Today’s Enlightening Entertainment will be presented in Arabic and English, with subtitles in Arabic, Aulacese (Vietnamese), Chinese, English, French, German, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Malay, Persian, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish and Thai.

Mr. Rahim AlHaj is known as one of the few finest oud musicians of our time. Born in Baghdad, Iraq, the son of a legendary oud maker, he fell in love with the instrument at a young age. With his remarkable talent discovered early on, Rahim AlHaj studied with the renowned oud artist Munir Bashir, considered worldwide to be the greatest oud player of the 20th century.

Rahim AlHaj has received two Grammy Award nominations for his original performances and is known for his collaborations with artists of various cultures. Since 2000, he has lived in the United States, and through his fascinating performances and stories, has been sharing the true Iraq with audiences around the world.

Mr. AlHaj describes the music of his homeland, Iraq.

When we make our music, we make it really sad, but it's very soulful. And we make, for example, songs, we depend on the poetry, where the poetry is so important to Arab country, specifically in Iraq where the poetry is more important than music itself. So, they integrate between the strong words and spoken words as a poetry, and the same time to compose the music inside this song and to make it more powerful.

So I would say Iraqi music, in general, [is] more soulful, sad music, and also has hope. If you think about it, it has certain hope when you listen to it, and you think that, "Oh, there's some certain element that makes Iraqi music so specific and so unique at the same time.

The oud is considered the oldest stringed instrument in the world. It originated 5,000 years ago with the Sumerian civilization that flourished in present-day southern Iraq.

It's called "the grandfather" for all the string instruments, where the lute, you know, lute – oud, European lute, that's what came from oud, and sarod in India, -rod, oud. Guitar, when the great oud player, when he immigrated from Baghdad to southern Spain. And now it becomes a more really sophisticated instrument. It's a classical music and you can compose in this instrument.

Mr. AlHaj explains why the oud has been considered a sacred instrument in Iraq since ancient times.

Iraqi music is so sacred; it's so soulful, because it has to come with your heart. It has to come with your feeling and deep feeling at the same time.

Rahim AlHaj recalls his tender childhood in his hometown, Baghdad, Iraq.

There are two teachers in my life and I think one of them, he is the most famous oud player in twentieth century, Munir Bashir. The first teacher when I was in elementary school, he wasn’t really a musician, he was an Arabic teacher, but he knows how to play the oud and he finds me that I’m in love with this instrument. And since I was eight years old, and he said you are musician. And well, I’m just imitating him. He encouraged me a lot, and I think the best teacher to me was my mom, because she encouraged me a lot.

Mr. AlHaj also studied at the Institute of Music in Baghdad and Mustunsariya University. He now lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico where he teaches Iraqi music to American youth, all while leading a thriving career as well as a composer and performing artist. Thus, Rahim AlHaj is an ambassador of the great Iraqi civilization, past and present.

It's the cradle of civilization. Mesopotamia means the old name of Iraq, and it's still there. I think Iraq is a beautiful country, and a great people, and they deserve better than that. They deserve to live beautifully, that the way they used to.

And we contribute something beautiful to this world, whatever is, whether in science or music or in art or even humanity in general.

I told my audience, look, I’m here not to entertain you, I’m here to give you a message. It’s a great message to give you an invitation to think about the world and to make a difference to this world.

I was a teacher in Baghdad. I was really mean, mean teacher. So I teach my students anything to be a musician and they don’t like it. They need to sing, that’s it. So, “No! You have to have to play oud and you have to play cello and violin,” something like that.

Anyway, and then I said, “Of course, they are kids they need to sing and allowed to have fun, right. So I composed this piece for them called “One Voice” because when I went back in 2004, I searched for them, and they are 24, 24, 25. Anyway, so, “One Voice.”

When we return, Iraqi oud virtuoso and composer Mr. Rahim AlHaj shares about his newest project collaborating with international artists to unify our world. Please stay tuned to Supreme Master Television.

Welcome back to Enlightening Entertainment. As a composer, Iraqi artist Mr. Rahim AlHaj strives to bring humankind together through music. In essence, he believes, there is no distinction of Eastern or Western or other genres, because music is a universal language.

