“The fluid interconnectedness of all things emerges as sound and echoes like a clear bell in that space where all separateness fades.”

‘Being’ immerses the listener in an experience of the fluid interconnectedness of all things through the medium of pure voice. Brilliantly performed a cappella by the Grammy-nominated British ensemble Voces8 and punctuated by Sami Yusuf’s iconic voice, this vocal piece moves in breath-like waves that rise and fall in seamless arcs, forming a perfect circle.

At its core is a recurring Arabic phrase (tahlīl), lā ilāha illa’Llāh (لا إله إلا الله). Often translated as ‘There is no god but God,’ it can be understood from a Sufi, philosophical perspective as ‘Nothing is real but the Real.’ This phrase is transformed into a sonoral meditation where individual voices dissolve into one resonant field of sound.

‘Being’ is the sound of the Realm of Unity: the place where duality disappears, where all rivers flow into one sea. Here, the sparse, crystalline clarity of the human voice becomes the ideal vessel for expressing what cannot be spoken, what can only be perceived by the human heart.

Composed and Arranged by Sami Yusuf

Vocals: Sami Yusuf

Choir: Voces8

From the album ECSTASY