Halal Beats and Halal Records founder Umar Salaams on creating vocal-only tracks for Muslim artists and creators

In a world where visual and audio content reigns supreme, creating content within the boundaries of what’s permissible remains a priority for Muslims.

For those unaware, the use of instruments and vocals promoting sin is forbidden in Islam. Although we’re left with limited options—that doesn’t mean we’re stuck with dull or boring soundtracks, thanks to Halal Beats and Halal Records founder Umar Salaams, a London-based Muslim entrepreneur, artist and producer.

Umar’s vocal-only tracks remain true to our faith, whilst enhancing storytelling and evoking emotions for Muslim content creators and their audiences.

In April 2025, Umar announced the launch of Halal Records, a vocals-only record label managing and developing a range of composers and artists on a mission to record faith-aligned soundtracks for the global Muslim community.

We caught up with Umar to gain a little more insight into his background, what makes his soundtracks halal, and what inspired him to launch a halal record label.

Tell us a little more about you. Where are you from and what’s your background?

I’m Umar Salaams, a Muslim entrepreneur, artist, and producer based in London. I started producing music at a young age and eventually moved away from traditional music to focus on vocal-only soundtracks that align with my faith. I worked as a teacher for 9 years but left in 2020 to fully commit to developing faith based vocal-only soundtracks and supporting Muslim artists and creators.

What is Halal Records and its purpose?

Halal Records is a record label that creates and releases vocal-only soundtracks, using just the human voice and vocal accompaniments with the traditional Daf drum. Its purpose is to provide artists and listeners with a faith-conscious alternative to mainstream music while maintaining high production quality.

How does Halal Records serve the Ummah?

We support Muslim artists by helping them release music that aligns with their beliefs. We also make our soundtracks available for free use in videos on social media such as TikTok and Instagram, allowing Muslim creators and storytellers to use halal audio in their content.

What inspired you to start a vocals-only record label?

After going viral with the song “Where You Are”, I realised how powerful vocals-only soundtracks could be. I wanted to create a space where faith and creativity didn’t have to clash. That sparked the vision for Halal Records and later, Halal Soundtracks.

What makes your soundtracks halal? Can you explain how they’re created?

We only use human vocal layers and the traditional Daf drum. There are no instruments involved, and we follow rulings from respected scholars. Each soundtrack is carefully arranged, mixed, and mastered to sound cinematic and professional without compromising on faith.

What challenges have you overcome during your journey of creating halal soundtracks and record labels?

The biggest challenge was transitioning from the mainstream music industry to a space with more restrictions, but also more meaning. I’ve also had to self-fund most projects and educate others on the purpose and vision of Halal Records and the reason we create tracks with no instruments.

What keeps you motivated when things get tough?

My intention. I remind myself that this is bigger than the soundtracks, it’s about legacy, faith, and making a difference in how the Muslim community sees art and business. That keeps me going.

How can people support your business or get involved?

Follow our pages, stream and share our soundtracks, and tag us when using our soundtracks on social media. For creators and artists, we offer licensing through HalalSoundtracks.com and collaborations through Halal Records.

Finally, what’s on piece of advice you’d give to a fellow Muslim thinking of starting their own faith-aligned business?

Start with sincerity and be clear on your values. Don’t rush, focus on building something real, even if it takes time. You don’t need to follow the world’s rules to succeed.