Raihan (derived from the Arabic word ''Rayḥān'' (),
"Fragrance of Heaven") is a Malaysian
nasheed group originally composed of five members that became popular in Malaysia with the release of their debut album ''Puji-Pujian'' in October 1996. The group's original line-up comprised Nazrey Johani, Che Amran Idris, Abu Bakar Md Yatim, Amran Ibrahim, and Azhari Ahmad as the leader. Produced by Farihin Abdul Fattah, ''Puji-Pujian'' grossed sales of more than 750,000 units in Malaysia alone, with 200,000 units sold within the first two months after its launch, and 3,500,000 units have been sold worldwide, which makes them the most successful Malaysian artist in terms of album sales.
However, on 29 August 2001, one of the founding members, Azhari Ahmad, died of a myocardial infarction (heart attack) shortly after attending the Era Awards ceremony in
Genting Highlands
Genting Highlands is a hill station located on the peak of Mount Ulu Kali in the Titiwangsa Mountains, central Peninsular Malaysia, at 1800 metres elevation. Located in the state of Pahang, it was established in 1965 by the late Malaysian busi ...
, Pahang.
The remaining four members, Nazrey Johani, Che Amran Idris, Abu Bakar Md Yatim, and Amran Ibrahim, have continued releasing albums. So far, Raihan has released a total of 11 albums and has won many awards in Malaysia. Raihan has won ''AIM Anugerah Kembara'' three times for their extensive international tours.
Nazrey Johani resigned from Raihan and was replaced by Nordin Jaafar. However, in early January 2007, Nordin Jaafar himself resigned. Zulfadhli also is no longer with Raihan since November 2015.
Raihan's motto is 'Pray Hard, Work Smart'.
Achievements
International performances
In 1997, they were invited by
Queen Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...
to perform at
Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting
The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM; or) is a wiktionary:biennial, biennial summit meeting of the List of current heads of state and government, governmental leaders from all Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth nations. ...
in Edinburgh
where they also received an honorary letter from
Prince Charles
Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms.
Charles was born at Buckingham Palace during the reign of his maternal grandfather, King George VI, and ...
for their performance in ''Commonwealth in Concert''. The following year, they were given the chance to meet the Queen during her visit to Malaysia for the
1998 Commonwealth Games
The 1998 Commonwealth Games ( Malay: ), officially known as the XVI Commonwealth Games (Malay: ), were a multi-sport event held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The 1998 games were the first held in Asia and the last Commonwealth Games of the 20th cen ...
in Kuala Lumpur.
The group had recorded 2 songs (Seal of The Prophet and God Is The Light) with Yusuf Islam in their second album Syukur.
Platinum status
Raihan is one of the most successful artists in Malaysia, where their debut album, Puji-Pujian is the highest selling album in Malaysia with a total sale of 3,500,000 units thus gaining 12 times Platinum status and Double Platinum in Singapore. Their albums were also well received by fans in neighboring Indonesia, where their fourth album, Koleksi Nasyid Terbaik sold more than 200,000 units and their tenth album, Bacalah sold more than 70,000 units.
World tour
Raihan is the third Malaysian artist to perform at the
Royal Albert Hall
The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London, England. It has a seating capacity of 5,272.
Since the hall's opening by Queen Victoria in 1871, the world's leading artists from many performance genres ...
after
Siti Nurhaliza
Siti Nurhaliza binti Tarudin (Jawi script, Jawi: سيتي نورهاليزا بنت تارودين, ; born 11 January 1979) is a renowned Malaysian singer, songwriter, and actress, celebrated for her significant contributions to the music and ...
and late
Sudirman Arshad
Dato' Sudirman bin Haji Arshad (25 May 1954 – 22 February 1992), known mononymously as Sudirman, was a Malaysian singer, songwriter and actor. His singing career kicked off after winning the Bintang RTM singing competition on 11 August, 1 ...
, and the first artist to perform for the second time (in 2008) for ''Evening of Inspiration'' for Islamic Relief UK, where they also have launched their twelfth album, Selawat for the celebration of
Mawlid
The Mawlid () is an annual festival commemorating the birthday of the Islamic prophet Muhammad on the traditional date of 12 Rabi' al-Awwal, the third month of the Islamic calendar. A day central to the traditions of some Sunnis, Mawlid is al ...
in the very same hall.
In 2004, they had a large tour in France covering seven cities:
Bordeaux
Bordeaux ( ; ; Gascon language, Gascon ; ) is a city on the river Garonne in the Gironde Departments of France, department, southwestern France. A port city, it is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the Prefectures in F ...
,
Marseille
Marseille (; ; see #Name, below) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Bouches-du-Rhône and of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region. Situated in the ...
,
Nantes
Nantes (, ; ; or ; ) is a city in the Loire-Atlantique department of France on the Loire, from the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast. The city is the List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, sixth largest in France, with a pop ...
,
Strasbourg
Strasbourg ( , ; ; ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est Regions of France, region of Geography of France, eastern France, in the historic region of Alsace. It is the prefecture of the Bas-Rhin Departmen ...
