''Aaj Rang Hai'' (; ; ) also known as Rang or Rung () is a

Qawwali Qawwali is a form of Sufi Islamic devotional singing originating in the Indian subcontinent. Originally performed at Sufi shrines throughout the Indian subcontinent, it is famous throughout Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and Afghanistan and has ...

written by the 13th-century Sufi poet,

Amir Khusrau Abu'l Hasan Yamīn ud-Dīn Khusrau (1253 – 1325 AD), better known as Amīr Khusrau, sometimes spelled as, Amir Khusrow or Amir Khusro, was an Indo-Persian Sufi singer, musician, poet and scholar, who lived during the period of the Delhi Sult ...

in Hindavi and

Braj Bhasha Braj is a language within the Indo-Aryan language family spoken in the Braj region in Western Uttar Pradesh centered on Mathura. Along with Awadhi, it was one of the two predominant literary languages of North-Central India before gradually ...

dialects. In the song, Khusrau describes to his mother his ecstasy upon finding his ''

murshid ''Murshid'' () is Arabic for "guide" or "teacher", derived from the root ''r-sh-d'', with the basic meaning of having integrity, being sensible, mature. Particularly in Sufism it refers to a Spiritual director, spiritual guide. The term is freque ...

'' (spiritual master) in the

Sufi Sufism ( or ) is a mysticism, mystic body of religious practice found within Islam which is characterized by a focus on Islamic Tazkiyah, purification, spirituality, ritualism, and Asceticism#Islam, asceticism. Practitioners of Sufism are r ...

saint

Nizamuddin Auliya Khawaja Syed Muhammad Nizamuddin Auliya (sometimes spelled Awliya; 1238 – 3 April 1325), also known as Hazrat Nizamuddin (), Sultan-ul-Mashaikh () and Mahbub-e-Ilahi (), was an Indian Sunni Muslim scholar, Sufi saint of the Chishti Order, a ...

. The song is a staple of most Qawwali sessions in North India and Pakistan, especially in the

Chishti The Chishti order () is a Sufi order of Sunni Islam named after the town of Chisht, Afghanistan where it was initiated by Abu Ishaq Shami. The order was brought to Herat and later spread across South Asia by Mu'in al-Din Chishti in the city ...

shrines of

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, but spread chiefly to the west, or beyond its Bank (geography ...

. It is traditionally sung as a closing piece at the end of a Qawwali session. The song is celebratory in tone and holds a prominent place in the landscape of

Sufi music Sufi music refers to the devotional music of the Sufis, inspired by the works of Sufi poets like Rumi, Hafiz, Bulleh Shah, Amir Khusrow, and Khwaja Ghulam Farid. Qawwali is the best-known form of Sufi music and is most commonly found in ...

. The word "rang" or "rung" literally translates into "color." The theme of saturated colors, dyes, and hues is a well-known motif in

Sufi poetry Sufi literature consists of works in various languages that express and advocate the ideas of Sufism. Sufism had an important influence on medieval literature, especially poetry, that was written in Arabic, New Persian, Persian, Punjabi language ...

and imagery and is understood to symbolize union between the seeker and God (as the Beloved). In the context of the song, however, "rang" or "rung" refers to the happiness, splendor, or glow that Khusrau feels after having met his '' pir'' (spiritual guide). In this sense, "rang" or "rung" symbolizes Khusrau's euphoric and enraptured state, and this is borne out later in the song where Khusrau repeatedly refers to his world now being ablaze with divine light and a sublime glow. Consistent with Sufi poetry, the song intentionally blurs the lines between the seeker, the beloved, the spiritual master, and God. The 1978 Indian film ''Junoon'' opens with a rendition of ''Aaj Rung Hai'', and the film's plot sees the poem employed as a symbol of rebellion. In 2015 movie indian musical trio Nizami Bandhu sung Aaj Rang Hai in the movie

Bajrangi Bhaijaan ''Bajrangi Bhaijaan'' () is a 2015 Indian Hindi-language comedy-drama film co-written and directed by Kabir Khan, based on an original story by screenwriter V. Vijayendra Prasad, and produced by Salman Khan, Rockline Venkatesh and Kabir Kh ...

. The song has been sung by numerous vocalists over the years, notably by renowned qawwali singer

Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan (, ; born Pervez Fateh Ali Khan; 13 October 1948 – 16 August 1997), also known by his initials NFAK, was a Pakistani singer, songwriter, and music director. Khan was primarily a singer of qawwali, a form of Sufi devot ...

and Sufi vocalist

Abida Parveen Abida Parveen (; ; born 20 February 1954) is a Pakistani singer, composer, musician of Sufi music, painter and an entrepreneur. Parveen is one of the highest-paid singers in Pakistan. Her singing and music have earned her many accolades, and s ...

. Excerpts from the qawwali were incorporated into the song ''Jhin Min Jhini'' from the soundtrack of

Vishal Bhardwaj Vishal Bhardwaj (born 4 August 1965) is an Indian filmmaker, music composer, and playback singer. He is known for his work in Hindi cinema, and is the recipient of nine National Film Awards and a Filmfare Award. Bhardwaj made his debut as a mu ...

's 2004 film, ''

Maqbool ''Maqbool'' is a 2003 Indian Hindi-language crime drama film directed by Vishal Bhardwaj, starring Irrfan Khan, Tabu, Pankaj Kapur, Naseeruddin Shah, Om Puri, Piyush Mishra, Murali Sharma, and Masumeh Makhija in an adaptation of the play ' ...

''. In 2012, prominent Pakistani singer

Hadiqa Kiani Hadiqa Kiani (Urdu, ; born 11 August 1972) is a Pakistani singer, songwriter, guitarist, composer, actress, and philanthropist. She has received numerous local and international awards and has also performed at the Royal Albert Hall and The Ke ...

performed a rendition of the song in Season 5 of Coke Studio Pakistan. In 2015, a version of this song was released by Shafqat Amanat Ali Khan as part of his third solo album '' Muh Dikhai''. The renowned Qawwali singer

Amjad Sabri Amjad Farid Sabri (23 December 1970 – 22 June 2016) was a Pakistani qawwali singer and a proponent of the Sufi Muslim tradition. Son of Ghulam Farid Sabri and nephew of Maqbool Ahmed Sabri of the Sabri Brothers, he emerged as one of So ...

also performed this song with

Rahat Fateh Ali Khan Rahat Fateh Ali Khan (, ; born 9 December 1974) is a Pakistani Punjabi singer, primarily Qawwali, a form of Sufi devotional music. Khan is one of the most popular and highest paid singers in Pakistan. He is the nephew of Nusrat Fateh Ali Kha ...

in the season finale of Coke Studio Season 9. It was also featured in the 2017 Indian

Hindi Modern Standard Hindi (, ), commonly referred to as Hindi, is the Standard language, standardised variety of the Hindustani language written in the Devanagari script. It is an official language of India, official language of the Government ...

-language film ''Angrezi Mein Kehte Hain'', where it was sung by Jatinder Pal Singh, Sameer Naza, Mahesh Kumar Rao, and Mustafa with additional lyrics by Yogesh and music by Oni-Adil.

References

Qawwali songs Indian songs Year of song missing {{song-stub