About
Saleel al-Sawarim / Salil Sawarim (“Clashing of the Swords”) is an Arabic propaganda song created by the Islamic jihadist extremist militant group ISIS. Due to its frequent usage by the ISIS in their propaganda videos, the song has been sampled in a variety of parodies and remixes on YouTube.
Origin
The nasheed is believed to have been written by an anonymous ISIS member who goes by the pseudonym Abu Yasir[1] in affiliation with the group’s propaganda recording label, the Ajnad Media Foundation (AMF). As the title “Clashing / Clanging Of The Swords”[10] suggests, the song calls upon its listeners to take up arms and “wage a war against the enemy.” The song was first introduced as the musical accompaniment to the fourth installment of the ISIS propaganda video series with the same name, released via Twitter on March 17th, 2014.
Phonetic:
Saleelul sawarim nasheedul ubah
Wa darbul qitaly tariqul haya
Fa baynaq tihamin yubidu tugha
Wa kateem musawtim jamilun sadah
Saleelul sawarim nasheedul ubah
Wa darbul qitaly tariqul haya
Fa baynaq tihamin yubidu tugha
Wa kateem musawtim jamilun sadah
Behi azadini w galal bugha faya qawmi hubu lidarbil kumah
Fa ima hayatun tasurul hudah wa ima ma’matun yughighul uda
Wa ima ma’matun yughighul uda
Saleelul sawarim nasheedul ubah
Wa darbul qitaly tariqul haya
Fa baynaq tihamin yubidu tugha
Wa kateem musawtim jamilun sadah
Faqum yaw’faya lidarbin naja lilamdi saweeya nasudul ghuza
Wa narfa umajida wa nu’leh jiba abat antadila be ghairil ilah
Abat antadila le ghairil ilah
Saleelul sawarim nasheedul ubah
Wa darbul qitaly tariqul haya
Fa baynaq tihamin yubidu tugha
Wa kateem musawtim jamilun sadah
Il al haqi haya da’ana lewa
Li sahil manaya be harbi aydah
Faman ma ta’minna fi dan an himah
Bi janati khuldin sayaghdu azah
Bi janati khuldin sayaghdu azah
Saleelul sawarim nasheedul ubah
Wa darbul qitaly tariqul haya
Fa baynaq tihamin yubidu tugha
Wa kateem musawtim jamilun sadah
Saleelul sawarim nasheedul ubah
Wa darbul qitaly tariqul haya
Fa baynaq tihamin yubidu tugha
Wa kateem musawtim jamilun sadah
Saleelul sawarim
Translation:
Clashing of the swords: a nasheed of the defiant.
The path of fighting is the path of life.
So amidst an assault, tyranny is destroyed.
And concealment of the voice results in the beauty of the echo.
Clashing of the swords: a nasheed of the defiant.
The path of fighting is the path of life.
So amidst an assault, tyranny is destroyed.
And concealment of the voice results in the beauty of the echo.
By it my religion is glorified, and tyranny is laid low.
So, oh my people, awake on the path of the brave.
For either being alive delights leaders, or being dead vexes the enemy.
Clashing of the swords: a nasheed of the defiant.
The path of fighting is the path of life.
So amidst an assault, tyranny is destroyed.
And concealment of the voice results in the beauty of the echo.
Clashing of the swords: a nasheed of the defiant.
The path of fighting is the path of life.
So amidst an assault, tyranny is destroyed.
And concealment of the voice results in the beauty of the echo.
So arise, brother, get up on the path of salvation,
So we may march together, resist the aggressors,
Raise our glory, and raise the foreheads
That have refused to bow before any besides God.
Clashing of the swords: a nasheed of the defiant.
The path of fighting is the path of life.
So amidst an assault, tyranny is destroyed.
And concealment of the voice results in the beauty of the echo.
Clashing of the swords: a nasheed of the defiantt.
The path of fighting is the path of life.
So amidst an assault, tyranny is destroyed.
And concealment of the voice results in the beauty of the echo.
With righteousness arise,
The banner has called us,
To brighten the path of destiny,
To wage war on the enemy.
Whosoever among us dies, in sacrifice for defence,
Will enjoy eternity in Paradise. Mourning will depart.
Clashing of the swords: a nasheed of the defiant.
The path of fighting is the path of life.
So amidst an assault, tyranny is destroyed.
And concealment of the voice results in the beauty of the echo.
Clashing of the swords: a nasheed of the defiant.
The path of fighting is the path of life.
So amidst an assault, tyranny is destroyed.
And concealment of the voice results in the beauty of the echo.
Spread
On June 12th, 2014, YouTuber Swerg Swig uploaded a chipmunk rendition of the song, the earliest known remix of the nasheed to date, garnering over 132,500 views in the following year.
On September 14th, YouTuber FaQ uploaded a hardcore EDM remix of the song in its entirety. On September 25th, YouTuber UgandaPizzaPolice uploaded a parody video featuring the song with a snippet clip from Discovery’s space educational TV series Through the Wormhole.
On November 15th, YouTuber Oṁkāra Dāsa uploaded a Hank Hill parody of the song, which garnered over 167,000 views in about nine months (shown below, left). On December 28th, an MLG montage parody was uploaded by redditor Mtnraccoondew to the r/montageparodies subreddit[2], where the song was featured in the video.
Through the first half of 2015, the song continued to gain exposure on YouTube as it became used as the unofficial background music for the Unexpected Jihad remixes, along with the well-known Arabic expression “Allahu Akbar”.
Various Examples
Search Interest
External References
[1]Quora – Is the nasheed song “Saleel Al Sawarim” made by the ISIS (Daesh) artist? Is there any relation?
[2]Reddit – Lego MLG Jihad [edgy 144p quality]
[4]Jihadica – Is this the most successful release of a jihadist video ever?
[5]Mother Jones – Inside the World of ISIS Propaganda Music
[6]Word Reference Forums – Saleel Sawarim
[7]Vocativ – British Teen YouTuber Mocking ISIS Becomes Its “American” Idol
[8]Washington Post – 11 times the Middle East mocked the Islamic State
[9]Twitter – Hashtag Results for #صليل_الصوارم
[10]Letras – Saleel Al Sawarim
[11]YouTube – Search Results for ‘Saleel Al Sawarim’
[12]VICE– The Terrorist Parody Video Is Now a Problematic Meme
[13]Pundicity – Clashing of the Swords – New ISIS nasheed from Ajnad Media
[14]Reddit – /r/UnexpectedAllah
[15]MyInstants – Saleel Al Sawarim