And that's what I'm trying to explain why there is no difference in the music, it's just the taste. It's just how you approach the music. And you have the same scale, for example, you have a minor and major. So when I came to United States for example, I didn't speak English at that time. So I have instrument, so then I can write my music. So I just write my music and people they can play it. I don't need to talk. So, the common things between us as a globe, is the music.

And I think this is a great message to the world. If we have this common things in the world, why we fight each other? Why we concentrate on our differences more than our similarities, right? We have the same music. You have seven notes and I have seven notes. And let's share whatever we have to make the world a better place to live.

When Mr. AlHaj’s duet album with famous Indian musician Amjad Ali Khan was released in 2009, it was nominated for a 2010 Grammy Award in Best Traditional World Music Recording. Mr. AlHaj is not only a master composer for the oud, but skillfully created whole new harmonized pieces for some of the world’s greatest musicians.

I started to compose music actually for concerto for the orchestras and string quartet, within a Western Classical musical, we call it, right? I find it so important to me to write music to let other West in general to understand where we came from.

I started to compose music from different continent of the world. Chinese pipa and with Liu Fang, I compose music for her, for African, with Toumani Diabaté. With native American, with Robert Mirabal, with Latin American, with Santa Fe Guitar Quartet. I mean, every single things in the world, whether they’re world renowned musicians, I wrote music for them with oud. That's all we have. It's the music, it can unite us.

Before we are a musician, we are a human being. And you have to be a good human being before you will be a musician or an artist. Being an artist mean, you have more responsibility to serve this world in better way, to tell the truth. So I think mission of the musician is to deliver the message of peace and love and compassion.

One, two, three, four

I think after nine years being in the United States, a lot of people they became more familiar with the oud. And some are followers, actually they follow me, wherever I go, to other concerts here and there. The same time, like I said, it's the responsibility, is to make the music more accessible. And that's what I'm doing basically as a teacher in my beloved home in Albuquerque, when I teach music theater and ensemble. Because, they’re accustomed and used to playing Beethoven and Mozart and Schubert and Bach right? But now they play something really different from what they are used to.

Mr. AlHaj has visited his homeland frequently. He has used his music as a voice for the disadvantaged women and children in Iraq through benefit concerts.

First composition I would like to play is called the “Halum” (Dream). It’s about the desire that we have to touch our own truth. And I composed this piece, after having a conversation with my nephews and nieces, and I told them: “What are you dreaming right now?” They said: “Well, go to school and have electricity and have clean water, and be safe.” And that's how Iraq children, unfortunately, they are dreaming just to have basics of life. For them to have a real life dream.

I’ve been receiving probably hundred of emails every day from people that are fans and friends and they listen to me and they say “Well, thank you very much for letting me understand what’s going on inside of Iraq.” And that’s what’s the great thing about United States people here. American people, they are beautiful people, are wonderful people.

Finally, Mr. AlHaj expresses his vision for our world.

My vision to the world will be just the globe, and that’s my new record, it’s called “Little Earth,” and including all the musicians from seven continents just to play music. And some of them, we didn’t speak the same language, but we speak the one language, is the music kind. So I’m optimistic the world will be a great place to live and we can love each other and help each other and make the place wonderful to be and concentrate again on our familiarity and similarities.

Let’s unite together. Night’s last piece. I think we have time, or don’t we have time, I don’t know. So now, this piece is called “Chant.” (And to you be peace.) “Chant.” And I remember my mom when I was little, when the kids start crying, and being annoying, so she started Irish rhythm.

You know what, and then, made up some song “Habibi, my sweetheart” to keep them quiet. It’s for oud and string quartet, so I’m the oud; you are the string quartet.

So when I say, one, two, three, four,
one, two, three, four, you’ll keep it the same.

Uh huh. And when I say, one, two, three, four,
you will end, okay with four. Let’s rehearse.

One, two, three, four.

One, two, three, four. Perfect. Here you go.
Okay, now. So one, two, three, four.

We sincerely thank Mr. Rahim AlHaj for bringing near to our hearts the voices and feelings of Iraq, your beautiful country. May Allah bless you in your continued endeavors to bring understanding, caring, and peace in our world.

Rahim AlHaj’s music is available at

Thank you gracious viewers for your company today. Please stay tuned to Supreme Master Television for Words of Wisdom, coming up next after Noteworthy News. May all your loving wishes take flight.

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