US rapper Akon performs Umrah in Makkah, Saudi Arabia

US singer-songwriter Akon was recently seen performing Umrah and the photos of him from the Holy Kaaba have been doing rounds on the internet.

This happened while Akon was on tour for his concert in Saudia Arab. What has left the fans surprised was that not many had previously known about the faith of the famed Rapper.

On Tuesday, pictures and videos of him surfaced on the internet where he was seen standing in front of the Ka’abah alongside family and friends.

Before the concert, he talked about being excited about coming to Saudi Arabia and was especially excited to go to one city in particular. “…First thing tomorrow morning, I’m headed to Makkah to perform Umrah,” he said.

After much speculation, fans have ruled out a recent “conversion” to islam rather he was born into a Muslim family and has been practicing islam as his faith since then.

The US-Senegalese singer and rapper, real name Aliaune Thiam, skipped the club stage in favour of a forum to deliver an inspirational keynote address at the Sharjah Entrepreneurial Festival in 2019.

In 2015, Akon spoke to The National about Islam, and he told us about the relationship between his religion and his faith, “I was born a Muslim and, depending on what part of Senegal you came from, music was considered haram [unlawful] and there has always been a debate about Islam and music.

Akon said his motivations are ultimately linked to reaching the light that’s beyond. “I don’t believe in having that much money sitting away without applying it to changing somebody’s life. Now I may not make a million dollars out of that transaction, but I may get a few good credits to go to paradise. I am cool with that.”

He has been vocal about crediting his success to his faith. “For me, real success is faith. I don’t care even if I have a billion dollars in the bank. And what good am I if I have a billion dollars sitting in the bank in the first place?” he said earlier.

He added in his interview that he had been waiting to get to Saudi Arabia for years and he is planning to come back in April this year again.