Every Sufi Dargah is incomplete without Qawwals and their quintessential Qawwali..be it Makhdoom Shah Baba at Mahim,or Khwajah Garib Nawaz at Ajmer or Nizamuddin Aulia in Delhi.

Qawwali is the staple diet of the devotees who come to pay their salutations to the Dargahs during the annual Urus..

No Urus is complete without Qawwali rendition in music and vocal praising the Holy Saint and his Holy Shrine.

 

And the qawwals get handsomely paid by the crowds , but more than money the Qawwals to seek the blessiings of the Holy Saint to achieve success in Bollywood or shows all over the world.

Indians and Pakistanis love Qawwalis..

 

Qawwali sourced from wikipedia.

  

Qawwali (Urdu/Persian: قوٌالی; Punjabi/Multani: ਖ਼ਵ੍ਵਾਲੀ, قوٌالی; Brajbhasha/Hindi: क़व्वाली) is a form of Sufi devotional music popular on the Indian subcontinent. It's a vibrant musical tradition that stretches back more than 700 years. Originally performed mainly at Sunni Sufi shrines throughout the subcontinent, it has also gained mainstream popularity. Qawwali music received international exposure through the work of the late Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, largely due to several releases on the Real World label, followed by live appearances at WOMAD festivals. Often listeners, and even artists themselves, are transported to a state of wajad, a trance-like state where they feel at one with God, generally considered to be the height of spiritual ecstasy in Sufism. Although famous throughout the world, its economic and spiritual hub remains the Punjab province of Pakistan from where it gained entry into the mainstream commercial music industry and international fame.

[edit] Song content

The songs which constitute the qawwali repertoire are mostly in Urdu and Punjabi (almost equally divided between the two), although there are several songs in Persian, Brajbhasha and Siraiki.[1][2] There is also qawwali in some regional languages (e.g., Chhote Babu Qawwal sings in Bengali), but the regional language tradition is relatively obscure. Also, the sound of the regional language qawwali can be totally different from that of mainstream qawwali. This is certainly true of Chhote Babu Qawwal, whose sound is much closer to Baul music than to the qawwali of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, for example.

 

The poetry is implicitly understood to be spiritual in its meaning, even though the lyrics can sometimes sound wildly secular, or outright hedonistic. The central themes of qawwali are love, devotion and longing (of man for the Divine).

 

Qawwalis are classified by their content into several categories:

 

A hamd is a song in praise of Allah. Traditionally, a qawwali performance starts with a hamd.

A naat is a song in praise of the Prophet Muhammad. The opening hamd is traditionally followed by a naat.

A manqabat is a song in praise of either Imam Ali or one of the Sufi saints. Interestingly, manqabats in praise of Ali are sung at both Sunni and Shi'a gatherings. If one is sung, it will follow right after the naat. There is usually at least one manqabat in a traditional programme.

A marsiya is a lamentation over the death of much of Imam Husayn's family in the Battle of Karbala. Once again, this would typically be sung only at a Shi'a concert.

A ghazal is a song that sounds secular on the face of it. There are two extended metaphors that run through ghazals -- the joys of drinking and the agony of separation from the beloved. These songs feature exquisite poetry, and can certainly be taken at face value, and enjoyed at that level. In fact, in India and Pakistan, ghazal is also a separate, distinct musical genre in which many of the same songs are performed in a different musical style, and in a secular context. In the context of that genre, the songs are usually taken at face value, and no deeper meaning is necessarily implied. But in the context of qawwali, these songs of intoxication and yearning use secular metaphors to poignantly express the soul's longing for union with the Divine, and its joy in loving the Divine. In the songs of intoxication, "Wine" represents "knowledge of the Divine", the "Cupbearer" (saaqi) is God or a spiritual guide, the "Tavern" is the metaphorical place where the soul may (or may not) be fortunate enough to attain spiritual enlightenment. (The "Tavern" is emphatically not a conventional house of worship. Rather, it is taken to be the spiritual context within which the soul exists) Intoxication is attaining spiritual knowledge, or being filled with the joy of loving the Divine. In the songs of yearning, the soul, having been abandoned in this world by that cruel and cavalier lover, God, sings of the agony of separation, and the depth of its yearning for reunion.

A kafi is a song in Punjabi, which is in the unique style of poets such as Shah Hussain and Baba Bulleh Shah. Two of the more popular Kafis include Ni Main Jana Jogi De Naal and Mera Piya Ghar Aaya.

A munadjaat is a song where the singer displays his thanks to Allah through a variety of linguistic techniques. It is often sung in Persian, with Mawlana Jalāl-ad-Dīn Rumi credited as its inventor.

 

[edit] Composition of a qawwali party

A group of qawwali musicians, called a party, typically consists of eight or nine men — women are, for all intents and purposes, excluded from traditional Muslim music as respectable women are traditionally prohibited from singing in the presence of men, though these traditions are changing — including a lead singer, one or two side singers, one or two harmoniums (which may be played by lead singer, side singer or someone else), and percussion. If there is only one percussionist, he plays the tabla and dholak, usually the tabla with the left hand and the dholak with the right. Often there will be two percussionists, in which case one might play the tabla and the other the dholak. There is also a chorus of four or five men who repeat key verses, and who aid and abet percussion by hand-clapping.

 

The performers sit in two rows — the lead singer, side singers and harmonium players in the front row, and the chorus and percussionists in the back row.

 

Before the fairly recent introduction of the harmonium, qawwalis were usually accompanied by the sarangi. The sarangi had to be retuned between songs; the harmonium didn't, and was soon preferred.

  

[edit] Musical structure

Songs are usually between 15 to 30 minutes long. However, the longest commercially released qawwali runs slightly over 115 minutes (Hashr Ke Roz Yeh Poochhunga by Aziz Mian Qawwal). The qawwali maestro Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan has at least two songs that are more than 60 minutes long.

 

Qawwalis tend to begin gently and build steadily to a very high energy level in order to induce hypnotic states both among the musicians and within the audience. Songs are usually arranged as follows:

 

They start with an instrumental prelude where the main melody is played on the harmonium, accompanied by the tabla, and which may include improvised variations of the melody.

Then comes the alap, a long tonal improvised melody during which the singers intone different long notes, in the raag of the song to be played.

The lead singer begins to sing some preamble verses which are typically not part of the main song, although thematically related to it. These are sung unrhythmically, improvised following the raag, and accompanied only by the harmonium. After the lead singer sings a verse, one of the side singers will repeat the verse, perhaps with his own improvisation. A few or many verses will be sung in this way, leading into the main song.

As the main song begins, the tabla, dholak and clapping begin. All members join in the singing of the verses that constitute the refrain. Normally neither the lyrics of the main verses nor the melodies that go with them are improvised; in fact, these are often traditional songs sung by many groups, especially within the same lineage. As the song proceeds, the lead singer or one of the side singers may break out into an alap. Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan also popularized the interjection of sargam singing at this point. The song usually builds in tempo and passion, with each singer trying to outdo the other in terms of vocal acrobatics. Some singers may do long periods of sargam improvisation, especially alternating improvisations with a student singer. The songs usually end suddenly.

The singing style of qawwali is different from Western singing styles in many ways. For example, in words beginning with an "m", Western singers are apt to stress the vowel following the "m" rather than the "m" itself, whereas in qawwali, the "m" will usually be held, producing a muted tone. Also in qawwali, there is no distinction between what is known as the chest voice and the neck voice (the different areas that sound will resonate in depending on the frequency sung). Rather, qawwals sing very loudly and forcefully, which allows them to extend their chest voice to much higher frequencies than those used in Western singing, even though this usually causes a more noisy or strained sound than would be acceptable in the West.

  

[edit] Singing Order in Chistiya

Instrumental: This is supposed to be the announcement of the arrival of Khawaja Moinuddin Chishti's, as Sufi believes their saints are free of time-space. Also that Nabi, Siddique, Shaheed, and Saleh category of faithfuls are never dead, just gone into some other state from where they visit whenever they are mentioned, especially if there is a function in their honor.

Hamd

Naat

Manqabat Ali

Manqabat Ghous: Praise of Shaikh Abdul Qadir Jelani

Manqabat Khwaja: Praise of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti

Manqabat Shaikh: Praise of the Shaikh/Pir if it is his anniversary

Rang or Badhawa: If it is the death anniversary of the Pir, then it is usually Rang, a poem by Amir Khusro. If it is the Shaikh's birthday, it is usually the Badhawa.

 

[edit] Legendary Qawwals of the Past

Aziz Ahmed Warsi

Aziz Mian Qawwal

Badar Ali Khan (aka Badar Miandad)

Bahauddin Qutbuddin

Fateh Ali Khan Mubarik Ali Khan

Jafar Husain Khan Badauni

Muhammed Saeed Chishti

Munshi Raziuddin

Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan

Sabri Brothers

 

[edit] Well-known Qawwals of Today

Abida Parveen

Amjad Sabri

Aziz Nazan

Bakshi Javed Salamat

Chhote Aziz Nazan

Faiz Ali Faiz

Fareed Ayaz

Ghulam Sabir Nizami and Ghulam Waris Nizami

Mehr Ali Sher Ali

Najmuddin Saifuddin

Rahat Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan

Sher Miandad Khan

Waheed and Naveed Chishti

   

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lal_Shahbaz_Qalandar

 

Hazrat Lal Shahbaz Qalandar (1177–1274) (Sindhi: لال شھباز قلندر), a Persian (Tajik) Sufi saint, philosopher, poet, and qalandar. Born Syed Usman Shah Marwandi,[1] he belonged to the Suhrawardiyya order of Sufis. He preached religious tolerance among Muslims and Hindus. Thousands of pilgrims visit his shrine every year, especially at the occasion of his Urs.