,
Lille
Lille (, ; ; ; ; ) is a city in the northern part of France, within French Flanders. Positioned along the Deûle river, near France's border with Belgium, it is the capital of the Hauts-de-France Regions of France, region, the Prefectures in F ...
,
Lyon
Lyon (Franco-Provençal: ''Liyon'') is a city in France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of the French Alps, southeast of Paris, north of Marseille, southwest of Geneva, Switzerland, north ...
and Paris. They also had done a road tour in United Kingdom in cities including
Glasgow
Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...
, Edinburgh,
Manchester
Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...
, Birmingham,
Cardiff
Cardiff (; ) is the capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of Wales. Cardiff had a population of in and forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area officially known as the City and County of Ca ...
, Bristol and
Wembley
Wembley () is a large suburbIn British English, "suburb" often refers to the secondary urban centres of a city. Wembley is not a suburb in the American sense, i.e. a single-family residential area outside of the city itself. in the London Borou ...
. On 16 July 2005, they have been invited to perform at
Canada's Wonderland
Canada's Wonderland, formerly known as Paramount Canada's Wonderland, is a amusement park located in Vaughan, Ontario, a municipality within the Greater Toronto Area. Opened in 1981 by the Taft Broadcasting, Taft Broadcasting Company and the Gr ...
in Toronto to entertain Muslim visitors. So far they have performed in:
Australia, Canada, China, France, Great Britain, Hong Kong,
Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...
, Ireland,
Kuwait
Kuwait, officially the State of Kuwait, is a country in West Asia and the geopolitical region known as the Middle East. It is situated in the northern edge of the Arabian Peninsula at the head of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to Iraq–Kuwait ...
, Russia, Singapore,
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in West Asia. Located in the centre of the Middle East, it covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries ...
, South Africa,
Thailand
Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...
,
Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago, officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean, comprising the main islands of Trinidad and Tobago, along with several List of islands of Trinidad and Tobago, smaller i ...
and United States. By 2005, they have performed concerts in Indonesia more than ten times, Thailand six times, United Kingdom four times and South Africa three times.
International tours
*
Singapore Indoor Stadium
The Singapore Indoor Stadium, known exonymously as the Indoor Stadium, is an indoor arena located in Kallang, Singapore. It is within walking distance of the Singapore National Stadium, and collectively form a part of the wider Singapore S ...
(Debut Live Concert)
* Commonwealth Conference in Edinburgh (1997)
* Royal Albert Hall London, Manchester, Glasgow, Birmingham and Bristol (UK)
* Cape Town, Durban and Johannesburg (South Africa)
* Brunei Darussalam
* Moscow, Saratov and Mahachkala, Russia
* Trinidad and Tobago, South America
* Toronto, Canada
*
Aceh
Aceh ( , ; , Jawi script, Jawoë: ; Van Ophuijsen Spelling System, Old Spelling: ''Atjeh'') is the westernmost Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia. It is located on the northern end of Sumatra island, with Banda Aceh being its capit ...
,
Medan
Medan ( , ) is the capital city, capital and largest city of the Indonesian Provinces of Indonesia, province of North Sumatra. The nearby Strait of Malacca, Port of Belawan, and Kualanamu International Airport make Medan a regional hub and multi ...
,
Padang
Padang () is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the Indonesian Provinces of Indonesia, province of West Sumatra. It had a population of 833,562 at the 2010 CensusBiro Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2011. and 909,040 at the 2020 Census;Bad ...
,
Palembang
Palembang (, Palembang: ''Pelémbang'', Mandarin: 巨港 (Jùgǎng), Hokkien: 舊港 (Kū-káng), Jawi: ) is the capital city of the Indonesian province of South Sumatra. The city proper covers on both banks of the Musi River in the ea ...
,
Riau
Riau (Jawi script, Jawi: ) is a Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia. It is located on the central eastern coast of the island of Sumatra, and extends from the eastern slopes of the Barisan Mountains to the Malacca Strait, including s ...
,
Batam
Batam, officially the City of Batam (, not to be confused with ''Batam Kota'', a kecamatan, district within this city), is the largest List of regencies and cities of Indonesia, city in the Indonesian province of Riau Islands. The city administra ...
,
Bandung
Bandung is the capital city of the West Java province of Indonesia. Located on the island of Java, the city is the List of Indonesian cities by population, fourth-most populous city and fourth largest city in Indonesia after Jakarta, Surabay ...
,
Jakarta
Jakarta (; , Betawi language, Betawi: ''Jakartè''), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta (; ''DKI Jakarta'') and formerly known as Batavia, Dutch East Indies, Batavia until 1949, is the capital and largest city of Indonesia and ...
,
Solo
Solo or SOLO may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Characters
* Han Solo, a ''Star Wars'' character
* Jacen Solo, a Jedi in the non-canonical ''Star Wars Legends'' continuity
* Kylo Ren (Ben Solo), a ''Star Wars'' character
* Napoleon Solo, fr ...
