During his last public appearance, the artist Abdelhadi Belkhayat recently returned to what pushed him to withdraw from the musical scene in 2012. He revealed that during a visit to the dying mother of one of his friends, he heard her recite the 16th verse of sura 57 (Al Hadid), which deeply upset him. This is how he decided to withdraw from conventional artistic life, to devote himself to spirituality.
On the occasion of the graduation ceremony for learners from the Imam Nafiî Koranic school for memorizing the Holy Book in Tamellalt (province of Kelaâ des Sraghna), he appeared moved while reciting verses which were “the beginning of a radical change in [sa] vie».
In this sense, he recalled that in 1987 he was preparing to go to Belgium to sign a contract and give 30 concerts. At the airport he met a group of preachers traveling to London. This reunion had an instant impact on him, to the point of questioning himself and changing his destination.
Instead of going to Belgium, the singer decided to make the Hajj, where he spent four months. In this outing, Abdelhadi Belkhayat, 84 today, described this period as one of the most beautiful of his life, since this trip was an opportunity for him to introspect over the long term, leading him to the essence of religion.
Abdelhadi Belkhayat announced his retirement in 2012, to devote himself to religious singing. Despite this, he continued to make some artistic appearances. At the Mawazine Festival in 2015, he performed on stage performing holy songs. In February 2021, he released a patriotic song that he wrote and composed, to dedicate it to his fellow citizens in the Sahara provinces.
More recently, in April 2022, Abdelhadi Belkhayat broadcast a new title on his YouTube channel, dedicated to the Moroccan and Algerian people, in favor of fraternity and good neighborliness stronger than political differences.
