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Aziz Ahmed Khan Warsi: An exceptional quawwal

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SAMIUDDIN MOHAMMED

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Dec 8, 1995, 3:00:00 AM12/8/95

Ashok's recent post on the quawwali from Garm Hawa ("AaKHaa Salim Chishti,
maula Salim Chishti....") reminded me of one of the top quawwals of India,
Janaab Aziz Ahmed Khan Warsi. I tried to find out more about the above
quawwali and came to know that it's relatively recent, and may well have been
written by Kaifi Azmi. However, I'm not certain about it.

Aziz Warsi was a household name among the Urdu-speaking circles of Hyderabad.
Many a Muslim wedding would feature Aziz Warsi's quawwalis in a mehfil of
KHadardaans. Unfortunately, I was too young at that time to really appreciate
his quawwalis. I was at the age when running after misri-baadaam was more
important :-) (Misri-baadaam luTaana is a regular feature of Muslim weddings
in Hyderabad, and the kids would run around trying to grab as many as
possible). That was the age when uncles used to ask me to venture into the
zanaana (female gathering) section and tell aunty that it was time to leave
and she ought to come out. Oh, how I used to detest running those errands!! And
by the time, I actually grew up to enjoy venturing into the distaff territory,
the requests from uncles mysteriously stopped :-) More unfortunate was the
fact that by the time I grew up and really started appreciating his quawwalis,
Aziz Warsi was no more. His son has since taken over, and has a quawwali in the
recent Doordarshan serial Farmaan, which has a Hyderabadi backdrop.

Anyway, among the vague memories that I have of Aziz Sahab and his troup, the
most distinct one is the taali (clapping) of his chorus singers. They used to
make a unique type of sound with their hands, and that was part of the
orchestra (Ikram, now u know where I got my talent for taali-bajana :-) ). I
also remember the respect which Aziz Warsi commanded from the elders, esp. for
his devotional quawwalis.

Aziz Warsi had a very heavy and expressive voice, highly suitable for
quawwalis. Most of his quawwalis had very catchy tunes. The use of the chorus,
which is so very important in quawwalis was excellent. The repetition of lines
was well controlled, and he knew which lines/words to place extra emphasis on,
conveying the real message of the lyricist in the process. Even when the Sabri
brothers enthralled many Mehfils in India, many purists dismissed them
as "commercial quawwals" attaching more importance to orchestra than the
quawwali itself. For these purists, "Aziz Mian ki baat kuch aur hi hai".

In recognition of his talents, Aziz Ahmed Khan Warsi was awarded the Padmashri
by the Govt. of India. In addition to the quawwali mentioned above, Aziz
Sahab's gems include "Bheekh de jaaie apne deedar ki, marnewaale ka armaan
nikal jaaega...", "Kab tak mere Maula....", "Hare jhanDe ke shehzaade...",
"Aaya bana aaya, hariyaala bana aaya...", etc.

I'm posting the lyrics of one my fav. Aziz Warsi quawwalis, written by Amjad
Hyderabadi who used to grace many a mushaaira back home in Hyderabad. This
devotional quawwali is different in that the devotee is not the one addressing
God, but God Himself is talking to his subject. It is about a devotee asking
God for help and not getting his prayers answered. He is about to give up hope
and turn back, when God's Mercy (Rehmat) addresses him. The refrain is "phir
maang, phir maang" urging him not to give up hope and to continue his
supplication until his prayers are answered.

The optimistic message of this quawwalis not to give up hope regarding
something you yearn for dearly never fails to move me. Each of the lines of
the quawwali (after the opening lines) are sung first by Aziz Warsi and then
repeated by the chorus. Listening to this quawwali is truly inspiring, but I
hope you will also enjoy reading the beautiful lyrics. I've included the
meanings (source: phone call to my mom :-) )for some of the difficult Urdu
words.

Sami Mohammed (A Naushad fan)... a Hyderabadi who adores Aziz Sahab's
quawwalis.

Quawwal & Music: Aziz Ahmed Khan Warsi
Lyrics: Amjad Hyderabadi

Jo maangna hai musabbib-e-sabab se maango |musabbib-e-sabab = one who shows
Minnat se, KHushaamat se, adab se maango | the logical path; in this
Kyun GHair ke aage haath phailaate ho | context = God
Bande ho agar Rab ke to Rab se maango
(What a wonderful line!)

Maayus saayal ne jab ghar ki raah li |saayal=sawaal karnewaala, beggar
Aankhon me aansu thhe, thhi jholi KHaali |Maayus=disheartened, depressed
Itne me Rehmat jhunjlaake ke boli
Maayus jaata hai kyun haath KHaali
Saayal idhar aa, phir maang, phir maang

KHush hote hain hum, teri sada se
Aa phir sada de, dilkash ada se
Ai bande mat rooTH apne KHuda se
Le haath phaila, phir maang, phir maang
Aa aa idhar aa, phri maang, phir maang

Kis se muquaatib hi, kya keh raha hai
Kya teri KHwaaish hai, kya mudduaa hai
Sar ko paTak-kar kyun ro raha hai
Humne to dene ka waada kiya hai
Le haath phaila, phir maang, phir maang

