The only fusion nasheed group in South Africa- THE WAAHID GROUP

At the very successful launch of the Seven Seas Signature Spa, I had the opportunity of interacting with the world renowned WAAHID nasheed group who  is the only fusion nasheed group in South Africa at present. They entertained the crowd by belting out their famous nasheeds that can be heard regularly on various television as well as Islamic radio stations world wide. A few years ago the group performed with the famous nasheed artist Junaid Jamshed at the Wits University great hall.I had the opportunity of being present at that performance as well. Since then the group has grown from pillar to pillar and from strength to strength. I was told that they making their way  to the UK soon where they will be performing to an audience of 60 000 people. What really appealed to me about the Waahid group as a whole, was undoubtedly the humble down to earth character displayed by each member of the group. I am quite honoured to have had the opportunity to interview the group. Read on to find out more in their own words.....

 1. Firstly, I would like to thank the Waahid group for taking the time out to answer these questions? So tell me who is the Waahid group? I would like each member of the group to introduce themselves,basically provide my readers with a brief synopsis of your life from childhood up until present?

Waahid is South Africa's only fusion anasheed group since we are able to not only fuse languages but also fuse styles, genres and cultures which makes us very rare and unique. This is why we call ourselves Waahid which means One in Arabic.  All the members have had different backgrounds with different experiences and are skilled in different ways yet we are able to unify our sound creating harmonies and melodies that entice the soul. We aim to create a world where all races, ages, cultures, religions an geography can unite as Waahid (one) through melody and music.*

AK Mahomed – I have over 30 years experience in the music industry and is the producer of all of Waahids nasheeds.  I own Cap Studios were I record all of Waahids songs. I am a jewellery sales agent in the KZN region.

Naeem Sheik Hameed - I was born and brought up in the beautiful city of Durban! I consider myself a true South African, having an Indian dad, a Malay mom and being born in the City of Durban in Africa. I come from a large family of seven. I have two gorgeous sons who are my heart and soul and definitely my reason for waking up in the morning!! My passion has always been in the Aeronautical field and I believe I am well on my way to getting there with a Degree in Mechanical Engineering obtained with Distinction. I have worked at some of the biggest and most respectable companies in South Africa. This experience has been in diverse areas such as earthmoving machinery, sugar manufacture and hydraulic machinery manufacture. I have been a Test, Hydraulics, Maintenance, Project and Design Engineer and I am currently posted as Quality Engineer for the Local Government Electricity Department. Alhamdulillah! I have been involved in the design of machinery that is being utilised all over the world. My next goal is to obtain the coveted Government Certificate of Competence for Engineers. With over 20 years of experience gained in the Nasheed industry, I have produced 2 solo albums whose Anasheed feature regularly on the Top 8 as well as Local is Lekker! I am the Managing Director of NOS Hardware Wholesalers, a company founded by my brothers and me. I am co-founder of the Waahid ‘Power of Dreams’ Group of Companies, Lead Singer as well as Managing Director. I have recently established NSH Recording Studios where I will be producing my solo albums. I hope to be counted amongst those who have contributed to the advancement of Nasheed in the world!

Farid Loyiso Matana - My story to islam is quiet long. But the jist of it is wen I was stil at university at PE the 9/11 attacks occured I was active member of ancyl. Our agenda was anti west n pro poor. Wen CNN. Showed us propaganda by accusin bin laden n havin witness wit passports yet their bodies were burnt. We had t-shirst written. Osama our hero in campus that made me research islam more in fact wen I became of sane mine I always wanted islam but didn't know how to get it.  So one friend of mine became muslim he gave me dvd I watched n made my mind I decided to migrate coz I was done at home I went soweto not knowin no one there. I met a strange lady who gave me refuge at her home. What was weird is I left home wanting islam. N in soweto I saw one huge building. Nex to the house I was stayin I went there I saw the imam he told me this a musjid a place of muslims. The it clicked on me I was at right place I took shahad following day witout no one giving me dawah. Only on sacrifice n following my heart living my parents n birthplace in search of success.   My story has featured on Chanel Islam International.   All praise are due to Allah the best of Guide

