Munif Ahmad Essentials

Over the course of a career since 1997, Munif Ahmad stands out as one of the key Malaysian proponents of nasheed. Across more than a dozen albums—some solo, some collaborative with the likes of Ustaz Amal, Asri Ibrahim and Amir Hufaz—Ahmad has nurtured an impressively flexible dichotomy in his approach to devotional song. The Pontian District native has both upheld the traditional a cappella stylings of the nasheed and embraced the modern route of accompanying his vocals with percussive instrumentation. And the results have won him broad, cross-generational appeal.