  

Life

Shahbaz Qalandar (Shaikh Usman Marwandi) was born in Marwand, Afghanistan[2] to a dervish, Syed Ibrahim Kabiruddin[3] whose ancestors migrated from Baghdad and settled down in Mashhad, a center of learning and civilization, before migrating again to Marwand.

A contemporary of Baha-ud-din Zakariya, Fariduddin Ganjshakar, Syed Jalaluddin Bukhari Surkh-posh of Uchch, Shams Tabrizi and Rumi, he travelled around the Muslim world settled in Sehwan (Sindh, Pakistan) and was buried there.[4]

His dedication to the knowledge of various religious disciplines enabled him to eventually become a profound scholar. During his lifetime, he witnessed the Ghaznavid and Ghurids rules in South Asia.[5] He became fluent in many languages including Persian, Turkish, Arabic, Sindhi and Sanskrit. His mysticism attracted people from all religions. He was called Lal (red) after his usual red attire, Shahbaz due to his noble and divine spirit, and Qalandar for his Sufi affilitation. Hindus regarded him as the incarnation of Bhrithari. Lal Shahbaz lived a celibate life.

Evidence shows that Shahbaz Qalander was in Sindh before 1196, when he met Pir Haji Ismail Panhwar of Paat; it is believed he entered Sehwan in 1251. Shahbaz Qalander established his Khanqah in Sehwan and started teaching in Fuqhai Islam Madarrsah; during this period he wrote his treatises Mizna-e-Sart, Kism-e-Doyum, Aqd and Zubdah.

  

In poetry and prose

A qawwal sung by Abida Parveen and many others, "Lal Meri Pat Rakhiyo ..." is in honour of Shahbaz Qalandar, as is one sung in various versions by Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and the Sabri Brothers, "Mast Qalandar".

This famous mystic often quoted the teachings of Maulana Jalal ad-Din Rumi. A book detailing his life is called "Solomon's Ring" by Gul Hasan.

Bu Ali Shah Qalandar's famous Persian verses showing his love and honour for Hazrat Ali are engraved on his shrine:

“Haiderium Qalandram Mastam

Banda e Murtaza Ali Hastam

Peshwa e tamam Rindanam

Ke Sag e Koo e Sher e Yazdanam!”

 

Translation:

I am Haideri (relating to Haider, a second name for Ali ibn Abi Talib), Qalandar and Mast (intoxicated)

I am a servant of Ali Murtaza

I am leader of all saints

Because I am a dog of the lane of "Allah's Lion" (referring to Ali Murtaza)

 

Legends and Stories

On his way from Baluchistan to Sindh, he also stayed in present day Karachi's Manghopir area for muraqba (meditation), and it is said that Manghopir's natural warm fountain is a miracle of Lal Shahbaz Qalandar. That warm fountain started to flow from beneath the hill, on which Lal Shahbaz sat for muraqba (meditation). After passing hundreds of years, that warm fountain is still flowing continuously and is said to have miraculous healing power especially for asthma patients.

In Multan, Lal Shahbaz met Bahauddin Zachariah Multani of the Suhurwardiya order, Baba Farid Ganjshakar of Chishtiya order, and Makhdoom Jahanian Surkh Bukhari. The attachment was so cordial and spiritual that their friendship became legendary. They were known as Chahar Yar (Persian = four friends). According to some historians, the four friends visited various parts of Sindh and Punjab, in present day Pakistan.

Many saints of Sindh, including Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai, Makhdoom Bilawal and Sachal Sarmast, were devout followers of Lal Shahbaz Qalandar.

It is also believed that he turned into a falcon to pick up his friend Fariduddin Ganjshakar from the gallows. The legend goes that the incumbent fakirs in Sehwan sent him a bowl of milk filled to the brim, indicating that there was no room for anything more. But surprisingly, he returned the bowl with a beautiful flower floating on the top. This legend spread far and wide by the time of his death in 1274, after living a good span of 97 years.

 

Shrine

The shrine around his tomb, built in 1356, gives a dazzling look with its Sindhi kashi tiles, mirror work and one gold-plated door - donated by the late Shah of Iran, and installed by the late Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.[2] The inner sanctum is about 100 yards square with the silver canopied grave in the middle. On one side of the marble floor is a row of about 12-inch-high (300 mm) folding wooden stands on which are set copies of Quran for devotees to read. On the other side, beside a bundle of burning agarbattis (joss sticks), are rows of diyas (small oil lamps) lighted by devotees.

 

Urs

His annual Urs (death anniversary celebration) is held on the 18 Sha'aban - the eighth month of the Muslim lunar calendar. Thousands of devotees flock to the tomb while every Thursday their number stands multiplied especially at the time of his ‘Urs’ being a carnival as well a religious festival and celebrated every year. Sehwan springs to life and becomes the focal point of more than half a million pilgrims from all over Pakistan. On each morning of the three day feast, the narrow lanes of Sewhan are packed to capacity as thousands and thousands of pilgrims, fakirs and devotees make their way to the shrine to commune with the saint, offer their tributes and make a wish. Most of the people present garlands and a green chadar (a cloth used to cover a tomb) with Qur’anic inscriptions in silver or gold threads. Humming of verses, singing and dancing in praise of the saint continues till late at night. A devotional dance known as ‘dhamal’, being a frenzied and ecstatic swirl of the head and body, is a special ritual that is performed at the rhythmic beat of the [dhol] (a big barrel-shaped drum), some of them being of giant size and placed in the courtyard of the shrine. Bells, gongs, cymbals and horns make a thunderous din, and the dervishes, clad in long robes, beads, bracelets and colored head-bands whirl faster and faster in a hypnotic trance, until with a final deafening scream they run wildly through the doors of the shrine to the courtyard beyond.

    

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lal_Shahbaz_Qalandar

 

Hazrat Lal Shahbaz Qalandar (1177–1274) (Sindhi: لال شھباز قلندر), a Persian (Tajik) Sufi saint, philosopher, poet, and qalandar. Born Syed Usman Shah Marwandi,[1] he belonged to the Suhrawardiyya order of Sufis. He preached religious tolerance among Muslims and Hindus. Thousands of pilgrims visit his shrine every year, especially at the occasion of his Urs.

  

Life

Shahbaz Qalandar (Shaikh Usman Marwandi) was born in Marwand, Afghanistan[2] to a dervish, Syed Ibrahim Kabiruddin[3] whose ancestors migrated from Baghdad and settled down in Mashhad, a center of learning and civilization, before migrating again to Marwand.

A contemporary of Baha-ud-din Zakariya, Fariduddin Ganjshakar, Syed Jalaluddin Bukhari Surkh-posh of Uchch, Shams Tabrizi and Rumi, he travelled around the Muslim world settled in Sehwan (Sindh, Pakistan) and was buried there.[4]

His dedication to the knowledge of various religious disciplines enabled him to eventually become a profound scholar. During his lifetime, he witnessed the Ghaznavid and Ghurids rules in South Asia.[5] He became fluent in many languages including Persian, Turkish, Arabic, Sindhi and Sanskrit. His mysticism attracted people from all religions. He was called Lal (red) after his usual red attire, Shahbaz due to his noble and divine spirit, and Qalandar for his Sufi affilitation. Hindus regarded him as the incarnation of Bhrithari. Lal Shahbaz lived a celibate life.

Evidence shows that Shahbaz Qalander was in Sindh before 1196, when he met Pir Haji Ismail Panhwar of Paat; it is believed he entered Sehwan in 1251. Shahbaz Qalander established his Khanqah in Sehwan and started teaching in Fuqhai Islam Madarrsah; during this period he wrote his treatises Mizna-e-Sart, Kism-e-Doyum, Aqd and Zubdah.

  

In poetry and prose

A qawwal sung by Abida Parveen and many others, "Lal Meri Pat Rakhiyo ..." is in honour of Shahbaz Qalandar, as is one sung in various versions by Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and the Sabri Brothers, "Mast Qalandar".

This famous mystic often quoted the teachings of Maulana Jalal ad-Din Rumi. A book detailing his life is called "Solomon's Ring" by Gul Hasan.

Bu Ali Shah Qalandar's famous Persian verses showing his love and honour for Hazrat Ali are engraved on his shrine:

“Haiderium Qalandram Mastam

Banda e Murtaza Ali Hastam

Peshwa e tamam Rindanam

Ke Sag e Koo e Sher e Yazdanam!”

 

Translation:

I am Haideri (relating to Haider, a second name for Ali ibn Abi Talib), Qalandar and Mast (intoxicated)

I am a servant of Ali Murtaza

I am leader of all saints

Because I am a dog of the lane of "Allah's Lion" (referring to Ali Murtaza)

 

Legends and Stories

On his way from Baluchistan to Sindh, he also stayed in present day Karachi's Manghopir area for muraqba (meditation), and it is said that Manghopir's natural warm fountain is a miracle of Lal Shahbaz Qalandar. That warm fountain started to flow from beneath the hill, on which Lal Shahbaz sat for muraqba (meditation). After passing hundreds of years, that warm fountain is still flowing continuously and is said to have miraculous healing power especially for asthma patients.

