Ghazal

This article is about the poetic form. For other uses, seeGhazal (disambiguation).

Theghazalis a form of amatory poem or ode,originating inArabic poetry.Ghazals often deal with topics of spiritual and romantic love and may be understood as a poetic expression of both the pain of loss or separation from the beloved and the beauty of love in spite of that pain.

An illustrated headpiece from a mid-18th century collection of ghazals andrubāʻīyāt

The ghazal form is ancient, tracing its origins to 7th-century Arabic poetry. The ghazal spread into theIndian subcontinentin the 12th century due to the influence ofSufimystics and the courts of the newIslamic Sultanate,and is now most prominently a form of poetry of manyLanguages of South AsiaandTurkey.

A ghazal commonly consists of five to fifteen couplets, which are independent, but are linked – abstractly, in their theme; and more strictly in their poetic form. The structural requirements of the ghazal are similar in stringency to those of thePetrarchan sonnet.In style and content, due to its highly allusive nature, the ghazal has proved capable of an extraordinary variety of expression around its central themes of love and separation.

Etymology and pronunciation

The wordghazaloriginates from theArabicwordغزل(ġazal). This genre of Arabic poetry is derived fromغَزَل(ḡazal) orغَزِلَ(ḡazila) - To sweet-talk, to flirt, to display amorous gestures.

TheArabicwordغزلġazalis pronounced[ˈɣazal].In English, the word is pronounced/ˈɡʌzəl/or/ˈɡæzæl/.

Poetic form

The ghazal is a short poem consisting of rhyming couplets, calledbaytorsher.Most ghazals have between seven and twelvebayts.For a poem to be considered a true ghazal, it must have no fewer than five couplets. Almost all ghazals confine themselves to less than fifteen couplets (poems that exceed this length are more accurately considered asqasidas). Ghazal couplets end with the same rhyming pattern and are expected to have the same meter. The ghazal's uniqueness arises from its rhyme and refrain rules, referred to as the'qafiya'and'radif'respectively. A ghazal'srhyming patternmay be described as AA BA CA DA, and so on. In its strictest form, a ghazal must follow a number of rules:

1. Matla':The firstsherin a ghazal is called the'matla''.Both lines of thematla'must contain theqafiyaandradif.Thematla'sets the tone of the ghazal, as well as its rhyming and refrain pattern.
2. Radif:The refrain word or phrase. Both lines of thematla'and the second lines of all subsequentshersmust end in the same refrain word called theradif.
3. Qafiya:The rhyming pattern. Theradifis immediately preceded by words or phrases with the same end rhyme pattern, called theqafiya.
4. Maqta':The last couplet of the ghazal is called themaqta'.It is common in ghazals for the poet'snom de plume,known astakhallusto be featured in themaqta'.Themaqta'is typically more personal than the other couplets in a ghazal. The creativity with which a poet incorporates homonymous meanings of theirtakhallusto offer additional layers of meaning to the couplet is an indicator of their skill.
5. Bahr:Each line of a ghazal must follow the same metrical pattern and syllabic (ormorae) count.

Other optional rules include:

1. Misra-e-uulaa:The first line of each verse must be a statement.
2. Misra-e-sani:The second line of each verse must be the proof of statement given in the first line.

Unlike in anazm,a ghazal's couplets do not need a common theme or continuity. Each sher is self-contained and independent from the others, containing the complete expression of an idea. However, theshersall contain a thematic or tonal connection to each other, which may be highly allusive.A common conceit that traces its history to the origins of the ghazal form is that the poem is addressed to a beloved by the narrator. Abdolhamid Ziaeiconsiders the content of old Persian ghazal to include four elements: love, mysticism, education or excellence, and Qalandari.

Interpreting a ghazal

The Ghazal tradition is marked by the poetry's ambiguity and simultaneity of meaning.Learning the common tropes is key to understanding the ghazal.

