| "Talaʽ al-Badru ʽAlayna" | |
|---|---|
| Song | |
| Language | Arabic |
| Written | 622 |
| Songwriter(s) | Ansars (the Helpers) |
Talaʽ al-Badru ʽAlaynā (Arabic: طلع البدر علينا) is a traditional Islamic poem known as nasheed that the Ansar sang for the Islamic prophet Muhammad upon his arrival at Medina.
Many sources claim it was first sung as he sought refuge there after being forced to leave his hometown of Mecca. Some others, disagree by saying the second line reads "From the valley of Wada" (ﻣﻦ ﺛﻨﻴﺎﺕ ﺍﻟﻮﺩﺍﻉ). The valley of Wada was the place where people would walk with their loved ones who were travelling and say goodbye. It is located north of Medina and Mecca is south and Muhammad arrived at Quba which is south, so it is geographically impossible that it was sung at the Hijrah, some say.
The alternative opinion mainly put forth by Ibn Hajar al-ʽAsqalani is that it was sung for Muhammad upon his arrival at Medina, to welcome him after completing the Battle of Tabuk.[1][2]
Lyrics
| Arabic[3] | Pronunciation (Arabic) | Translation (English)[3] |
|---|---|---|
| ﻃﻠﻊ ﺍﻟﺒﺪﺭ ﻋﻠﻴﻨﺎ | ṭala‘a 'l-badru ‘alaynā | The full moon rose over us |
| ﻣﻦ ﺛﻨﻴﺎﺕ ﺍﻟﻮﺩﺍﻉ | min thaniyyāti 'l-wadā‘ | From the valley of Wada‘ |
| وجب الشكر علينا | wajaba 'l-shukru ‘alaynā | And it is incumbent upon us to show gratitude |
| ﻣﺎ ﺩﻋﺎ ﻟﻠﻪ ﺩﺍﻉ | mā da‘ā li-l-lāhi dā‘a | For as long as anyone in existence calls out to Allah |
| ﺃﻳﻬﺎ ﺍﻟﻤﺒﻌﻮﺙ ﻓﻴﻨﺎ | ’ayyuha 'l-mab‘ūthu fīnā | Oh our Messenger amongst us |
| ﺟﺌﺖ ﺑﺎﻟﺄﻣﺮ ﺍﻟﻤﻄﺎﻉ | ji’ta bi-l-’amri 'l-muṭā‘ | Who comes with the exhortations to be heeded |
| ﺟﺌﺖ ﺷﺮﻓﺖ ﺍﻟﻤﺪﻳﻨﺔ | ji’ta sharrafta 'l-madīnah | You have brought to this city nobility |
| ﻣﺮﺣﺒﺎ ﻳﺎ ﺧﻴﺮ ﺩﺍﻉ | marḥaban yā khayra dā‘ | Welcome you who call us to a good way |
Metre
The poem is written in a variety of the Arabic metre known as ramal, and goes as follows (where – is a long syllable, u is a short syllable, and x either long or short), from left to right:
- x u – – | u u – – | – u – – | – u –
Performances
Recorded versions
There have been many renditions of the song most notably by Oum Kalthoum, Sami Yusuf, Yusuf Islam, Mesut Kurtis, Native Deen, Raef, Maher Zain, Junaid Jamshed and others.
Other Performances
- It was used in the soundtrack of the 1976 film The Message, directed by Moustapha Akkad, and used in scene depicting Muhammad's hijra to Medina
- Little Mosque on the Prairie - Canadian sitcom - The song plays during the closing credits, performed by Maryem Tollar.
- It was used in a piano and symphony piece The Moonlight by Syrian German composer Malek Jandali
- An arrangement by Canadian composer, Laura Hawley, was sung at a holiday concert in Ottawa by a children's choir when Syrian refugees first began arriving in Canada in December 2015[4]
- Maher Zain sampled the song in his song "Medina" in his 2016 album One.
- pt:Marcus Viana, (A Brazilian composer) created an arrangement for the poem and used it in his 2003 Album "Poemas místicos do oriente"
- Omar Esa performed it in 2018 in the album My Muslim Family.
- It was sung in the fifth episode of first season of the Turkish series Diriliş: Ertuğrul.[5]
See also
- Hijra
- Yathrib (Medina)
References
- ^ http://unpublishedottawa.com/letter/35870/video-goes-viral-ottawa-student-choir-sings-traditional-arabic-song-tala-al-badru
- ^ The 1:06 point of the video Yasir Qadhi (26 October 2014), Seerah of Prophet Muhammad 92 - Battle of Tabuk 5 ~ Dr. Yasir Qadhi | 15th October 2014, retrieved 2 April 2018
- ^ a b http://arabicnasheedlyrics.blogspot.com/2009/03/osama-al-safi-talaa-al-badru-alayna.html
- ^ http://i100.independent.co.uk/article/canadian-children-performed-the-same-song-for-refugees-that-was-sung-to-mohamed-when-he-sought-refuge--bkgmHgATicl
- ^ https://youtube.com/WPwoF-RnqHU