Egyptian band hopes Islamic hits will resonate in translation
The Egyptian band Art Compilers has been translating well-known Islamic songs into English, but the jury is still out on its success.
"My Lord, I am at your door and I have spread my hand" is a well-known "nasheed," or Islamic song, among Egyptians and Arabs. Sung during religious celebrations, especially during the month of Ramadan, this Arabic gem, like many others, is a big challenge for anyone who wants to express the same sentiment in English — as the Art Compilers band discovered in June.
The Art Compilers, an Egyptian band of five lyricists and musicians, in 2014 started working on 74 traditional Egyptian songs, but only decided to publish some of their work in 2017. Earlier this year, the band's Facebook page was launched and when they posted the video June 17 of their first work — “My Lord, I am at your door” — it was viewed more than 4,000 times, received more than 100 likes, dozens of comments and 32 shares.
The 1972 Islamic song was written by famous Egyptian musician Sayyid al-Naqshabandi, composed by musician Baligh Hamdi and recited by religious poet Abd al-Fattah Mustafa. It is considered one of the most famous Islamic songs — also called "supplications," where singers signal their devotion to God and plead for happiness — of all time. Subsequently, Naqshabandi, Baligh and Mustafa collaborated on five similar Islamic songs.
The Art Compilers’ idea of translating the Arabic-language supplications into English has attracted both the attention of social media users and the media, with several newspapers and other news sites reporting on the band. On June 18, Al-Youm Al-Sabeh, Egypt’s most popular news website, published an article titled “Art Compilers creatively translate Arabic songs into the English language.”