Paida Sikander ko kisne kiya thha
Aadam ke haathon me kisne diya thha
Tu kya samajhkar waapas chala thha
Maayus jaane ko kisne kaha thha
Aa aa idhar aa, phir maang, phir maang

Hum apni Shaan-e-Rehmat dikhaaen
Sab aarzuen teri bar laaen |bar laana = poori karna
Tu maangta ja, hum dete jaaen
Tu chup na hoja, phir maang, phir maang
Tu maangtaja, hum dete jaaen
Le haath phaila, phir maang, phir maang

Ab ye sukoon hai, ye bequaraari
Zor aur zar se, behtar hai zaari |zor=force, zar=wealth, zaari=mehnat
Chhai hai tujh par, Rehmat humaari
Har dam Humaare Fazl-o-karam ka
Jaari hai dariya, phir maang, phir maang

Tu hai bhikari, Hum hain daata
Le bharle "Amjad" kaasa hawas ka
Hum bhi to dekhen, hai zarph kitna
Le haath phaila, phir maang, phir maang
Aa aa idhar aa, phir maang phir maang

kaasa = vessel or begging bowl; or "bartan" if I may dare say so :-) Sorry,
cudn't resist the crack.

hawas = desire

zarph = capacity

Sami Mohammed (A Naushad fan)

Ikram Ahmed Khan

unread,

Dec 13, 1995, 3:00:00 AM12/13/95

SAMIUDDIN MOHAMMED (sm...@Lehigh.EDU) wrote:

: Anyway, among the vague memories that I have of Aziz Sahab and his troup, the

: most distinct one is the taali (clapping) of his chorus singers. They used to
: make a unique type of sound with their hands, and that was part of the
: orchestra (Ikram, now u know where I got my talent for taali-bajana :-) ). I

Wah, Sami-bhai, seekha bhi toh only from the best! :)

: also remember the respect which Aziz Warsi commanded from the elders, esp. for
: his devotional quawwalis.

: In recognition of his talents, Aziz Ahmed Khan Warsi was awarded the Padmashri

: by the Govt. of India. In addition to the quawwali mentioned above, Aziz
: Sahab's gems include "Bheekh de jaaie apne deedar ki, marnewaale ka armaan
: nikal jaaega...", "Kab tak mere Maula....", "Hare jhanDe ke shehzaade...",
: "Aaya bana aaya, hariyaala bana aaya...", etc.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Is this the same one as appeared in a movie ( Razia Sultan, with
absolutely glorious vocals by AshaB among others) ?

: I'm posting the lyrics of one my fav. Aziz Warsi quawwalis, written by Amjad

: Hyderabadi who used to grace many a mushaaira back home in Hyderabad. This

: Sami Mohammed (A Naushad fan)... a Hyderabadi who adores Aziz Sahab's
: quawwalis.

Please read on. (And while you're at it, lyrics ko phir paDh lijiye)

: Quawwal & Music: Aziz Ahmed Khan Warsi
: Lyrics: Amjad Hyderabadi

: Jo maangna hai musabbib-e-sabab se maango |musabbib-e-sabab = one who shows
: Minnat se, KHushaamat se, adab se maango | the logical path; in this
: Kyun GHair ke aage haath phailaate ho | context = God
: Bande ho agar Rab ke to Rab se maango
: (What a wonderful line!)

: Maayus saayal ne jab ghar ki raah li |saayal=sawaal karnewaala, beggar
: Aankhon me aansu thhe, thhi jholi KHaali |Maayus=disheartened, depressed
: Itne me Rehmat jhunjlaake ke boli
: Maayus jaata hai kyun haath KHaali
: Saayal idhar aa, phir maang, phir maang

: KHush hote hain hum, teri sada se
: Aa phir sada de, dilkash ada se
: Ai bande mat rooTH apne KHuda se
: Le haath phaila, phir maang, phir maang
: Aa aa idhar aa, phri maang, phir maang

: Kis se muquaatib hi, kya keh raha hai
: Kya teri KHwaaish hai, kya mudduaa hai
: Sar ko paTak-kar kyun ro raha hai
: Humne to dene ka waada kiya hai
: Le haath phaila, phir maang, phir maang

: Paida Sikander ko kisne kiya thha
: Aadam ke haathon me kisne diya thha

What was the meaning of the second line over there? What is supposed to be
given into the hands of Adam?

: Tu kya samajhkar waapas chala thha

: Maayus jaane ko kisne kaha thha
: Aa aa idhar aa, phir maang, phir maang

: Hum apni Shaan-e-Rehmat dikhaaen
: Sab aarzuen teri bar laaen |bar laana = poori karna
: Tu maangta ja, hum dete jaaen
: Tu chup na hoja, phir maang, phir maang
: Tu maangtaja, hum dete jaaen
: Le haath phaila, phir maang, phir maang

: Ab ye sukoon hai, ye bequaraari
: Zor aur zar se, behtar hai zaari |zor=force, zar=wealth, zaari=mehnat
: Chhai hai tujh par, Rehmat humaari
: Har dam Humaare Fazl-o-karam ka
: Jaari hai dariya, phir maang, phir maang

: Tu hai bhikari, Hum hain daata
: Le bharle "Amjad" kaasa hawas ka
: Hum bhi to dekhen, hai zarph kitna
: Le haath phaila, phir maang, phir maang
: Aa aa idhar aa, phir maang phir maang

: kaasa = vessel or begging bowl; or "bartan" if I may dare say so :-) Sorry,
: cudn't resist the crack.

