Rabiul Awwal is a blessing that Pakistan celebrates with zeal and fervor. We also get a host of different naats and kalams to listen to. Naat is the way to pay homage to the memory of Prophet (PBUH). Scholars in Pakistan have declared Ahmed Raza Khan Barelvi’s soulful kalam “Lamyati Nazeero” a poetic miracle. The kalam is written in four languages: Arabic, Urdu, Hindi and Persian. Qadri Siddiq Ismail, a religious scholar, says rendition of this kalam for every Naat Khwan is an honor. “Naat-Khwani without this kalam is incomplete,” he added. The kalam has been gracing every Naat-Khwani for almost a decade. “Reciting the composition this kalam for Naat Khwan is not an easy thing.
A journey in devotion
The Express Tribune traces the evolution of Naat as a devotional art form from humble beginnings to popular mainstream
Naat reciter Ahmed Nadeem Qasmi. PHOTO: FILE
KARACHI:
Unconditional love and uncompromised respect for the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) is the most defining element of the Muslim psyche. That sense of attachment and reverence is so deep and powerful that it emotionally defines the Muslim identity and provides the building blocks for Islamic ideology. It is this underpinning theory that makes Iqbal end his marvellous poem Jawab-e-Shikwah with this couplet where God tells the people that “Ki Muhammad Se Wafa Toone To Hum Tere Hain”. Roughly translating to: If you show faithfulness toward Muhammad, then We are yours.
Is Atif Aslam rescuing Naat from the Bollywood-pop takeover?
Every time singer raises his hand in prayer, a blessing falls from sky, and with it a kalaam that everyone listens to
KARACHI:
Every time Atif Aslam raises his hand in prayer a blessing falls from the sky, and with it, a
kalaam that everyone listens to. The crisp white kurta shalwar and the soft top lighting almost give the impression that divine light is embracing Pakistan’s most sought-after voice.
Maybe, it has already entered his heart and is trying to find a place in his voice; a voice that fumbled surprisingly when he recited