In Multan, Lal Shahbaz met Bahauddin Zachariah Multani of the Suhurwardiya order, Baba Farid Ganjshakar of Chishtiya order, and Makhdoom Jahanian Surkh Bukhari. The attachment was so cordial and spiritual that their friendship became legendary. They were known as Chahar Yar (Persian = four friends). According to some historians, the four friends visited various parts of Sindh and Punjab, in present day Pakistan.

Many saints of Sindh, including Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai, Makhdoom Bilawal and Sachal Sarmast, were devout followers of Lal Shahbaz Qalandar.

It is also believed that he turned into a falcon to pick up his friend Fariduddin Ganjshakar from the gallows. The legend goes that the incumbent fakirs in Sehwan sent him a bowl of milk filled to the brim, indicating that there was no room for anything more. But surprisingly, he returned the bowl with a beautiful flower floating on the top. This legend spread far and wide by the time of his death in 1274, after living a good span of 97 years.

 

Shrine

The shrine around his tomb, built in 1356, gives a dazzling look with its Sindhi kashi tiles, mirror work and one gold-plated door - donated by the late Shah of Iran, and installed by the late Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.[2] The inner sanctum is about 100 yards square with the silver canopied grave in the middle. On one side of the marble floor is a row of about 12-inch-high (300 mm) folding wooden stands on which are set copies of Quran for devotees to read. On the other side, beside a bundle of burning agarbattis (joss sticks), are rows of diyas (small oil lamps) lighted by devotees.

 

Urs

His annual Urs (death anniversary celebration) is held on the 18 Sha'aban - the eighth month of the Muslim lunar calendar. Thousands of devotees flock to the tomb while every Thursday their number stands multiplied especially at the time of his ‘Urs’ being a carnival as well a religious festival and celebrated every year. Sehwan springs to life and becomes the focal point of more than half a million pilgrims from all over Pakistan. On each morning of the three day feast, the narrow lanes of Sewhan are packed to capacity as thousands and thousands of pilgrims, fakirs and devotees make their way to the shrine to commune with the saint, offer their tributes and make a wish. Most of the people present garlands and a green chadar (a cloth used to cover a tomb) with Qur’anic inscriptions in silver or gold threads. Humming of verses, singing and dancing in praise of the saint continues till late at night. A devotional dance known as ‘dhamal’, being a frenzied and ecstatic swirl of the head and body, is a special ritual that is performed at the rhythmic beat of the [dhol] (a big barrel-shaped drum), some of them being of giant size and placed in the courtyard of the shrine. Bells, gongs, cymbals and horns make a thunderous din, and the dervishes, clad in long robes, beads, bracelets and colored head-bands whirl faster and faster in a hypnotic trance, until with a final deafening scream they run wildly through the doors of the shrine to the courtyard beyond.

    

A century of culture

 

Delhi Muslim Hotel in the heart of Anarkali had served many notable men of the subcontinent. Now it lies deserted in the wake of increased commercialisation

 

By Rabia Ezdi

 

Delhi Muslim Hotel is one of Anarkali bazaar's best kept secret. Hiding behind a blur of signboards, service infrastructure and traffic meltdown, the 'hotel' is visible from the main street only if one makes a conscious effort at finding it. Upon entering the hidden enclosure, the plaque reading 'Delhi Muslim Hotel' seems almost surreal. At once, the ambience shifts and one has entered a serene hideaway almost completely divorced from the urban jungle. "This is the changa-manga of Anarkali", jokes Syed Ahmed Shah, the recently retired khateeb of the hotel mosque.

 

The hotel originally a serai or inn dates back to the early twentieth century. 'Serai Mohammad Shafi' as it was originally named, was located in close proximity to the walled city's Lohari Gate. A number of serais are found to the south of the walled city. The traders, who were not able to enter the city after its gates were closed at night, found cheap lodging there. In 1929, Mohammad Shafi turned the serai into 'Delhi Muslim Hotel'.

 

"Delhi was the capital and one of the educational and literary centres of the subcontinent before partition. My late father was closely associated with the Delhi notables so the Delhi name was used. Delhi Muslim Hotel has been here for a hundred years spanning three generations. Well known people, including Quaid-e-Azam, have also stayed here," claims Abdullah Shah, one of the surviving sons of Mohammad Shafi, who has inherited half of the premises from his father while the other half of the property belongs to his step siblings. Most historic cities originated from an older nucleus where urban activity had been concentrated. This is the walled city and the areas that developed around it in the 19th and early 20th century that formed today's Lahore. This is the nucleus where trade, administration, manufacturing, culture and residence have co-existed and thrived for well over several centuries.

 

While 'Purani Anarkali' street was the original location of the British army's barracks, its northward extension connecting to the walled city was known as Lakhpat bazaar. Around the mid-nineteenth century, Lakhpat bazaar was developed into Anarkali bazaar, with shops and residential clusters. It was here that Serai Shafi Mohammad was located. At partition, the hotel premises were taken over by the Muslim Auqaf, to whom the property's heirs now pay a monthly rent. In 1977, many of the hotel's original built structures were demolished and replaced with new construction. Some surviving structures dating from the early British period such as a mosque, a printing press, and two of the original guestrooms are still there.

 

"Delhi Muslim Hotel's history can be seen in two or three parts," explains writer Jamshed Imam. "One is pre-partition when it was a centre of political activity especially for the Muslim League quaideen. Whenever a political jalsa or meeting would take place in Lahore, these important political figures used to stay at Delhi Muslim Hotel. The second phase was when the area became a posh residential locality and the hotel also became a symbol of social status. And thirdly I would say it was in the 1960s that Delhi Muslim Hotel reached its peak when it began to act like a centre of culture and fine arts because of Maharaj Kathak sahib who had a permanent room here. All activity would revolve around his multi-shaded personality, and many of the big names you hear today like Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, the Sabri brothers, Naheed Siddiqui, Aziz Mian qawwal, were his students here. Discussions would take place for hours and covered all sorts of topics and anyone could join in".

 

Jamshed sahib and his counterparts, all long-time residents of the Anarkali-walled city area, have been meeting at Azeem Khan's 'Metal Shop' in Anarkali bazaar every evening for several decades. "We also used to go to Delhi Muslim Hotel and spend time with Maharaj Kathak", adds Azeem Khan. "Filmi units used to come and stay at Nizam hotel too which was a serai opposite Delhi Muslim Hotel". It was with such events and developments that platforms such as Delhi Muslim Hotel evolved into pulsating socio-political hubs of Lahore, owing both to their location within the inner city core, as well as the politico-literary citizenry that regularly frequented them.

 

Faisal Sajjad, a college teacher in his mid-thirties, remembers coming here with his father as a 7-8 year old child. "My father used to be a supporter of the leftist movement. And he would often come here and sit with his friends and contemporaries for hours, over never-ending cups of tea. My most lasting perception of the place is that time seemed to move extremely slowly here."

 

While once Delhi Muslim Hotel acted as an informal socio-political institution, today it is lost in the fast-paced cloud of Anarkali bazaar. "We had a total of 35 staff, now we just have three. We don't need more because nobody comes here. Foreign tourists also used to stay here, but these weren't many. Only the name of Delhi Muslim Hotel is now left", laments Abdullah Shah. "It does not run as a hotel because people have other hotels to go to now. And there is such a severe problem of electricity and water these days which also adds to the cost of running the hotel, and we cannot afford a generator."

 

The fate of the hotel is uncertain to Abdullah Shah and many others who have valued it as one of Lahore's prized assets. "We value this as a very important place in the history of Pakistan, which is why we have not left it yet. But we are very perplexed as to what we should do with it now. Sometimes I think we should turn it into a hospital; at other times I consider making it a students' hostel as there are so many educational institutions around and students would need affordable accommodation." Jamshed Imam says, "Places develop importance because of people. It is very sad that we do not value such places any more. We keep hearing that it may be converted into a parking plaza or a commercial building. I think Delhi Muslim Hotel has been so important in the cultural life of Lahore and it should be converted into an art and music academy. Mahraj Kathak's room should be preserved and singers and artists from all over the world should be invited to stay in the hotel".

 

It is widely agreed that Lahore's inner city is undergoing 'decay'. And although some of the symptoms of Delhi Muslim Hotel's decline are visible, the key to understanding its causes lies in viewing the hotel as a part of the larger organism of the inner city. In functional terms, Anarkali bazaar has become an extended part of the neighbouring wholesale market of the walled city Circular Road. As a consequence, much of the residential space in the area is rented out in the form of warehouses for the neighbouring market, causing the infiltration of commercial traffic. Delhi Muslim Hotel falls in the heart of this commercial congestion. This 'degeneration' and apparent 'chaos' in the hotel's immediate surrounding, has caused a direct decline in demand for the hotel, leading to its neglect.

 

In the words of American writer Kevin Lynch, "the city is a fact in time, and prosperity, decline and regeneration are natural processes in all living environments and agglomerations". Undoubtedly, degeneration is a direct outcome of the social and economic pressures placed on inner city areas like Anarkali. The question then arises: Does Delhi Muslim Hotel has a future in this sea of urban change and commercial outgrowth? And can these layers of activity co-exist within each other's folds?

