“So what are you? I am only a Muslim and a human.”
This line was said in the final seconds of the music video for‘Name of God by Mustafa the Poet, a Sudanese-Canadian artist and songwriter, who recently released his latest album, Dunya, last month.
Being both Muslim and human can appear as the simplest, most basic way to describe oneself. Yet for Mustafa, and many others, it can be the most challenging aspect of their existence.
In an age that is increasingly shadowed by Islamophobia, where expressing one’s faith publicly and freely can be a source of discomfort for others, Mustafa’s decision to integrate his religion into his artistic expression has become a rarity, if not a form of defiance.
As he once shared in an interview, “I tried to separate my religion and career at a point in time, as some were increasingly uncomfortable with the conflation of my artistic expression and faith[…]but so much of my life is connected to Islam. Just like these songs are never complete, neither is the process of worship.”
In his album, worshipping God is both a journey and a question, a learning experience intertwined with humility, where one remains ever a student, guided solely by their heart. At times, Mustafa feels a sense of estrangement from his faith, while at others, it strikes him like a bolt of lightning.
This duality and complexity of faith lies at the core of Dunya, the title of Mustafa’s album. In Islam, dunya transcends the simple notion of life; it embodies the flaws of the material world and the fleeting nature of our existence.
While there is usually a stronger focus on the rules and practices of Islam in societies, Mustafa’s songs highlight the merciful nature of the faith, allowing more room for empathy toward those in the diaspora who struggle to practice their beliefs or grapple with being flawed humans while striving to be good Muslims
Posted from: https://egyptianstreets.com/2024/10/09/mustafa-the-poets-dunya-exploring-the-muslim-diaspora-experience/
