Rizwan-Muazzam () Qawwali is a Pakistani

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 ...

group led by Rizwan and Muazzam, the nephews of

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 ...

. Since 1998, they had stage performances at several

World of Music, Arts and Dance WOMAD ( ; World of Music, Arts and Dance) is an international arts festival. The central aim of WOMAD is to celebrate the world's many forms of music, arts and dance. History WOMAD was founded in 1980 by English rock musician Peter Gabriel, w ...

Festivals in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

and have released multiple

albums An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...

showcasing their rich musical heritage. The brothers come from a distinguished lineage of

music that spans over five centuries. Their grandfather, Mubarak Ali Khan, was Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan's uncle and played a pivotal role in teaching Nusrat the art of Qawwali. Rizwan and Muazzam honed their craft under the guidance of their father, Mujahid Mubarak Ali Khan, who died in 1996, and later received mentorship from their uncle, Nusrat.

Career

Rizwan-Muazzam Qawwali Group is made up of the two lead-singing brothers, Rizwan and Muazzam; five secondary singers who lead the choral response with vigorous hand clapping; two harmonium players; and a

tabla A ''tabla'' is a pair of hand drums from the Indian subcontinent. Since the 18th century, it has been the principal percussion instrument in Hindustani classical music, where it may be played solo, as an accompaniment with other instruments a ...

player. They perform in traditional Qawwali style - sitting on the ground rather than on seats - which they believe brings them closer to God. The brothers, sons of Mujahid Mubarak Ali Khan, have been performing together as Rizwan-Muazzam Qawwali Group since the late 1990s. They played their first major concert in 1998 at the

Womad Rivermead WOMAD Charlton Park or WOMAD UK is the name given to the World of Music Arts and Dance (WOMAD) festival held in Charlton Park, Wiltshire, Charlton Park near Malmesbury, Wiltshire, England, since 2007. It is the direct successor to WOMAD Reading, ...

festival in

Reading, England Reading ( ) is a town and borough in Berkshire, England, and the county town of Berkshire. It is the United Kingdom's largest town, with a combined population of 355,596. Most of Reading built-up area, its built-up area lies within the Borough ...

. They have given many joint performances at the Coke Studio in Pakistan in collaboration with various other musicians, including Shazia Manzoor, and became very popular in Pakistan. Their music was showcased to the world at the annual world music festival

WOMAD WOMAD ( ; World of Music, Arts and Dance) is an international arts festival. The central aim of WOMAD is to celebrate the world's many forms of music, arts and dance. History WOMAD was founded in 1980 by English rock musician Peter Gabriel, w ...

Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of symbols, often specifically those of a written language, by means of Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifacete ...

, England, in 1998. The group performed at

WOMADelaide WOMADelaide is an annual four-day festival of music, arts and dance in Botanic Park, Adelaide, South Australia. One of many WOMAD festivals held around the world, it is an event that presents a diverse selection of music from artists around th ...

(the edition of WOMAD taking place in

Adelaide Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which in ...

) in 2003, and are scheduled to perform there again on the

long weekend A long weekend is a weekend that is at least three days long (i.e. a three-day weekend), due to a public or unofficial holiday occurring on either the following Monday or the preceding Friday. Many countries also have four-day weekends, in w ...

of 11-13 March. the group includes the two brothers, along with seven male artists on harmonium, chorus, and

hand percussion Hand percussion is a percussion instrument that is held in the hand. They can be made from wood, metal or plastic, and are usually shaken, scraped, or tapped with fingers or a stick. It includes all instruments that are not drums, or any instrum ...

Discography

''Day Of Colours'' (Real World Records, 2004) is an album of traditional qawwali, recorded in four days in a tiny studio in

Lahore Lahore ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, second-largest city in Pakistan, after Karachi, and ...

, with songs in

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

Urdu Urdu (; , , ) is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in South Asia. It is the Languages of Pakistan, national language and ''lingua franca'' of Pakistan. In India, it is an Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of Indi ...

, and

Punjabi language Punjabi, sometimes spelled Panjabi, is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language native to the Punjab region of Pakistan and India. It is one of the most widely spoken native languages in the world, with approximately 150 million native sp ...

s. "Sayyedo-Sarwer Muhammad" (light of my life) was written by the 13th century Persian poet and mystic,

Rumi Jalāl al-Dīn Muḥammad Rūmī (), or simply Rumi (30 September 1207 – 17 December 1273), was a 13th-century poet, Hanafi '' faqih'' (jurist), Maturidi theologian (''mutakallim''), and Sufi mystic born during the Khwarazmian Empire ...

. Other albums include: *''Attish: The Hidden Fire'' (WOMAD Select, 1998) *''Sacrifice To Love'' (

Narada Narada (, ), or Narada Muni, is a sage-divinity, famous in Hinduism, Hindu traditions as a travelling musician and storyteller, who carries news and enlightening wisdom. He is one of the Manasputra, mind-created children of Brahma, the creator ...

, 1999) *''A Better Destiny'' (

Real World Records Real World Records is a British record label specializing in world music. It was founded in 1989 by English musician Peter Gabriel and original members of WOMAD. A majority of the works released on Real World Records feature music recorded at R ...

, 2001) *''People’s Colony No I'' (Real World Records, 2001) *''Sufi Sama'' (Tabaruq Records, 2007) *''At the Feet of the Beloved'' (Real World Records, 2025)

References

External links

Website
Rizwan-Muazzam Qawwali Group (Archived)
An interview with Muazzam Fateh Ali Khan
(Archived) {{DEFAULTSORT:Rizwan-Muazzam Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan Pakistani qawwali groups Pakistani musical groups Musical groups established in the 1990s Pakistani qawwali singers Pakistani television people Family of Fateh Ali Khan (Qawwali singer)

Career

Discography

See also

References

External links