 

Most importantly, the signs that there still exists a need for such platforms are loud and clear. Jamshed sahib's group of friends is one example where people are able to simply come together as equals and express themselves, shed their fears, vent their angers and go back feeling like an essential thread in the web of a larger human family. Many more examples are found across Lahore where citizens are in search of such platforms, especially in trying political and economic times like the present. It is also evident that the real treasures of cultural heritage are not only a city's buildings and tangible assets, but just as importantly its cultural patterns and social associations. Places such as Delhi Muslim Hotel act as the glue of society, and enable citizens to strengthen their relationships not only with each other, but also with the city's treasures its chowks, trees, neighbourhoods, streets, and tea houses.

 

The key to addressing the decline of Delhi Muslim Hotel and planning for its renewal lies in upgrading the larger Anarkali area, as well as a decision about the hotel's future use. Also, a greater hope for the revival of the hotel as a socio-cultural platform lies in the fact that unlike Pak Tea House which had private ownership and gave way to market forces, Delhi Muslim Hotel is government property hence its conservation bears not only a cultural but also an ethical dimension.

jang.com.pk/thenews/dec2009-weekly/nos-06-12-2009/she.htm#1

Lok Virsa (the National Iristitute of Folk and Traditional Heritage) has the mandate of collecting, documenting, archiving and projecting all aspects of our cultural traditions. Under the Research Report Programme, preliminary work done on various elements of traditional culture is made available to the reader as soon as possible in order to ensure that the research work done by Lok Virsa does not remain only archival, but also can reach a wider readership. The medium of qawwali to present the deep mystical ,philosophy of Sufi Islam is generally known, but very little has been written about it to date. In this report, Lok Virsa endeavours to give the reader a background to the origins and history of qawwali and the setting in the villages where it is performed. Among the performers, the focus is on a bearer of a great tradition of qawwali, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and his group. Having had the honour of winning the President's Pride of Performance Medal, they are performing at the National Folk Music Festival of Pakistan 1988.

 

1 .1 Islamic Sources and Sama'

 

Qawwali as a musical form is closely linked to the sufic traditions of Islam and the particular practices that Sufi scholars developed to achieve closeness to God. Arab musicologists such as al-Kindi (d.873) and al-Farabi (b.872) wrote on the effects of music, but the first to take into account the relation between music and trance were the Brothers of Purity (lkhwan al-safa), "a group of philosophers, scientists, mathematicians, and litterateurs who flourished at AI-Sasra during the second half of the eleventh century"1 . lt remained for the great Muslim philosopher AI-Ghazali to unify the knowledge of his time. 1.1,1 AI-Ghazali and the lslamic Musical Tradition

 

Kitab adab al-sama:y wa al-wajd, the "Book of the Right Usages of Audition and Trance‘.' - such is the title given by AI-Ghazali (1085-111 1 ) to the eighth section of his famous Ihya u'lum al-din, "Book of the Revivifying of the Sciences of Faith." Written at the beginning of the twelfth century AD, this book is one of the most important treatises on Sufism.2 From this source and other contemporary writers, it is possible for us to reconstruct a description of a ceremony called sama'. Sama' is a concept difficult to translate, since it covers a range of meanings from audition to listening to the spiritual aspects of a musical concert rendered for that purpose.3 By the end of the eleventh century, a sama' was a spiritual concert in which the music was mainly sung, sometimes by a soloist, sometimes by a chorus, including instrumental elements of varying importance. The concert took place under the direction of a sheikh. The solo singing was provided by a cantor. The faithful listened to the music seated, in a state of inner contemplation, and allowed themselves to be gradually overcome by trance. Return to calm and normality was likewise brought about by the sound of music suitable for that purpose.

 

1 .2 The South Asian Context Qaul and Tarana

 

1 .2.1Sufism and the Developed Musical Tradition in South Asia- Amir Khusraw

 

Hazrat Amir Khusraw (1253-1325)4, a famous Sufi saint and an expert both in Indian and Persian music at the court of Ala' al-Din Khilji, Sultan of Delhi (12961316) is credited with the introduction of Persian and Arabic elements into South Asian music. Of particular importance are two musical forms: Tarana and Qaul, which is said to be the origin of Qawwali, a form of Muslim religious song. However, there is evidence that qawwali predates Hazrat Amir Khusraw: the great Sufi Masters of the Chishtiya and Suhrawardia Orders of South Asia were admirers of the qawwali and the Saint Hazrat Outubuddin Bakhtiar Kaki is said to have died in 1236 while in a musical trance induced by a qawwali

 

1 .3 The Vehicle and the Message

 

1 .3.1 The All-male Nature of Qawwali

 

From the early beginnings of Islam, the public sphere was an exclusively male domain. Women did participate in scholarship and even warfare in extraordinary conditions, but the realm of worship at best permitted of equal but separate action. Thus a musico-religious gathering contained only men and this tradition has survived to this day. The only notable exception are the more secularised forms of Qawwali, such as functions at female educational institutions or film scenes in contemporary Pakistan.

 

1 .3.2 A Strong Musical Vehicle for Ecstasy

 

The strength and power of Qawwali as a form is used to convey a mystic religious message. To draw and hold the attention of a heterogeneous audience is the skill that the best Qawwal (performers of qawwali) excel at. Thus altering the state of consciousness of the audience in order to make them more receptive to the content is one of the basic reasons for the existence of this vehicle.

 

2. PHILOSOPHY AND MEANING

 

2.1 The Meaning of ma'rifat

 

One of the concepts that defies easy definition is ma'rifat. Approximating closely to the Greek concept of gnosis, it indicates an inner knowledge not attainable by normal means. Islamic mystical tradition indicates several different paths to ma'rifat, which is arrived at by meditation and other practices. One of these practices accepted by certain schools such as the Chishtiya Sufic order is Qawwali, which is considered to be a mode which brings one closer to the experience of this inner truth by presenting the words (kalam) in the vehicle of music, thus providing an intangible; interplay between form and content, dwelling on certain words to give them a wider context, creating great depth in the apparently simple language of certain Sufic texts. The qawwal often dwell on one phrase or sentence, indicating both the obvious and hidden content by emphasizing and repeating various words and syllables, taking the audience into the discovery of hitherto not obvious meanings. A spinning wheel thus changes from a household instrument into the wheel of life or the wheel of hope depending on the shift of emphasis in one sentence. Repeating a sentence until all meaning is exhausted and it becomes meaningless is another technique for bringing the audience closer to the elusive ma'rifat. Through this technique, semantic reality is negated and a purity of form is created. It is often this element that transcends linguistic barriers.

 

2.1 .2 Hal:: Ecstasy and Catharsis

 

One of the objectives of a qawwali is to induce trance in a group of listeners in a communal ritualized setting. The trance is induced, since the music is provided by others than the listeners and the trance is the effect of this music. Trance can also be experienced as a result of one's own action, such as singing, dancing, chanting, etc. For the qawwali, however, the dialogue between the musicians and the listeners is initiated by the musicians, whose goal to induce trance is based on their own competence to evoke hal and on the receptiveness of the listeners. 4 The receptiveness of the listene~s, although connected with intention and readiness to go into trance, rests on cultural mechanisms as opposed to natural forces all too often credited with a mysterious power beyond explanation: Music as a product of culture confronts the individual with what formed him, exists before him and transcends him. The discontinuity of individual existence is complemented with the continuity of culture. The dichotomy of the individual and the collective is resolved temporarily in a realm or state of consciousness called trance. Like other forms of Islamic vocal meditation, qawwali transports the audience into another plane of consciousness, bringing to the common people the complex and elusive ma'rifat. Regular attendees of qawwali sessions often use the concept of travel when they speak of their experience during a qawwali. They feel as if they are travelling to another domain or plane. The external manifestation of this transportation is the has, literally meaning "state of mind", often used to denote musically induced ecstasy. This ecstasy can range from rhythmic moving of the head, dreamy dancing to such extremes as violent convulsions of the body, depending on the person affected. This musically induced state of ecstasy is closely watched by the qawwal, who find the combination of music and content responsible for the state, repeating it with increasing intensity until a climax is reached, often creating enough resonance to pull in other members of the audience. The skill of the qawwal is severely tested before an audience not familiar with these concepts, but a master is able to move entire audiences to a hal, even if they do not understand a single word. The thoughts of the person experiencing hal go beyond the rational plane. The society around the individual accepts this ritualised loss of control and it is not uncommon in qawwali sessions for members of an audience to tolerantly embrace and hold an individual concerned spasmodically in a state of hal.. No stigma is attached to this state and after recovery, the individual carries on as if nothing had happened. The last stage of Sufism is fana , the closest analogue in the Buddhist faith being Nirvana. In this stage, the plane of worldly consciousness is dissolved and the ultimate union with the eternal is achieved. The qawwali session may strike a sympathetic chord in the listener, bringing him to this state. Even today, cases of death during a qawwali session have been recorded, whereby the individual so dying is said to have achieved this final stage. It is said of one who dies during a qawwali that his soul has travelled to other places, leaving the shell of his body behind.

