Muslim music

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Islamic music is Muslim religious music, as sung or played in public services or private devotions. The classic heartland of Islam is Arabia and the Middle East, North Africa and Egypt, Iran, Central Asia, India, and Pakistan. Because Islam is a multicultural religion, the musical expression of its adherents is diverse. The indigenous musical styles of these areas have shaped the devotional music enjoyed by contemporary Muslims:

The Seljuk Turks, a nomadic tribe that converted to Islam, conquered Anatolia (now Turkey), and held the Caliphate as the Ottoman Empire, also had a strong influence on Islamic music. See:

Sub-Saharan Africa, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the southern Philippines also have large Muslim populations, but these areas have had less influence than the heartland on the various traditions of Islamic music.

All these regions were connected by trade long before the Islamic conquests of the 600s and later, and it is likely that musical styles traveled the same routes as trade goods. However, lacking recordings, we can only speculate as to the pre-Islamic music of these areas. Islam must have had a great influence on music, as it united vast areas under the first caliphs, and facilitated trade between distant lands. Certainly the Sufis, brotherhoods of Muslim mystics, spread their music far and wide.

Contents

  • Adhan -- the call to prayer, performed by a muezzin from a minaret, or (these days) blasted from a loudspeaker
  • Salat -- the prayers to be recited five times daily
  • Qur'an reading or recitation -- as performed by professional reciters of various traditions and styles

None of these forms of recitation, no matter how elaborately ornamented the vocals, are considered music by strict Muslims who shun music.

Some groups of contemporary Muslim musicians perform devotional songs they call nasheed. Most nasheed groups perform using only voice and percussion instruments. This music is considered halal, permissible, by many strict Muslims. Some nasheed groups add other instruments.

Sufi worship services are often called dhikr or zikr. See that article for further elaboration.

The dhikr of South Asian Muslims is "quietist". The Sufi services best known in the West are the chanting and rhythmic dancing of the whirling dervishes or Mevlevi Sufis of Turkey. Some Mevlana music can be heard on the Sufi Music CD recommended below.

However, Sufis may also perform devotional songs in public, for the enjoyment and edification of listeners. The mood is religious, but the gathering is not a worship service.

In Turkey, once the seat of the Ottoman Empire and the Caliphate, concerts of sacred song are called "Mehfil-e-Sama' " (or "gathering of Sama'"). Song forms include ilahi and nefe.

In northern India and Pakistan, these concerts, and the associated style of music, are called qawwali. A traditional qawwali programme would include:

  • A hamd -- a song in praise of Allah
  • A naat -- a song in praise of the Prophet Muhammad
  • Manqabats -- songs in praise of the illustrious teachers of the Sufi brotherhood to which the musicians belong
  • Ghazals -- songs of intoxication and yearning, which use the language of romantic love to express the soul's longing for union with the divine.

Shi'a concerts follow the naat with a song in praise of Ali (also manqabat) and a marsiya, a lamentation over the death of much of Ali's family at the Battle of Karbala.

See Poetry in Islam for a discussion of the lyrics.

Qawwali is increasingly popular as a musical genre and performances may attract those who want to hear virtuoso singing rather than contemplate the divine. Some artists may skip the long sequence of praise songs and go straight from the introductory hamd to the popular romantic songs, or even dispense with the devotional content completely. This is cause for much consternation for traditional enthusiasts/devotees of the form. The most well known qawwali singer is Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. The dimension and style of music he brought about no one else is able to produce till this day.

As Sufi music has developed so have the generations. A Pakistani rock band, Junoon, was formed in the 1990s to bring a modern twist to suit the new younger generations. The band was a huge world wide hit that created a lot of popularity for not only Pakistan.

  • Mawlid music -- performed for the birthday of Muhammad, in various regional styles.
  • Ta'zieh music -- Ta'zieh is a passion play, part musical drama, part religious drama, rarely performed outside Iran. It depicts the martyrdom of Imam Hussein, venerated by Shia Muslims.
  • Ashurah music -- performed during the Moharram mourning period, commemorating the deaths of Imam Hussein and his followers.
  • Sikiri (from the Arabic word "Dhikr" which means remembrance of God -- performed by the Qadiriyya Sufi orders of waYao or Yao people in East and Southern Africa (Tanzania, Mozambique, Malawi, Zimbabwe, and South Africa).
  • Manzuma -- moral songs performed in Ethiopia.
  • Madih nabawi -- Arabic hymns praising the prophet Muhammad.

Melismatic

Some Muslims believe that only vocal music is permissible (halal) and that instruments are forbidden (haram). Hence there is a strong tradition of a capella devotional singing.

Other Muslims will accept drums, but no other instruments.

Yet other Muslims believe that any instrument is lawful as long as it is used for the permissible kinds of music. Hence there is a long tradition of instrumental accompaniment to devotional songs. A wide variety of instruments may be used, depending on local musical traditions.

Traditional:

  • Drums (daf, bendir, zarb, rebana, Tombak...)
  • gongs
  • Stringed instruments
    • Bowed (rebab, kemencheh...)
    • Plucked (tar, tanbour, oud...)
  • Wind instruments (ney...)

Recent introductions:

When lyrics are not simply repeated and elaborated invocations (Yah Nabi and the like) they are usually poems in forms and meters common in the local literature. For further information, see Poetry in Islam.

Many Muslim leaders, notably those of Salafi, Wahabi, and Deobandi tendencies (but also a large number of those of Barelwi persuasion), believe that music is forbidden both by the Qur'an and by the hadith, as well as by tradition. Many of the greatest Islamic scholars of the past, including the four Imams, agreed upon this [1]. For extended argument to this effect, see these sites: [2], [3] and [4].

Other Muslims retort that music is forbidden only if it leads the believer into sins like drinking alcohol and associating with deviant persons. Music can be a harmless accompaniment to family or community celebrations or to public devotions. The caliphs, the leaders of the Islamic empire, entertained noted musicians[citation needed]. Respected philosophers such as Al-Kīndī, Al-Farābi, Avicenna, and Safi al-Din encouraged the practice of music through their study of music theory. For extended argument, see these sites: [5], [6], and [7]

There is a growing number of contemporary Muslim musicians. One of the most notable movements has been in Muslim hip hop, or Muslim rap.

Muslim music or Nasheed record labels include:

Some contemporary Muslim musicians include:

Noted Sufi singers:

Also noteworthy:

  • Axiom of Choice, an Iranian New Age and Sufi group,
  • Rough Guide to Sufi Music, World Music Network, 2001.

  • Jenkins, Jean and Olsen, Poul Rovsing (1976). Music and Musical Instruments in the World of Islam. World of Islam Festival. ISBN 0-905035-11-9.
  • Habib Hassan Touma (1996). The Music of the Arabs, trans. Laurie Schwartz. Portland, Oregon: Amadeus Press. ISBN 0-931340-88-8.
  • Shiloah, Amnon (1995). "Music in the World of Islam: A Socio-cultural study." Wayne State University Press. Detroit. ISBN 0-8143-2589-0


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