‘Amada’, from Sami Yusuf’s Ecstasy album, is a sonoral depiction of the joys and longing that lead to the complete surrender of the lover into the arms of the Beloved, Amada.

Opening with symphonic instrumentation, the piece gives way to Sami Yusuf’s emotional vocal rendering in Spanish of mystical verses by San Juan de la Cruz. Strains evoking the fervor of Argentinian tango rise and fall. Showcasing the raw brilliance of Latin Grammy-winning flamenco guitarist Antonio Rey, ‘Amada’ weaves together the passion of flamenco and the emotional precision of Sami Yusuf’s own voice. In a rare and deeply moving vocal performance, Yusuf and flamenco singer Israel Moro unite on lines from the Cántico Espiritual, a Spanish masterwork of divine love and annihilation.

Flowing beneath and through it all like a river seeking the sea is a Sufi invocation: Ya Hayy, Ya Hayy—O Living One, O Living One—a musical current that binds the seen and the unseen. It reminds us that the Real wears many faces, and love is the path to all of them, while the last lines whisper ‘sin orilla’, an echo of the Andalusian sage Ibn Arabi’s ‘ocean without shore’. With ‘Amada’, Sami Yusuf offers us a glimpse of the greatest joy of all: the ecstatic sound of the soul coming home.