Medina by Maher Zain (Video Review)
“Medina” by Maher Zain combines a catchy, cheerful nasheed with a positive, family-friendly video.
Thanks to Maher Zain’s “Medina,” I have a new favorite music video to share with my children. Zain’s song is catchy, positive, upbeat, and a great nasheed to play on Eid al Adha, or anytime. It extols the virtues of the City of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and the beauty of Islam in general. The images in the video are family-friendly and can serve as a springboard for conversation. Several scenarios throughout the video show us how, when Islamic etiquette is applied, negative situations can turn positive.
The protagonist is a young Muslim boy who makes art inspired by Medina with colored pencils, clay, and even Legos. His love of Islam enables him to change –or perhaps re-imagine– the scenarios around him.
One scene shows a black Muslim brother getting a cold stare from a white neighbor who is building a fence between them. But, thanks to the protagonist and his art (and, we assume, the beauty of Islam), the scene changes to the white neighbor pulling the fence down, warmly shaking his neighbor’s hand, and inviting him to a barbecue.
Another scene shows a Muslim family sitting at the dinner table together. Their eyes are all glued to their phones, and there is no interaction amongst them. The cold environment is transformed when they put away their devices and talk and laugh together.
Other scenarios show people arguing, at first, and then finding ways to play together and cooperate. The video is communicating visually that if we followed the sunnah of our Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), we would live in a much happier, connected, peaceful world.
Another thing I love about “Medina” is that it really showcases the diversity of our ummah. Muslims come in many colors and nationalities, and this should be reflected in the videos we watch. Sadly, we sometimes see a monochromatic version of the ummah in the media, but Alhamdullilah that’s not the case with this delightful music video. Any child watching Zain’s “Medina” will see someone who looks a bit like him or her. Overall, this is a very enjoyable nasheed with a creative, high-quality video. For once, if my kids decided to play it over and over, I wouldn’t protest.
Author bio: Laura El Alam is a freelance writer and editor. She has written for numerous publications and is the founder of www.seaglasswritingandediting.com.
