Rumi says, “Don’t turn from yourself. God is with you”. And I ask and what is the way to that God? Love, he says. Love without fear or expectations.
This gentle wisdom given to the world by the Sufis is something that Oscar and Grammy winning musical prodigy A. R. Rahman embraced early on in his life. The world saw glimpses of his Sufi leanings in celebrated tracks like Khwaja mere khwaja, Piya Haji Ali and Kun fayaa kun but never before had it witnessed a dedicated Sufi concert.
It was therefore with much intrigue and interest that I attended the world premiere of Rahman’s ‘Wings of Jibrael’ – a Sufi concert series that debuted as part of the Dubai Sufi Weekend held on 18th Dec at the Dubai World Trade Centre arena.
The promised hour of 10pm had passed and when patience started to wear thin, I stepped out into the foyer. A loud cheer from the audience brought me back to the hall. And what I saw and heard took my breath away…The pure and innocent voice of a young boy reciting a prayer strung together with the 99 names of Allah. The digital screen transformed into the night sky and everyone was lulled into a spell. For the next 3 hours, A.R Rahman and his sufi choir uplifted the audience with qawwalis – a mélange of his own creations and that of great masters.
Unforgettable for me was the vibrant classic ‘Dama dum mast Qalandar’, the joyful ‘Ali Moula Ali Moula’, ‘Dam Mast Qalandar Mast Mast’ which got a completely new twist with choral harmony, the hypnotic duet between old friends AR Rahman & Sivamani, M.F. Hussain’s creation Noor, Marhaba ya Mustafa and Kun Fayaa Kun – both of which moved me to tears.
Inspired compositions, liberated and soulful singing, mesmerizing visuals and brilliant production. Rahman and his ensemble took me on an out-of-this-world journey on the wings of Jibrael.
In Sufi tradition, Heaven is not a distant promised land in the afterlife. Heaven is oneness with God. And I felt connected with the divine through the magic of music. On that night, for me, heaven became a place on earth.
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