: hawas = desire

: zarph = capacity

Later,
Ikram.

: Sami Mohammed (A Naushad fan)

deepak kumar Mi

unread,

Aug 31, 2021, 6:11:07 AM8/31/21

On Wednesday, 13 December 1995 at 00:00:00 UTC-8, Ikram Ahmed Khan wrote:
> SAMIUDDIN MOHAMMED (sm...@Lehigh.EDU) wrote:
>
> : Anyway, among the vague memories that I have of Aziz Sahab and his troup, the

> : most distinct one is the taali (clapping) of his chorus singers. They used to
> : make a unique type of sound with their hands, and that was part of the
> : orchestra (Ikram, now u know where I got my talent for taali-bajana :-) ). I

> Wah, Sami-bhai, seekha bhi toh only from the best! :)

> : also remember the respect which Aziz Warsi commanded from the elders, esp. for
> : his devotional quawwalis.
>
> : In recognition of his talents, Aziz Ahmed Khan Warsi was awarded the Padmashri

> : by the Govt. of India. In addition to the quawwali mentioned above, Aziz
> : Sahab's gems include "Bheekh de jaaie apne deedar ki, marnewaale ka armaan
> : nikal jaaega...", "Kab tak mere Maula....", "Hare jhanDe ke shehzaade...",
> : "Aaya bana aaya, hariyaala bana aaya...", etc.

> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> Is this the same one as appeared in a movie ( Razia Sultan, with
> absolutely glorious vocals by AshaB among others) ?

> : I'm posting the lyrics of one my fav. Aziz Warsi quawwalis, written by Amjad

> : Hyderabadi who used to grace many a mushaaira back home in Hyderabad. This

> : Sami Mohammed (A Naushad fan)... a Hyderabadi who adores Aziz Sahab's
> : quawwalis.

> Please read on. (And while you're at it, lyrics ko phir paDh lijiye)

> : Quawwal & Music: Aziz Ahmed Khan Warsi

> : Lyrics: Amjad Hyderabadi
> : Jo maangna hai musabbib-e-sabab se maango |musabbib-e-sabab = one who shows
> : Minnat se, KHushaamat se, adab se maango | the logical path; in this
> : Kyun GHair ke aage haath phailaate ho | context = God
> : Bande ho agar Rab ke to Rab se maango
> : (What a wonderful line!)
> : Maayus saayal ne jab ghar ki raah li |saayal=sawaal karnewaala, beggar
> : Aankhon me aansu thhe, thhi jholi KHaali |Maayus=disheartened, depressed
> : Itne me Rehmat jhunjlaake ke boli
> : Maayus jaata hai kyun haath KHaali
> : Saayal idhar aa, phir maang, phir maang
> : KHush hote hain hum, teri sada se
> : Aa phir sada de, dilkash ada se
> : Ai bande mat rooTH apne KHuda se
> : Le haath phaila, phir maang, phir maang
> : Aa aa idhar aa, phri maang, phir maang
> : Kis se muquaatib hi, kya keh raha hai
> : Kya teri KHwaaish hai, kya mudduaa hai
> : Sar ko paTak-kar kyun ro raha hai
> : Humne to dene ka waada kiya hai
> : Le haath phaila, phir maang, phir maang
> : Paida Sikander ko kisne kiya thha
> : Aadam ke haathon me kisne diya thha

> What was the meaning of the second line over there? What is supposed to be
> given into the hands of Adam?

> : Tu kya samajhkar waapas chala thha

> : Maayus jaane ko kisne kaha thha
> : Aa aa idhar aa, phir maang, phir maang
> : Hum apni Shaan-e-Rehmat dikhaaen
> : Sab aarzuen teri bar laaen |bar laana = poori karna
> : Tu maangta ja, hum dete jaaen
> : Tu chup na hoja, phir maang, phir maang
> : Tu maangtaja, hum dete jaaen
> : Le haath phaila, phir maang, phir maang
> : Ab ye sukoon hai, ye bequaraari
> : Zor aur zar se, behtar hai zaari |zor=force, zar=wealth, zaari=mehnat
> : Chhai hai tujh par, Rehmat humaari
> : Har dam Humaare Fazl-o-karam ka
> : Jaari hai dariya, phir maang, phir maang
> : Tu hai bhikari, Hum hain daata
> : Le bharle "Amjad" kaasa hawas ka
> : Hum bhi to dekhen, hai zarph kitna
> : Le haath phaila, phir maang, phir maang
> : Aa aa idhar aa, phir maang phir maang
> : kaasa = vessel or begging bowl; or "bartan" if I may dare say so :-) Sorry,
> : cudn't resist the crack.
> : hawas = desire
> : zarph = capacity
>

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