Performed by rising Egyptian singer Ziad Kamal and arranged by Maestro George Kolta with Syncop Orchestra, the nearly three-year production connects Arabic musical tradition with a cross-cultural orchestral vision.
“Bejamalen,” translated as “With Beauty,” begins with a text whose meaning reaches beyond the boundaries of a conventional song. Written and composed by Sheikh Abd Al-Ghani Al-Umari Al-Hasani, the work is rooted in the classical Sufi qasida tradition, moving through love, spiritual witnessing, and divine knowledge before closing in praise of the Prophet Muhammad. Through its new musical presentation, Egyptian record label Afaq Art Production & Distribution places that poetry inside a contemporary orchestral world, preserving the spiritual character of the writing while opening it to a broader musical audience.
The production brings together vocalist Ziad Kamal, Maestro George Kolta, Syncop Orchestra, sound engineer George Yacoub, and director Sherif Wahba. Nearly three years in the making, “Bejamalen” represents the latest stage of Afaq Art Production’s mission to develop contemporary Arabic music without separating it from its cultural and artistic foundations. The music video’s release campaign named July 2, 2026, as its YouTube premiere date, introducing the work as another step in the company’s effort to reach listeners across the Arab world and beyond.
Founded in Egypt in 2021, Afaq Art Production & Distribution operates from the belief that music can function as a universal language between cultures. Its work is centered on combining the authenticity of Arabic music with a contemporary artistic vision rather than treating tradition and modernity as opposing ideas. “Bejamalen” follows the company’s 2023 debut production, “Althulathia,” translated as “The Trilogy,” which was performed by Egyptian singer Mohamed Mohsen and received wide attention from listeners of refined Arabic music.
With its second major release, Afaq continues developing that artistic direction through a work built on classical poetry, trained musicianship, and an orchestral arrangement shaped by both Eastern and Western traditions. Rather than modernizing the qasida by removing the qualities that define it, the production places its original meaning at the center. The contemporary elements are used to support the text, allowing its spiritual movement to guide the music instead of being overshadowed by it.
“Bejamalen” explores love not only as a personal or emotional experience, but as part of a wider spiritual understanding. The qasida moves through witnessing and divine knowledge, eventually arriving at praise of the Prophet Muhammad, referred to in the text as “Al-Hashimi” and presented as the source of taste and knowledge. This progression gives the composition a clear inner journey, with each idea leading toward a conclusion grounded in devotion.
The words and composition come from Sheikh Abd Al-Ghani Al-Umari Al-Hasani, a Moroccan scholar, Sufi thinker, author, poet, and trained musician from a noble Hasanid family. His religious and academic work has focused on reviving authentic Sufism, renewing religious discourse, and examining spiritual purification. Among his published works are Maratib Al-Aql wa Al-Din and Tajrid Al-Tawhid, while his poetry frequently addresses divine love, spiritual knowledge, and the mysteries of existence.
His relationship with music is supported by formal academic study. In Morocco, he trained in solfège, rhythm, harmony, and oud performance, developing an understanding of music grounded in theory and disciplined practice. That background informs a musical philosophy in which sound is treated as a scientific, spiritual, and civilizational field capable of creating meaningful dialogue between East and West.
For Sheikh Abd Al-Ghani, such dialogue is not achieved through superficial imitation. It requires knowledge of maqams, Eastern and Western musical history, composition, and the cultural meaning carried by each tradition. His work brings Sufi sensibility into conversation with musical scholarship, allowing the poetic and compositional elements to develop as parts of the same intellectual and spiritual vision.
He has composed music for more than ten notable Sufi qasidas, including his own poetry and the work of other poets. “Althulathia” and “Bejamalen” are among his most prominent recorded works, with both productions arranged and directed by Maestro George Kolta and performed through the musical framework of Syncop Orchestra.
For “Bejamalen,” Kolta’s orchestral arrangement gives the qasida a contemporary identity without weakening its Eastern foundation. An Egyptian musician, composer, and producer, Kolta has worked with major Arab artists including Ragheb Alama, Tamer Hosny, Carole Samaha, and Abdullah Al Ruwaished. His career also includes music composed for Arabic films and television productions, giving him experience in shaping sound around narrative, atmosphere, and emotional movement.
Kolta is also the founder and leader of Syncop Orchestra, an ensemble developed around the combination of three orchestral traditions: classical, ensemble, and Eastern or Arabic instrumentation. That philosophy is central to the sound of “Bejamalen.” The arrangement does not place the Eastern and Western elements into separate sections or present them as competing musical identities. They are brought together inside one cohesive performance, creating a setting in which the Sufi text can remain culturally grounded while carrying a wider, cross-cultural musical presence.