Nazeer Riaz Jamal - I grew up in Overport, Durban and schooled at Al Falaah College. I always had a love for the natural environment and so completed my Honours Degree in Environmental Science at UKZN where I also was the president of the Muslim Students Association and the founder of an environmental NGO called PACT (People Acting Caring Thinking). I began working for government as an environmental inspector and climbed the ladder to where I currently am as Assistant Director for the Department of Environmental Affairs under the Compliance Monitoring Inspectorate (Green Scorpions). I am titled by the Assoc. of Muslim Advancement (New York) in 2009 as a Muslim Leader of Tomorrow as well as a 2012 Top Young South African by the Mail & Guardian. I love music and have learnt the basic of playing the guitar but hip hop is my first love. I want to make a change in the world through nature, music and melody, Inshallah. I am the beatboxer (vocal percussions), singer and rapper of the band as well as the Finanical Director. I am also a radio and TV presenter in my spare time and a Director at the Al Ansaar Foundation (a charity organisation).

Ahmad Abdulatif Mponda - I am your simple but fun-loving farm boy, I grew up in Westville and later on, in Central Durban, and now currently just out of Durban. I am the Arabic Vocalist, Creative and Bookings Director in the group, where when you're hear something in arabic, it most likely would be me. I am a Haafiz, Alhamdulillah, did hifz in Camperdown and completed in 2002 and schooled at Orient Islamic School. Currently completing a National Diploma in Travel and Tourism Management and doing my intern, Radio Presenter in the spare time and I am also a qualified fitness instructor for Virgin Active. You must be wondering, a Haafiz, Travel and Tourism, Fitness Instructing, Radio Presenter and Waahid, how do all these link to each other?, well, the answer is simple, UNITY IN DIVERSITY and this shows how diverse one can be within oneself and still live in unity with the rest of creation. Friendly, full of smiles and crazy, are just some of the things people call me when they see me or interact with me. Waahid to me means love, unity, peace, tranquility and a whole range of nice words i can find in the dictionary to describe something that brings me serenity and contentment of heart. Waahid praises and recites nasheeds about our Creator(SWA) and our Prophet(SAW), which heart would not find contentment in doing so? I have learnt a lot from Waahid, musical terms, chords, harmonies and the list can go on. I am the happiest person simply because ALLAH has chosen me to be a part of Waahid and to do HIS work in the form of nasheeds.

2. How and when was the Waahid group formed?

It was formed through only the will of Allah (SWT). In 2006 , a concert was coming up featuring Zain Bhikha (SA) & Dawud Wharsnsby Ali (Canada) and the hosts ILM-SA met with AK who owns Cap Recording Studios requesting a local act for the concert but they wanted a performer in Arabic or English. AK had been recording Naeem in Arabic and English already. Naeem was asked to perform at the concert as he was already established in the industry, but AK felt it would be more appropriate to have a group at this function. Therefore a group was put together in a matter of three weeks! He knew Ahmad since he used to recite qiraat at various functions and he knew Nazeer from Radio Al Ansaar as well as his stage appearance doing a rap song. Farid's story was more interesting. A while back Farid came to Radio Al Ansaar where he met AK as a coincidence. Then during the time AK was looking for singers for the concert he heard Farids voice giving Azaan and told him about the concert. 3 weeks before the concert, we met and prepared 4 songs and were the opening act of the show. South Africa went crazy and thats our story. Alhamdulillah.*

 3. When the group launched a few years ago there was a lot of controversy within the Muslim community with regards to beat boxing and whether or not it is permissible within Islam. How did the group handle this issue especially since there was much pressure from the various Muslim religious authorities within the country?

We did have a problem with certain communities who did not share the same understanding as us when we began but we believed in one thing and that was Allah judges our actions by our intentions and our intentions were only to please Allah and to provide an alternative to young muslims away from the evils of the world. Subsequently the same communities are now some of our biggest supporters Alhamdulillah. Our songs share a common theme of soul and spirituality and most people when they listen to us, sense it and appreciate it.*

 4. Sami Yusuf came to South Africa a few years ago and received a luke warm response from certain sectors of the Muslim community. Having resided in the Middle East for a number of years I was quite familiar with Sami's genre of nasheeds and so it was not surprising for me. What is your opinion with regards to music in Islam and nasheeds that are sung with music?

