Seerah Song – Zain Bhikha (Video Review)
As followers of Islam, Muslims have the ultimate role model to strive to be like in the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and follow his example. The more that you learn about him (PBUH), his life and his amazing character, the more you fall in love with the exemplary man that he was. This is why it is strongly encouraged to read and familiarize yourself with the Seerah of the Prophet (PBUH) or biography.
Linguistically, seerah means to travel or to be on a journey. When speaking of the seerah of someone then, it means to learn about a person’s journey through life—their birth, their upbringing, the times they were living in and finally their death. The seerah also includes learning of the manners and characteristics of the person.
Some of the most popular Seerah literature on the Prophet include The Sealed Nectar by Safi ur Rahman Mubarakpuri, Noble Life of the Prophet by Ali Sallabi, and In the Footsteps of the Prophet by Tariq Ramadan among others. While these books give great depth and understanding of the Prophet (PBUH)’s life and times, the younger generation may not be able to digest the material in a memorable way.
Shaykh Abdullah Misra recognized this issue and penned an epic poem highlighting all the major events in the Prophets life and then had Legendary nasheed artist Zain Bhikha sing the song in its entirety called the Seerah song.
About the Video
“Seerah Song” is a nasheed sung by Zain Bhikha and penned by Ustadh Abdullah Anik Misra. During his extensive Islamic studies abroad, Shaykh Abdullah Misra heard many heartwarming poems in Arabic that celebrated the Prophet, his life and qualities but noticed that there was no such poem in English that people could use to enjoy, sing and connect with the Prophet. This pushed him to write a poem himself.
Using a poetic melody he heard from a poem in Yemen, Shaykh Abdullah Misra would compose the epic poem in exact poetic meter and rhyme with 151 lines of poetry covering all the important highlights of the Prophet’s (PBUH) life sourced from the Quran and authentic Hadith.
The poem was popularly performed as a play, sung in family and public gatherings, and taught as a course to youth and adults. Most recently, Zain Bhikha donated his voice for the musical rendition of it which was released on Eid Ul-Fitr to streaming platforms and YouTube.
The song is truly epic in every sense of the word as it is a 26-minute masterpiece that keeps you interested all throughout. Zain’s melodious voice keeps you engaged as you follow along the lyrics of the Prophet’s life, your heart growing with love as he passes through each chapter. The visuals of natural scenery that Bhikha sings in is also a great touch.
Final Verdict
I strongly recommend giving “Seerah Song” a listen as it brilliantly and beautiful encapsulates the story of the Prophet Muhammad in a soulful and memorable way. The length of the song makes it great to listen to on a commute or family road trip or if you’re on the treadmill or doing any other lengthy activity and would like to listen to something during it.
May Allah bless the efforts of Shaykh Abdullah Misra, Zain Bhikha and everyone else that contributed to making the “Seerah Song” as it will certainly stand the test of time as an epic nasheed for Muslims to enjoy and use as a tool to strengthen their love of the Prophet (PBUH)
