaries of Shari'ah (Islamic law).[4][5] In May 2010, a charity album in aid of Ebrahim College titled O' My Lord was released, credited under 'Ehsaan and Friends' featuring Labbayk, Muhammad Islam, Ali Gulam, Mahdud, Sayed, Ridwan and RepDaDeen.[citation needed] In August 2012, Labbayk's second album The Greatest Gift was released on an Internet Based radio station called Al Mubarak Radio hosted by Umar Faruk Dhorat and digital downloads were available the following week.[7] In June 2016, the group released their fourth album titled Gratitude, which features nasheeds in various different styles for diverse audiences.
Performances[edit]
Labbayk have performed at international events, including Global Peace and Unity in ExCeL Exhibition Centre, London (2008),[8][dead link] Eid in the Square in Trafalgar Square, London (2009),[citation needed] Mahdin in Kerala, India (2009), Youth Tarbiyah Conference in Toronto, Canada (2010), Souk in Durban, South Africa (2010), Fanar Expo in Doha, Qatar (2011), Islamic Central Council Switzerland (ICCS) Annual Conference in Bern, Switzerland (2011),[9] and Day Against Islamophobia and Racism in Bern, Switzerland (2012).[10][11] They have also performed in a number of other events in South Africa and the US.
The group also perform at private events such as weddings, Iftar gatherings, Eid parties, charity fundraisers and conferences across the UK.[6]
Media appearances[edit]
In March 2013, Labbayk appeared on Channel 4's 4thought.tv.[12] In October of the same year, Masum was interviewed by Nadia Ali on BBC Asian Network.[13] In March 2017, Masum was also interviewed by acclaimed musician Fatima Al Qadiri as part of a BBC Radio 4 Documentary titled The Sound of Bombs which explores how nasheeds are being misused by extremists as propaganda material.[14]
Discography[edit]
| Album Title | Album details |
|---|---|
| Rhymes of Praise |
|
| O' My Lord |
|
| The Greatest Gift |
|
| Gratitude |
|
| Karaoke Album |
|
Remembrance (2021)[edit]
Labbayk announced the arrival of a fourth album on 14 March 2021. A studio sneak peek video of Ya Hanana was revealed on 26 March. Masum also did a live performance of Alhamdulillah at the Al-Falaq Dawah Project event on 27 March and the Community Outreach UK webinar on 28 March. A medley consisting snippets of all 10 tracks was released by Labbayk on their YouTube channel on 1 April 2021. On 5 April 2021, Labbayk finally released the album, titled Remembrance.
The tracks were produced by Gareth Redfarn of High Streets Studios in London, with the exception of the sixth track, Allahumma Salli 'alal Mustafa, which was produced by Tanzim Reza of Dhaka, Bangladesh. Recording was also done by Ohi Ahmed. The album contained two covers of traditional Arabic nasheeds; Solla ‘Alaykallah and Ya Hanana. The fifth track was mostly in English, although the Arabic chorus was taken from the famous Hasbi Rabbi verses. The multilingual seventh track was the first ever time Labbayk collaborated with independent British-Pakistani nasheed artist, Omar Esa. This track marked Masum's third attempt at singing in the Urdu language and Omar Esa's second attempt at singing in Bengali. The eighth track, The Chosen One, was an English remix of Labbayk's Bengali single Mustafa, which was also included as the final track of the album.
| Track listing | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
| 1. | "Alhamdulillah" (English, Arabic) | Labbayk | 2:58 |
| 2. | "Solla ‘Alaykallah" (Arabic) | Traditional Folk | 3:09 |
| 3. | "Remembrance" (English, Arabic) | Labbayk | 3:48 |
| 4. | "Ya Hanana" (Arabic) | Traditional Folk | 2:54 |
| 5. | "Hasbi Rabbi" (English, Arabic) | Labbayk, Traditional Folk | 3:54 |
| 6. | "Allahumma Salli ‘Alal Mustafa" (English, Arabic) | Labbayk | 2:50 |
| 7. | "Thank You Allah (featuring Omar Esa)" (English, Urdu, Bengali) | Labbayk, Omar Esa | 3:10 |
| 8. | "The Chosen One" (English) | Labbayk | 3:04 |
| 9. | "A’udhubillah" (English, Arabic) | Labbayk | 3:00 |
| 10. | "Mustafa" (Bengali) | Labbayk | 3:04 |
| Total length: | 31:51 | ||
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ↑ Jesse, Russell (2013). Labbayk Nasheeds. Book on Demand Pod. ISBN 5-5142-1483-4. Search this book on
- ↑ "Allahu". Safar Media.
- ↑ "Labbayk Nasheeds".
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 "Rhymes of Praise". The Nasheed Shop. Archived from the original on 15 September 2008. Retrieved 23 November 2014.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 "Labbayk". Nasheed Bay. 2012. Retrieved 23 November 2014.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Labbayk". My Nasheeds. Retrieved 23 November 2014.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Labbayk Release 'The Greatest Gift' Album". Blessed Islam. 5 August 2012. Retrieved 1 November 2014.
- ↑ "Nasheed Music Video Contestants". Global Peace and Unity Event 2008. 2008. Retrieved 1 September 2011.
- ↑ "Labbayk Lyrics". Islamic Lyrics. Retrieved 23 November 2014.
- ↑ "Swiss Muslims Stand Against Islamophobia". OnIslam. 29 October 2011. Retrieved 23 November 2014.
- ↑ Aboalenin, Tamer (21 October 2011). "Muslims in Switzerland rise up against islamophobia". Kuwait. Kuwait News Agency. Retrieved 23 November 2014.
- ↑ "Labbayk – Does God really care what we eat?". 4thought.tv. Channel 4. 23 March 2013. Retrieved 23 November 2014.[dead link]
- ↑ "Brit-Bengali Nasheed group Labbayk". BBC Asian Network. 20 October 2013. Retrieved 23 November 2014.
- ↑ Fatima Al Qadiri. "The Sound of Bombs". BBC Radio 4. Retrieved 14 March 2017.
External links[edit]
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