Qawwali Music of Pakistan

Mughal Emperor Muhammad Sha was one of the most prominent patrons of Qawwali and he is widely recognized for its cultural expansion.

Qawwali is a devotional music of the Chishti Sufis. Qawwali is a vibrant musical custom that dated back to more than 700 years in India. It was initially performed mainly at Sufi shrines all over the India; it has also achieved normal fame. Qawwali music have gotten international exposure through the work of the Late Aziz Mjan, sabri brothers and Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, largely due to several releases on the Real World label, followed by the live concerts at WOMAD festivals. Viewers and performers themselves are frequently transported to a state of wajad, a trance-like state where they feel at one with God, mainly considered to be the height of spiritual bliss in Sufism. The origins of Qawwali can dated at 8^th century Persian, though, Qawwali in the form we know it today was basically made by Amir Khusrau in the late 13^th century.

In the time of first major movement from Persia, in the 11^th century, the musical custom of Sama moved to South Asia, Uzbekistan and Turkey. Rumi and his Mevlana order of Sufism have been the broadcasters of Sama in central Asia. Amir Khusrau of the Chisti order of Sufis is recognized with combining the Persian and South Asia musical customs, to form Qawwali as well as the classical music tradition. The term Sama is used (or is the preferred name) in the Central Asia and Turkey, for forms very similar to Qawwali while in Pakistan, the prescribed name used for a session of Qawwali is Mehfil-e- Sama.