A heartwarming welcome to Syrian refugees from Canada's schoolchildren

Five hundred Canadian school children have welcomed the arrival of Syrian refugees to the country by performing a rendition of an Arabic-language song that was used to greet the Prophet Mohammed as he sought refuge in Medina.

Talaa al-Badru Alayna became the tender finale to a Christmas carol concert at a French-language secondary school in Ontario, Canada.

Rima, one of the Arabic-speaking girls participating in the choir, told Huffington Post Arabic that she helped her classmates to understand the words of the anthem.

She said the training lasted for almost a month "and it was difficult at first for my friends because they do not know Arabic".

The gesture has brought much support and admiration from social media users, who are touched by the solidarity shown by the Canadian children.

Many said that it brought them "renewed faith in humanity", and described the scene as "heartwarming".

— Noreen Nasir (@noreensnasir) December 13, 2015 " style="color:#fff;" class="twitter-post-link" target="_blank">Twitter Post Just sittin here crying flashingback to Sunday School. Canadian children sing ancient Arabic song to Syrian refugees https://t.co/YX719Katvk — Noreen Nasir (@noreensnasir) December 13, 2015

— Hadeel. (@Hadeelehab7) December 12, 2015" style="color:#fff;" class="twitter-post-link" target="_blank">Twitter Post about Canadian children welcoming Syrian refugees with طلع البدر علينا literally my heart is shaking out of joy. So heavenly beautiful. — Hadeel. (@Hadeelehab7) December 12, 2015

Talaa al-Badru Alayna is a traditional Islamic song that the Prophet Mohammed's helpers sang to him when he arrived at Medina after facing persecution in Mecca. 

At over 1400 years old, it is one of the oldest in Islamic culture.

The full moon rose over us
From the valley of Wada
And it is incumbent upon us to show gratitude
For as long as anyone in existence calls out to God
Oh our Messenger among us
Who comes with the exhortations to be heeded
You have brought to this city nobility
Welcome you who call us to a good way