Waahid are associated with many Islamic scholars worldwide, one of them is Sheikh Ramadaan who explains that music is a medium and provided an example of an empty glass tumbler. If he poured water into the glass there is nothing wrong with the contents or the glass. However if you put alcohol in the glass the contents become prohibited but not the glass. The glass is just the medium and so the content is what determines its prohibition or acceptance. So the musical instrument is just the medium, it is how you use the medium that defines its allowance. But Waahid will always be that bridge between those who want the music and the ones that dont. *

 Music is a topic that arouses much passionate debate in Muslim communities throughout the world. To us it is a way of passing a message that needs to be conveyed, a message of truth. Whether we like to admit it or not, music is a part of our lives, and we cannot avoid it. Our youth are being misled by the corrupt music of the West on a daily basis. For all those who would like to criticise what we do, I would like to say, provide an alternative that works.

 5. Where did you learn the art of beat boxing and how does one become a beat boxer?

As a kid I was partly deaf in one ear and hard of hearing in the other ear, but after I underwent an operation, I was fully cured. I then began to hear sounds I did not hear all the time and so I would relate any situation with the sound I heard. If I had to explain a car accident, I would say the one car came down fast *wooosh* then it was too late to slow down but the driver slammed the brakes *eeeerrrr* and then he smashed in to the guy *Gshhr!*. But about 10 years ago I met Shaheed Alkawn a fellow SA nasheed artist who was a beatboxer. and he taught me the basics. I then went on YouTube and learnt the rest. Beatboxing is easy as long as you learn the basic sounds. The B the T and the K. Put them together and you get B T K TT BB K. Try it out!*

 6. Besides being a part of a nasheed group what other qualification or profession do the group members have?

Refer to details above.*

 7. I stand to be corrected, but I do understand that two members of the group Fareed and Ahmed are reverts to Islam. How did they revert to Islam. Please enlighten the readers more about their journey into Islam.

Refer to Farids intro above *

 8. Define success. What does success mean for the group?

 Success to us is not measured by how many albums we sell, or how popular we are but its measured by the number of hearts and minds we positively change. We see a world of unity and of peace where we all are different but are united in our diversity. We want to create a positive change with our music and to provide young minds with an alternative sound if we can acheive this then we have truly succeeded. We also hope that Allah is pleased with us by using our talents in the correct way and for his pleasure. We also want to become a good muslim business following the ethics of Shariah law and being a role model to all other business.*

Success is measured in its totality. An example, it is worthless to be part of the biggest and most respectable group in the Nasheed world if you have a family life that is dysfunctional, I believe that a lot of the problems faced by Non Muslim artists today are due to a lack of balance in their lives. Therefore I wana stress that it is our duty as an Islamic group to be good role models for the youth and demonstrate to them that success is not found on stage or even at the bank, rather it is found with contentment of your heart.

9. What is the group's favourite website?

www.twitter.com  - you can learn so much in just 140 characters

10. What has been the groups most memorable performance thus far?

Nazeer: I think it was the one where we travelled to Botswana by road. I was tiring exhilirating and best of all it was fun. Ahmad and I played pool from 11pm to 5am! Exhilirating!*

Ahmad - I would also agree with what Naz just said, first time of my life, We stayed up till so late playing pool until Fajr, wooh what a time. The most memorable moments were when we had to drive to Mpumalanga and it took us 13hours instead of 9hours where our pilot behind the wheel Mr Nazjam, had taken a detour and after that long drive, we ended up still singing at 2am and then sleeping in the car. Moments which, honestly, will never be forgotten even in the years to come. A true blessing in disguise.

Naeem -  Well, the most memorable performance for me was the Meelad held in Cape Town in 2012/13. This event was attended by over 25000 people and was organised in two weeks Alhamdulillah! The wind was howling and tents were flying away but people stayed to praise the Holy Prophet (SAW). It was an absolutely beautiful sight with a sea of white kurtas and abayas as far as your eyes could see!