There are several locations a Urdushermight take place in:

• The Garden, where the poet often takes on the personage of thebulbul,asongbird.The poet is singing to the beloved, who is often embodied as arose.

hoon garmi-i-nishat-i-tasavvur se naghma sanj

Main andalib-i-gulshan-i-na afridah hoon

-Ghalib

I sing from the warmth of the passionate joy of thought

I am the bulbul of a garden not yet created

• The Tavern, or themaikhana,where the poet drinks wine in search of enlightenment, union withGod,and desolation of self.

mir un neem-baaz ankhon men saari masti sharab ki si hai

-Mir Taqi Mir

'Mir' is in those half-closed eyesall flirtation is a bit like wine

History

Origins in Arabia

The ghazal originated in Arabia in the 7th century,evolving from theqasida,a much older pre-Islamic Arabic poetic form.Qaṣīdaswere typically much longer poems, with up to 100 couplets. Thematically,qaṣīdasdid not include love, and were usuallypanegyricsfor a tribe or ruler, lampoons, or moral maxims. However, theqaṣīda'sopening prelude, called thenasīb,was typically nostalgic and/or romantic in theme, and highly ornamented and stylized in form. In time, thenasībbegan to be written as standalone, shorter poems, which became the ghazal.

The ghazal came into its own as a poetic genre during the Umayyad era (661–750) and continued to flower and develop in the early Abbasid era. The Arabic ghazal inherited the formal verse structure of theqaṣīda,specifically, a strict adherence to meter and the use of theqafiya,a common end rhyme on each couplet (called abaytin Arabic and asherin Persian).

The nature of the ghazals also changed to meet the demands of musical presentation, becoming briefer in length. Lighter poetic meters, such askhafîf,ramal,andmuqtarabwere preferred, instead of longer, more ponderous meters favored forqaṣīdas(such askâmil,basît,andrajaz). Topically, the ghazal focus also changed from nostalgic reminiscences of the homeland and loved ones, towardsromanticor erotic themes. These included sub-genres with themes of courtly love (udharî), eroticism (hissî), homoeroticism (mudhakkar), and as a highly stylized introduction to a larger poem (tamhîdî).

During the Umayyad and early Abbasid eras, the ghazal blossomed. It inherited the structure of the qaṣīda, focusing on meter and end rhymes. With time, it adapted for musical presentation, becoming shorter. Lighter meters were preferred, and themes shifted towards romance and eroticism.

Spread of the Arabian ghazal

With the spread ofIslam,theArabianghazal spread both westwards, intoAfricaandSpain,as well as eastwards, intoPersia.The popularity of ghazals in a particular region was usually preceded by a spread of theArabic languagein that country. In medieval Spain, ghazals written inHebrewas well asArabichave been found as far back as the11th century.It is possible that ghazals were also written in theMozarabic language.Ghazals in the Arabic form have also been written in a number of major West African literary languages likeHausaandFulfulde.

Dispersion into Persia

Early Arabo-Persian ghazals (10th to 11th century)

However, the most significant changes to the ghazal occurred in its introduction into Iran in the 10th century.The early Persian ghazals largely imitated the themes and form of the Arabian ghazal. These "Arabo-Persian" ghazals introduced two differences compared to their Arabian poetic roots. Firstly, the Persian ghazals did not employ radical enjambment between the two halves of the couplet, and secondly, the Persian ghazals formalized the use of the common rhyme in both lines of the opening couplet (matla').The imitation of Arabian forms in Persia extended to theqaṣīda,which was also popular in Persia.

Because of its comparative brevity, thematic variety and suggestive richness, the ghazal soon eclipsed theqaṣīda,and became the most popular poetry form in Persia.Much like Arabian ghazals, early Persian ghazals typically employed more musical meters compared to other Persian poetry forms.Rudaki(858–941 CE) is considered the most important Persian ghazal poet of this period, and the founder of classical Persian literature.

Early Persian ghazal poetry (12th to early 13th century)

The Persian ghazal evolved into its own distinctive form between the 12th and 13th centuries. Many of those innovations created what we now recognize as the archetypical ghazal form. These changes occurred in two periods, separated by the Mongol Invasion of Persia from 1219 to 1221 AD.

The 'Early Persian poetry' period spanned approximately one century, from theGhaznavid era(which lasted until 1187) till a little after the Mongol Invasion. Apart from the movement towards brevity, this period also saw two significant and lasting changes to the ghazal form.

The first change was the adoption of theTakhallus,the practice of mentioning the poet's penname in the final couplet (called the'maqta''). The adoption of thetakhallusbecame a gradually accepted part of the ghazal form, and by the time ofSaadi Shirazi(1210–1291 AD), the most important ghazal poet of this period, it had becomede rigueur.The second marked change from Arabian ghazal form in Persian ghazals was a movement towards far greater autonomy between the couplets.

