5 Ramadan-Inspired Playlists to Stream This Month
Each night as the sun begins to set during the holy month of Ramadan, Muslim friends and families around the world gather after a day of fasting and reflection. Ramadan marks the holiest time of the Muslim year—a month of spiritual rejuvenation, humility, and togetherness.
Community gatherings around Suhoor, the pre-dawn meal, and Iftar, the breakfast meal, play a particularly significant role. This week, we kicked Ramadan off with our own Suhoor in Egypt. Guests enjoyed a traditional menu with kobeba (a Middle-Eastern meatloaf) and erk sous (licorice juice) and were entertained by Hegazy Metkal, an iconic Egyptian folk singer.
Hegazy Metkal
We talked to a few friends of Spotify about their own Ramadan traditions. “We eat together of course—it’s a must,” says Egyptian-Lebanese travel and entertainment vlogger Mohamed Mekawy. “We go pray together, watch some series together … it’s all about togetherness.”
Fashion and lifestyle blogger Sarah Taha agrees that her family’s traditions for the holy month include “Praying together, akeed!” (Akeed is an Arabic term for “of course.”) TV presenter and influencer Amr Rady explained that in his family, “the first person to leave the family gathering has to invite everyone for Iftar the next day.”
In addition to prayer and traditional celebratory food, families and friends listen to everyone’s favorite classic and spiritual Ramadan tunes and anthems. Below are our five Ramadan playlists, created or updated especially to celebrate the holy month and provide people of all faiths a sense of the sounds—traditional and modern alike—enjoyed and shared by Muslims around the world.
Ramadan Mubarak
Billions of Muslims around the world celebrate Ramadan. Each of the different cultures also has different traditions—whether it be cooking special food or wearing certain colors or costumes. So to celebrate the holiness and the diversity of practice in this month, we put together a multicultural and personalized playlist on the Global Arab hub.
Ramadan Series
During the holy month, Arab families gather to watch their favorite shows made specifically for Ramadan, called Mosalsalat Ramadan in Arabic. This playlist showcases the soundtracks of the most popular Ramadan TV dramas in the Middle East and North Africa.
https://open.spotify.com/user/spotify/playlist/37i9dQZF1DX4szXk9xARLm?si=jWQpabTVRzKcPwev0VtnBQ
Ramadan Chill
With instrumental Eastern melodies that are relaxing and spiritual, this playlist is best suited to winding down for the evening at Iftar. The playlist includes artists and songs recognizable to listeners throughout the Middle East and North Africa.
https://open.spotify.com/user/spotify/playlist/37i9dQZF1DWWvGPolkxTYD?
Jalsat
Think of this playlist as “Ramadan Unplugged” (Jalsat means “sessions”). The music, unique to the Persian Gulf region, has an unusual yet alluring beat. It features Khaleeji (people of the Arab peninsula) artists performing both classics and new songs with the crowd clapping along in the background.
Sheilat
Popular in the Persian Gulf, Sheilat is based on folklore and driven more by lyrics than instruments. This is more conservative, traditional music for the month—sure to get you in a reflective mood and mindset.
You can also take a listen to Lagu Ramadan and Lagu Raya for the sounds of Ramadan in Malaysia and Singapore, and Ketupat Lebaran for Indonesia. Or, stream the Ramazan playlist to get a feel for the holy month in Turkey. And because the start of Ramadan is determined by the sighting of the moon, why not check out Stargazer?
No matter where you are, Ramadan Mubarak to all who celebrate.
