Qawwali

Qawwali is a form of Sufi Islamic devotional singing that originated in South Asia. Traditionally performed at Sufi shrines (dargahs) across the Indian subcontinent as part of spiritual gatherings, qawwali aims to invoke divine remembrance (dhikr), induce spiritual ecstasy (wajd), and draw the listener closer to Allah (God). Qawwali remains widely popular throughout Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh. Although qawwali has gained mainstream popularity since the late 20th century, its core remains rooted in Islamic mysticism (Sufism).

Hereditary qawwali performers continue to uphold the tradition in devotional settings, but the genre reached a global audience largely through the work of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Aziz Mian, and the Sabri Brothers. Recordings by Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and the Sabri Brothers on Real World Records, together with their appearances at WOMAD festivals, were instrumental in introducing qawwali to wider audiences beyond its traditional South Asian audience. Other notable qawwals include Fareed Ayaz and Abu Muhammad, Abdullah Manzoor Niazi, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, Badar Miandad, the Rizwan-Muazzam Qawwali Group, the Qutbi Brothers, Amjad Sabri, Qawwal Bahauddin Qutbuddin, Najm Saif and Brothers, and Aziz Naza.

Terminology

The word qawwali derives from qaul (Arabic: قَوْل), meaning "utterance" or "saying." In the Sufi tradition, qaul also came to denote a form of devotional song based on or inspired by sayings attributed to the Prophet Muhammad. The term qawwal, meaning "one who recites or utters", subsequently came to denote the performer of such devotional music, while qawwali refers to the musical performance itself.

Origins

The development of qawwali during the Delhi Sultanate is widely attributed to the 13th-century Sufi poet and musician Amir Khusrau, who, as the devoted disciple (murīd) of the Chishti Sufi saint Nizamuddin Auliya, synthesised Indo-Persian musical and poetic traditions for Sufi devotional practice.