His most famous qawwalis were the modern works that he introduced himself and not the traditional qawwalis.
It included numbers composed by Hazrat Amir Khusro, the works of Sufi Saints and modern poems. His gave his first public performance at the age of nine and took on the mantle of leading the Sabri qawwals in 1996, two years after the death of his father.Īmjad Fareed Sabri’s repertoire of qawwalis was extensive. He was trained both in classical vocal music and qawwali. Within a few years, the duo were ranked among the most popular and well-known qawwals in the world.Īmjad Fareed Sabri’s training in music began at the age of six. Initially, the two musicians worked as members of Kallan Khan Qawwal’s renowned qawwali ensemble later, in 1956 they formally launched their own qawwal party - the Sabri Brothers. His father, Ghulam Farid Sabri Qawwal, and his uncle, Maqbool Ahmed Sabri Qawwal, took up qawwali as their genre of choice when they migrated to Pakistan in 1947. His ancestors included both celebrated vocalists and instrumentalists. When asked if he subscribed to Shia or Sunni Islam, he would invariably smile and say, “I follow the Holy Prophet’s (PBUH) religion of love, peace and tolerance.”Īmjad Fareed Sabri belonged to a storied family of musicians who followed the Seniya Gharana of music established by the great Mian Tansen in the sixteenth century. A tolerant, moderate and enlightened Muslim, Sabri avoided pointed questions about his faith. And always very pleasant - he was never known to have lost his temper in his 40-year long life. He was the friend you could always call on - one who was caring, sincere and helpful. There was a vast circle of friends and neighbours who depended on him for sustenance. His generosity and largesse were not limited to his wife, five children and family members. Besides being a devout Sufi and a renowned qawwal, he was a fine human being. Amjad Fareed Sabri was a very loveable man.
It drew people from all walks of life - people who revered him people who loved him. His funeral prayers in Karachi’s Liaquatabad area saw one of the largest congregations in the city’s history. The devoted lover of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) was gunned down in Karachi on June 22, 2016. Singing in praise of the Prophet (PBUH) is the greatest pleasure of my life.” I recite qawwali because of my love for our Prophet (PBUH). None of these people are entirely correct because I sing for a totally different reason. Then, there are those who believe I sing to make a living. “A few believe that I sing because I am a capable musician. By Ally Adnan | Music | Newsbeat National |Ī lot of people think that I sing to carry forward the qawwali tradition of my father and uncle,” Amjad Fareed Sabri would often say.