Story By: Lee Bullen, Sub Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency:  Newsflash

A famous Egyptian lawyer has filed a complaint against Syrian singer Assala Nasri over claims she quoted one of the sayings of Prophet Muhammad in her new song.

Lawyer Samir Sabry has reportedly filed a complaint to Egypt’s top prosecutor about Nasri’s new song ‘Rifqan’.

Sabry claims the lyrics quote part of a hadith (the collected traditions of the Prophet Muhammad based on his sayings and actions) in the song.

‘Rifqan’, which features on the Syrian star’s latest album, sparked a wave of anger on social media after its release.

The Egyptian lawyer claimed that listening or promoting songs containing hadiths is disrespectful to the Prophet Mohammed and therefore not legally permissible.

The song’s writer Mohamed Abu Nemah pointed out that classical Arab poets such as Abu al-Faraj al-Isfahani and Abu Nuwas often quoted the Quran in their poems.

He added that he carried out extensive research before using the hadith in Nasri’s song and learned that the majority of Muslim scholars permitted such a quotation, as long as it was appropriately used.

Abu Nemah also said that the quote was intended to promote fairer treatment of women.

Sabry has been involved in over 2,000 cases and is famous for filing cases against high-profile politicians and celebrities for “insulting Egypt” or “inciting debauchery”.

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