Adnan Jastaniah

Whisper of Truth

The Lady... and the Hamburger and Internet Generation

July 5, 2026 - 00:03 | Last update July 5, 2026 - 00:03

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How saddened, nay, how pained I was when I read on platform ‘X’ and other platforms worthless opinions that are nothing but nonsense, written by people who stick their noses where they don't understand, unable to distinguish between the smell of onions and the scent of musk, yet they dominate the scene as intellectuals of this age, giving themselves the audacity to evaluate the voice of the Lady Umm Kulthum, the Planet of the East, and the owner of an artistic legacy that transcends time and space.

At that time, I found nothing to say but 'I jest by the Lord of the Kaaba,' and I remembered what the writer Abdul Latif Al-Sheikh tweeted when he recalled the folk saying: 'Swayr and Aweir and the one who has no good,' and he wrote about it a beautiful literary commentary worth reading.

I did not want to republish what they wrote, because they do not deserve to be given space for discussion, nor to have their lowly opinions promoted. Indeed, merely mentioning their names is a gain they do not deserve, so how about when talking about the Lady? Had I done so, I would have given them a status they do not have, and they would have been happy just because I paid attention to worthless opinions and names that have no taste or merit.

And despite my sadness, I greatly pity what I call the Hamburger and Internet Generation. I replied to one of them on platform ‘X’ saying: The problem is not in Umm Kulthum's voice, but in your hearing. Then I regretted this response, because I realized that the problem is much deeper; the real calamity is that they have lost feeling, and whoever loses feeling loses the ability to appreciate. And the saying is true: 'He who lacks something cannot give it.'

The feeling I mean is not born out of a void, from dead hearts and empty minds, but rather it is shaped by human experiences: deprivation and waiting, separation, longing, and love that begins with a glance, then a smile, then a meeting, then a world of beautiful dreams.

As for today's generation, they have found everything available and fast, even feelings have become quickly consumable. Therefore, they no longer distinguish between the beautiful and the ordinary, nor between the authentic and the fake, after abundance in everything has drowned them, made easy for them, obtained in less than a second. Consequently, they do not feel beauty, the value of time, or the meaning of love and passion.

Hence, the value of artistic taste among them has declined, just as fast food has dominated their tables. Everything is fast, everything is ready, everything is consumed without contemplation or feeling. Therefore, the palate no longer distinguishes between voices, after the arena has become filled with songs concerned only with loud rhythm, body shaking, and 'jumping,' while the 'Ahs' that once summarized the greatest human emotions have become a subject of ridicule. In their time, even a joke has lost its flavor, so how will they feel about an 'Ah' emanating from the golden throat of Umm Kulthum?

In my childhood, I did not like listening to Umm Kulthum; rather, I objected to my younger brother who eagerly awaited the evenings broadcast on Saudi Channel One, which repeated from time to time the songs 'Arooh Le Meen' and 'Fakkarouni,' until the day I listened, for the first time, to her concert where she sang 'Al Qalbu Ya'ashqu Kulla Jameel.' From that moment, the Lady captivated me with the beauty of her exceptional voice. I sought to acquire all her old and new tapes, and I began to live with her songs in every detail.

Then my attachment to her increased when I listened to a clip from the song 'Sahran Lewahdi' as she soared with her enchanting voice:

“Oh you whose contentment is illusions.. and sleeplessness in you is dreams.. even aloofness is deprived of you.. oh if only those days lasted.” Words by the great poet Ahmed Rami, and music by the genius Riad Al Sunbati, created a real poetic taste in me, and made me get closer to the world of poetry and literature.

And in adolescence, I experienced my first love, so I became addicted to reading romantic stories and following Lebanese series such as 'Fares Bani Ayad,' 'Ibn al-Harami,' 'Bint al-Shawish,' and 'Fares wa Najoud.' I would not sleep without the Lady's voice filling my room, hoping to see my beloved in my dreams, as if Umm Kulthum was conveying to me feelings that alleviated the harshness of deprivation and the agony of separation.

Talking about the Lady goes on, and what prompted me to write this article is not to respond to 'Swayr and Aweir and the one who has no good,' nor to the Hamburger and Internet Generation; I could have ignored their nonsense. But I felt it was my duty to take a stance in defense of the artistic icons who created a history of creativity and giving, rejecting the insolence of the small and that empty-minded people become judges evaluating the greatness of the greats.

Glory be to God... the end of times.

And I conclude with what the late poet Lutfi Zaini said in a poem sung by artist Abbadi Al Jawhar:

Oh God, O world, indeed.. we have seen wonders in your conditions In you, the precious one is miserable.. it is cheap even if it is gold