| Zain Bhikha | |
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Zain Bhikha in 2008 |
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| Background information | |
| Born | August 9, 1974 Pretoria, South Africa |
| Origin | Indian South African |
| Genres | Islamic Nasheed |
| Occupations | Singer-songwriter, Musician |
| Years active | 1990–present |
| Labels | Jamal Records/Mountain of Light |
| Associated acts | Yusuf Islam, Dawud Wharnsby, Rashid Bhikha |
| Website | ZainBhikha.com |
Zain Bhikha (Hindi: ज़ैन भिखा, Urdu: زین بھکھا; born August 9, 1974) is an Indian South African singer-songwriter, who has achieved success as a performer of Islamic nasheed songs. Associated with prominent Muslim personalities, including Yusuf Islam and Dawud Wharnsby, Bhikha has collaborated on albums and also released several solo albums. He has written several religious albums concerning Islam.
Bhikha may best be known outside of the Muslim community for his performance with a drummer and several backup vocalists who were the African singers in the Disney cartoon movie The Lion King.[1]
Bhikha's music almost exclusively follows Islamic themes, with only voice and drums being used, since the use of musical instruments other than the voice and the drum is an area of debate in Muslim jurisprudence, considered harām, or "unlawful" by a portion of the Muslim community.
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Bhikha is currently involved in educational projects in his native South Africa as well as international initiatives to educate through song.[2] He is also working with Indian Islamic Channel Peace TV.
On April 24, 2008, Bhikha participated in a, international annual singing competition on the Prophet Muhammad's birthday, named the Al Mahabbah Awards Festival, in Abu Dhabi. Bhikha was particularly noted for his performance accompanied by the aforementioned drummer and backing singers. One song they performed was "Peace Train", composed by Yusuf Islam.[1]