Traditional qawwali practice is built upon a system of hereditary training in which qawwals are part of the service community connected to a particular shrine. Their primary function to the shrine is to service formal activities, primarily the death anniversaries of Sufi saints (Urs).[7]

Since the intention of qawwali is to act as a bridge toward the experience of Sufi mystical love and builds upon religious chants and chanted poetry, the practice is viewed as permissible in what Islamic scholar Lois Lamya al-Faruqi refers to as non-musiqa.[8][9] Qawwals themselves are central figures within qawwali ritual but are not regarded as the focus and are still regarded as part of the servant class.[10]


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The songs which constitute the qawwali repertoire are primarily in Persian, Urdu, and Hindi,[13][14] although Sufi poetry appears in local languages as well (including Punjabi, Saraiki, and dialects of northern India like Braj Bhasha and Awadhi.)[15][16] The sound of regional language qawwali can be totally different from that of mainstream qawwali, as in the case of Chhote Babu Qawwal, whose style of singing is much closer to the Bengali Baul music than to the qawwali of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, for example.

The central themes of qawwali are love, devotion and longing for the Divine. The Sufi poets whose texts have made up the qawwali repertory often used worldly images to convey mystic spiritual love. As such, it is not uncommon to see mentions of worldly or forbidden concepts such as romantic longing, wine, and drunkenness, which are used as metaphors for the mystic state.[17] Qawwals bear the responsibility of maintaining a spiritually appropriate context for such songs, so as not to distract from the religious focus of the Qawwali occasion.[18]

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 percussion by hand-clapping.

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 a predominantly male business and there are still not many mainstream female qawwals.

The longest recorded 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.

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 head 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 what would be acceptable in the West.

Qawwali is performed by soloists who specialize in singing these songs with the accompaniment of a chorus and instrumentalists. For example, the famous qawwali singer Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan was born into a family of qawwali singers, and most in his troupe were closely related to him (brother, nephew, brother-in-law and cousins). A typical qawwali group is all male, and consists of a lead singer, one or two other soloists, a chorus of five or six singers accompanied by harmonium (a small keyboard instrument), tabla (a pair of drums), and percussive hand clapping.

Today, qawwali, as a form of spiritual music sung at shrines of Sufi saints, has undergone a dramatic transformation. Now qawwali has become a secular, commercial genre performed on the concert stage for international audiences. This transformation from a ritual function to one of entertainment; from a traditional community context to an international, commercial one is credited largely to one man: the late Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan of Pakistan. He brought qawwali to the attention of young western audiences by working with Peter Gabriel and the WOMAD (World of Music and Dance) festivals. Through the media of concerts, recordings, film soundtracks and collaborative works with international musicians, Nusrat cultivated an international following that thought of him as synonymous with qawwali. Yet, throughout his life, he remained a traditional qawwali singer who continued to perform at Sufi shrines while also playing the great concert halls of Europe, America and Asia.

Although the words of the songs are of paramount importance, the rhythm of the music is also extremely important because it increases in intensity to bring the listener to an emotional climax. When qawwali is performed in concert for international audiences who do not understand the words of the songs, the driving rhythms become the focus of attention. For many young international audiences, qawwali, as seen on the concert stage or heard on recordings, is thought of as South Asian or World popular music; indeed, many in the audience are inclined to get up and dance in the aisles just as they would at a pop concert.

Just as American gospel music spawned a whole pop industry of soul music, traditional qawwali developed a commercial aspect which attracts young listeners and international audiences. Both forms have transcended their ritual contexts and their traditional audiences, yet, in both cases, the original spirit of devotion and energy remain intact. One does not have to be a Sufi , a Muslim, a Pakistani or of South Asian heritage to listen to and enjoy qawwali. Many examples of traditional and popular qawwali performed by Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan can be found on the Internet; in particular, an array of YouTube video clips.

The structure of qawwali also features a taqrar or friction. The way the main lead throws the verses and is retaliated by the supporting vocalists creates a pattern of quick and challenging revert, a dialogue, or a to and from rhythm.

In qawwali, the lyrics are composed in qual or qalbana. Qual refers to Arabic verses that sing praises of the Prophet or his divine sayings. Combined with tarannum or melody, it creates a complete musical repertoire. The songs are also composed in qalbana which refers to verses that are derived from Arabic and Hindi.

Amir Khusro, a Sufi saint and music composer used distinguished ragas such as Yaman, Bageshri, Basant, and Sohoni to compose qawwali. Later, these compositions were further enhanced by including Persian verses.

Body movements or actions form one of the significant features of qawwali. The lead singer uses gestures with open arms towards the onlookers as well as upwards toward the sky. It seems like an inviting gesture suggesting that the singer has already embarked on a divine journey and is urging the onlookers to join him in his ecstatic experience.

The qawwali singers came to be known as the qawwal ke bacche. Having discussed the most significant features of the basic structure of Qawwali music, there are several features of qawwali that include - alaap, anga, band, bandhana, band sama, bari ka gana, bol, bol samjhana, chachar or beats, chal, chalat phirat, dhun, dhoha, dohrana, and ghazal among many others.

Contemporary instruments and the use of amplifiers, significant up-gradation to the modern stage set up from the traditional white circular sheet indicating the area for performance, and doing away with the vel or cash collection, are some of the significant changes in qawwali performances.

It was the legendary vocalist, Late Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan who initiated the journey of qawwali to reach the international stages.


A musical prodigy who made his mark on the international audience from fifteen years of age, he spearheaded several experiments and collaborations to create a universal appeal for qawwali as a musical genre.

Later, several other acclaimed vocalists such as Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, Abida Parveen, Farid Ayaz, and Sabri Brothers worked towards making qawwali songs enjoyable for the contemporary audience across the globe, while keeping the traditional flavor intact as well.

Qawwali Flamenco is a project which explores the common roots of two musical forms. Going back to basics, flamenco merges with Indo-Pakistani qawwali trance, resulting in a vibrant and ecstatic force.

The exceptional voice and rich timbre of Pakistani singer Faiz Ali Faiz recalls his illustrious predecessor Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, who made qawwali music known lo the world. A passionate art form, the music weaves ancient poetry and intense rhythm with complex melodies lo invoke an atmosphere of devotional ecstasy, catharsis and transformation.

Just two sets earlier at globalFEST 2015, Mehta had been singing on the stage himself as the musical director of Riyaaz Qawwali, an ensemble that performs qawwali, a form of Sufi devotional music. A fellow Texan, Mehta invited the Jones Family Singers to perform together with Riyaaz Qawwali in their shared home state in 2021. On July 2, they will take to the stage together once again at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival.

Despite the vast distance between the origins of gospel soul, which traces its roots back to Black churches of the American South in the early twentieth century, and qawwali, which first converged from Persian, Arabic, Turkish, and Indian traditions on the Indian subcontinent in the thirteenth century, the two collaborators have found no dissonance between their musical practices. 2351a5e196

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