The orchestration gives the production scale, but the spiritual character of the qasida remains intact. Classical structures provide depth and movement, while Arabic instrumentation and melodic language preserve the work’s relationship with maqam-based music. The ensemble elements connect those traditions, creating a sound that can feel expansive without becoming detached from the intimacy and contemplation of the words.
At the center of the performance is 24-year-old Egyptian singer and musician Ziad Kamal. A graduate of Ain Shams University’s Faculty of Engineering, where he studied Mechatronics, Kamal brings together two forms of discipline that are not often discussed within the same artistic biography. His engineering education reflects a background in systems, precision, and technical understanding, while his musical development has included academic study of Eastern maqams, violin, and oud.
That training provides Kamal with more than vocal ability. His familiarity with Arabic scales and instruments gives him a deeper understanding of the musical language surrounding the qasida. He is not approaching “Bejamalen” only as a singer interpreting a melody; he is working from knowledge of the tonal and cultural structures that give the composition its identity.
Kamal’s growing career has also been strengthened through competition and live performance. He won the Dr. Ratiba El-Hefny competition at the Cairo Opera House, an achievement that placed his voice within one of Egypt’s most respected musical institutions. He continues to perform at the Cairo Opera House, developing his experience while representing a younger generation of Egyptian artists trained in both the traditions and technical foundations of Arabic music.
His role in “Bejamalen” aligns with Afaq Art Production’s stated commitment to supporting promising voices. The production surrounds his performance with an experienced creative team, but it does not position him as secondary to the orchestra. His voice carries the poetry’s spiritual and emotional direction, serving as the point through which listeners encounter the text.
The combination of Kamal’s youth, academic musical background, and emerging professional career gives the release an important generational dimension. “Bejamalen” is based on a classical poetic form and guided by deeply established spiritual ideas, yet it is being introduced through the voice of an artist still at the beginning of his wider journey. That relationship between inherited knowledge and emerging talent reflects the larger vision of the project.
The technical production was completed with sound engineering and mixing by George Yacoub. His work supports the balance required by an arrangement containing multiple orchestral traditions, Arabic instrumentation, ensemble textures, and a central vocal performance. In a composition of this scale, clarity is essential. Each musical layer must contribute to the complete sound without covering the words or weakening the emotional progression of the qasida.
Direction by Sherif Wahba completes the principal creative team. Through the music video, the production moves beyond audio into a visual presentation intended to carry the work’s atmosphere and meaning to YouTube audiences. The visual component also provides Afaq with another way to introduce Sufi poetry and Arabic orchestral music to listeners who may first discover the project through digital platforms rather than traditional performance spaces.
Although “Bejamalen” is only Afaq Art Production’s second announced major musical release, it arrives with a clear sense of continuity. “Althulathia” established the company’s interest in presenting serious Arabic music through distinguished voices and developed orchestral production. “Bejamalen” expands that direction through a younger singer, another Sufi qasida by Sheikh Abd Al-Ghani, and the continued collaboration of George Kolta and Syncop Orchestra.
The company is also preparing additional productions intended for release before the end of 2026. Its developing catalog suggests an approach based on carefully built works rather than rapid releases. The nearly three-year preparation behind “Bejamalen” reflects that emphasis on artistic detail, bringing together the composition, voice, orchestral direction, sound engineering, and visual presentation as parts of one complete statement.
At its core, “Bejamalen” is a work about connection. It connects poetry with orchestration, spiritual tradition with contemporary production, and an established creative team with a rising young vocalist. It also reflects Afaq Art Production’s belief that Arabic music can remain authentic while participating in a wider international musical conversation.
That belief does not require the work to hide or dilute its origins. The qasida remains Sufi in its themes, Arabic in its poetic and melodic foundations, and specific in its closing praise of the Prophet Muhammad. Its cross-cultural reach comes through the care with which those elements are presented, not through removing the qualities that make the work distinct.
With Sheikh Abd Al-Ghani Al-Umari Al-Hasani’s poetry and composition guiding its spiritual direction, Ziad Kamal carrying the words through voice, and Maestro George Kolta and Syncop Orchestra shaping its orchestral identity, “Bejamalen” introduces beauty as both a musical quality and a path toward knowledge. For Afaq Art Production & Distribution, the release is another expression of a long-term vision: elevating Arabic music through work that respects its history, invests in its present, and creates thoughtful possibilities for its future.
Production Credits
Produced by: Afaq Art Production & Distribution
Lyrics and composition: Sheikh Abd Al-Ghani Al-Umari Al-Hasani
Vocals: Ziad Kamal
Orchestral arrangement and direction: Maestro George Kolta
Orchestra: Syncop Orchestra
Sound engineering and mixing: George Yacoub
Direction: Sherif Wahba
Music video release date: July 2, 2026, on YouTube
