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

Many streaming services have created sections dedicated to the holy month

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

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.

_________________

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

_________________