A Muslim Tik Toker, Brother Kareem, has ignited controversy online after criticising popular singer Asake for using a verse from Surah Al-Ikhlas in his latest song, “I Swear.”
The controversial lyrics, “Alhamdulillah Qul Allahu ahadu Allahu samadu, lam yalid wa lam yunhad Wa lam yakulahu, quf wal hadu, hadu, ah ah,” are part of Asake’s third studio album, “Lungu Boy,” released on August 9, 2024.
The social media influencer after expressing disapproval on Sunday, shared a screenshot of the song’s lyrics with the Quaran verse on his Tik Tok page.
In the viral video, Brother Kareem described Asake’s action as a disrespectful act that could dilute the sanctity of the Quran and encourage non-Muslims to engage in similar behaviour.
He said: “If you are a Muslim and you listen to this rapper, he used a whole Quranic verse in his song, Surah Al-Ikhlas.
“He used one of the most powerful verses in the Quran. It’s crazy enough that they are Muslim rappers in the first place, and it’s even crazier that Muslim rappers use Alhamdulillah and Astagfirullah in music.
“But this rapper has used a whole Quranic verse, and fair enough, everyone has their own sins that they struggle with. Maybe music is your sin.
“As a Muslim, you better not justify this. There is no acceptance of this behaviour among Muslims. I don’t know if this man is a Muslim or not, but if he is, ‘Fear Allah, my brother.
“This is disgusting behaviour. As Muslims, we encourage good and forbid evil, and this right here is not good at all”
The Tik Toker added that sugarcoating Islam to appeal to others could lead to such actions, and urged Muslims to avoid listening to the song to avoid gaining extra sin.
“This is what happens when Islam is sugarcoated and watered down to appeal to other people. We always tell the truth no matter what, even if it hurts your feelings. If you don’t like the truth, that’s your problem between you and God.
“But when you sugarcoat the religion, you have non-Muslims doing things like this. What’s scary is that there would be Muslims trying to justify this, trying to say we can’t judge him, leave him alone.”
“This will just encourage other people who are not Muslim to do the exact same thing. Don’t go listen to the song, don’t gain extra sin for yourself.”
Asake has yet to respond publicly to the criticism.
The debate has ignited heated discussions on social media, with some supporting Brother Kareem’s stance and others defending Asake’s artistic expression.
