‘Hamziyya’ is a multi-layered piece that brings together music inspired by an Algerian mystical chant with a melody suggestive of the English folk tradition. In the interweaving of these musical expressions the listener can hear how traditional music is always in harmony, never dissonant. ‘Hamziyya’ was initially released on Sami Yusuf’s album Barakah, but this is a completely new arrangement with a never-before-heard Taqsim composition in the Intro. The Intro was performed for the first time at the 2019 Fes Festival of Sacred Music. In it each solo instrument explores a unique maqam or musical mode: Sikah (qanun), Bayati (baglama), Rast (ney), Hijaz (oud), and eventually returning to Rast. Each of these modes is known to have a distinct emotional effect on the listener. Here the transitions from one mode to another are arranged to evoke various stages of an inner journey. The lyrics come from portions of the thousand-verse Hamziyya (poem rhyming in hamza) by the renowned Palestinian scholar Yusuf Nabhani (d. 1932). Because it describes the Prophet’s life and character, it’s frequently recited during Mawlid celebrations of the Prophet’s (pbuh) birthday.

‘Ya Rasul Allah’ (Part 1) is a traditional song that originated in Kurdish Sufi centres and speaks of love for the Prophet and of the singer’s burning desire to go to Medina. Arabic lyrics have been added to the original Kurdish for this arrangement.

‘Ya Rasul Allah’ (Pt 2), is a beautiful devotional piece that originated in Kurdish mystical circles. The piece is masterfully performed, and lovers of traditional music will be captivated by the subtle longing in the melody and the rhythm that is reminiscent of circles of remembrance. This arrangement was recorded live at the Fes Festival of World Sacred Music.

Moroccan vocalist Ismail Boujia delivers a powerful and otherworldly performance in ‘Mawwal Nahawand’.

For the Fes Festival of World Sacred Music Sami Yusuf wrote an arrangement of ‘I Only Knew Love’. With minimal accompaniment, the traditional Andalusian melody moves from the singer to individual instruments to the chorus. The backing vocalists create a feeling of Sufi circles with their nearly whispered rhythmic chanting. The lyrics are from a famous poem by the 8th-c. Sufi saint from Iraq, Rabi‘ah al-‘Adawiyyah, and this version features the original Arabic as well as an English translation.

Sami Yusuf’s arrangement of ‘Ilahana’ is performed here live at the Fes Festival of World Sacred Music. The opening vocal solo sets a mood of intense longing and divine separation. The percussive, energetic melody and sparse instrumentation of the piece underscore its ecstatic vocals, leading the listener to a trance-like state. A sophisticated work, composed in Maqam Sikah with allusions Rahat al-Arwah and Shad ‘Araban, this stands as a tribute to the enduring legacy of traditional music with its many nuances. The lyrics are by the much-loved poet Abu Nuwas (8th/9th c.).

‘Come See’ (Ben Yürürüm Yane Yane) is a Sufi song that is very popular throughout Türkiye and the Balkans. Its lyrics come from a poem by the 13th-c. Turkish poet and mystic, Yunus Emre, whose poetry speaks to the human longing and love for the Divine. This song has been sung for centuries in Sufi ceremonies in Turkish-speaking lands and it continues to be a source of inspiration today. The English translation was provided by Dr Timothy Winter.

The music for this beautiful piece originates from the Kurdish Sufi centres of Iraq. Although the original poem, ‘Mosalmanan’, was written in Persian approximately 200 years ago by Shaykh Abdul Rahman Khales of the Qadiriyya-Talabani Sufi order, the lyrics of this rendition come from Jalal ad-Din Rumi’s Divan-i Shams (Ghazal 34). The Hayy Allah maqam is used in the first half of this piece followed by maqam Hadaadi (both traditional rhythms found in Sufi music). This arrangement, written specifically for the Fes Festival concert, is a solemn and penetrating version, with lyrics, chants, rhythms and melodies that build upon each other to arrive at an elevated awareness of reality and give the listener an experience of a Sufi circle of remembrance.

This arrangement of ‘Taha’ was performed live at the Fes Festival of World Sacred Music in Morocco in 2019. The words are from a mystical Sufi poem by the Sudanese/Egyptian Shaykh Salih al-Ja’fari (d. 1979) who taught and lived at the famous al-Azhar University in Cairo. The inspiration behind the melody comes from a well-loved folk song that is famous from India to Central Asia, from the Middle East to the Balkans, and all across North Africa. In this unique interplay of musical and literary traditions, Sami Yusuf is accompanied by master instrumentalists from around the world and is joined by several backing vocalists as well as the renowned Moroccan singer Ismail Boujiya.

‘Madad’ is the Arabic version of Sami Yusuf’s Azerbaijani composition ‘Nasimi’ from his A Timeless Presence album. Capturing all the magic of its live performance, ‘Madad’ premiered and was recorded at the Fes Festival of World Sacred Music. The Arabic lyrics are inspired by traditional North African Sufi poetry. Although its authors come from different ethnic origins and times from Imadaddin Nasimi, in the wisdom of their expression we see the connection they share to the timeless, placeless world of the spirit.

This exquisite qanun solo piece, ‘Taqsim’, takes the most subtle longings of the soul and turns them into sound. Ethereal and intensely beautiful, this evocative instrumental is masterfully performed by Onur Cicin in maqam Nahawand with allusions to Bayati.

‘The Key’ is based on a famous centuries-old Andalusian folk song. This musically rich piece is beautifully performed here by world class musicians accompanying Sami Yusuf's signature vocals. New English lyrics along with the original Arabic poem weave together seamlessly to create a stunning sound that is peaceful, exotic and centreing.

Sami Yusuf’s composition, ‘Mawlana’, is heard here in an arrangement specifically written to be performed and recorded live at the Fes Festival of World Sacred Music. Intensely energetic and musically nuanced, there is an organic flow of melodic instrumental solos, exhilarating rhythms and a call and response between Sami Yusuf and the backing vocalists. The lyrics are from a famous Arabic poem by the 12th/13th-c. Egyptian poet Umar Ibn al-Farid calling for lovers of God to immerse themselves in His all-consuming divine presence. The poem is laden with Sufi metaphors in the tradition of Islamic mystical poetry: wine as a symbol of divine love and knowledge; drunkenness is immersion in the radiance of God; the moon and the stars symbolise the spiritual teacher and his or her students; the tavern is the place of remembering God. It is said that Ibn al-Farid wrote his poetry in a hal, an ecstatic spiritual state.

At the heart of Sami Yusuf’s ‘Fiyyashiyya’ is his deep love for the soul of Morocco. ‘Fiyyashiyya’ is a Sufi song that has been hugely popular for centuries and this innovative rendition captures perfectly the joyful essence of the North African folk sound. Recorded at the Fes Festival of World Sacred Music, this track delivers all the magic of the live performance that held the audience spellbound. This song was written by the Moroccan poet Sidi Othman ibn Yahya Cherki in the 17th century. The qasidah (ode) ‘Fiyyashiyya’ became a standard classic of the Maghrebi genre of malhoun— a genre of Sufi music popular amongst tradesmen in the urban centres of what is today Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia. This qasidah continues to be one of the best-known and loved traditional songs amongst Moroccans from all walks of life.