Electrified Moroccan Islamic Songs — The Music of 7Stations and the “Electric Diwan”
“In history, Islam showed itself to be culturally friendly and, in that regard, has been likened to a crystal-clear river. Its waters (Islam) are pure, sweet, and life-giving but — having no color of their own — reflect the bedrock (indigenous culture) over which they flow.”
~Dr. Umar Faruq Abdullah
I did not grow up in a Muslim household that was anti-music. On the contrary, my home was filled with gatherings of dhikr and traditional Islamic songs, and my father played guitar and introduced me to an eclectic variety of music from a young age. One of my father’s favorites was the legendary guitarist and songwriter, Richard (Yahya) Thompson, who my father had spent some of his early days with as a Muslim convert. My father had been listening to Thompson’s band Fairport Convention, the first electric folk band, prior to his conversion, but, as fate would have it, ended up living with him in a Muslim community in England back in the 1970s and performing Hajj with him.
The community consisted mainly of white converts, which was quite a perplexing identity at the time, surely. Led by the Scottish play-writer/actor-turned-Muslim, Ian Dallas (Shaykh Abdalqadir as-Sufi), the community moved from dilapidated building to dilapidated building in its early years, squatting in often poor conditions. Despite the hardships, the community attracted many people with their constant dhikr and emphasis on Sufism and the teachings of the late Moroccan saint, Shaykh Muhammad ibn al-Habib (may God be pleased with him). As shocking as it may be to hear the profound influence that this small, poor community has had on the modern world, people such as Shaykh Hamza Yusuf, Dr. Umar Faruq Abdullah, Richard and Linda Thompson, Peter Sanders, Hakim Archuletta, Abdul Lateef Whiteman, and the late Daniel Abdul-Hayy Moore (May God be pleased with him), just to name a few, were part of the community. This article is not meant to tell the story of that community — if you are interested in that history, you can find the film “Blessed are the Strangers” by Ahmed Peerbux, or, better yet, read and hear the amazing stories from the people that were there (I recommend Abdul-Hayy Moore’s Ecstatic Exchange or Ian Whiteman’s Blog) — it is instead meant to place the music of 7Stations in context.
At the heart of the community were the teachings of Shaykh Muhammad ibn al-Habib, his Tariqa, and his Diwan — the poems that have been sung to Moroccan/North African melodies for decades. These songs can be heard in gatherings across the world today, and have impacted countless lives, mine included. Shaykh Muhammad ibn al-Habib was truly the saint of our time, and according to Ian Abdul Lateef Whiteman, “he was in some ways the isthmus between the old Muslim world of the East and the new age of Islam taking root in the West.” As I do not feel that I can give justice to the Shaykh’s life and legacy, especially in a short article such as this, I will simply suggest that interested parties do a quick search online. With that being said, this quote really sums up what I’d like to convey about the Shaykh and his Diwan:
“With all blessings by Allah ta’ala… Shaykh ibn al-Habib [made a statement] that his Diwan will be sung all over the world… The Shaykh, whose living presence we glimpsed in person in the 70s, still overwhelms us, [and he] would be pleased, as he was when he heard the women disciples from our American and European group in his chamber at the top of his Zawiyya in Meknes recite the Wird (included here), and wept — may each of his tears be new hearts refreshed insha’Allah…”
~Daniel Abdul-Hayy Moore (May God be pleased with him)
7Stations is in no way the first to attempt to take the Diwan and its melodies and put them into a musical context, but it is the first time that they have been put into a Rock context, if not a Western musical context. In the 1970s, the group the Habibiyya put the Diwan to music, categorized as “World Music” at the time — whatever that is. The group consisted of members of the aforementioned community, including Ian Abdul Lateef Whiteman and Hakim Archuletta, and their album “If Man but Knew” has been one of the major influences in the creation of 7Stations’ album “Electric Diwan.”