 

2.2 Religiosity and Pleasure

 

AI-Ghazali elaborates the relationship between trance and music, trying to explain the various effects music can have on the listener. Pleasure (ladhdha), divine love, and beauty are three words that recur constantly in Ghazali's account 6 of how sama' produces trance. The cause of these states (ahwal) that invade the heart when one is hearing music is the secret of God Most High. The pleasure given by music is something that only madmen, the insensitive, and the hard of heart do not experience. Their amazement is like that of the impotent man who marvels at "the pleasure of sexual intercourse and the youth who marvels at the pleasure of governing". 7 Qawwali shares with mystical Islam the belief that religious knowledge is not only acquired through rigour and austerity. There is nothing wrong with knowledge imparting pleasure or the use of pleasurable media to transmit knowledge and is used by some Sufic orders.

   

2.3 Language

   

2.3.1 Farsi as the Liturgical text of Qawwali

 

The Persian language or Farsi with its rich tradition of mysticism became rapidly identified with Islam in South Asia. However, while Farsi was supported in this by the various Muslim and non-Muslim rulers of South Asia, Qawwali went beyond Farsi after acknowledging its place in the liturgy.

 

2.3.2 The Flow to Other Languages

 

The languages of South Asia were freely used by Amir Khusraw in his compositions - Purbi (the language of Bihar) and Braj Bhasha. In Pakistan today, traditional qawwal still start their performance with a Farsi invocation, moving on to the South Asian language, Panjabi and moving further eastwards vvith Hindi, Urdu and Purbi. This west to east transition is also reflected in many Sufi texts of this region. This sequence is not followed in India, where the transitional link is not as strong. This flow from one language to another is an important characteristic of qawwali. The major thrust of qawwali as a missionary form for the propagation of islam in South Asia required the building of bridges between linguistic and culturai regions. Qawwali thus did not restrict itself to one language, but instead concentrated on continuously enriching different regions with words and concepts from other areas.

 

2.3.3 Universal Understanding:

 

Overcoming Linguistic Barriers In areas where the qawwal do not speak the language with any great facility, they must rely heavily on the musical form and rhythm to Convey the concepts, achieve a trance and induce ecstasy. This they do with a high degree of success, the ecstatic reaction of an American audience in Carnegie Hall bearing ample witness to this fact.9 The reason for the sudden recent popularity of qawwali beyond the borders of South Asia is this ability to alter the consciousness of the audience in a display of virtuosity. When asked, the qawwal explain that the message of ma'rifat does not necessarily need words to convey this deep secret. It can also be experienced directly and the qawwali is one such opportunity for direct experience. For an audience that cannot understand the content of the qawwali, the use of rhythm is the basic matrix through which the variation and pitch of the voice runs like a coloured thread. During the past five decades, radic~l changes were made in the placement of the ensemble. These changes were undertaken by six famous qawwal groups.

Ustad Fateh Ali and Ustad Mubarik Ali Khan

Ustad Karam Din Topai Vale

Ustad Chajju Khan

Ustad Mohammad Ali Faridi

Ustad Santu Khan

Ustad Bakhshi Salamat

Ustad Meher Ali Khan Ustad Sher Ali Khan

 

During this period, the mohri or lead singer was placed to the right of the stage. The avazia was to his left and another good siriger to the left of the avazia. The task of this singer was to support the lead singer, have sufficient knowledge of musical theory and to take the place of the lead singer in emergencies. The tabla remained in the central position and was now behind this "backup" singer. The other positions remained the same. This change in placement is generally followed to this day by all qawwal in the Punjab. The creation of the "backup" singer was prompted by the fact that qawwal groups were often named after a leading pair of brothers or a father-and-son pair.

 

3 The Stage

 

3.1 . Height and Location of the Stage

 

Traditionally, the qawwal performed at the same level as the audience and needed no stage. Their area of performance was marked out with a white circular sheet (chi~ndni). The urbanization of the qawwali and the increase in technology such as the introduction of public address systems brought with it innovations. The stage today is fairly high (about 2 metres), so that people sitting at a distance can see the qawwal while they hear their performance from loudspeakers.

 

3.2 Proximity to Audience

 

The persons who had commissioned the performance sat directly in front of the performers at a distance of one to two metres, the less fortunate and the marginally interested sitting behind the qawwal. Thus in a traditional setting, the performers were surrounded by a circle of varying density, being thickest arid densest in front of them and thinnest behind them.

 

3.4 Techniques: feedback and resonance

 

The qawwali starts with the alap, i.e., without percussion or rhythm, and a mystical couplet is sung. This is a delicate stage where the absence of rhythm also sets the atmosphere.lo The alap is heard in total silence. While the performers are in the alap stage, they are closely examining the audience for response and looking for sensitised individuals or clusters of individuals who can be addressed with ease. Gathering the momentum of the first stage, the qawwal launch themselves into the main body of the qawwali, in.which rhythm is introduced with a moderate tempo. The tempo is slowly increased and the audience is carefully watched. Any line or musical mode that touches the audience or the master of ceremonies is repeated with renewed fervour to induce trance.

 

3.7 Vel

 

Vel is the term applied to the showering of money on the qawwal during a performance. Money is prepared before the performance in currency notes of low to middle denomination and kept with the people who commission the performance. Once the performance is in full swing, approbation and appreciation is expressed by throwing the money in front of the stage or even on the performers, who continue singing without break. Other members of the audience also participate and people in trance often throw away all the money they have with them in a state of ecstasy. The vel is always over and above the performance fee of the qawwal if they have been commissioned. In voluntary free performances, vel is given freely and spontanepusly by the audience.

 

4. THE INSIDE VIEW - THE PERFORMERS AMONG THEMSELVES

 

4.1 The traditional tour

 

After the harvest in the Bikrami month of har (June-July), the qawwal set out on a tour of the villages and cities of the country. This tour is called saha and is usually arranged in great detail. The master singer (called the dere dar) brings the musicians together at his place and looks after their food and lodging. He makes the final decisions regarding the duration and places to be toured, though he usually consults each member. In the old days, the dere dar also had all the instruments to be used by the group at his places, which was the staging point for the tour. All the money coltected during the taur was given to one member of the party who acted as the treasurer (khazanchi). This coltective fund was called sanji.12 Once the tour was over, the expenditure on travelling and food was subtracted from the total, the remaining being called bakhra l3 . The bakhra was divided into shares proportional to the contribution of the member.

 

5. QAWWALI IN PAKISTAN TODAY

 

5.1 qawwal in Pakistan

 

Two distinct traditions of qawwal dominate in Pakistan today - those who have migrated to Pakistan from India in 1947 and still maintain a link with the Indian tradition and those who are indigenous to the Punjab and linked with the Islamic shrines of Pakistan. To. the eastern tradition belong such qawwal as Aziz Mian, while Nusrat Fateh Ali falls in the latter category. The Sabri Brothers while belonging to that category, have expanded their scope and have often been instrumental in the emphasis on the secular domain. In general, it can be said that the more orthodox and sophisticated content is found in the eastern tradition balanced in Pakistan by the vigour and emotion of the western tradition. Nevertheless, the tradition ~of qawwali defies categorization, all agreeing that the basic message of gnosis and inner love is the common factor.

 

5.2 Nusrat Fateh Ali - the bearer of a great tradition

 

Nusrat Fateh Ali comes from an illustrious family of qawwali and classical music masters. He was born in 1948 in the city of Lyallpur (now Faisalabad). His father, Ustad Fateh Ali Khan, who died in 1964 was renowed both as a classical musician and as a qawwal. His detailed and expert knowledge of South Asian classical music forms provided the inspiration to develop qawwali into a fine art. Ustad Fateh Ali Khan's brother Ustad Mubarik Ali Khan was also an exceedingly talented qawwal.14 Even today, their fame lives on in the arsi meeting. Thisword normally means the death anniversary; among musicians, however, it means that the art of the departed person lives on and it is the immortality of the art that is celebrated at the death anniversary of the mortal body. The barsi of Nusrat Fateh Ali's father and uncle is held every spring in the month of April in Faisalabad, bringing together a gathering of the country's most illustrious musicians. These musicians perform for three days and nights in ,the memory of the late masters' living art. In terms of art in the field of music, this gathering is both a meeting of the highest musical art performers and a place for musicians to win recognition. Under the critical and exacting eyes of an audience composed almost entirely of professional musicians, outstanding performers are by consensus awarded the title of Ustad, meaning "Teacher" or "Master". It was in such a gathering that Nusrat earned this title soon after he first began to lead the group of qawwals created by his late father. Nusrat Fateh Ali as a child and young boy was given formal training only in classical music and not in qawwali, apart from the basic scales of the latter. It was only until after his death and when he had torned sixteen that he began to be taught the art of qawwali by Ustad Salamat Ali Khan , his other uncle.Two years after the death of his father, he started performing together with his father's elder brother, Ustad Mubarik Ali Khan. This new partnership lasted about six years, when, in 1971, Ustad Mubarik Ali died. This year became a turning point in the career of Nusrat Fateh Ali, for his fame began to spread throughout the country. At the annual festival of the great sufi saint of Lahore, Hazrat Data Ganj Bukhsh 15 , Nusrat was swept forward in a wave of devotional fervour and acclaim on the first night's qawwali performance. Soon after, he began to be discovered by the western world and visited Europe and North America repeatedly. His art continues to grow in both innovation and depth: in 1987, his performance of classical singing at the-Musical Festival of Lahore-won him acclaim in the field that his father had taught him in his early years. During the same year, Nusrat Fateh Ali was awarded the Presidents Pride of Performance for his achievements in the field of Pakistani music. The great skill and the solid background of classical music which few other qawwal could match has given Nusrat Fateh Ali the uncanny capacity of moving audiences regardless of their origin. . . The dialogue between the audience and musicians is central to qawwali and qawwal often repeat and dwell on portions which strike a resonant chord in the audience. The effect of qawwali is likened by some Americans to "hard rock" in the sense of its ability to produce a trance-like state in a repetitive and forceful manner. However, qawwali is more than just hard rock, and the qawwals consider their own music as a high art form in no way less than classical music. Qawwali is still one of the most popular forms of musical expression among the people of Pakistan. The invasion of western popular music has not significantly affected the popularity of qawwali. Apart from the attraction of the rhythm in qawwali, its close linkage to heterodox Islam ensures a special place for it in Pakistan. Despite the almost painful impact of the hand-clapping, Nusrat Fateh Ali succeeds in weaving complex classical schemes into his art, thus bringing the sophistication of classical music to the common people. The interaction with the roots of classical music, i.e., the folk music, is thus assured.

