Omar Esa’s: Ya Rasool Salaam Alayka – Video Review
Omar Esa’s heaps praises upon the Prophet (SAW) in this tearjerking banger.
When it comes to Nasheeds, you probably are aware of some of the big names. You may have grew up on the soothing sounds of Zain Bhikha, Yusuf Islam, Sami Yusuf and Ahmed Bukhatir. But have you heard of Omar Esa? If you haven’t, it’s time to recognize his amazing talent, Mash’Allah.
Omar Esa is not a new arrival to the Nasheed game. He’s actually been in it for a while. If you are from the UK, you probably have already heard of him. For those in the United States, his name may allude you—but his story is very interesting and inspiring.
Background About Omar Esa
Omar Esa is a UK native that recognized his vocal abilities at a young age and initially wanted to start out his singing career as an R&B and Pop singer. Through the will of Allah, he shifted directions to focus on producing Islamic voice-only nasheeds, which he is a big advocate of, having said: “My voice is the instrument. Whatever music can do, so can the voice.”
Omar Esa came out with a self-titled debut album in 2012 and showcases his versatility by swinging in English, Arabic and Urdu in both traditional and contemporary fashion. Another interesting note is that Omar Esa is the pioneer of his own Nasheed genre which is a take on RnB (Rhythm and Blues) which he calls InB (Islam and Blues). Pretty clever!
Since his debut, he has established himself as a top Nasheed Artist with multiple songs having charted number one on the iTunes world chart.
Omar Esa has a YouTube channel where he uploads his latest music videos, Islamic covers of popular songs, vlogs and other entertaining videos. The channel boasts 477k subscribers and over 88 million views. Be sure to give it a like if you’re a fan of the video.
About the Video
In his latest release, Ya Rasool Salaam Alayka, Omar Esa sings about our beloved Messenger (SAW). The video starts with Omar returning to his childhood home where he encounters flashbacks of him as a youth being taught about the Prophet (S) by his mother. The heartfelt lyrics begin with Omar Esa saying:
I remember when I was young Momma said “Son be strong, don't let them take you under” She said “you're from among the righteous and the chosen ones” He is our beloved
Omar goes on to sing of his devotion to following the Prophet’s (SAW) example and how he hopes to see him one day as the sound of a beating heart serves as the background beat of the song.
Omar’s mother is shown seated with young Omar, reading from the famous Sealed Nectar book about the life of the Prophet (SAW) as her source of educating her son. The Sealed Nectar is prominently featured in the video and the video even ends with Omar Esa clutching the book to his heart as he leaves the home.
Final Verdict
Overall, Omar Esa’s Ya Rasool Salaam Alayka is a very brilliantly made nasheed and one that is sure to be in your head long after you listen to it. And hey, that’s a good thing because praising the Prophet is sure to give you plenty of good deeds in your personal record.
The visuals were solid and may remind you of your own childhood and make you reflect on how quickly time passes us by (which is by design). So give it a watch and add it to your playlist; you won’t be disappointed.
Asif Balouch is a Houston, TX based writer with a passion for positive entertainment and media. Asif graduated in 2010 from the University of St. Thomas with a BA in Communications with a TV/Video Production focus and minored in creative writing.