Late Persian poetry in the Early Mongol Period (1221–)

The ghazal later spread throughout the Middle East and South Asia. It was famous all around the Indian subcontinent in the 18th and 19th centuries

Introduction into Indian subcontinent

Further information:Urdu ghazal

Amir Khusrow teaching his disciples in a miniature from a manuscript ofMajlis al-UshshaqbyHusayn Bayqarah.Amir Khusrow is considered the first Urdu poet

Excerpt fromDivan-e-Hafez

Vin bahs bā salāse-ye ghassāle miravad
And with the three washers (cups of wine), this dispute goeth.
Shekkar-shekan shavand hame tutiān-eHind
Sugar-shattering (excited), have become all the parrots (poets) ofHind,
Zin qand-e Pārsi ke be Bangāle miravad.
That thisPersiancandy [ode], that toBengalgoeth.

– Jointly penned byAzam ShahandHafez

The ghazal was spread fromPersiaintoIndian Subcontinentin the 12th centuryby the influence ofSufimystics and the courts of the new Islamic sultanates.This period coincided with the early Islamic Sultanates in India, through the wave of Islamic invasions into the region in that period.

The 13th centuryChishtiSufi poetHasan Sijziis regarded as the originator of theIndo-Persianghazal.Sijzi's contemporary, the poet and musicianAmeer Khusrowis not only credited as the first Urdu poet but also createdHindustanias we know today by mergingbraj,khadhi boli,Hindi,Urdu,Persianand other local dialects.

During the reign of theSultan of BengalGhiyasuddin Azam Shah,the city ofSonargaonbecame an important centre ofPersian literature,with many publications of prose and poetry. The period is described as the "golden ageofPersian literaturein Bengal ". Its stature is illustrated by the Sultan's own correspondence with the Persian poetHafez.When the Sultan invited Hafez to complete an incomplete ghazal by the ruler, the renowned poet responded by acknowledging the grandeur of the king's court and the literary quality of Bengali-Persian poetry.

It is said thatAtul Prasad Senpioneered the introduction of Bengali ghazals.Residing inLucknow,he was inspired by Persian ghazals and experimented with a stream of Bengali music which was later enriched profusely by the contribution ofKazi Nazrul IslamandMoniruddin Yusuf.

Themes

"The ghazal was initially composed to a purely religious theme".Now in this era ghazals are more likely to have romantic themes.

Unconditional, superior love

Layla visits Majnun in the wilderness; the story ofLayla and Majnunis one of the most famous Arabic tales of unrequited, unconditional love

Can usually be interpreted for a higher being or for a mortal beloved. Love is always viewed as something that will complete a human being, and if attained will lift him or her into the ranks of the wise or will bring satisfaction to the soul of the poet. Traditional ghazal law may or may not have an explicit element of sexual desire in it, and the love may be spiritual. The love may be directed to either a man or a woman.

The ghazal is always written from the point of view of the unrequited lover whose beloved is portrayed as unattainable.Most often, either the beloved has not returned the poet's love or returns it without sincerity or else the societal circumstances do not allow it. The lover is aware and resigned to this fate but continues loving nonetheless; the lyrical impetus of the poem derives from this tension. Representations of the lover's powerlessness to resist his feelings often include lyrically exaggerated violence. The beloved's power to captivate the speaker may be represented in extended metaphors about the "arrows of his eyes", or by referring to the beloved as an assassin or a killer. Take, for example, the following couplets fromAmir Khusro's Persian ghazalNemidanam che manzel būd shab:

namidanam chi manzil būd shab jayi ke man būdam;
be har sū raqs eh besmel būd shab jayi ke man būdam.
pari paikar negar eh sarv qaad e lalhaa rokhsar;
sarapa afat-e del būd shab jayi ke man būdam.

I wonder what was the place where I was last night,
All around me were half-slaughtered victims of love, tossing about in agony.
There was a nymph-like beloved with cypress-like form and tulip-like face,
Ruthlessly playing havoc with the hearts of the lovers.