,
Jogjakarta,
Surabaya
Surabaya is the capital city of East Java Provinces of Indonesia, province and the List of Indonesian cities by population, second-largest city in Indonesia, after Jakarta. Located on the northeastern corner of Java island, on the Madura Strai ...
,
Balikpapan
Balikpapan is a seaport city in East Kalimantan, Indonesia. Located on the east coast of the island of Borneo, the city is the financial center of Kalimantan. Balikpapan is the city with the largest economy in Kalimantan with an estimated 20 ...
,
Gorontalo
Gorontalo ( Gorontaloan: ''Hulontalo'') is a province of Indonesia on the island of Sulawesi. Located on the Minahasa Peninsula, Gorontalo was formerly part of the province of North Sulawesi until its inauguration as a separate province on 5 De ...
,
Fakfak
Fakfak (), also known as the District of Fakfak, is a town in West Papua and seat of the Fakfak Regency. It had a population of 12,566 at the 2010 Census, which rose to 18,900 at the 2020 Census.Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2021. It is served b ...
,
Irian Jaya
New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; , fossilized , also known as Papua or historically ) is the world's second-largest island, with an area of . Located in Melanesia in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the island is separated from Austral ...
(
Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...
)
* Bangkok, Patani, Narathiwat, Yala, Satun, Thailand
* Kuwait City
* Dubai, Abu Dhabi, UAE.
* Damascus, Syria
* Algiers, Constantine, Algeria
* Hong Kong
* Paris, Bordeaux, Marseille, Nantes, Lille, Strasbourg, France
* Perth, Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney, Australia
Awards
Anugerah Industri Muzik Malaysia (Music Industry Awards)
* Best New Group (1998)
* Best Nasyid Album (Puji-Pujian) (1998)
* Best Album (Puji-Pujian) (1998)
* Kembara (Explorer) Award (1998)
* Best Duo/Group Vocal Performance in an Album (Syukur) (1999)
* Best Nasyid Album (Syukur) (1999)
* Best Duo/Group Vocal Performance in an Album (Senyum) (2000)
* Best Nasyid Album (Senyum) (2000)
* Kembara (Explorer) Award (2001)
* Best Duo/Group Vocal Performance in an Album (Demi Masa) (2002)
* Best Nasyid Album (Gema Alam) (2004)
* Best Duo/Group Vocal Performance in an Album (Allahu) (2005)
* Best Nasyid Album (Allahu) (2005)
* Best Nasyid Album (Ameen) (2006)
* Kembara (Explorer) Award (2006)
* Best Nasyid Album (Tawakkal) (2007)
* Best Nasyid Song 2009
* Malaysia's best selling album ever (PUJI-PUJIAN – 1.5Mil units) and total album sales of 3.5 million units (to date);
* Starred in Malaysia's first movie with a totally Islamic theme, SYUKUR 21;
* Won many local industry music awards for a variety of achievements including Best Album, Best Vocals, Album of the Year and Most Travelled Artistes, travelled in all six continents;
* Accorded the Malaysian Book of Records' Fastest Selling Album (Jan 1997)
* Awarded the Mahabbah award in Dubai (2006)
* Defined the Contemporary Nasyeed music genre, becoming the trendsetters and inspiring many local and international nasyeed acts
* Being the preferred benchmark for nasyeed repertoire and performances
* Appointed Peace Ambassadors representing Malaysia by the Prime Minister's Department (2006);
* Launching the annual RAIHAN World Tours (2006) and most significant of all (but seldom mentioned) – inspiring millions of lives to constantly become better Muslims.
* Listed in 50 faces of Malaysia 2008
* Listed in The 500 Most Influential Muslims in the World 2008, 2009, 2010
Albums
* 01. Puji-Pujian (1996)
* 02. Syukur (1997)
* 03. Senyum (1999)
* 04. Maafkan ''
ith NowSeeHeart, Ajai, Rem, Amir and Man Bai' (1999)
* 05. Koleksi Nasyid Terbaik (compilation) (2000)
* 06. Syukur 21 ''
yukur 21 film soundtrack' (2000)
* 07. Demi Masa (2001)
* 08. Gema Alam (2002)
* 09. Brotherhood (2003) ''
nternational Release'
* 10. Allahu (2004)
* 11. Ameen (2005)
* 12. Iqra'-Bacalah
oleksi Terbaik Raihan 1 Dekad(2005)
* 13. Tawakal (2006)
* 14. The Spirit Of Shalawat (2008)
* 15. Musafir Perjuangan (2010)
* 16. Zikir Teraphy (2011)
* 17. Lagu-Lagu Hafalan (2011)
References
– Retrieved 11 January 2007 (In Malay)– Retrieved 5 May 2007 (In Malay)
External links
Preview Raihan's Hit Debut Album, 'Puji-Pujian'Preview Raihan's Hit Album, 'Syukur'which includes
Yusuf Islam (formerly known as Cat Stevens) singin
"God is the Light"
{{Authority control
Performers of Islamic music
Malaysian nasheed groups
Musical groups established in 1996
Warner Music Group artists