In 2007, the Lebanese-born Swedish musician Maher Zain was in the US, preparing for the next stage of his career. He was working with chart-topping artists and recording with the Grammy-winning music producer RedOne, himself a Swede of Moroccan heritage. Success was almost within his grasp. Even so, he could feel something was wrong.
"I felt that the music business was very empty," Zain says from a hotel room in Cairo, over Skype. "In the west, all the songs are about love and getting hurt, but there's more to life than that." After making some new Muslim friends in Sweden and finding solace in going to the mosque, he began to practise Islam seriously. But music was something he had loved from a young age and he didn't want to abandon it. Instead, he made a transition: he swapped secular music for something more religious.
In the process, he ended up finding celebrity status anyway. His debut album, Thank You Allah, released in late 2009, became a worldwide sensation: the record took top position on Amazon.com's world music chart, and was the best-selling album of the decade in Malaysia. In Indonesia, it even knocked Justin Bieber off the leading spot.
Zain has been criticised by some Muslims for using musical instruments – a contentious issue in Islamic jurisprudence, with many scholars insisting the voice should take minimal accompaniment. However, Zain's use of music represents the nuances of his faith, and there are other scholars who argue that activities should be considered permissible unless explicitly forbidden in the Qur'an, which music is not.
"I grew up with music and thus using musical instruments was just natural," Zain says. "I did fear a reaction [to using music]. I spoke to some people and they clarified that it's just a matter of difference of opinion amongst Muslim scholars and that as long as the content is positive and clean, then it will be fine. My music is a message of Islam. But I want people to understand what Islam is about. It's a message of peace, brotherhood, humanity, respect and love."
The fusion of east and west permeates Zain's music. In his videos, including Insha'Allah and The Chosen One – which have almost 25m YouTube views between them – we see him wearing western attire but reflecting on Islamic topics. The supposed contrast between the two ways of life is challenged in the videos. "I've learned that Islam doesn't contradict with anyone or anytime. It's for everywhere and all times," he says.
His rise to prominence is emblematic of the Arab revolutions, in which young Muslims who don't want to choose between Islam and modernity have played a leading role. Zain's latest single, Freedom, was inspired by the uprisings: "Freedom comes from what happened in Tunis and then in Egypt. We hope it carries on in a peaceful way for freedom to prevail." He is now working on his second album. With Islamophobia such a problem in America and Europe, could Zain's music make an impact in changing people's perceptions of Islam? "I've seen that people want to hear good music but with a positive message. I think it can reach out to new people, given the topics and the quality we are hoping to produce."
Does he think more Muslim artists such as him will emerge? "I hope I will inspire others with my style of music for people to do the same thing. It's all very expensive to make something at this level. This is one of the challenges in the Islamic music industry: not many people want to support this. I'm just a regular guy, but I hope my music can inspire others, insh'allah," he says with smile.
Omar Shahid is the political editor of Live magazine.
