[divider]<\/p>\n Have you ever been in love?<\/p>\n Well I have, and dare I say that the whole auditorium audience at Singapore Expo’s Max Atria fell in love if they had not already.<\/p>\n With the same person.<\/p>\n His name?<\/p>\n Muhammad ibn Abdullah, may peace be upon him.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Held on the 23rd of September 2012, the event began with a welcoming address by Ustaz Muhammad Nuzhan who acted as the emcee for\u00a0 the earlier part of the whole event. He spoke of having the sense of tranquility (salaam) in one’s self. Explaining further, he zoned in on a point that struck a chord with me; that having all the physical and materialistic means does not guarantee tranquility in one’s heart.<\/p>\n It is a gift that is bestowed upon the servants that the Almighty has chosen. So great is the gift that no amount of money and wealth can help to attain it, and no extent of adversity that befalls an individual can prevent it. One way to try and acquire this elusive ni’mah is through the remembrance of Allah and the Prophet (peace be upon him).<\/p>\n Qafilah Zikrullah proceeded to take the stage soon after Ustaz Nuzhan finished the address. They are a qaseedah<\/em> ensemble\u00a0 led by Ustaz Omar Maulana. For those who might not be familiar with qaseedahs, i<\/em>t is a session where the group leads the audience in reciting praises to Allah and the prophet (pbuh) with the accompaniment of some instruments.\u00a0 The crowd recited along with the various beautiful salawats<\/em> and zikr<\/em> with Mawlid Diba’I<\/em> books clutched in their hands for reference, courtesy of Simply Islam, of course.<\/p>\n A young boy in the group was given the privilege of having a microphone for him to lead one of the recitations. His eagerness and passion was so precious.\u00a0 There was a moment during this session that I fell silent, just listening to the voices around me echoing with praises of love for the prophet (pbuh). Voices that rang out strong, clear and full of yearning.<\/p>\n Seeing and hearing so many people unite in their love for our leader, our imaam<\/em>, our Nabi<\/em>, made my heart swell with love not only for the blessed prophet but also for the fellow muslims in the audience.\u00a0 It definitely brought tears into my eyes and I would have started weeping in my seat save for the fact that, the camera man was standing just a few steps away from me and was panning his camera at all angles. It would not have been a pretty sight to appear to the folks at home watching the live stream on www.sufilive.com<\/a> .<\/p>\n The session ended with a Mawlid do’a<\/em> recited by Ustaz Masruhan Kyai Choteb which moved some to tears.<\/p>\n Next came the very talented Angklung ensemble from Madrasah Al-Junied Al- Islamiah. They played instrumental melodies to the tunes of different salawats<\/em>. I can only describe their performance as gentle, melodious and very complex. I might be biased here because I was from this school, but their performance probably inspired some to go and learn how to play the angklung. Needless to say, they managed to steal the hearts of the audience with their beautiful arrangements.<\/p>\n After the angklung performance, the lights dimmed for abit only to be lit up again and reveal Syamil. He is a solo nasheed<\/em> singer.\u00a0 With smooth vocals, he entertained the crowd. During his performance, we were graced by the arrival of the esteemed Shaykh Hisham Kabbani. Ustaz Sofyan also came on stage for a duet with Syamil for an emotional rendition of a song of love and longing for the Prophet (pbuh).<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/muzlimbuzz.sg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/Mawlidfest-header-1024x521.jpg\" "\\"Mawlidfest")
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\n<\/em><\/p>\nOpening<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Qafilah Zikrullah<\/strong><\/h3>\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/muzlimbuzz.sg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/aljunied.jpg\" "\\"aljunied\\"")
<\/a><\/p>\nAngklung ensemble<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Syamil and Ustaz Sofyan<\/strong><\/h3>\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/muzlimbuzz.sg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/almawlid-malaysia2.jpg\" "\\"almawlid-malaysia2\\"")
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