Sufism

Many of the major historical ghazal poets were either avowed Sufis themselves (likeRumiorHafiz), or were sympathizers with Sufi ideas.Somewhat likeAmericansoul music,but withmelancholyinstead offunk,most ghazals can be viewed in aspiritualcontext, with the Beloved being ametaphorforGodor the poet's spiritual master. It is the intense Divine Love of Sufism that serves as a model for all the forms of love found in ghazal poetry.

Most ghazal scholars today recognize that some ghazal couplets are exclusively aboutDivine Love(ishq-e-haqiqi). Others are aboutearthly love(ishq-e-majazi), but many can be interpreted in either context.

Traditionally invoking melancholy, love, longing, andmetaphysical questions,ghazals are often sung by Afghan, Pakistani, and Indian musicians. The form has roots in seventh-century Arabia,and gained prominence in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, thanks to such Persian poets as Rumi and Hafiz, and later to Indian poets such asMirza Ghalib.In the eighteenth century, the ghazal was used by poets writing in Urdu. Among these poets,Ghalibis the recognized master.

Important ghazal poets

Ghazals were written byRumi,HafizandSaadi ShiraziofPersia;theTurkicpoetsYunus Emre,FuzuliandNasimiin theOttoman Empire;Mirza GhalibandMuhammad IqbalofNorth India;andKazi Nazrul IslamofBengal.Through the influence ofGoethe(1749–1832), the ghazal became very popular inGermanyduring the 19th century; the form was used extensively byFriedrich Rückert(1788–1866) andAugust von Platen(1796–1835). TheKashmiripoetAgha Shahid Aliwas a proponent of the form, both in English and in other languages; he edited a volume of "real Ghazals in English". Ghazals were also written byMoti Ram Bhatta(1866–1896), the pioneer of Nepali ghazal writing inNepali.Ghazals were also written byHamza Shinwari,He is known as the father ofPashtoGhazals.

Translations and performance of classical ghazal

Enormous collections of ghazal have been created by hundreds of well-known poets over the past thousand years in Persian, Turkish, and Urdu as well as in the Central Asian Turkic languages. Ghazal poems are performed in Uzbek-TajikShashmakom,TurkishMakam,PersianDastgahand UyghurMuqam.There are many published translations from Persian and Turkish byAnnemarie Schimmel,Arthur John Arberryand many others.

Ghazal "Gayaki", the art of singing or performing the ghazal in the Indian classical tradition, is very old. Singers like Ustad Barkat Ali and many other singers in the past used to practice it, but the lack of historical records make many names anonymous. It was withBegum Akhtarand later on UstadMehdi Hassanthat classical rendering of ghazals became popular in the masses. The categorization of ghazal singing as a form of "light classical" music is a misconception.

Classical ghazals are difficult to render because of the varying moods of the "shers" or couplets in the ghazal.Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan,Amanat Ali Khan,Begum Akhtar,Talat Mahmood,Mehdi Hassan,Abida Parveen,Jagjit Singh,Farida Khanumand UstadGhulam Ali,Moinuddin Ahamed, are popular classical ghazal singers.

Popularity

The ghazal has historically been one of the most popular poetic forms across the Middle East and South Asia. Even into the modern era the ghazal has retained its extreme popularity among South Asian royalty and nobility, among whom its education and patronisation has traditionally found shelter, especially with several Indian rulers including severalIndian Emperorsbeing profound composers of ghazals.In the 19th century ghazals gained popularity inGermanywithGoethe's translations, as well as with Spanish ghazal writers such asFederico García Lorca.Despite often being written in strong Urdu and rendered with classical Indian Ragas along with complex terminology most usually accessible to the upper classes, in South Asia ghazals are nonetheless popular among all ages.They are most popular in Turkey and South Asia, and readings or musical renditions of ghazals—such as atmehfilsandmushairas—are well attended in these countries, even by the laity. Ghazals are popular inSouth Asian film music.The ragas to which ghazals are sung are usually chosen to be in consonance with their lyrical content.

The ghazal's beauty goes beyond rich or poor, or where you come from. Whether it's spoken in fancy places or sung in everyday life, its powerful words touch deep inside, staying with us for a long time.

