Mustapha (Queen song)

"Mustapha" is a song written by Freddie Mercury and recorded by English rock band Queen. It is the first track of their 1978 album Jazz. "Mustapha" was released as a single in Germany, Spain, Yugoslavia and Bolivia in 1979.

In live performances, Mercury would often sing the opening vocals of "Mustapha" in place of the complex introduction to "Bohemian Rhapsody", going from "Allah will pray for you" to "Mama, I just killed a man...". However, sometimes the band performed an almost full version of the song from the Crazy Tour in late 1979 to The Game Tour in 1980, with Mercury at the piano. They dropped the second verse and went from the first chorus to the third. Also notable is that the song was often requested by the audience, as can be heard on Live Killers.

Possible Islamic meaning

• Although Mercury was not a Muslim, he did spend his formative years in Zanzibar and in India, both of which have large Muslim populations.^[1][2]

• In the song, he demonstrates a familiarity with the pronunciation and meaning of traditional Islamic words, phrases, and even the Islamic call to prayer - the Adhan - which his opening a cappella vocal flourishes seem to recall.^[3]

• Mustafa (Arabic: مصطفى‎, Muṣṭafā‎) is an Arabic word which is an epithet of Muhammad, the prophet of Islam and which means "Chosen One".

• Ibrahim (Arabic: إبراهيم, Ibrāhīm) is the Arabic name for Abraham, the biblical patriarch, who is also a revered prophet in Islam.

• The phrase "Mustapha, Ibrahim. Mustapha, Ibrahim. Allah, Allah, Allah will pray for you" is similar to the supplication that Muslims make during the last portion of the Salah (the compulsory prayer performed five times each day). In this supplication, the petitioner asks God (Allah) to bestow prayers and blessings upon Muhammad (Mustapha), just as He has bestowed prayers and blessings upon Abraham (Ibrahim).^[4]

• Every one of the five daily prayers ends with "as-salaamu alaykum" (peace be upon you) ^[5] and Mercury ends Mustapha with "alaykum salaam", which is the correct response to "as-salaamu alaykum".

Freddie Mercury said that the song has no meaning. Some say they would not play the song among Muslims because of the controversial line "Allah will pray for you" as it is usually people praying to Allah, not Allah praying for people. Sputnik reviews also suggested that the song "Mustapha" has no meaning.

References