 11. As a team or a group where do you draw inspiration from? Who or what inspires you to create such beautiful nasheeds?

We draw inspiration from our own experiences. Nazeer loves nature so he sings about nature. AK is a deep thinker, so he prefers the deep songs like Echoes in my Mind, Fareed is a da'ee so he sings in traditional African sounds to attract africans to Islam, Naeem has experienced life and so sings about our daily struggles and Ahmad is a fun guy so he likes his beaty arabian songs. We also have other writers such as our ex manager Sister Safeeya Moosa who actually wrote the lead lyrics of the song Labbaik. There is no lack of inspiration in this world. If you look around there are injustices occurring everywhere. These stories need to be told, these people have to be heard. As Waahid we aim to tell those stories through melody!

12. As a group, apart from beat boxing and nasheeds what other topics are you most passionate about?

We are really concerned about the famine, wars and impoverishment of people and so are currently writing songs about these issues.  There is a common thread in all our songs and that is a plea for Allah (SWT) to guide us as we have transgressed. All the problems faced by the world today are the doing of man, the sooner we wake up from our slumber and accept that, the sooner we can find our Lord.

 13. This question is for each member of the group. If someone could grant you one wish and you could choose to have any skill or talent in the world, what would it be?

Nazeer: I would like to be a leader or a president who is fair, just, and who can lead his people to greatness and who is able to see the good in others and help them master their skills so that we can all be not only good muslims but good people.*

*Naeem* Hmm, I would like to be a person who provides peace and contentment to the hearts of all those who I come into contact with. I would like to end the suffering and strife of all the peoples of the world. I want to be a reliable leader whose people can be rest assured to call upon in times of need.

Ahmad  - Wow, I honestly have never been asked this question before, therefore so many things come to mind, as it is human nature to think of so many things at once in the one wish but in all honesty, I would wish for people of the world to be kind and peaceful to each other and unite as one big world united family.

 14. What are your future plans? Where does the group want to be five years down the line?

We aim to become worldwide so that we are able to put Waahid on the map. We have even started our own T Shirt and Golfer brand as well as a nasheed academy where we teach singing, writing, rapping and public speaking. We see Waahid as a worldwide Islamic brand, not just in Nasheed but in all areas of Islamic life, including, leadership, business, education and entertainment

15. Polygamous relationships? What are your thoughts on this one?

Islam allows for a man to have more than 1 wife, but it requires extreme caution and fairness. If the man is able to be fair and just in all his actions then there is no problem, but if he is not able to then he should control his desires.  An often neglected part of this issue is the happiness of the wife. Many men do not take into account the effect a second wife would have on their first wives especially considering the fact that we live in a largely non Muslim society. This is a cause of breakdown for many marriages and so my question is, is it worth it to break up one marriage to create another ? Islam allows for a man to have more than 1 wife, but it requires extreme caution and fairness. If the man is able to be fair and just in all his actions to his wives then there is no problem, but if he is not able to then he should control his desires and have 1.

16. Does the group perform at selected events only or can families hire the group for private functions as well? Kindly provide your contact details so that organizations can get in touch with you directly.

Yeah we perform at all events anywhere and anytime. We do charge a performance fee which is excluding the cost of travel, accommodation and meals if the need arises. You can contact Nazeer on 0761513334 or nazjam@gmail.com  *

 17. What advise would you give to the youth out there who wish to pursuit a career in beat boxing and nasheed singing?

The SA nasheed industry is not an easy game. Its hard to please everyone and many people offer more critism than support, but its important to value the critiscm and channel is postively so that you can improve yourself. Rome was not built overnight so have patience and most importantly keep your intentions only for Allah and you will see how you will grow Inshallah. Waahid is always available to help you so contact us. Perseverance is the key to success although the industry is growing at a rapid rate and opportunities will increase as well. There has never been a better time to get into Nasheeds!

Thank you Waahid group for taking the time to answer these questions. Desert Moon wishes you all the best in your future endeavours!!! This is definitely one of the most inspiring interviews that I have ever done. I am so honoured and proud to have interviewed a group that has made an impact globally. Thank you for giving me this opportunity.*