Understanding the complex lyrics of traditional ghazals required education typically available only to the upper classes. The traditional classicalrāgasin which the lyrics were rendered were also difficult to understand. The ghazal has undergone some simplification in recent years, in terms of words and phrasings, which helps it to reach a larger audience around the world. Modernshayars(poets) are also moving towards a less strict adherence to form and rules, using simpler language and words (sometimes even incorporating words from other languages, such as English - seeParveen Shakir), and moving away from a strictly male narrator.

Most of the ghazals are now sung in styles that are not limited tokhayāl,thumri,rāga,tālaand other classical and light classical genres. However, those forms of the ghazal are looked down on by purists of the Indian classical tradition.

In Pakistan,Saleem Raza, Mehdi Hassan,Noor Jehan,Iqbal Bano,Abida Parveen,Farida Khanum,Ghulam Ali,Ahmed Rushdi,Ustad Amanat Ali Khan,andParvez Mehdiare known for ghazal renditions. Indian Singers likeJagjit Singh(who first used aguitarin ghazals),Ahmed and Mohammed Hussain,Hariharan,Adithya Srinivasan,Pankaj Udhas,Umbayeeand many others have been able to give a new shape to the ghazal by incorporating elements of Western music.

Ghazals in other South Asian languages

In addition toUrdu,ghazals have been very popular in theGujarati language.For around a century, starting withBalashankar Kantharia,there have been many notable Gujarati ghazal writers includingKalapi,Barkat Virani'Befaam',Asim Randeri,Shunya Palanpuri,Amrut Ghayal,Khalil Dhantejviand many more. Some notable ghazals of those prominent writers have been sung by Bollywood playback singerManhar Udhas.

Renowned ghazal singer, and pioneer of Telugu ghazals,Ghazal Srinivaspopularized the ghazal inTelugu.Ghazals in theKannadalanguage were pioneered in the 1960s by poet Shantarasam, though recordings of their poetry only began to be made in the early 2000s.Legendary musicianUmbayeecomposed ghazals inMalayalamand popularized this form of music acrossKerala.

Suresh Bhatpopularized ghazals in theMarathi language.Some of his amazing ghazals were sung by famous artists likeLata MangeshkarandAsha Bhosale.He was known asGhazal Samrat(theEmperorof ghazals) for his exposition of the ghazal form of poetry and its adaptation to theMarathi language.His discipleIlahi Jamadarcontinued the tradition, blending Urdu and Marathi verses in his work.

Kazi Nazrul Islambrought ghazals to theBengali language,composing numerous poems which are still famous in bothBangladeshandIndia.Teg Ali Tegintroduced ghazals inBhojpuri,his ghazals collectionBadmash Darpanwas published in 1895.

Motiram Bhattawas the pioneer & the one who introduced the ghazal in the world ofNepali literaturedue to which he is calledGhazal SamratofNepali Literature.They have become an important part of it.

In English

After nearly a century of "false starts," the early experiments ofJames Clarence Mangan,James Elroy Flecker,Adrienne Rich,Phyllis Webb,etc., many of whom did not adhere wholly or in part to the traditional principles of the form, experiments dubbed as "the bastard Ghazal,"the ghazal finally began to be recognized as a viable closed form in poetry of theEnglish languagesome time in the early to mid-1990s. It came about largely as a result of serious, true-to-form examples being published by noted American poetsJohn Hollander,W. S. MerwinandElise Paschenas well as by Kashmiri-American poetAgha Shahid Ali,who had been teaching and spreading word of the Ghazal at American universities over the previous two decades.Jim Harrisoncreated his own free-form Ghazal true to his poetic vision inOutlyer and Ghazals(1971).

In 1996, Ali compiled and edited the world's first anthology of English-language ghazals, published byWesleyan University Pressin 2000, asRavishing DisUnities: Real Ghazals in English.(Fewer than one in ten of the ghazals collected inReal Ghazals in Englishobserve the constraints of the form.)

A ghazal is composed of couplets, five or more. The couplets may have nothing to do with one another except for the formal unity derived from a strict rhyme and rhythm pattern.

A ghazal in English observes the traditional restrictions of the form:

Where are you now? Who lies beneath your spell tonight?
Whom else from rapture's road will you expel tonight?

Those "Fabrics of Cashmere—" "to make Me beautiful—"
"Trinket" — to gem– "Me to adorn– How– tell" — tonight?