In fact, after recording the first song on “Electric Diwan,” entitled “Qad Bada (Withdrawal into the Perception of the Essence),” I sent the song to Hakim Archuletta, who strongly encouraged me to complete an entire album in the style. I had dabbled in musical explorations of the melodies often associated with the Diwan prior to the 7Stations project, and recorded an early version of the track “Ya Man Yurid (The Eye Witness),” which I sent to Daniel Abdul-Hayy Moore (May God be pleased with him). I think that one aspect of the Diwan that people should realize is that the words are universal, but the melodies are not necessarily, and the words can really be put to many melodies, in many musical styles. But the melodies performed on “Electric Diwan” are those that I grew up around and are very popular (there are many other melodies for each poem that were not included on the album).
“This Diwan is sung in Morocco in traditional ways that have come down over centuries in the Andalusian tradition but simplified for use by ordinary people. However, in Algeria for example, they will use many local tunes as well, appropriate to the verse metre.”
~Ian Abdul Lateef Whiteman
The “local tunes,” and styles, of the modern Western world consist of pop music, hip-hop, country, rock — you get my drift. There are numerous Muslim artists in the modern West that are using music as a platform to speak of their experience as Muslims, or to “represent” Islam, or even to reconcile and “normalize” the identity of being Muslim in the West. There seem to be new Muslim musical artists popping up daily, and some are even crossing the threshold into the mainstream. It is entirely possible to see this on a larger scale in the years to come, but I hope that being Muslim, and Islam in general, do not become the external-facing gimmick that is stamped on typical pop music, hedonistic themes and all.
Stylistically, the current trends among Muslim musical acts are somewhat limited. I grew up on many different styles of music, but I have been a fan of rock music, and music performed on instruments since I can remember. I was always drawn to the talent of musicians and instrumentalists, but I appreciate a variety of modern styles. One of the styles that seems to have taken a backburner in recent years, in the Western mainstream anyhow, has been rock. It is not that it has disappeared, it is just not as popular as it once was — for now. With the trend of Muslim musical artists in the US and the West on the upswing as of the past decade or so, many of these artists have mirrored the current popular musical trends. Since rock is not as prevalent as it was a decade ago, most young Muslim artists haven’t been compelled, or felt the need, or possibly have not even experienced the depth of the style, to create it themselves. Some Muslims are turned off by the abrasiveness of the sound, while others have formed associations between rock music and things that are antithetical to Islamic values. But, if modern mainstream music in the West is considered — the styles that are being mirrored by modern Muslim musical artists — it is clear that rock is not anymore questionable in terms of sound or content than these styles. It really does boil down to content, and while some Muslim artists are simply that — artists that sing about anything and everything, and also happen to be Muslim — others are creating Islamic music, with content that is Islamic in nature.
While “Electric Diwan” by 7Stations may be heavy and abrasive (to some), the lyrical content is entirely Islamic, Arabic and all, and written by a venerable Moroccan Sheikh. Furthermore, I think many people would be surprised at the number of Muslims that still listen to rock music, especially in parts of the Muslim world such as Turkey, Pakistan, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Saudi Arabia, just to name a few.
The journey of creating “Electric Diwan” has been an exciting one, spanning the course of three years. In the process, I have gained a stronger friendship with my bandmate (Meek), learned more about my art and creative process, learned more about the community that brought my parents to Islam and my family’s history, memorized a good portion of the Diwan of Shaykh Muhammad ibn al-Habib, and learned more about my own relationship with God and Islam. It has been a personally transformative experience for me, and I have been able to create a project that brings two seemingly contrasting aspects of my life together in harmony — my love of making rock music and my faith, Islam. I believe that many people will also find satisfaction in the album, realizing the possibility of such a style, especially those that are already consuming mainstream rock music. And, if they do not, I will be happy knowing that I have followed my path and contributed something to the world that comes directly from my heart and has meaning beyond the surface.
The debut album “Electric Diwan” by 7Stations is available at http://www.the7stations.com/music.html. Follow us on social media @the7stations, or visit our website at www.the7stations.com for more information.
