Its been 19 years to the legendary Aziz Mian Qawwal’s death, still his powerful voice gives goosebumps to listeners.

Sufism played a very important role in developing popular beliefs towards a more deeply spiritual form of Islam.

Sufism gave rise to a number of interesting customs and traditions. These were most obvious in the realm of music. The most prominent genre of Sufi music here is the Qawwali. It is a distinct style of devotional Muslim music.

Over the years Pakistan has had its fair share of legendary Qawwali singers, in which there was this one particular gem, Aziz Mian.

Aziz Mian was born in Delhi on the 17th of April, 1942. His real or original name was Abdul Aziz.

Aziz Mian’s style and persona was quite different from his contemporary Qawwals. He was a non-conformist which made him non-traditional in his delivery too. His voice was very powerful indeed.

Hashr Ke Roz Yeh Poochunga is known to be the longest commercially released Qawwali. It lasts for about 155 minutes. Apart from this, another very famous Qawwali by Aziz Mian was Teri Soorat in which he romanticizes upon visualizing the Beloved with very unique, profoundly exhilarating lyrics.

The song transitions into another song called Mein Sharabi in which Aziz Mian openly laments his love and affection for alcohol. The entire Qawwali is based on one’s love and desire and includes some very witty remarks in between the lyrics as well.