Sounds of Light, a charity musical event, organised by Human Appeal International (Australia) first of the six shows scheduled for Australia- New Zealand on Thursday, February 25. The show witnessed a houseful booking with the biggest names in Islamic Music genre performing at the ASB theatre in Aotea Centre.

Acclaimed Swedish singer-songwriter Maher Zain, Mesut Kurtis from Macedonia, Humoon Al-Khudher from Kuwait and 17-year-old Harris J from the UK wooed the crowd with their singles and witty interactions.

The charity event is held every year in association with Awakening Records to raise funds for the orphans and homeless in the war-torn countries.

The event was hosted by American stand-up comedian, actor and former musician Omar Regan who is well known as the body double of Chris Tucker from the Hollywood blockbuster Rush Hour.

Omar impressed the audience by singing Tum Hi Ho from 2013 Bollywood super hit film Aashiqui 2. He also shared details about his feature film Halalywood and his journey to the world of stand-up comedy. (More in Omar Regan’s interview in the next issue of Indian Weekender).

Mesut Kurtis sang his famous single Tabassam (Smile) and Alhamdulillah (Thank God), which received hoots and applauses from the audience. British Muslim artist Harris J, known to have taken Islamic music by storm, sang Salam- Alaikum from his album Salam.

Kuwait heartthrob Humood Al-Khudher charmed the audience with Edhar (Smile) and Aseer Ahsan and interacted with the audience in Arabic, sharing his story and how important the tour was for him.

The star of the show was Maher Zain, who sang his famous singles Baraka Allahu Lakuma, Thank You Allah and Ya Nabi Salaam-o-Alayka.

Maher Zain has won 14 Platinum Awards by Warner Music Malaysia and Indonesia. He is also well-known for his philanthropic contribution in Middle Eastern countries during the Arab Spring in 2010–11.

The show was attended by nationals of Saudi Arabia, Fiji, India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Egypt, Lebanon, Kuwait and Kiwi Muslims. Post-show, the stars signed music CDs and posed for selfies with their fans.

The event organised by Human Appeal Australia collected donations at the event for the people in the war-torn countries and so far has helped more than 6,500 orphans in the last six years of its establishment.