Lesson video

Hello, my name is Mrs. Clinton and I'm really excited that you've joined me for our lesson today.

We're gonna have a great time.

Today's lesson is called Different Muslim approaches to music, and it is taken from the unit Spirituality: How do music and silence express beliefs? And we will be thinking about how we can explain some Muslim beliefs about music.

Now, sometimes learning can be a little challenging, but that's great, as we can work hard together and have some fun learning some new things.

So we have some key words for our lessons today.

Number one, harmony.

Harmony is a pleasing combination of sounds.

We have nasheed and that's Islamic vocal music.

And we have Sufi, a Muslim who uses music and singing in worship.

So we have two learning cycles today.

Number one, how might music be used in Islam? And number two, what do different Muslims say about music? So let's start with our first learning cycle, how might music be used in Islam? Aisha explains what we mean by theology in religious education.

She says, "Theologians are interested in stories, texts and traditions.

We can better understand people's worldviews by examining the deeper meanings of these stories, texts, and traditions.

We can also look at the difference they make to people today." Thank you, Aisha.

So in this lesson, we will be exploring some Islamic traditions and beliefs about music to help us understand Muslim worldviews.

Alex and Aisha are talking about songs.

Alex says, "At school we sing a funny song about our school rules.

It's fun to sing and it reminds us about important actions too." And Aisha says, "My favourite school assembly song is about peace.

We sing that peace might be quiet as a whisper.

Peace is something we can all hope for and sing about." Do you like to sing songs? Do you ever think about the meaning of the words of the songs that you sing? You might like to pause this video and talk to the person next to you, and come back to me when you are ready to continue with the lesson.

Welcome back.

Let's continue.

Now, many Muslims sing Islamic songs called nasheeds.

Nasheeds express Islamic beliefs and values.

They might be songs of praise about God, Allah, or the Prophet Muhammad.

Nasheeds may be sung simply with the voice unaccompanied by instruments.

And you can see that image of the Shahadah, which are the first words of the Qur'an that are often used in nasheeds and often recited by Muslims. Let's have a listen to this audio recording to hear a traditional nasheed.

And Hasbi Rabbi is sung in Arabic.

It means the Lord is enough for me.

And we're going to listen to this nasheed first of all unaccompanied, and this means a voice but no instruments.

(vocalist singing in Arabic) <v Mrs. Clinton>Let's listen to that again.

</v> (vocalist singing in Arabic) <v ->I hope you enjoyed listening to Hasbi Rabbi.

</v> Now, Ahmed has a Muslim worldview and he explains a little bit more to us about nasheeds.

He says, "Sometimes nasheeds are sung with just voices and no instruments.

And this helps me to focus on the meaning of the words without being distracted by the music." So I have a check for your understanding.

What is a nasheed? Is it A, an Islamic song, B, an Islamic instrument, or C, an Islamic rule? You might like to pause this video so that you can discuss your answer with the person sat next to you, and come back to me when you're ready to continue the lesson.

Welcome back.

So what's a nasheed? The correct answer was A.

Of course it was.

It's an Islamic song.

Now, here is an English translation of the nasheed called Hasbi Rabbi.

My Lord is enough for me.

Glory to God.

There is nothing in my heart except God.

Peace be upon Muhammad, the guiding light.

There is no God except Allah.

What Muslim words do you notice in this nasheed? You might like to pause this video to give you a moment to talk to the person next to you, and then come back to me when you are ready to continue with the lesson.

Welcome back.

There's quite a few words in here, aren't there? So we have Muhammad, we have Allah, which is the Arabic word for one God.

I wonder if there were any other words that you saw that were specifically Muslim? But well done if you got those two.

What Muslim beliefs and values do you think this nasheed is suggesting? Again, let's pause the video for a moment so that you can talk, maybe this time with a different person or in a small group, and then come back to me when you are ready to continue with the lesson.

Welcome back.

So there's a few different beliefs here, isn't there? The idea that Islam, Muhammad is a guiding light to Muslims' life, and that through that guiding light, that they find peace.

So that's an important value.

But also there's this idea that if you have God in your heart, Allah in your heart, that's everything that you need to live your life well.

There is also that belief for Muslims that Allah is the one and only God, there is no other.

So well done if you got any of those things from this nasheed.

So you can see how something sung can help Muslims remind them of important beliefs and ideas.

Let's have a look in a little bit more detail about the meaning of this nasheed.

