A Mehfil-E-Samaa in Dallas
Preserving an Ancient Tradition
by
Ally Adnan
A pe fo a e of qawwali is so ethi g that e take e se iousl , sa s
Ghayoor Ahmed, the principal singer of Ghayoor Moiz Mustafa Qawwal and
Party. It is o e tha just si gi g fo us e ause e ha e to ake su e that
our rendition is accurate and faithful to the original tenets of qawwali (یلا ق).
We have to uphold the tradition established by our ancestors. The tradition
Ahmed refers to is certainly one that needs to be revered and preserved. His
forefathers have faithfully practiced the art of qawwali for more than seven
Qawwali predates Islam and has existed in various forms – samaa (عمس), zikr
(رکز), chanting and many others – for at least eighteen (18) centuries. It is, in essence, the integration of spiritual, philosophical, religious, musical and poetic elements to create a vehicle that facilitates the spiritual connection of participants in the performance of qawwali– the mehfil-e-samaa (عمسِِلفحم)
– to the creator.
The practice of qawwali, in its primitive form, gained popularity in South Asia as musicians, ascetics, clerics, mystics, philosophers, scholars, and sufi (یفِِ ص)
saints moved to the region from Iran, Afghanistan, Turkey and several other countries. The thirteenth century poet, musician, statesman, and
philosopher, Amir Khusrau, created the current form of qawwali and defined
the requirements and rules for its performance. He developed a rhythmic
cycle of eight (8) beats, the qawwali taal (لات), to be used specifically in
Qawwali Taal
The school of music thus established and followed by the scions of the twelve (12) musicians is known as Delhi Ke Qawwal Bachon Ka Gharana (ِلا قِےکِیلد
Ghayoor Moiz Mustafa Qawwal and Party represent the thirty-fourth (34th)
generation of the gharana. We a e di e t des e da ts of the e fi st qawwali the o ld, sa s Moizuddi Ha da p oudl . Our ancestry can be
traced back directly to Miyan Samat Bin Ibrahim. The great musician, Miyan
century for more than seven hundred (700) years. We are devoted to
maintaining the purity and original form of qawwali.
Ghayoor Moiz Mustafa Qawwal and Party is comprised of eight (8) musicians: two (2) are sons of Abu Muhammad Qawwal and six (6) are sons of Fareed
Ayaz Qawwal, arguably the greatest qawwal alive today. The ensemble is
known for a severe fidelity to the form originally developed by Amir Khusrao.
We ha e al a s esisted the u ge to dilute a d ode ize ou qawwali.
sa s Muha ad “hah. Experimenting with a ali is ot fo us, adds
Taimoor Akram. Fusio is fo othe s to da le i . Ou allegia e is to the
qawwali invented by Amir Khusrao. It is our sacred duty to preserve the art of qawwali in its original a d ost p isti e fo .
Ghayoor Moiz Mustafa Qawwal and Party recently made their debut in the United States of America and performed in an all-night performance of
classical qawwalii Dallas, Te as. It as i po ta t fo us to pe fo a ie t
qawwalis composed by Hazrat Amir Khusrau and other masters in this
mehfil, sa s Za a Ah ed. The event was organized by a well-known Pakistani musicologist and attended by musicians, musicologists and poets
knowledgeable and discerning audience. It was necessary for us to perform
qawwalis that best represent the tradition established by Amir Khusrao and
illustrate the unique qualities and characteristics of the Qawwal Bachon Ka
Gharana. We also had to strictly maintain fidelity to raag and taal because of the knowledge of the listeners. We were anxious but confident before the
performance which was undoubtedly a daunting, but ultimately a very fulfilling, e pe ie e.
The forms of qawwali can be defined both in terms of poetry and music. In
terms of poetry, bhajan (نج ب), geet (تیگ), ghazal (لزغ), hamd (دمح), kafi (یفاک),
manqabat (تبقنم), marsiya (ہیثرم), and naat (تعن), are popular form of
qawwali. Amir Khusrao developed six (6) musical forms. These are the gul
(ل گ), khayal (لایخ), naqsh (شقن), qalbana (ہنابلق), qaul (ل ق) and tarana (ہنارت). The forms of dadra (ہرداد), saadara (ہرداس), thumri (یرم ٹ), tirwat (ٹ رت), and a few
others have been added to the repertoire of qawwali over the centuries.