I beg for haven: Prisons, let open your gates–
A refugee from Belief seeks a cell tonight.

God's vintage loneliness has turned to vinegar–
All the archangels– their wings frozen– fell tonight.

Lord, cried out the idols, Don't let us be broken
Only we can convert the infidel tonight.

Mughal ceilings, let your mirrored convexities
multiply me at once under your spell tonight.

He's freed some fire from ice in pity for Heaven.
He's left open– for God– the doors of Hell tonight.

In the heart's veined temple, all statues have been smashed
No priest in saffron's left to toll its knell tonight.

God, limit these punishments, there's still Judgment Day–
I'm a mere sinner, I'm no infidel tonight.

Executioners near the woman at the window.
Damn you, Elijah, I'll bless Jezebel tonight.

The hunt is over, and I hear the Call to Prayer
fade into that of the wounded gazelle tonight.

My rivals for your love– you've invited them all?
This is mere insult, this is no farewell tonight.

And I, Shahid, only am escaped to tell thee–
God sobs in my arms.Call me Ishmaeltonight.

—Agha Shahid Ali

Notable poets who composed ghazals in English

• Agha Shahid Ali,"Ghazal ('...exiles')"
• Robert Bly,The Night Abraham Called to the StarsandMy Sentence Was a Thousand Years of Joy
• Francis Brabazon,In Dust I Sing(Beguine Library, 1974).
• Fern G. Z. Carr,"Ghazal for M."
• G.S. Sharat Chandra,"The Anonymous Lover"
• Andrew D. Chumbley,"Qutub" (Xoanon), 1995.
• Maryann Corbett,"Storybook Ghazal"
• Lorna Crozier,"Bones in Their Wings"
• Sukhdarshan Dhaliwal,"Ghazals at Twilight" (SD Publications), 2009
• Judith Fitzgerald,Twenty-Six Ways Out of This World(Oberon), 1999.
• Marilyn Hacker,A Stranger's Mirror: New and Selected Poems 1994 - 2014 (2015) ISBN 978-0-393-24464-9
• Jim Harrison,Outlyer and Ghazals(Touchstone), 1971
• John Hollander,"Ghazal On Ghazals"
• Galway Kinnell,"Sheffield Ghazal 4: Driving West", "Sheffield Ghazal 5: Passing the Cemetery" (Mariner Books), 2001
• Marilyn Krysl,"Ghazals for the Turn of the Century"
• Maxine Kumin,"On the Table"
• Edward Lowbury,"A Ghazel (for Pauline)" (1968); "Prometheus: a ghazel" (1976); "Remembering Nine (a ghazel for Peter Russell)" (1981)
• William Matthews,"Guzzle", "Drizzle"
• W. S. Merwin,"The Causeway"
• Elise Paschen,"Sam's Ghazal"
• Robert Pinsky,"The Hall"
• Spencer Reece,Florida Ghazals
• Adrienne Rich,Ghazals: Homage to Ghalib
• John Thompson,"Stilt Jack" (Anansi), 1978.
• Natasha Trethewey,"Miscegenation", 2006.
• Phyllis Webb,Water and Light: Ghazals and Anti Ghazals(Coach House), 1984.
• John Edgar Wideman,"Lost Letter"
• Eleanor Wilner,"Ghazal on What's to Lose, or Not"
• Rob Winger,"The Chimney Stone" (Nightwood Editions), 2010

Ghazal in Music

Ghazals has been used in music throughout South Asia and has become a genre of its own, simply called "Ghazal" which refers to the music genre. The Ghazal music genre is most popular in Afghanistan, Pakistan and India.

Some notable Afghan ghazal singers are (Persian/Pashtu):

• Sarahang
• Ulfat

Some notable Pakistani and Indian ghazal singers are (Urdu/Hindi):