So we can see that here, "The Lord is enough for me.

Glory to God.

There's nothing in my heart except God." And these words suggest that the most important thing for Muslims is to worship and think about God, Allah.

Nothing more is needed.

And then the second part of the nasheed, "Peace be upon Muhammad, the guiding light.

There is no God except Allah." And these lines reminds Muslims of the Shahadah, the statement of belief in one God and the Prophet Muhammad, his messenger.

Now, some Muslims sing nasheeds with musical accompaniments.

This means that they use instruments, such as a drum or a guitar, a well as a voice to sing the nasheed.

When there is more than one sound together it's called harmony, and that's an important key word for us today, isn't it? So next, we're going to listen to the audio recording of Hasbi Rabbi, but this time accompanied, so not just the voice but also accompanied.

(vocalist singing in Arabic) (gentle upbeat music) (upbeat music) (vocalist singing in Arabic continues) (upbeat music continues) (vocalist singing in Arabic continues) (upbeat music continues) (vocalist singing in Arabic continues) <v ->So I hope you enjoyed listening to that.

</v> And so you can see how the use of simple instruments add to the voice.

It adds harmony to the voice.

And for many Muslims, they will listen to nasheeds that are accompanied, so the music is sung but is also accompanied.

And here's Nadia, and she tells us, "I like to hear harmony where simple instruments accompany the singing." Nadia has a Muslim worldview, and she explains how music helps her.

"The chorus of Hasbi Rabbi says, 'I am at your service, Lord.

' The clear voice and the simple accompaniment to this nasheed helps me focus on following Allah, God, and creating harmony in my life." Thank you, Nadia.

So I have a question for you.

True or false? True or false? You can get ready with those thumbs.

Nasheeds are always accompanied by musical instruments.

Is that true or false? So you might like to pause this video and compare your answer with the person next to you, and come back and start this video when you have your answers.

Welcome back.

So, nasheeds are always accompanied by musical instruments, is that or false? The answer was false.

Well done if you got that right.

Why? Some nasheeds might be accompanied by instruments, while others are unaccompanied using voices only.

I have a task for you now.

Can you decide if each of the following statements are true or false, and correct the false statements? So Muslims do not use music in their religious practise.

You can write in there whether that's true or false.

All nasheeds must be sung using voices only.

Again, you can say if that's true or false.

And some Muslims sing nasheeds to help them focus on God, Allah.

Again, you can write true or false.

So remember, after you've done that, you need to correct all the false statements.

So pause this video to give you time to work on your own, with a partner or in a small group, and then come back to me and we'll continue with the lesson once you've done this task.

Welcome back.

Shall we have a look at our answers? So the correct answers might look like this.

So the first statement was false, as was the second statement, and here is it corrected.

Muslims listen to and sing Islamic songs called nasheeds.

Some nasheeds can include harmony using instruments as well as voices.

But the third one was true, some Muslims sing nasheeds to help them focus on God, Allah.

Very well done if you got two false, one true in that order, and you managed to correct those false statements.

Let's go on to the second part of our lesson.

What do different Muslims say about music? All Muslims use melody in their recitation of the Qur'an and the call to prayer.

Most Muslims listen to and sing nasheeds.

Muslims have different points of view on how music should be used in Islam.

Sufi Muslims use music, singing, and instruments in their worship.

Other Muslims would find this unacceptable.

Nadia explains how she uses music.

"Music is a very important part of my worship and I follow some Sufi traditions.

Music and harmony help me feel close to Allah, God.

Music lifts my spirits and gives me a deep sense of peace." Let's listen now to an example of a nasheeds played with instruments and harmony as well as some singing.

(vocalist singing in Arabic) (upbeat music) <v Mrs. Clinton>Wonderful, I hope you enjoyed that.

</v> Now, what words would you use to describe this music? Let's listen to it again.

(vocalist singing in Arabic) (upbeat music) <v ->I wonder what words you thought of</v> as you were listening to that.

I have another question for you.

Is this statement true or false? Some Muslims use musical harmony in their worship.

You might like to pause this video to give you some time to think about your answer, or to discuss it with the person sat next to you.

Come back to me when you are ready to continue with the lesson.

Welcome back.

So we had a statement.

Some Muslims use music or harmony in their worship.

Is that true or false? Show me with your thumbs, true or false? And the correct answer is true.

Well done if you got that correct.

