With the profound changes to our daily lives brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, the cultural shift of the late 2010s towards demystifying mental health and the importance of self-care has taken on an even greater importance. While we have kept in isolation from others and with the threat of coronavirus itself and its socioeconomic implications, we have had time to consider the activities with which we occupy ourselves. The closure of the shopping centres and leisure venues brings into sharp focus some key questions; “What do I really want to spend my time doing? What do I miss? What don’t I miss? And why did I spend so much time on that in the first place?”.
While some have turned to gardening or niche crafts, others may have found themselves drawn yet further into the wonderland of the internet, with the allure of an ever-bloating Netflix, the surrogate human connection of social media and the ease of shopping online hard to resist. While most would admit that late night show-binges should probably not really be classed as me-time or self-care, do we really have a good idea of what a helpful alternative would be? What really is self-care? Big business and entrepreneurs have been quick to profit from the cultural zeitgeist and offer everything from hydrating foot balms, reflection journals, exotic green teas, facemasks, weighted blankets and all manner of products and self-help guides ready to help you buy “self-care”. But is the pampered body-beautiful or creating the fashionable, minimalist home ambience really the key to self-care? Are we really caring for ourselves and giving ourselves what we need? When our ‘selves’ are considered a harmonisation of the mind, body and spirit, clearly a purely bodily focus of self-care will leave us in a state of imbalance. Looking after one’s skin, diet and headspace is important for sure, but what of one’s spiritual needs, needs for contentment, deep connection and a sense of purpose?
An activity that can combine all three spheres of mind, body and soul at the same time is singing. Not only is singing a physical activity in which one engages one’s entire body, with proven benefits for physical and psychological health, but it can also directly carry a spiritual dimension through the things we sing. In fact, the act of breathing in its very essence is spiritually powerful. The very creation of the human being was by the act of the Divine breath that blew the soul into Adam, and the meaning of the self, nafs, is linguistically related to the nafas, breath. The means of Divine revelation in Islam is a book, the Qur’an, literally meaning that which is recited. It is little wonder then that some of the most prolific Qur’an reciters were also talented singers of songs in praise of God and religion.
Given such a rich precedent for using one’s voice in connecting to our spiritual tradition, one may need little convincing to start singing. But if the idea of harmonising with anyone other than your hairbrush fills you with dread, here are seven further benefits of singing to get you ready to raise your voice:
1. Improved Qur’an recitation
It is well known that some of the best qaris (reciters) of the Qur’an are often very talented singers with many anashid in addition to their recitations. There is clearly a large overlap of transferable skills between them. Singing improves your vocal skills, including the strength of the vocal cords and neck muscles, the capacity of the lungs and the accuracy of your inner ‘musical ear’. Anashid and qasidas are often based upon the famous Arabian musical modes (maqāmāt) that are also applied to Qur’an recitation. Learning one can thus be helpful in the other. And if the songs you sing have any Arabic words in them, this is also a great opportunity to learn new vocabulary which will aid you in your journey to understanding what you are reciting from the Qur’an.
2. Improved respiratory health
Singing has been scientifically shown to be great for your physical health as a whole-body activity, engaging the diaphragm and core muscles thus being great for improving posture and muscle tension. But particularly in the era of coronavirus, singing presents a great way to improve our respiratory health. In fact, the benefits of singing and improved breathing control for your lungs have led the English National Opera to provide a breathing and well-being programme as a form of therapy for sufferers of long Covid.
3. You’ll be happier
Singing is a huge mood booster, releasing ‘happy hormones’ (endorphins, dopamine and serotonin) and helping to reduce stress and our perception of pain. Many studies have shown singing to significantly improve our happiness and sense of well-being. Singing with others in particular helps to form social bonds and creates feelings of excitement and hope with something enjoyable to look forward to, helping in the recovery of those suffering from mental health problems. Studies have shown that prison choirs significantly improve the well-being of inmates. In a time of national lockdown, we could all do with some of that!
4. Family and communal bonding
While we are forced to distance ourselves from our friends and loved ones, more than ever we are realising the importance of our social bonds and connections and the harms of individualism and the subsequent breakdown of communities. Singing provides a fantastic opportunity to reconnect with others, whether virtually for now or in person when circumstances permit. At least within our nuclear families, singing together can help strengthen relationships and create a shared family culture. Partaking in a shared musical language, singing the same songs as your community members, has been shown to be a strong factor in developing kinship bonds and a sense of group membership and belonging.
5. An opportunity to develop a skill
Contrary to popular belief, the ability to sing is not something one is born with. Yes, a degree of musical ability may be hard-wired in our DNA, but nurture, for the most part, will determine how familiar your brain and body will be with the world of sound. If you have grown up believing you are tone deaf, now is the time to deconstruct that myth. Old arguments about the brain losing its plasticity are rightfully being discarded – you are never too old to learn to sing. Especially in trying times where we may be struggling to find productive ways to keep moving forward in our lives, creativity and learning a new skill are great forms of self-care.
6. You’ll get smarter
When we think of intelligence we probably think of high IQ, but the ability to solve logic puzzles and word problems is only one form of intelligence. According to Howard Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences, musical intelligence is a specific category of ability, including a person’s ability to discern pitches, patterns, rhythm and the qualities of sound. Musical training has been shown to lead to improvements in many other skills, including memory, literacy and language skills. Not to mention if the songs you are singing are in different languages, which many anashid are – time to dust off that lockdown brain fog!
7. An opportunity to connect with and preserve the Islamic tradition
The Islamic tradition and the rich history of the Muslim world is full of beautiful sounds and heavenly melodies. There is a vast ocean of hymns, poems, songs and musical traditions of remembrance that in our modern age we are simply oblivious to – now is the time to dig deep and to reconnect with this rich heritage. Not only will this serve us in finding a new, beautiful and refreshing way to connect with our faith and to God, but so too will this reconnection be passed on to the next generation who can grow up in the shade of this beautiful aural tradition.
Singing together should be a staple activity in the life of our Muslim communities. There is so much joy and blessing that we could be infusing into our lives, if only we are brave enough to raise our voices to the heavens and declare our love, regardless of how off-pitch we may sound! Though it may be impossible to gather right now, we can still find any opportunity to sing, whether alone, with our immediate families or online in virtual gatherings of remembrance and celebration. How will you start your singing journey today?