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Amir Khusrau
From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist
Amir Khusrau was a poet and musician in Delhi and a disciple of the Sufi saint Nizamuddin Auliya, beside whom he is buried. He lived from about 1253 to 1325. Tradition calls him the father of qawwali, the sung Sufi prayer, although many of the musical inventions attributed to him cannot be proven. Songs bearing his name, such as Chhap Tilak, are still sung at the shrines of saints across South Asia.
Listening
Listening tip. Of course, no recordings of Khusrau himself exist. Listen to Abida Parveen in Chaap Tilak, a text attributed to him, and hear how a single line returns with ever greater intensity.
Chaap Tilak · Abida Parveen, 2001
Bohat Kathhin Hai Dagar Panghat Ki (Hazrat Amir Khusrau) · Dream Journey Presents Taj Muhammad Shad Muhammad Niazi Qawwal, 2025
Man Kunto Maula · Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, 1993
Mentioned in other articles
- Qawwali Genre
The tradition goes back to the poet Amir Khusrau, a disciple of the Sufi master Nizamuddin Auliya in Delhi around 1300.