"Tribhubôner Priyô Muhammad" () is a

nasheed A ''nasheed'' (, ) is a work of vocal music, partially coincident with hymns, that is either sung ''a cappella'' or with instruments, according to a particular style or tradition within Sunni Islam. Nasheeds are popular throughout the Islamic ...

ghazal ''Ghazal'' is a form of amatory poem or ode, originating in Arabic poetry that often deals with topics of spiritual and romantic love. It may be understood as a poetic expression of both the pain of loss, or separation from the beloved, and t ...

composed by the

Kazi Nazrul Islam Kazi Nazrul Islam (24 May 1899 – 29 August 1976) was a Bengalis, Bengali poet, short story writer, journalist, lyricist and musician. He is the national poet of Bangladesh. Nazrul produced a List of works by Kazi Nazrul Islam, large body of ...

, celebrating the birth of

Muhammad Muhammad (8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious and political leader and the founder of Islam. Muhammad in Islam, According to Islam, he was a prophet who was divinely inspired to preach and confirm the tawhid, monotheistic teachings of A ...

. The ghazal was composed in 1935, in the melody of " Kâtibim", a traditional

Turkish folk music Turkish folk music () is the traditional music of Turkish people living in Turkey influenced by the cultures of Anatolia and former territories in Europe and Asia. Its unique structure includes regional differences under one umbrella. It includ ...

. Nazrul's first song in the melody of Kâtibim was " Shukno Patar Nupur Paye", which was recorded by Harimati Devi in 1933. Tribhuboner Priyo Muhammad came out two years later in 1935 in the same melody, featuring the voice of Nazrul's disciple and connoisseur Abbasuddin Ahmed.

Background of the melody

The melody of Tribhubôner Priyô Muhammad was considered to be inspired from Arabic folk music once. According to the researcher Asadul Haque in his article titled "Successful application of Arabic melody in Bengali songs by composer Nazrul" () in published the '' Dainik Ittefaq'', he heard the same melody of a Turkish song while staying at

Ankara Ankara is the capital city of Turkey and List of national capitals by area, the largest capital by area in the world. Located in the Central Anatolia Region, central part of Anatolia, the city has a population of 5,290,822 in its urban center ( ...

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

In 1965. He became doubted about the claimed Arabic origin of that melody and went out for research. When he went to

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

in an official trip, he asked a local old person who replied that it was "a thousand-year-old melody" of the Syrian song "''Ya Banat Iskandaria''" () meaning "Oh Girls of

Alexandria Alexandria ( ; ) is the List of cities and towns in Egypt#Largest cities, second largest city in Egypt and the List of coastal settlements of the Mediterranean Sea, largest city on the Mediterranean coast. It lies at the western edge of the Nile ...

", the Turkish version of which is known as 'Kâtibim'. The song is about a girl and her clerk while visiting

Üsküdar Üsküdar () is a municipality and district of Istanbul Province, Turkey. Its area is 35 km2, and its population is 524,452 (2022). It is a large and densely populated district on the Anatolian (Asian) shore of the Bosphorus. It is border ...

. No clear reference exists about where Nazrul got the melody of this nasheed or from whom he learned it. Some researchers believe that Nazrul got the melody of Kâtibim from the soldiers of the Bengal Regiment, who were sent to Iraq for training against the German forces in 1914 at the beginning of the

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

Lyrics

References

{{reflist Songs written by Kazi Nazrul Islam Poems written by Kazi Nazrul Islam Nasheeds Ghazals

Background of the melody

Lyrics

See also

References