To honour all South Asian Muslims in this most auspicious period of the year, the holy month of Ramadan, here are some moving devotional songs, qawwalis from several countries and a Bollywood Eid song.
Eid Mubarak everyone!
Tahira Syed
Allah Kareya Karo
Pakistani TV and folk singer Tahira Syed has a voice that stand outs even in a country full of outstanding singers. Her mother was the much loved Kashmiri singer Malika Pukhraj. This lilting folk melody requesting the Almighty’s intercession is one of Sunday Sounds' all time favourite South Asian melodies.
Salman Khan
Mubarak Eid Mubarak (From the film Tumko Na Bhool Payenge)
Filmi qawwali has long been a part of popular culture across the subcontinent and is a genre with its own obsessive fan base. Scorned by the purists as a travesty of a sublime art, it is nevertheless music created for a very particular context, that of entertainment. This Salman Khan-led rave-up that mixes modern dance moves with a traditional Eid celebration is pure pleasure -- Bollywood doing what it does best.
Sabri Brothers
Mere Koi Nahi Teri Siva
Giants of the qawwali, the mighty Sabri Brothers perform live in the UK. I Have No One Except You, is the name of the qawwali and pretty much sums up the ultimate reflection of a month of inner contemplation and discipline.
Salim Nizaimi Qawwal
Bengali Qawwali
A local qawwal from Chittagong, Bangladesh, captured in a live Eid performance. A reminder that although the great languages of qawwali are Urdu and Punjabi, the form and substance of the music is something held dear by all South Asians.
Ahmad Sham Sufi
Allah Ho Allah Ho
Afghanistan’s contribution to the music of northern South Asia is often not fully appreciated, be it the transcendent lyrics of Rumi, generations of traditional musicians or instruments like the sarod, which is derived from the Afghani rubab.
Qawwali, as a uniquely South Asian form of spiritual music, had its roots in the Persian-Afghan-Central Asian culture that emerged in the 8th century. In this clip, also live in the UK, the scintillating qawwal from Kabul, Ahmad Sham Sufi, interprets one of the all time qawwali standards, Allah Ho.
AR Rahman
Khwaja Mere Khawaja
AR Rahman pays respect to India’s greatest saint, Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti, in a very personal tribute performed live in Sydney.
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Eid Mubarak everyone!
Tahira Syed
Allah Kareya Karo
Pakistani TV and folk singer Tahira Syed has a voice that stand outs even in a country full of outstanding singers. Her mother was the much loved Kashmiri singer Malika Pukhraj. This lilting folk melody requesting the Almighty’s intercession is one of Sunday Sounds' all time favourite South Asian melodies.
Salman Khan
Mubarak Eid Mubarak (From the film Tumko Na Bhool Payenge)
Filmi qawwali has long been a part of popular culture across the subcontinent and is a genre with its own obsessive fan base. Scorned by the purists as a travesty of a sublime art, it is nevertheless music created for a very particular context, that of entertainment. This Salman Khan-led rave-up that mixes modern dance moves with a traditional Eid celebration is pure pleasure -- Bollywood doing what it does best.
Sabri Brothers
Mere Koi Nahi Teri Siva
Giants of the qawwali, the mighty Sabri Brothers perform live in the UK. I Have No One Except You, is the name of the qawwali and pretty much sums up the ultimate reflection of a month of inner contemplation and discipline.
Salim Nizaimi Qawwal
Bengali Qawwali
A local qawwal from Chittagong, Bangladesh, captured in a live Eid performance. A reminder that although the great languages of qawwali are Urdu and Punjabi, the form and substance of the music is something held dear by all South Asians.
Ahmad Sham Sufi
Allah Ho Allah Ho
Afghanistan’s contribution to the music of northern South Asia is often not fully appreciated, be it the transcendent lyrics of Rumi, generations of traditional musicians or instruments like the sarod, which is derived from the Afghani rubab.
Qawwali, as a uniquely South Asian form of spiritual music, had its roots in the Persian-Afghan-Central Asian culture that emerged in the 8th century. In this clip, also live in the UK, the scintillating qawwal from Kabul, Ahmad Sham Sufi, interprets one of the all time qawwali standards, Allah Ho.
AR Rahman
Khwaja Mere Khawaja
AR Rahman pays respect to India’s greatest saint, Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti, in a very personal tribute performed live in Sydney.
