Nawar Ahmed

Egypt is a country in which Islam is the dominant religion, and growing up in Egypt I never had any religious belief. Both of my parents are Muslims by name not by practice, and growing up I never felt that I was forced to either believe in the Islamic religion or disregard it. I believe that my parents did not want their son to be influenced blindly by their beliefs. Instead they wanted to me to develop my own ideas and belief.

They say that at some point in life every human being question his faith in a higher being, and when that happens, it always has a powerful and great impact.

I was sixteen when I first started questioning the existence of a higher being. Why m I here? What is the difference between right and wrong? Where m I going?. The impact of these questions on me was so great that I isolated myself from the people and was almost depressed for two years.

Finally, I came to the conclusion that God exist, and even though it is hard at this point of history to believe in something without having a physical proof or evidence, I could not disregard the fact that I felt the existence of God in my life.

In music I was always fascinated by how many composers through the history of classical music became spiritual and were devoted to God.
Franz Liszt is on those composers who cared so much about life and death and afterlife.

Here are some of Franz Liszt ‘s words about his belief in God and finding spirituality:


When I took Minor Orders at the Vatican in 1865, at the age of 54, I was merely following, out of simplicity and uprightness of heart, my youthful penchant for Catholicism. If my early fervor had not been tempered by my good mother and my confessor, Abb‚ Bardin, it might have well led me to the seminary in 1830 and later on to the priesthood. - Franz Liszt in 1879.

In spite of transgressions and errors I have committed, and for which I feel sincere repentance and contrition, the holy light of the Cross has never been entirely withdrawn from me. - Franz Liszt in 1860. Religion and music must form an alliance, for the survival of piety and religious life. This music is not to serve any special creed, but to be founded on human nature- at once dramatic and holy, grand and simple, fiery and restful. - Franz Liszt.

Some of the titles of Liszt’s pieces, such as Totentanz, Funérailles and La lugubre gondola, show the composer's fascination with death. When Franz Liszt was young, it was clear how the great composer was fascinated by and obsessed with death, with religion, and with heaven and hell.