Reviewing Qawwali: Origin, Evolution And Its Dimensions
Author: Shaheer Ellahi Khan, Abid Ghafoor Chaudhry,Haris Farooq, Aftab Ahmed
Publisher: Pakistan Association of Anthropology, Islamabad, Pakistan
All over South Asia there is Qawwali, for all over South Asia there are Muslims; where there are Muslims; there
are Sufis; and where there are Sufis, there is Qawwali – not the popular version of Qawwali adapted for entertainment in clubs
and on the screen, but the authentic spiritual song that transports the mystic toward union with God. Research firstly explored
the origin of Qawwali. Secondly it studied the importance of Qawwali in Sufi Music. Thirdly different phases of Qawwali
evolution were analyzed followed by the assessment of the difference of Mehfil-e-Qawwali and Mehfil-e-Sama’. This research
was based on the literature review and can be a guide to recognize the origin, evolution and characteristics of Qawwali by
exploring different dimensions of earlier studies and literature.