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INTRODUCTION
Qawwali is the traditional
form of Islamic song found in India and Pakistan. The
word qawwali is derived from the Arabic word Qaol which means
"axiom" or "dictum". A Qawwal is one who sings qawwali,
or the dictums of the prophets and praises of God. The
Qawwali is closely linked to the spiritual and artistic life
of northern India and Pakistan.
SPIRITUAL ASPECT OF
QAWWALI
The
qawwali is inextricably linked to the Sufi tradition; Sufism
is a mystical school of Islamic thought which strives to
attain truth and divine love by direct personal
experience. In Arabic, this mysticism is known as
tasawwuf. The difference between Sufism and mainstream
Islam is simple. All Muslims believe that man is on a
path to God (tariqah). However, where the mainstream
Muslim believes that it is only possible to reach God after
death at the final judgement, the Sufi believes that it is
possible to reach God during ones life. To this end
there are a number of different techniques and
methods.
The
Koran instructs man to remember God. This remembrance,
known as dhikr, may be either silent of vocal. The
qawwali may be viewed as an extension of the vocal form of
this remembrance. The use of music as a spiritual force
was discussed in great length by al-Gazali
(1085-1111).
By the
end of the 11th century, there arose the tradition of the
sama. The sama was often a spiritual concert, which
included a vocalist, and instrumentalists. These samas
took place under the direction of a spiritually respected man
(shaikh).
There is
a very specific psychological process which a qawwali
follows. One starts with the singing of the song.
In this psychological state the song is received in a manner
that is not unlike standard forms of musical expression.
The words are sung, quite repeatedly with variations intended
to bring out deeper means of the lyrics. After awhile
there is a repetition to the extent that the words cease to
have a meaning. It is the goal here to lead the listener
and performer alike into a trance (hal). In the ideal
situation the participant is moved to a state of spiritual
enlightenment (fana).
HISTORY OF THE
QAWWALI
The origins of qawwali probably
predate the birth of Muhammad. The earliest Islamic
scholars discussed the spiritual effects of music, but it was
only in the time of al-Gazali (1085-1111) that these
principles were refined and codified.
These
principles were then expanded by the Chisti school of
Sufism. It is this order that has been responsible for
the propagation of the qawwali in India and Pakistan for then
last few centuries. The origin of the Chisti school is
unclear. Most believe that it was established by Khwaj
Moinuddin Hasan Chisti (1143-1234). However there are a
some who hold that the originator was Abu Ishaq Shami Chisti
who died in Damascus in 940 C.E.
Khwaj
Moinuddin Hasan Chisti was undoubtedly responsible for the
widespread propagation of this school of Sufism. It is
said that he was born in Sijistan. At a young age, he
was influenced by several saintly men, including Ibrahim
Qahandazi, and Shaikh Abdul Qadir Jilli. He immigrated
to Delhi and became a very respected saint. He later
grew tired of the life in Delhi and withdrew to the peace and
quite of Ajmer (Rajasthan) where he lived the remainder of his
days.
One of
the followers of the Chisti school was a man by the name of
Shaikh Nizamuddin Auliya (1236-1325). He was born in
Budaun, but at the age of 20 he moved to Ajodhan and became a
disciple of Fariduddin Ganj-i-Shakkar. It is said that
it was here that he received the key to inner
illumination. He was then sent to Delhi to instruct the
populous. Here he acquired a reputation for using music
in his devotional gatherings. This created a great
amount of friction with the more orthodox Islamic elements in
Delhi.
Nizamuddin Auliya was, and still is, a source of
inspiration for countless people. Even today there is an
annual gathering at his tomb.
One man
who was inspired by the Hazrat Nizamuddin was Amir Khusru
(1254-1324). He was born in Mominpur (Patiala).
His father was originally from Turkey, this gave the young boy
a broader exposure to the rest of the Islamic world. His
father died when he was eight years old, whereupon the job of
raising him fell to his maternal grandfather. Amir
Khusru was a legendary musician, statesman and
philosopher. It is said that he was the advisor to 11
rulers of Delhi, particularly the rulers of the Khilji Dynasty
(Deva 1973:76).
