Ibn Thabit
Ibn Thabit is an anonymous Hip hop musician from Libya known for his anti-government songs. Thabit has been living in Libya where any form of dissent was banned by law in Muammar Gaddafi's regime and could have resulted in his being arrested and imprisoned, the primary reason for his using an epithet to preserve his anonymity. Ibn Thabit's music is considered to have given a voice to Libyans who wish to express themselves politically and non-violently despite being disenfranchised. Dissenting cultural figures have been arrested and tortured in a number of countries during the Arab Spring.
Ibn Thabit considers himself to be an ordinary Libyan who is "speaking the thoughts of many Libyan youth". He claims that he is inspired by the people, telling a journalist from the Danish newspaper Information that he was more affected by conversations with fellow Libyans than by anything else. Not much is known about him other than that he is young, male and Libyan. He is thought to be from Tarhunah. Ibn Thabit was one of the early critics of Gaddafi in 2011, the nascent movement building up to a full-fledged civil war, part of the Arab Spring.
Zayd ibn Thabit
According to Islamic traditions, Zayd ibn Thabit (زيد بن ثابت ) was the personal scribe of Prophet Muhammad and was from the ansar (helpers).
When Zayd was 6 years old his father died in the Battle of Bu'ath. Zayd was 13 years old when he asked permission to participate in the Battle of Badr. Since he was younger than 15 years old, Prophet Muhammad did not allow him to do so, and sent him back. He then decided to try to win favor with Prophet Muhammad by learning the Quran. He was later appointed to write letters to non-Muslims and to collect and keep record of the Qur'anic verses. Zayd was among those chosen by Prophet Muhammad to write down the verses of the Quran. He used to spend most of his time reciting the Quran, and continued to learn the Quranic verses as they were recited by Prophet Muhammad. Zayd later volunteered to fight when he was 19 years old. This time he was accepted in the ranks of the Muslim army. Zayd's time to fight had come nine years after the establishment of the Muslim community in Medina.
Podcasts:
Ibn Thabit
ALBUMS
- The Rough Guide to Arabic Revolution released: 2013
- Khalas Mixtape, Volume One: Mish B3eed released: 2011
