Perhaps itâs fun to be the youngest child, the pampered one whose family enjoys his singing and praises him even if his voice is bad. But not if you live in a camp with a large family, and you are the age of your parentsâ grandchildren! Then, itâs easier to be mischievous to get attention.
In truth, I donât feel like Iâm mischievous, but thatâs what others say about me. However, I donât care, as long as Iâm having fun and theyâre paying attention to me. Just like a woman in the camp praised me. I enjoyed singing and imitating Nader Al-Sharari, imagining myself in front of a crowd of applauding fans, and this woman cared about me.
I enjoyed singing, the âAtaba, and everything others around me listened to and I imitated. Eventually, they would call me to perform something for them, especially when they thought I was starting to misbehave, distracting me with singing. I never thought beyond imitation and praise to become a singer, and I didnât know I had to learn a lot to reach the level of those I imitated.
We moved to another camp, and a woman told us about the Creativity Center. It was a new idea, as even though I was ten years old, I had never attended school before.
The Creativity Center became my first school. I learned the musical scale before the alphabet and played the piano, though the drum is my favorite instrument. This place was the most fascinating thing in my life. I learned discipline and that mischief isnât a good way to get attention, and that their love and kindness towards me are much better. From there, I moved on to a real school to learn everything I had missed.
We trained on many songs with the teacher. I started memorizing the Quran alongside the songs, and we recorded several clips. But the most fun recordings are those spontaneously filmed by photographer Mohammed Al-Hazzaa when I perform something new I had memorized for him.
I dream of becoming a Quran reciter. I will learn and train more; I want to master the art of beautiful voice and correct pronunciation. I will strive to learn Tajweed and perfect recitation. I want to stand before people and lead them in prayer with a beautiful voice. I want them to hear my voice echoing from afar, calling them to âCome to success.