A sincere Ramadan Kareem to all Muslims around the world from The Sounds of Sudan! This is a commercial I encountered when I was living back in Omdurman in 2012-13, and I find it deeply nostalgic. In any case, for the very few who don’t know, Sudan is 98% Muslim, making the month of Ramadan one of the most religiously and socially important events of the year, if not the most. During Ramadan, Sudanese people, like other Muslims, fast from sunrise to sunset, eat delicious, festive food, strive to do good deeds, and gather with their families. The beginning of Ramadan, like any Islamic month, starts with the sighting of the crescent moon (alluded to in this song). This song celebrates the family aspect of Ramadan, to use our good-heartedness against us and make us buy data from them. I also think Ahmad Samy's voice is pure honey. Hope y’all enjoy this nostalgia trip with me. Inshallah you and yours have a blessed Ramadan. May Allah accept all our deeds and our fasts, and may he protect the people of Sudan and liberate them from the RSF. (the thumbnail depicts the tabag, a local Sudanese basket covering for plates of food woven from dyed vegetable fibers. Purple and orange are the most common tabag colors, which was in the inspiration for the purple-orange color scheme I employed in thumbnails before I was given the idea by Sarah Elderderi to distinguish artists and themes by color.) مِن عامْ لي عامْ مُسْتَنِنَّكْ min ‘aam ley ‘aam mustaninnak We await you, year after year أٌمَّاتْنا بِخَيْرِن راجِنَّك umaatna bikheeyrin raajinnak Our good-hearted mothers anticipate you,* (I'm really unsure about both the transcription of this line and its real meaning, but sometimes, song lyrics are not really that meaningful, unfortunately) شُكْراً ليكَ وشُكْراً لَيْهِنّ shukran leyla wu shukran leyhon We thank you and we thank them, يا رَبّ مِن خَيْرَكْ تَدِّيهِنّ ya rabb min kheyrai taddeehin O Lord, bestow them with your blessings! جَهَزْنا زَمانْ حاجاتْ رَمَضان jahazna zamaan haajat ramadaan We prepared things for Ramadan a while ago, حَنْقُوُلا كَمانْ hangoola kamaan And we’ll say this, too… هَلَّا هِلالَكْ يا رَمَضان halla hilaalak ya ramadaan Your crescent has appeared, O Ramadan! رَمَضان احْلَى فِي الْسُّوُدان ramadan ahla fis-soodaan Ramadan’s sweeter in Sudan. هلَّا هِلالَكْ فِي السُّوُدان halla hilaalak fis-soodaan Your crescent has appeared in Sudan, تَحْلَى اللَمَّة بالحِبَّانْ tahla al-lamma bal-hibbaan Meetups are sweeter when loved ones are involved, عَمَّتْ بَشايْرَكْ كُل مَكان ‘ammat bashaayrak kul makaan The good news of your arrival has spread near and far. زار الفَرَحْ اَهْلِي الحُنان zaar al-farah ahli ul-hanaan Happiness has come to my beloved people, بَيكْ القُلُوبْ مَليانة نُوُرْ beyk al-guloob malyaana noor You fill our hearts with light, حُسْنْ العَمَلْ جاب السُرُوُرْ husn al-’amal jaab as-suroor And doing good deeds brings us delight. جاب السُرُوُرْ jaab as-suroor It brings us delight… رمضان احلى في السودان. ramadaan ahla fis-soodaan Ramadan is sweeter in Sudan. (زين عالم جميل) zeyn ‘aalam jameel Zain - it’s a beautiful world.