 

5.3 (a) Contribution of Ustad Meher Ali and Ustad Sher Ali

 

The death of Great Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan was a great loss to Qawwali. In the same city of Faisalabad the name of Ustad Meher Ali and Ustad Sher Ali was developing day by day. These two brothers devoted their lives to continue the great traditions of qawwali. Now a days they are famous all over the for their unique style and presentations. They are keeping the original taste of qawwali alive.

 

5.3 The Secularisation of qawwali in Pakistan

 

In more recent developments dating from the fifties; the powerful medium of qawwali began to separate itself ‘from the religious content: it found two uses in the non-religious context, i.e., art and dialogue.

 

5.3.1 Qawwali as Entertainment and Art

 

The mystic imagery of qawwali began to be used for secular purposes: for examples;: the concept of wine in sufism indicates the secret knowledge ma'rifat), but this concept was effectively used in an orgiastic qawali by ths Sabri Btothers:,. "men sharabi" ("I am a drinker"). This was done so skillfuly as to make the interpretation open to the audience, while a (loose religious symbolism was retained. The film industry in Pakistan, realising the potential of qawwali, began to use it as a form of entertainment. Starting as performances in the traditional context at a sacred shrine (such as the memorable qawwali scene in the experimental film "samundar" (the Ocean in which a quasi-religious atmosphere is created), it moved on to humour. In the latter case, the qawwali form was used as a satire and the content was so disparate with traditional mystic imagery that laughter resulted. Such an inversion of religious content to create a comic effect is generally frowned upon by the orthodoxy and not accepted by qawwal themselves.

 

5.3.2 Qawwali as Dialogue

 

Going one step ahead after the secularization of qawwali, it began to emerge in stage shows at urban centres as a dialogue. Humourous exchanges between opposed groups of male and female performers respectively became a feature of entertaining programmes staged by young students at college functions. The latest development of the qawwali form in this context has been the use of Pashto qawwali as a form of dialogue and social criticism. Qawwali cassettes in the Pashto language talk about the travails of Pushtun migrant ,labour in the major urban centres and Pakistan Television airs humourous dialogues between opposing groups (such as truckdrivers and the general public). Qawwali exists in most languages of Pakistan (with the exception of Sindhi and perhaps Baluchi) and continues to grow vigorously; the form being retained and the content changing with need and use.

 

5.4 Qawwali as a Theraapy

 

The therapeutic effects of qawwali were always generally known and indigenous doctors often told mentally disturbed individuals to attend qawwali sessions. Spiritual leaders even today often take the~r mentally disturbed followers to a qawwali session with the object of exposir~g them to the harmony and therapeutic powers of the music and words. Aware of this effect of qawwali and himself deeply interested in it, an eminent Pakistani psychiatrist is using "qawwali therapy" on some of his patients with marked success. While still in an experimental stage, this powerful medium can surely provide an effective indigenization of occidental therapeutic techniques.

   

By Adam Nayyar, Lok Virsa Research Centre, Islamabad.

 

meheralisherali.com/history.html

Qawwali is a form of Sufi devotional music popular in South Asia, particularly in the Punjab and Sindh regions of Pakistan, Hyderabad, Delhi and other parts of India. It is a musical tradition that stretches back more than 700 years.

Originally performed mainly at Sufi shrines or dargahs throughout South Asia, it has also gained mainstream popularity. Qawwali music received international exposure through the work of the late Pakistani singer Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, largely due to several releases on the Real World label, followed by live appearances at WOMAD festivals. Other famous Qawwali singers include Pakistan's Sabri Brothers, Bahauddin Qutbuddin and Aziz Mian.

 

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The Qalandariyyah (Arabic: قلندرية‎‎, Hindi: क़लन्दरिय्या, Bengali: ক়লন্দরিয়্য়া), Qalandaris or Kalandars are wandering Sufi dervishes. The term covers a variety of sects, not centrally organized. One was founded by Qalandar Yusuf al-Andalusi of Andalusia, Spain.

 

Starting in the early 12th century, the movement gained popularity in Greater Khorasan and neighbouring regions, including the South Asia.[1] The first references are found in the 11th-century prose text Qalandarname (The Tale of the Kalandar) attributed to Ansarī Harawī. The term Qalandariyyat (the Qalandar condition) appears to be first applied by Sanai Ghaznavi (died 1131) in seminal poetic works where diverse practices are described. Particular to the qalandar genre of poetry are terms that refer to gambling, games, intoxicants and Nazar ila'l-murd, themes commonly referred to as kufriyyat or kharabat. The genre was further developed by poets such as Fakhr-al-Din Iraqi and Farid al-Din Attar.

 

Qalandariyya in South Asia[edit]

The Qalandariya may have arisen from the earlier Malamatiyya and exhibited some Buddhist and Hindu influences in South Asia.[2] The Malamatiya condemned the use of drugs and dressed only in blankets or in hip-length hairshirts.[3]

 

The writings of qalandars were not a mere celebration of libertinism, but antinomial practices of affirmation from negative action. The order was often viewed suspiciously by authorities.

 

The term remains in popular culture. Sufi qawwali singers the Sabri brothers and international Qawwali star Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan favoured the chant dam a dam masta qalandar (with every breath ecstatic Qalandar!), and a similar refrain appeared in a hit song from Runa Laila from movie Ek Se Badhkar Ek that became a dancefloor crossover hit in the 1970s.

 

In Pakistan and North India, descendents of Qalandariyah faqirs now form a distinct community, known as the Qalandar biradari.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

Qawwali (Urdu/Persian/Pashto/Sindhi: قوٌالی; Punjabi/Saraiki: ਕ਼ੱਵਾਲੀ, قوٌالی; Brajbhasha/Hindi: क़व्वाली; Bangla: কাওয়ালী) is a form of Sufi devotional music popular in South Asia, particularly in areas with a historically strong Muslim presence, such as Pakistan, especially Punjab and Sindh, and parts of North India. The style is rare, though not entirely absent, in North and West Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Kashmir. It is a musical tradition that stretches back more than 700 years.

 

Originally performed mainly at Sufi shrines or dargahs throughout South Asia, it has also gained mainstream popularity. Qawwali music received international exposure through the work of the late Pakistani singer Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, largely due to several releases on the Real World label, followed by live appearances at WOMAD festivals. Other famous Qawwali singers include Pakistan's Sabri Brothers.

 

Although famous throughout the world, its hub remains the Punjab province of Pakistan from where it gained entry into the mainstream commercial music industry and international fame.

 

The roots of Qawwali can be traced back to 8th century Persia (today's Iran and Afghanistan). During the first major migration from Persia, in the 11th century, the musical tradition of Sema migrated to South Asia, Turkey and Uzbekistan. Amir Khusro Dehelvi of the Chisti order of Sufis is credited with fusing the Persian and Indian musical traditions to create Qawwali as we know it today in the late 13th century in India (Hindustani classical music is also attributed to him). The word Sama is often still used in Central Asia and Turkey to refer to forms very similar to Qawwali, and in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, the formal name used for a session of Qawwali is Mehfil-e-Sama.

 

Qaul (Arabic: قَوْل) is an "utterance (of the prophet)", Qawwāl is someone who often repeats (sings) a Qaul, Qawwāli is what a Qawwāl sings.

 

A group of qawwali musicians, called a party (or Humnawa in Urdu), typically consists of eight or nine men including a lead singer, one or two side singers, one or two harmoniums (which may be played by the lead singer, side singer or someone else), and percussion. If there is only one percussionist, he plays the tabla and dholak, usually the tabla with the dominant hand and the dholak with the other one (i.e. a left-handed percussionist would play the tabla with his left hand). Often there will be two percussionists, in which case one might play the tabla and the other the dholak. There is also a chorus of four or five men who repeat key verses, and who aid and abet percussion by hand-clapping.

 

The performers sit cross-legged on the ground in two rows — the lead singer, side singers and harmonium players in the front row, and the chorus and percussionists in the back row.

 

Before the fairly recent introduction of the harmonium, qawwalis were usually accompanied by the sarangi. The sarangi had to be retuned between songs; the harmonium didn't, and was soon preferred.

