Swedish nasheed singer Maher Zain appears in a number of Ramadan-specific playlists across major streaming sites. Courtesy Youness Hamiddine/Mawazine
Swedish nasheed singer Maher Zain appears in a number of Ramadan-specific playlists across major streaming sites. Courtesy Youness Hamiddine/Mawazine
Swedish nasheed singer Maher Zain appears in a number of Ramadan-specific playlists across major streaming sites. Courtesy Youness Hamiddine/Mawazine
Swedish nasheed singer Maher Zain appears in a number of Ramadan-specific playlists across major streaming sites. Courtesy Youness Hamiddine/Mawazine

Ramadan 2021: The best playlists from Anghami, Spotify, Deezer and Apple Music


Saeed Saeed
  • English
  • Arabic

Similar to regional broadcasters battling it out for eyeballs with new and exclusive content, major streaming sites are vying for our ears this Ramadan.

Many have created special pages packed with in-house curated playlists evoking the reflective spirit of the month.

Here is what you can listen to online now.

Anghami goes all out 

From eclectic playlists featuring Moroccan and Levant Ramadan anthems to spiritual and cooking podcasts, Anghami remains the platform to beat when it comes to the breadth of content on offer.

With its signature My Ramadan playlists, Anghami’s team of curators have created a winning collection based on themes related to the holy month.

For instance, the Amal Kheir list, translated to Good Deeds, has songs evoking the generosity and gratitude of Ramadan.

Asmaa Allah Al Hosna (99 Names of Allah), meanwhile, comprises a series of tender songs by Arab spiritual and folk artists extolling the various virtues of God.

In addition to the spiritual children's song collections under the Ramadan Kids subsection, another handy feature is the Ramadan Tips.

Offering advice on everything from nutrition and exercise to ways to handle that headache while fasting, these Arabic audio reminders – spanning 10 to 20 seconds each – are useful and easy to digest.

Vibe along to Spotify’s Ramadan hub

Spotify has set up what it calls a "Ramadan hub", complete with a title banner featuring Islamic geometric patterns.

The content is split between playlists and popular albums from nasheed artists.

When it comes to the former, the six playlists are impressively eclectic, echoing the various cultures spanning the Muslim world.

Ramadan Spirit is an exhaustive collection of popular spiritual songs sung by pop stars and leading nasheed artists, such as the UK's Sami Yusuf, Sweden's Maher Zain, Palestine's Mohammed Assaf and Syrian singer Reem Nasri.

For those looking for a different spin on the genre, Salam! is an evocative five-hour collection of Ramadan-themed songs from South-East Asia, featuring Malaysian soul singer Yuna, popular Indonesian rapper Too Phat and Malaysian crooner Fattah Amin.

And, if you are feeling nostalgic, Ramadan Series brings together opening theme songs of Ramadan dramas of the past.

A selection for every mood with Deezer

Deezer has curated its playlists around the various vibes of the holy month.

Under its Ramadan Mood selection of playlist, titles include After Iftar, Family Time and Ramadan Energy Boost.

For those expecting the third to be a collection of club-ready anthems, you are half right.

Up-tempo Amr Diab track We Redet and Ramy Sabry's slightly boisterous Bitaa Banat are in the mix, however, none of the material is so hedonistic as to go against the spirit of Ramadan.

A standout selection is Ramadan Focus.

Its mix of evocative instrumental pieces by the likes of composers Omar Khairat and Ziad Rahbani serves as an ideal and unobtrusive soundtrack to the working day.

For those looking for more than tunes, Deezer also offers a number of podcasts such as Hikayat Ramadan (Ramadan Stories), a series of narrated old Arabic folk tales and Hudou (Calm) which explores the principles of mindfulness.

Interesting playlists on Apple Music

While Apple Music hasn't launched a section dedicated to Ramadan, the platform still has a number of strong playlists suitable for the season.

Inspired by Faith is an expansive selection of faith-based songs by popular artist across the Mena region, including Kuwait's Abdallah Al Rowaished, Turkey's Mesut Kurtis and Morocco's Samira Said.

Qadisiah, meanwhile, is dedicated to melodic prayers and chants provided by leading exponents, including Kuwait's Mishary Rashid Alafasy and Egyptian folk band El Tanbura.

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Read more:

28 of the best Ramadan TV shows to watch in the UAE

Ramadan 2021: 15 global celebrities who observe the holy month

Ramadan 2021: How to donate food and supplies to vulnerable people in the UAE

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Springtime in a Broken Mirror,
Mario Benedetti, Penguin Modern Classics

 

Why it pays to compare

A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.

Route 1: bank transfer

The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.

Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount

Total received: €4,670.30 

Route 2: online platform

The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.

Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction

Total received: €4,756

The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.

While you're here
MATCH INFO

Juventus 1 (Dybala 45')

Lazio 3 (Alberto 16', Lulic 73', Cataldi 90 4')

Red card: Rodrigo Bentancur (Juventus)

UAE WARRIORS RESULTS

Featherweight

Azouz Anwar (EGY) beat Marcelo Pontes (BRA)

TKO round 2

Catchweight 90kg

Moustafa Rashid Nada (KSA) beat Imad Al Howayeck (LEB)

Split points decision

Welterweight

Gimbat Ismailov (RUS) beat Mohammed Al Khatib (JOR)

TKO round 1

Flyweight (women)

Lucie Bertaud (FRA) beat Kelig Pinson (BEL)

Unanimous points decision

Lightweight

Alexandru Chitoran (ROU) beat Regelo Enumerables Jr (PHI)

TKO round 1

Catchweight 100kg

Marc Vleiger (NED) beat Mohamed Ali (EGY)

Rear neck choke round 1

Featherweight

James Bishop (NZ) beat Mark Valerio (PHI)

TKO round 2

Welterweight

Abdelghani Saber (EGY) beat Gerson Carvalho (BRA)

TKO round 1

Middleweight

Bakhtiyar Abbasov (AZE) beat Igor Litoshik (BLR)

Unanimous points decision

Bantamweight

Fabio Mello (BRA) beat Mark Alcoba (PHI)

Unanimous points decision

Welterweight

Ahmed Labban (LEB) v Magomedsultan Magomedsultanov (RUS)

TKO round 1

Bantamweight

Trent Girdham (AUS) beat Jayson Margallo (PHI)

TKO round 3

Lightweight

Usman Nurmagomedov (RUS) beat Roman Golovinov (UKR)

TKO round 1

Middleweight

Tarek Suleiman (SYR) beat Steve Kennedy (AUS)

Submission round 2

Lightweight

Dan Moret (USA) v Anton Kuivanen (FIN)

TKO round 2

LILO & STITCH

Starring: Sydney Elizebeth Agudong, Maia Kealoha, Chris Sanders

Director: Dean Fleischer Camp

Rating: 4.5/5