This opening song is called the qaul, meaning “saying” or “utterance,” and shares the same Arabic root as qawwali. The insertion of an Arabic phrase into a South Asian art form attests to the the ...

A translation of a qawwali text by an unknown Urdu poet for the song “Allah Hu” (“God Is!”) is given below: When there was nothing, there was only you. A typical traditional place of performance is at ...

Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan is widely credited for bringing global attention to Qawwali music, extending the 600yr old Qawwali tradition of his family. By the time of his death following a heart attack ...

Qawwali singing and other forms of music sacred in Sufism, the branch of Islam that emphasizes music as a mystical route to the holy. Capturing performances of renowned Muslim musicians such as ...