amir khusro

Podcast | Qawwali

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Omar, Yasmine and Shahroze discuss the history, evolution and spiritual significance of qawwali. Qawwali incorporates music, poetry and story-telling in to a celebration of Love. The singing of qawwali in Sufi shrines and mausoleums is a practice of samaa, a devotional practice that involves singing, dancing, playing musical instruments, praying, reciting poetry and participating in rituals in order to achieve a higher spiritual state.

What We Talk About In This Episode

  • Transformation of the ghazal from Arabia, to Iran to the Indian subcontinent
  • The use of music in the spread of Islam in the subcontinent
  • Borrowed traditions of music and poetry in qawwali
  • Qawwali as a means of bridging cultural and spirituals gaps
  • World music and performing qawwali for a global audience
  • The blending of South Asian folk knowledge and traditions in qawwali
  • Performance principles and structures of qawwali
  • Haal, kefiyat and trancendence
  • Shahbaz Qalandar’s shrine in Sehwan and dhamaal as a form of dhikr
  • Commercialisation of qawwali; Coke Studio, qawwali concerts, and events
  • Difference between qawwali and sufiana kalam
Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya With His Student Amir Khusro

Things/People Mentioned In This Episode

  • Shemeem Burney Abbas, The Female Voice in Sufi Ritual
  • Regula Qureshi: Sufi Music of India and Pakistan: Sound, Context and Meaning in Qawwali
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The dance of a Qalandar does not know any form, an uncle told me one dark Lahori night, it can adopt any form. He was speaking of Qalandari dhamal, a South Asian Sufi dance where people enter trance states by swirling and moving to the beat of drums. Dance is a word used loosely. Frenetic spinning, stamping feet, shaking heads, flailing limbs, jumping up and down, all are part of a dhamal dance. Watching dhamal has been one of my favorite experiences in Pakistan. I love watching people completely let loose and as music guides their souls to higher levels. The primal nature of a gathering in the dark of night set to drums and raised voices. Every Thursday night, these rituals take place in shrines all across Pakistan. Lahore is a great place to see one, though you have to know where to look. I’ve put together a blog post with a list of places in Lahore where you can catch dhamal on Thursdays. Check the link in my bio if you want to know more!

A post shared by Alex Reynolds | Travel (@lostwithpurpose) on

Further Reading & Resources

Ally Adnan’s Lecture on The History, Art and Practice of Qawwali

Anuradha Bhattacharjee & Shadab Alam, “The Origin and Journey of Qawwali: From Sacred Ritual to Entertainment?” (2012). Journal of Creative Communications.

James R Newell, “Unseen Power: Aesthetic Dimensions of Symbolic Healing in Qawwali.” (2007). The Muslim World.

Scott Kugle, “Qawwali: Between Written Poem and Sung Lyric.” (2007). The Muslim World.

Listen to Sacred Footsteps- The Podcast on iTunesSoundcloudSpotify & more!

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