SUFI TRADITIONS AND MUSICAL IDENTITY: HOW QAWWALI PRESERVED SUFISM ACROSS THE MUSLIM WORLD

Abstract

This manuscript examines the role of Qawwali as an important tool to sustain the spiritual identity and devotional values of the Sufi community in the face of challenges from secularization, globalization and commercialization in the modern era. Historically, Qawwali was an esoteric practice of divine communion (Wisal), spiritual remembrance (Zikr) and discipleship (Piri-Muridi) framed by shrine culture (Dargah) and annual festivals (Urs) started in the 13th century Chishti festival (Sama) tradition of South Asia. Based on Victor Turner's Ritual Theory, this study adopts the method of a qualitative thematic literature review, a method that is systematic in conducting scholarly literature research from 20 academic databases which were sorted by years and were related to the study, namely JSTOR, Scopus, Google Scholar and Web of Science in which the research data is in the field of Sufi Theology, Shrine Rituals, Ethnomusicology, and Media Adaptation. The paper traces the history of Qawwali from its classical background which has been institutionalized by Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti and Amir Khusrau to the present day and global settings like Coke Studio and cinema. The findings show that there exists a conflict between the spirit and the desacralization of the genre, as global crossover artists such as Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan made Sufi music accessible to audiences around the world, but at the same time, the aestheticization of performance of the Sufi genre through the process of commercialization can cause semantic dilution. Despite this, Qawwali is highly resilient, reformulating basic theological concepts to promote social inclusion, provide refuge and comfort for the marginalized, and provide a forum for socio-political critique. In the light of these findings, it is suggested that empirical field studies of regional Khanqahi/ Sama Qawwali need to be conducted to document oral traditions that have not yet been recorded, and a framework for the preservation of Khanqahi Qawwali in the archives needs to be developed to preserve traditional performance ethics (Sama rules) against the backdrop of the quick pace at which the field is being commercialized.