Popular Afrobeats singer, Ahmed Ololade, better known as Asake, has shared a video of himself performing Umrah in Medina, Saudi Arabia, reaffirming his commitment to Islam.
The video surfaced online on Friday as the singer was seen praying at Raudhatul Jannah, a revered prayer area located inside Al Masjid an Nabawi, one of Islam’s holiest sites. The clip was captioned “Alhamdulillah.”
Raudhatul Jannah, often described as the Garden of Paradise, lies between the tomb of Prophet Muhammad and his pulpit, making it one of the most sacred prayer areas for Muslim worshippers.
The post quickly generated reactions online, particularly as it followed speculation circulating on social media suggesting the singer might convert to Christianity.
Many fans interpreted the video as a clear reaffirmation of his Islamic faith.
Old prophecy
Asake’s Umrah video also revived discussions around a prophecy that circulated online in March 2024, when a Nigerian pastor claimed that “God is going to arrest singer Asake before the end of 2024.”
The prophecy spread widely across social media platforms at the time, sparking debates among fans and critics about the singer’s lifestyle and spiritual direction.
‘Only Me’ video backlash
In 2024, the singer faced criticism after the release of the music video for his song Only Me.
In the video, Asake appeared dressed in Christian-themed regalia with a halo around his head while dancers dressed similarly collapsed after he threw money toward them.
The imagery triggered backlash from several social media users who accused the singer of mocking Christianity.
One user, @buchsolomon, wrote on X, “Asake keeps disrespecting the Christian faith in his music videos. Dramatising giving the Eucharist, robed up in priestly regalia for a music video that has no connection with Christianity, is disrespectful. In his Bandana video, he depicts black goats troping into the church, with cloven tongues of fire above weird men. Asake, I think, is a Muslim. Why doesn’t he go above and beyond to embarrass his Muslim faith in this same way? Why do Christians even listen to these musicians who bluntly disrespect Christianity?”
Another user @FrCescoofmcap added, “This Nigerian Muslim afrobeat artist Asake is mocking Christians with his blasphemous music video. This is the same country many Christians have been stoned and burnt alive for allegedly blaspheming Islam and the government did nothing. I guess most of his fans are Christian.”
The criticism followed earlier reactions to the Bandana music video, his collaboration with Fireboy DML, which also featured church-themed imagery that some viewers considered controversial.
Quran verse in song
Religious debate around the singer resurfaced again in September 2024 after a Muslim TikToker identified as Brother Kareem criticised Asake for using a verse from Surah Al Ikhlas in his song “I Swear”, which appeared on his third studio album “Lungu Boy” released on August 9, 2024.
The lyrics include the Quranic verse, “Alhamdulillah Qul Allahu ahadu Allahu samadu, lam yalid wa lam yunhad Wa lam yakulahu, quf wal hadu.”
In a video shared on TikTok, Kareem described the move as inappropriate.
He said, “If you are a Muslim and you listen to this rapper, he used a whole Quranic verse in his song, Surah Al Ikhlas.”
He added, “This is disgusting behaviour. As Muslims, we encourage good and forbid evil, and this right here is not good at all.”
The criticism triggered heated debate online, with some supporting the TikToker’s position while others defended the singer’s artistic expression.
Car gifts to parents
Meanwhile, Asake has recently been in the spotlight over his family life.
On Friday, March 6, 2026, the singer gifted his father, Fatai Odunsi, popularly known as Malo, a 2025 Toyota Land Cruiser Prado reportedly worth about N130m.
The gesture came days after he had presented his mother with a Mercedes-Benz G Wagon G63, said to be worth about N311m.
The two gestures helped calm online criticism that had followed his earlier public celebration of his mother, with some social media users accusing him of favouring one parent over the other.
Earlier family controversy
The debate traced back to March 2025, when Odunsi, his father a stroke survivor, accused the singer of neglect in a viral video.
“I am suffering from a partial stroke and need assistance,” Odunsi had said in a viral video.
Days later Odunsi disclosed that the dispute had been resolved.
“Asake said he will do everything that I want. We have settled; no more problems,” he said.
