Qawwali is the South Asian Muslim equivalent of African-American Gospel music. This particular song celebrates the thirteenth-century Sindhi mystic, Sayyid `Uthman Marwandi, known as Lal Shahbaz Qalandar (1177 – 1274 AD), a Sufi master of the Suhrawardi order. His epithet means “Red Royal Falcon, the wandering mystic.” He was one of four great masters at Multan whose work formed the matrix of spirituality in what is now Pakistan.
The most famous rendering of the qawwali in his honor is that of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan (d. 1997).
Jhoole Jhoole Lal Nusrat Fateh Ali khan Live At Rivermead Festival 1994]
Lyrics.com has this:
“English Translation:
Intoxicated, intoxicated
Upon My breath and in my intoxication is the great Qalander.
My worship and upon my breath is the name of Ali.
I am intoxicated with the beloved Qalander
I am intoxicated with Jhoole Laal who is intoxicated with Qalander
Keep repeating his name you follower of Ali
You Ali !!! Keep saying his name.”
The shrine of Lal Shahbaz Qalandar in Pakistan:
so many people in the west are unaware that were it not for the Sufi Islamic sect we would not even know what Plato or Aristotle wrote.
thx for posting: an extraordinary performance showcasing NFAK’s vocal range and capacity for new arrangements. Ustad, indeed!
Thank you for this. It was sublime; I found myself singing along (where I could) by the end. “Intoxicated” and wonderfully so.
“My worship and upon my breath is the name of Ali.”
Which Ali does this song refer to ?