 

Women used to be excluded from traditional Muslim music, since they are traditionally prohibited from singing in the presence of men. These traditions have changed, however, as is evident by the popularity (and acceptance) of female singers such as Abida Parveen. However, qawwali has remained an exclusively male business. There are still no mainstream female qawwals. Although Abida Parveen performs many songs that are in the traditional qawwali repertoire, she does not perform them in the traditional qawwali style. Typically missing is the chorus which repeats key verses, as well as the handclapping.

 

Songs are usually between 15 to 30 minutes long. However, the longest commercially released qawwali runs slightly over 115 minutes (Hashr Ke Roz Yeh Poochhunga by Aziz Mian Qawwal). The qawwali maestro Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan has at least two songs that are more than 60 minutes long.

 

Qawwalis tend to begin gently and build steadily to a very high energy level in order to induce hypnotic states both among the musicians and within the audience. Songs are usually arranged as follows:

 

1. They start with an instrumental prelude where the main melody is played on the harmonium, accompanied by the tabla, and which may include improvised variations of the melody.

2. Then comes the alap, a long tonal improvised melody during which the singers intone different long notes, in the raag of the song to be played.

3. The lead singer begins to sing some preamble verses which are typically not part of the main song, although thematically related to it. These are sung unrhythmically, improvised following the raag, and accompanied only by the harmonium. After the lead singer sings a verse, one of the side singers will repeat the verse, perhaps with his own improvisation. A few or many verses will be sung in this way, leading into the main song.

4. As the main song begins, the tabla, dholak and clapping begin. All members join in the singing of the verses that constitute the refrain. Normally neither the lyrics of the main verses nor the melodies that go with them are improvised; in fact, these are often traditional songs sung by many groups, especially within the same lineage. As the song proceeds, the lead singer or one of the side singers may break out into an alap. Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan also popularized the interjection of sargam singing at this point. The song usually builds in tempo and passion, with each singer trying to outdo the other in terms of vocal acrobatics. Some singers may do long periods of sargam improvisation, especially alternating improvisations with a student singer. The songs usually end suddenly.

 

The singing style of qawwali is different from Western singing styles in many ways. For example, in words beginning with an "m", Western singers are apt to stress the vowel following the "m" rather than the "m" itself, whereas in qawwali, the "m" will usually be held, producing a muted tone. Also in qawwali, there is no distinction between what is known as the chest voice and the neck voice (the different areas that sound will resonate in depending on the frequency sung). Rather, qawwals sing very loudly and forcefully, which allows them to extend their chest voice to much higher frequencies than those used in Western singing, even though this usually causes a more noisy or strained sound than would be acceptable in the West.

[edit] Traditional sequence of a Chishtiya Sufi order qawwali performance

 

* Instrumental: This is supposed to be the announcement of the arrival of Moinuddin Chishti, as Sufi believes their saints are free of time-space. Also that Nabi, Siddiq, Shaheed, and Saleh category of faithfuls are never dead, just gone into some other state from where they visit whenever they are mentioned, especially if there is a function in their honor.

* Hamd

* Naat

* Manqabat Ali

* Manqabat Ghous: Praise of Abdul-Qadir Gilani

* Manqabat Khwaja: Praise of Moinuddin Chishti

* Manqabat Shaikh: Praise of the Shaikh/Pir if the performance is at an Urs celebration

* Rang or Badhawa: If it is an Urs performance, then it is usually Rang, a poem by Amir Khusro. The audience is often asked to stand when the Rang is sung. If it is the Shaikh's birthday, it is usually the Badhawa.

  

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fateh_Ali_Khan_%28Qawwali_Singer%29

16th December 2016 at the Yunus Emre Enstitüsü, London W1.

 

"Healing Sounds of Ancient Turkey: A Celebration of Rumi's Urs" (free event).

 

Country: Turkey (United States resident). Style: Turkish Sufi Music - Bektashi & Alevi.

 

Lineup: Latif Bolat (v/saz).

 

Latif Bolat is from Mersin on the coast of southern Turkey and spent many decades in California before returning to his hometown. It was in the USA around 30 years ago that, inspired by the music of the Sabri Brothers, he made the transition from Opera singer to Sufi musician. He visits the UK fairly regularly (though I have only seen him once before, in 2005 at SOAS at an Ed Emery organised event). This time he was undertaking a short tour to celebrate the anniversary of Mawlânâ' Rûmî’s Urs, the anniversary of his union with the Beloved (he died on the 17th Dec 1273 in Konya, Turkey). He started with a talk giving the geopolitical background to Turkish Sufism. He then performed works by poets such as Yunus Emre and Niyazi Misri. Often inviting a member of the audience to read out an English translation beforehand.

In this photo: One of the translation readers, with saz accompaniment by Bolat.

More information: www.latifbolat.com/, www.facebook.com/latif.bolat.

 

Piercing The Eyeball- Masoom Ali Baba Panipat at Makanpur

  

He is Masoom Bawa of Bu Shah Qalandar of Panipat and the most famous Qalandari Malang.

He wears pink and is one of the most friendly person and walks from Kaliar Sharif to Delhi Nizamudin and from there along with the Malangs Rafaees they walk from Delhi To Ajmer Sharif with the Standard,

Their arrival begins the Urus of Khwajah Garib Nawaz.

 

From Wikipedia

 

The Qalandariyyah (Arabic: قلندرية‎, Hindi: क़लन्दरिय्या, Bengali: ক়লন্দরিয়্য়া), Qalandaris or Kalandars are wandering Sufi dervishes. The term covers a variety of sects, not centrally organized. One was founded by Qalandar Yusuf al-Andalusi of Andalusia, Spain.

 

Starting in the early 12th century, the movement gained popularity in Greater Khorasan and neighbouring regions, including the South Asia.[1] The first references are found in the 11th-century prose text Qalandarname (The Tale of the Kalandar) attributed to Ansarī Harawī. The term Qalandariyyat (the Qalandar condition) appears to be first applied by Sanai Ghaznavi (died 1131) in seminal poetic works where diverse practices are described. Particular to the qalandar genre of poetry are terms that refer to gambling, games, intoxicants and Nazar ila'l-murd - themes commonly referred to as kufriyyat or kharabat. The genre was further developed by poets such as Fakhr al-din Iraqi and Farid al-din Attar.

 

The Qalandariya may have arisen from the earlier Malamatiyya and exhibited some Buddhist and Hindu influences in South Asia.[2] They condemned the use of drugs and dressed only in blankets or in hip-length hairshirts.[3]

 

The writings of qalandars were not a mere celebration of libertinism, but antinomial practices of affirmation from negative action. The order was often viewed suspiciously by authorities.

 

The term remains in popular culture. Sufi qawwali singers the Sabri brothers and international Qawwali star Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan favoured the chant dam a dam masta qalandar (with every breath ecstatic Qalandar!), and a similar refrain appeared in a hit song from Runa Laila from movie Ek Se Badhkar Ek that became a dancefloor crossover hit in the 1970s.

 

In Pakistan and North India, descendents of Qalandariyah faqirs now form a distinct community, known as the Qalandar biradari.

Sabri Brothers in 1985-غلام فرید صابری، مقبول صابری

Ustad Ahsan Hussain Khan Sahab

 

www.sufisinger.com

Documenting the Qalandari Silsila ..of Bu Shah Qalandar

at Makanpur 2016 ..

 

The head of the Qalandari order is Haji Masoom Ali Baba a multifaceted bawa ..he is a musician a holistic healer and gifted wise man.

 

He is a great cook and loves and cares for his disciples and Murids .. I was very close to him and his son Sardar Ali Madari during Chadiyan walk from Delhi to Ajmer 2017..

 

Actually he had invited me for the walk from Panipat I could not make it son on instructions from my murshad Rafiq Ali Rafiq Ali baba I joined the contingent of Mustakim Baba Masumi Madari

 

Both Haji Masoom Ali Baba and another baba also by the same name Masoom Ali Baba Rafaee are part of the Madarriya order too.

 

Because of some time bound film work I did take part in Chadiyan though Haji Masoom Ali Baba Qalandari was waiting for me at Delhi.

 

Chadyan is not the easiest of pilgrimage to Ajmer from Delhi on foot you encounter pain sufferings death..but you overcome all this thanks to the blessings of Khwajah Garib Nawaz.

 

I have always been fascinated with the Qalandari order lovers of Imam Ali ...this order dresses in red ,,and partake in Ratib..

 

I have ben documenting the Qalandaris since my first visit to Makanpur Urus of Zinda Shah Madar since 2013 ..

 

About the Qalandari Sufi Order

 

The Qalandariyyah (Arabic: قلندرية‎, Hindi: क़लन्दरिय्या, Bengali: ক়লন্দরিয়্য়া), Qalandaris or Kalandars are wandering Sufi dervishes. The term covers a variety of sects, not centrally organized. One was founded by Qalandar Yusuf al-Andalusi of Andalusia, Spain.

 

Starting in the early 12th century, the movement gained popularity in Greater Khorasan and neighbouring regions, including the South Asia.[1] The first references are found in the 11th-century prose text Qalandarname (The Tale of the Kalandar) attributed to Ansarī Harawī. The term Qalandariyyat (the Qalandar condition) appears to be first applied by Sanai Ghaznavi (died 1131) in seminal poetic works where diverse practices are described. Particular to the qalandar genre of poetry are terms that refer to gambling, games, intoxicants and Nazar ila'l-murd, themes commonly referred to as kufriyyat or kharabat. The genre was further developed by poets such as Fakhr-al-Din Iraqi and Farid al-Din Attar.