Amir
Khusru is so important to the development of qawwali that he
is often (erroneously) said to be the inventor of it. It
is said that he mixed the various musical elements from
Turkey, greater Persia and India together. Even today,
we find the curious mixture of Persian moqquams with Indian
rags.
The
development of the qawwali up to the latter part of the Mogul
empire closely parallels the development of the Hindu
religious song known as bhajan. We find parallels in
musical form and social settings. The degree of cross
influence is so great that some musician / saints such as
Kabir (circa 1440-1518) are to this day revered by Hindus and
Muslims alike.
The
tradition of qawwali has had numerous ups and downs. One
particularly hard time was during the reign of
Aurangzeb. Aurangzeb is known for his Islamic
fundamentalism. The liberal traditions of the Sufis were
not well received by this emperor. He took the
fundamentalist injunction against music very
seriously.
Aurangzeb's dislike of music is well illustrated in a
common story. It appears that during his administration
a group of musicians, disheartened with their lack of
patronage, took some musical instruments and wrapped them in
the manner of a corpse and held a funeral procession in
protest. Aurangzeb enquires about the procession and is
told it is a burial to signify the death of music.
Whereupon it is said that the emperor declares, "Good! bury it
so deep that never a sound should be heard
again."
The
collapse of the Mogul empire and political fragmentation under
the British was both good and bad for the qawwals. On
one hand the political disarray meant that a major suppression
of their artform was impossible, yet it also meant that their
patronage was also uneven.
The
rising film industry in the middle of the 20th century was a
major vehicle for the rise in popularity of the qawwali.
There was a period when a qawwali was a mandatory part of the
formula Hindi films.
The film
industry influenced the development of the qawwali in several
ways. It is interesting to note that since the
environment of the cinema house precluded the artist /audience
interaction, it set the precedent for the more detached
quality that characterises modern performances. The
filmi qawwali also set the precedent for the "showy" quality
that one finds in modern performances. Another effect of
the filmi qawwali was the downgrading of the religious /
devotional aspect. A typical example of a filmi qawwali is
"Sharam ke Kyun Sab" from the film "Chaudvin ka
Chand".
The
secularisation of the qawwali is an interesting
phenomenon. One can see that the seeds of its
secularisation are inherent in the qawwali itself.
Themes of qawwali have traditionally revolved around very
mundane or even coarse occurrences. However, the
coarseness of the situations have always been interpreted as
the coarse spiritual existence of our daily lives. The
modern secular qawwali tends to strip the themes of their
metaphorical and allegorical character thus producing a
shallow, yet commercially marketable entity.
Recent
years have seen the qawwali thrust into the international
arena by such musicians as Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. His
fusion of traditional Indo-Pakistani influences with Western
music has created quite a stir in the music
world.
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2
1 -Aag Daman Mein Lag Jai-
Nusrat fateh
Ali - Download
2 -Aaj Ki Raat
Hai- Aziz Mian
- Download
3 -Aashiqi Dil Lagee Nahin
Hotee - Aziz Mian - Download
4 -Afreen Afreen - Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan - Download
5 -Akh Lar Gayee Yar Naal
- Aziz Mian - Download
6 -Akhian Udeek Diyan - Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan - Download
7 -Allah
Hoo -Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
- Download
8 -Ay Maati Ke Putlay Tujhe Kitna
GumaaN
- Aziz Mian (HOT ) - Download
9 -Balaghal Ula Be Kamalihi - Sabri Brothers - Dwonload
10 -Bark Girthee Hai - Aziz Mian - Download
11 -Barr Do Jholi Meri Ya Muhammad -
Aziz Mian - Download
12 -Bewafa Yun Tera Muskoorana - Aziz Mian - Download
13 -Bhar Do Joli Meri Ya Muhammad - Sabri Brothers - Download
14 -Bolo Ji Tum Kya Kya Kharido Gaye -
Aziz Mian - Download
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