Rizwan-Muazzam Qawwali

Rizwan and Muazzam Mujahid Ali Khan are the torchbearers of a tradition that goes back over 700 years, the tradition of qawwali.

Qawwali is an Arabic word that means ‘utterance’ and it is the devotional music of the Sufis of Pakistan and India. When the unforgettable qawwali singer Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan died in Pakistan in 1997, he left a musical vacuum into which stepped his two teenage nephews.

Despite their extreme youth, they were determined that their group Rizwan-Muazzam Qawwali should continue their uncle’s pioneering efforts to transcend cultural, language and religious barriers and to bring to the world the devotional but vibrant Qawwali vocal music of the Sufi mystics of the Islam religion.

Rizwan-Muazzam Qawwali recorded four albums for Real World Records: 1999’s Sacrifice To Love, 2001’s collaboration with Temple of Sound People’s Colony No. 1, 2001’s A Better Destiny and 2004’s Day of Colours.

Further reading

John Metcalfe announces new album and reveals first track ‘Xylem’

Tree is set for release on vinyl, CD and digitally via Real World Records on 22 September 2023.

John Metcalfe reveals new track: Root to Leaf

John Metcalfe reveals new track Root to Leaf, taken from his album, Tree. Eight compositions chartin...

Track of the Day: ‘Chavale’ by Kerieva, from Dub No Frontiers

Today sees the release of Kerieva’s ‘Chavale’, the second track to be revealed from the forthc...

Track of the day: ‘Sajanava’ by Jasdeep Singh Degun

Sajanava is taken from Jasdeep Singh Degun's debut album Anomaly.