Why? Because Sufi Muslims use instruments as well as voices to create music and harmony in their worship.

Ahmed explains how he uses music.

"There are some nasheeds and other Islamic songs written especially for children.

They have catchy tunes to help children remember Muslim values and belief.

I still find myself singing along to them hours later.

I try to make sure that the music I listen to reflects my Muslim values.

I'm pleased that there are some Muslim composers who sing modern Islamic music with meaningful words and catchy tunes." So why might Muslims like Ahmed and Nadia listen to and sing nasheeds? Can you choose two correct answers from the four below? So A, they want to show off their musical skills, B, the words remind them of Islamic values and beliefs, C, the words are difficult to understand, and D, they enjoy music.

You might like to pause this video so that you've got time to think about your answer or talk to the person next to you.

Come back to me when you are ready to continue with the lesson.

Welcome back.

Should we have a look and see what are the two correct answers? And it was the reasons why some people listen to and sing nasheeds, the words remind them of Islamic values and beliefs and they enjoy music.

Well done if you got B and D correct.

That is excellent.

Fantastic.

Hassan has a Muslim worldview and he attends a Shia mosque.

He explains his ideas about music.

"Muslims should think carefully about how they use music.

I would not listen to modern pop music as I believe this is not allowed in Islam.

The words do not reflect Islamic beliefs and values." And here's Jamila and she has a Muslim worldview as well and attends a Sunni mosque.

She explains her beliefs about music.

"I've been brought up to use melody in my recitation of the Qur'an and the call to prayer, but I would not sing or listen to nasheeds.

I know other Muslims have different opinions, but this is my family tradition." So what do different Muslims say about music? Use the case studies to talk about the different points of view.

So here's Ahmed, here's Nadia, and here's Hassan.

So you might like to pause the video to give you some time to talk about these three different people and their different points of view about music in Islam.

Come back to me when you've had your discussion and you are ready to continue with the lesson.

Welcome back.

Now, let's check your understanding.

Is this statement true or false? Muslims don't compose or perform music to worship and to express their beliefs.

Is that true or false? True or false? Again, you may like to pause this video to give you some time to think about your answer, or maybe work on it with a partner.

Come back to me when you're ready to continue with the lesson.

Welcome back.

Was the answer true or false? Muslims don't compose or perform music in worship or to express their beliefs.

And it's false.

Why? Some Muslims do compose and perform music to worship and express their beliefs, but other Muslims find this unacceptable.

I have a task now for you.

Sam, Lucas and Alex have been asked to explain Muslim perspectives about music.

"Nasheeds," Lucas says, "are sung by an unaccompanied voice, help Muslims focus on God, Allah, without being distracted." Alex says, "Sufi Muslims might use nasheeds with voices accompanied by instruments to find harmony in God." And Sam says, "Modern music with catchy tunes help children remember the words.

Music should reflect Islamic values." So I'd like you to say why each one of these answers is correct, because Lucas, Alex, and Sam are all correct, can you explain why they're correct? You might want to write your answers down, or you might want to talk about them with a partner or in a small group.

Pause this video and when you're ready to continue, come back to me.

Welcome back.

Let's have a look at why each one of these is correct.

So Lucas is right because some those Muslims believe nasheeds should be as simple as possible, so that the focus is on God, Allah, and the meaning of the words.

Alex is also right because Sufi worship uses harmonies with voices and instruments together, and that helps Muslims like Nadia feel peaceful and spiritual, helps her feel close to Allah.

Sam is also right because Muslim children might enjoy modern music with catchy tunes, and as long as the words reflect Islamic beliefs and values, then that is fine.

And as long as the words reflect Muslim or Islamic beliefs and values, then that is fine.

Well done if you were able to explain why those three answers were correct.

That's really good learning in this lesson.

I'm very proud of you.

So we've come to the end of our lesson, and let's look at the things that we've learnt about today.

Nasheeds are songs used by some Muslims to praise Allah, God, and to express Islamic values.

They can be traditional or modern.

Some Muslims use voices and harmonies to create a sense of harmony with God.

Sufi Muslims use music in their worship as a way of connecting with God, Allah.

And different Muslims will have different perspectives on how to use music.

Thank you very much for being with me in our lesson today.

I hope you've enjoyed your new learning as much as I have, and I hope I'll see you again at another time in another lesson.

But I'll say goodbye for now.

Goodbye.