 

The Qalandariya may have arisen from the earlier Malamatiyya and exhibited some Buddhist and Hindu influences in South Asia.[2] The Malamatiya condemned the use of drugs and dressed only in blankets or in hip-length hairshirts.[3]

 

The writings of qalandars were not a mere celebration of libertinism, but antinomial practices of affirmation from negative action. The order was often viewed suspiciously by authorities.

 

The term remains in popular culture. Sufi qawwali singers the Sabri brothers and international Qawwali star Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan favoured the chant dam a dam masta qalandar (with every breath ecstatic Qalandar!), and a similar refrain appeared in a hit song from Runa Laila from movie Ek Se Badhkar Ek that became a dancefloor crossover hit in the 1970s.

 

In Pakistan and North India, descendents of Qalandariyah faqirs now form a distinct community, known as the Qalandar biradari.

 

The Qalandariyyah (Arabic: قلندرية‎, Hindi: क़लन्दरिय्या, Bengali: ক়লন্দরিয়্য়া), Qalandaris or Kalandars are wandering Sufi dervishes. The term covers a variety of sects, not centrally organized. One was founded by Qalandar Yusuf al-Andalusi of Andalusia, Spain.

 

Starting in the early 12th century, the movement gained popularity in Greater Khorasan and neighbouring regions, including the South Asia.[1] The first references are found in the 11th-century prose text Qalandarname (The Tale of the Kalandar) attributed to Ansarī Harawī. The term Qalandariyyat (the Qalandar condition) appears to be first applied by Sanai Ghaznavi (died 1131) in seminal poetic works where diverse practices are described. Particular to the qalandar genre of poetry are terms that refer to gambling, games, intoxicants and Nazar ila'l-murd - themes commonly referred to as kufriyyat or kharabat. The genre was further developed by poets such as Fakhr al-din Iraqi and Farid al-din Attar.

 

The Qalandariya may have arisen from the earlier Malamatiyya and exhibited some Buddhist and Hindu influences in South Asia.[2] They condemned the use of drugs and dressed only in blankets or in hip-length hairshirts.[3]

 

The writings of qalandars were not a mere celebration of libertinism, but antinomial practices of affirmation from negative action. The order was often viewed suspiciously by authorities.

 

The term remains in popular culture. Sufi qawwali singers the Sabri brothers and international Qawwali star Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan favoured the chant dam a dam masta qalandar (with every breath ecstatic Qalandar!), and a similar refrain appeared in a hit song from Runa Laila from movie Ek Se Badhkar Ek that became a dancefloor crossover hit in the 1970s.

 

In Pakistan and North India, descendents of Qalandariyah faqirs now form a distinct community, known as the Qalandar biradari

   

16th December 2016 at the Yunus Emre Enstitüsü, London W1.

 

"Healing Sounds of Ancient Turkey: A Celebration of Rumi's Urs" (free event).

 

Country: Turkey (United States resident). Style: Turkish Sufi Music - Bektashi & Alevi.

 

Lineup: Latif Bolat (v/saz).

 

Latif Bolat is from Mersin on the coast of southern Turkey and spent many decades in California before returning to his hometown. It was in the USA around 30 years ago that, inspired by the music of the Sabri Brothers, he made the transition from Opera singer to Sufi musician. He visits the UK fairly regularly (though I have only seen him once before, in 2005 at SOAS at an Ed Emery organised event). This time he was undertaking a short tour to celebrate the anniversary of Mawlânâ' Rûmî’s Urs, the anniversary of his union with the Beloved (he died on the 17th Dec 1273 in Konya, Turkey). He started with a talk giving the geopolitical background to Turkish Sufism. He then performed works by poets such as Yunus Emre and Niyazi Misri. Often inviting a member of the audience to read out an English translation beforehand.

More information: www.latifbolat.com/, www.facebook.com/latif.bolat.

 

16th December 2016 at the Yunus Emre Enstitüsü, London W1.

 

"Healing Sounds of Ancient Turkey: A Celebration of Rumi's Urs" (free event).

 

Country: Turkey (United States resident). Style: Turkish Sufi Music - Bektashi & Alevi.

 

Lineup: Latif Bolat (v/saz).

 

Latif Bolat is from Mersin on the coast of southern Turkey and spent many decades in California before returning to his hometown. It was in the USA around 30 years ago that, inspired by the music of the Sabri Brothers, he made the transition from Opera singer to Sufi musician. He visits the UK fairly regularly (though I have only seen him once before, in 2005 at SOAS at an Ed Emery organised event). This time he was undertaking a short tour to celebrate the anniversary of Mawlânâ' Rûmî’s Urs, the anniversary of his union with the Beloved (he died on the 17th Dec 1273 in Konya, Turkey). He started with a talk giving the geopolitical background to Turkish Sufism. He then performed works by poets such as Yunus Emre and Niyazi Misri. Often inviting a member of the audience to read out an English translation beforehand.

In this photo: The talk before the concert.

More information: www.latifbolat.com/, www.facebook.com/latif.bolat.

 

shikwa jawab e shikwa

Click on the #LINK Given below,

Hazrat Babba Bullay Shah Kalaam,

play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.moboquest.babab...

  

We have a large collection of #Babba Bullay Shah #Kalaam in our database. You can watch and listen

these spirtual Kalaam free on your mobile device. Watch and listen Beautifull Kalaam in voice of our Legends.

If you like our app, please share it with your family & friends.

 

#Babba_Bullay_Shah #All_Kalaam_Collection #Android_App #Google_Play_Store #Abida_Parveen #Nusrat_Fateh_Ali_Khan

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play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.moboquest.babab...

16th December 2016 at the Yunus Emre Enstitüsü, London W1.

 

"Healing Sounds of Ancient Turkey: A Celebration of Rumi's Urs" (free event).

 

Country: Turkey (United States resident). Style: Turkish Sufi Music - Bektashi & Alevi.

 

Lineup: Latif Bolat (v/saz).

 

Latif Bolat is from Mersin on the coast of southern Turkey and spent many decades in California before returning to his hometown. It was in the USA around 30 years ago that, inspired by the music of the Sabri Brothers, he made the transition from Opera singer to Sufi musician. He visits the UK fairly regularly (though I have only seen him once before, in 2005 at SOAS at an Ed Emery organised event). This time he was undertaking a short tour to celebrate the anniversary of Mawlânâ' Rûmî’s Urs, the anniversary of his union with the Beloved (he died on the 17th Dec 1273 in Konya, Turkey). He started with a talk giving the geopolitical background to Turkish Sufism. He then performed works by poets such as Yunus Emre and Niyazi Misri. Often inviting a member of the audience to read out an English translation beforehand.

More information: www.latifbolat.com/, www.facebook.com/latif.bolat.

 

16th December 2016 at the Yunus Emre Enstitüsü, London W1.

 

"Healing Sounds of Ancient Turkey: A Celebration of Rumi's Urs" (free event).

 

Country: Turkey (United States resident). Style: Turkish Sufi Music - Bektashi & Alevi.

 

Lineup: Latif Bolat (v/saz).

 

Latif Bolat is from Mersin on the coast of southern Turkey and spent many decades in California before returning to his hometown. It was in the USA around 30 years ago that, inspired by the music of the Sabri Brothers, he made the transition from Opera singer to Sufi musician. He visits the UK fairly regularly (though I have only seen him once before, in 2005 at SOAS at an Ed Emery organised event). This time he was undertaking a short tour to celebrate the anniversary of Mawlânâ' Rûmî’s Urs, the anniversary of his union with the Beloved (he died on the 17th Dec 1273 in Konya, Turkey). He started with a talk giving the geopolitical background to Turkish Sufism. He then performed works by poets such as Yunus Emre and Niyazi Misri. Often inviting a member of the audience to read out an English translation beforehand.

More information: www.latifbolat.com/, www.facebook.com/latif.bolat.

 

These are the Sabri Brothers singing in Moonlight

Attended on 10th Dec, although Sabri Brothers were the highlight.. I still liked a guy from some small city near ludhiana..whose singing skills were amazing!

Ya Muhammad Noor-e-Mujassam by Host Muhammad Ali Raza Qadri

Ya Muhammad Noor-e-Mujassam by Host Muhammad Ali Raza Qadri

Ya Muhammad Noor-e-Mujassam by Host Muhammad Ali Raza Qadri

Ya Muhammad Noor-e-Mujassam by Host Muhammad Ali Raza Qadri

Ya Muhammad Noor-e-Mujassam by Host Muhammad Ali Raza Qadri

Ya Muhammad Noor-e-Mujassam by Host Muhammad Ali Raza Qadri

A 1977 French release of an album by famous Pakistani Qawali group, the Sabri Brothers.

A 1977 French release of an album by famous Pakistani Qawali group, the Sabri Brothers.

Embracing Legends:

 

Hey everyone, here, the Founder of Showtime Event, and I've got something really special to share with you all.

 

Imagine being in the company of musical greatness – that's exactly how I felt when I had the amazing chance to meet The Sabri Brothers. 🙌 These musical maestros embodied the soul of Sufi qawwali, deeply connected to the spiritual essence of the Chishti Order. 🎶

 

Ghulam Farid Sabri and Maqbool Ahmed Sabri, the dynamic duo behind The Sabri Brothers, blended earthly tunes with heavenly vibes, touching hearts and souls across different places.