Stemming from the Sufi tradition and shaped by the Amir Khusrau, qawwali is a popular form of devotional music that goes back nearly seven centuries. Some scholars believe it to have originated before the birth of Prophet Muhammad. Sufism – a mystical school of Islam – believes it is possible to reach the Ultimate during one’s life and experience Him in both silence and sound. Qawwali is, perhaps, the vocal form of this remembrance, or dhikr. The word ‘qawwali’ comes from the Arabic ‘qaol’, which means axiom or dictum; and a qawwal is one who sings the Prophet’s dictums and praises of God. Both religious and romantic, qawwali is sung in a simple, unpretentious style and is the traditional form of Islamic song found in India and Pakistan.

Sher Miandad and his brothers Faiz Fareed Ali Raza and Fakhar-uz-Zaman, hail from an illustrious family of qawwals in Punjab. They are a rare mix of traditional devotional qawwali and a fine understanding of modern music. The grandson of the noted qawwal, Din Mohammad Dina, and cousin of the great Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Sher Miandad began singing in 1996 and soon rose to the top. He brings from Pakpattan Sharif the soul of Punjabi poetry – Baba Farid Gunj Shakar – whose verse moves the heart of its listeners even today. The group performs regularly at the shrine of the Sufi poet. They have also performed for PTV and Radio Pakistan and at the World Performing Festivals in Lahore. Their fusion programme with Swiss and Syrian musicians led to a novel music project called Sufi Moon. There have been Sufi Moon performances with Sher Miandad in Geneva and other European countries. The group has also performed in Mela Festival in Oslo in 2003. The singer-composer has performed at Switzerland, England and Singapore where the Bulle Shah award was conferred upon him in 2002. Sher Miandad has a keen following in Europe, America and India.