Nasyid is a form of religious singing based on Islamic teachings, stories and so on. It used to be more in the Arabic tune but nowadays Nasyid is sung to newer musical tempo to suite taste of current listeners. Professor Margaret Sarkissian has published a paper entitled "Religion never had it so good": Contemporary nasyid and the growth of Islamic popular music in Malaysia, in the Yearbook for Traditional Music, vol. 37, pp. 124-152, 2005.
Anasheed are Islamic songs that usually are sung with no musical instruments in the background. Anasheed use only drums. Sometimes anasheed are used with the (aahaat), used in keyboard or with the human voice. Islamic Nasheed are often popular in the Islamic World and the Arab World. The material and lyrics of Anasheed reflect on Islamic beliefs, history, and religion. They have a dramatic and serious tone, and not a playful, pump-up style music. They are very popular among Arabs and Muslims. Religous Muslims also enjoy listening to anasheed.