In accordance with custom and tradition, Ghayoor Moiz Mustafa Qawwal and
qawwali was recited in the Bhairav (ں ری ب) raag. The raag is immensely popular in Hindustani Sangeet (تیگنسِیانتس دنہ), the music of Pakistan and Northern India, and was borrowed from Carnatic Sangeet (تیگنسِکٹانرک), the
music of Southern India, where it is known as Mayamalavagowla. The raag
is deeply rooted in Hindu mythology and named after Lord Shiva, one of the main deities of Hinduism. The genuine, but somewhat ironic, pleasure of
listening to a so g i Allah’s p aise composed in a raag named after a Hindu God was a veritable illustration of the secular nature of qawwali.
The Hamd was followed by the tremendously popular Manqabat, Man Kunto
Maula (ا مِِ تنکِنم), in praise of Hazrat Ali. The qawwali is performed by virtually all qawwals from Pakistan and India and is always sung in the prescribed raag, Shudh Kalyan (نایلکِھد ش), a melodic scale that uses all seven (7) musical notes, five (5) in aarohi (یہ رآ), or ascent, and seven (7) in amrohi
A e se le of usi ia s a ot pe fo a qawwalialo e, lai s Gha oo
Ah ed. The audie e is a esse tial a d e ual pa ti ipa t i qawwali. The goal of qawwali is to deliver the message of sufi love. This cannot be done if there is no one to receive the message. The audience in the Dallas concert was one of the very best that we have ever had in our career. The contributed
to the success of our performance.
The audience in the mehfil was equally in love with the qawwals and, in observance of tradition, showered them with hundreds, if not thousands, of
dollars, in nazar (رزن), throughout the performance. The host of the mehfil has to initiate the ritual of nazar. The giving of nazar before the host is bad form and a sign of poor upbringing.
One of the most interesting qawwalis recited in the mehfil was a naqsh set to
raag Aiman. The naqsh, along with the gul, are obscure musical forms that are known to only a handful of musicians. These virtuosos jealously guard
their knowledge of these rare forms of qawwali and typically do not perform
a leisurely Naqsh and, in a rare gesture of magnanimity, allowed listeners to record the thirty-five (35) minute long rendition.
Another rare item performed in the mehfil was Kangna. The song was
performed by Fareed Ayaz and Abu Muhammad Qawwal in Coke Studio and
used by Mira Nair the her feature film, the Reluctant Fundamentalist, subsequently. Kangna is actually a saadra in raag Malkauns. The saadra is a song sung in dhrupad (دپرھ د) style, an ancient form of Indian music, and set to the ten (10) beat rhythmic cycle jhaptal (لاتپ ج) in madh lay (ےَلِھدم), or medium tempo. A midnight raag, Malkauns (سن کلام) is said to attract djinns and spirits when rendered correctly at the right time. The performance by
Ghayoor Moiz Mustafa Qawwal coincided with the midnight hour and had a unique magical and ethereal quality to it. It left the audience simultaneously enthralled and entranced.
The musicians performed a number of qawwalis in the mehfil which
concluded, according to custom, with a masterly rendition of rang. The
Nizamuddin Auliya. The song has retained its original lyrics, tune and structure for more than seven (7) centuries. It is believed to have the power
to result in the corporeal manifestation of Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya, sufi
Saints and the Prophet (peace be upon him) himself, for those who are
spiritually enlightened. The qawwals and the audience both stand up during
the performance of rang in respect of the saints who may present themselves
in the mehfil. Fareed Ayaz and Abu Muhammad Qawwal joined their sons in
the recitation of rang which ended at the crack of dawn.
It is usto a to e d o e ts of usi at the ti e of the Fajarp a e , sa s
Moizuddi Ha da . “i e, the goal of the Dallas ehfil as p i a il to
present qawwali in its original form, in accordance with tradition, we made
Ally Adnan lives in Dallas and writes about culture, history and the arts. He tweets @allyadnan and can be reached at