• Ahmed Rushdi
• Abida Parveen
• Ali Sethi
• Amjad Parvez
• Anuradha Paudwal
• Anup Jalota
• Ataullah Khan
• Ateeq Hussain Khan
• Salma Agha
• Kiran Ahluwalia
• Begum Akhtar
• Ghulam Ali
• Talat Aziz
• Gulbahar Bano
• Iqbal Bano
• Beauty Sharma Barua
• Munni Begum
• Asha Bhosle
• Rahmatullah Dard
• Chandan Dass
• Pankaj Udhas
• Hariharan
• Mehdi Hassan
• Ahmed and Mohammed Hussain
• Cassius Khan
• Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
• Ustad Amanat Ali Khan
• Asad Amanat Ali Khan
• Shafqat Amanat Ali Khan
• Shreya Ghoshal
• Bade Fateh Ali Khan
• Hamid Ali Khan
• Shahabaz Aman
• Khalil Haider
• Farida Khanum
• Runa Laila
• Master Madan
• Talat Mahmood
• Mahwash
• Lata Mangeshkar
• Penaz Masani
• Aziz Mian
• Habib Wali Mohammad
• Mukesh
• Sonu Nigam
• Nizami Brothers
• Nayyara Noor
• Noorjehan
• Bhimrao Panchale
• Shishir Parkhie
• Malika Pukhraj
• Mohammed Rafi
• Roop Kumar Rathod
• Sunali Rathod
• Reshma
• Rahat Fateh Ali Khan
• Sabri Brothers
• Jagjit Singh
• Sajjad Ali
• Mohammad Hussain Sarahang
• Mohammad Reza Shajarian
• Bhupinder and Mitali Singh
• Jasvinder Singh
• Ghazal Srinivas
• Adithya Srinivasan
• Tahira Syed
• Manhar Udhas
• Nirmal Udhas
• Pankaj Udhas
• Suresh Wadkar
• Ahmad Wali
• Alka Yagnik
• Umbayee

ManyIndianandPakistani film singersare famous for singing ghazals, such as these:

• Ahmed Rushdi
• Hariharan
• Mehdi Hassan
• Jagjit Singh
• Noor Jehan
• Talat Mahmood
• Lata Mangeshkar
• Srilekha Parthasarathy
• Mohammad Rafi
• Shiv Dayal Batish
• Shreya Ghoshal
• Ghulam Ali
• K. L. Saigal
• Saleem Raza
• Chitra Singh
• Asha Bhosle
• Tina Sani

SomeMalay singersare famous for singing Ghazal, such as these:

• Jamal Abdillah
• Sharifah Aini
• Rosiah Chik
• Noraniza Idris
• Rhoma Irama
• M. Nasir

See also

• Filmi-ghazal,Indian filmi music based on ghazal poetry
• Qawwali,a music genre from South Asia

References

• Agha Shahid Ali (ed.).Ravishing Disunities: Real Ghazals in English.ISBN0-8195-6437-0
• Agha Shahid Ali.Call Me Ishmael Tonight: A Book of Ghazals.ISBN0-393-05195-1
• Bailey, J. O.The Poetry of Thomas Hardy: A handbook and Commentary.ISBN0-8078-1135-1
• de Brujn, “ḠAZAL i. HISTORY”,Encyclopaedia Iranica.2012.[1]
• Doty, Gene (ed. 1999–2014) and Jensen, Holly (ed. 2015-today).The Ghazal Page;various postings, 1999—today
• Kanda, K.C., editor. Masterpieces of the Urdu Ghazal: From the 17th to the 20th Century. Sterling Pub Private Ltd., 1991
• Mufti, Aamir. "Towards a Lyric History of India." boundary 2, 31: 2, 2004
• Reichhold, Jane (ed.).Lynx;various issues, 1996–2000
• Sells, Michael A.Early Islamic Mysticism.ISBN9780809136193
• Watkins, R. W. (ed.).Contemporary Ghazals;Nos. 1 and 2, 2003–2004
• Lall, Inder jit. "Ghazal Movements", Century, May 23, 1964
• Lall, Inder jit. "Heightened sensibility" The Economic Times, December 31, 1978
• Lall, Inder jit. "The Ghazal – Evolution & Prospects", The Times of India, November 8, 1970
• Lall, Inder Jit. "The New Ghazal", The Times of India, July 3, 1971
• Lall, Inder jit. "Ghazal: A Sustainer of Spasms", Thought, May 20, 1967
• Lall, Inder jit. "Tuning into modern ghazals", Sunday Herald, January 29, 1989
• Lall, Inder Jit. "Ghazal: Melodies and minstrels", Sunday Patriot, June 29, 1986
• Lall, Inder jit. "Charm of ghazal lies in lyricism", Hindustan Times, August 8, 1985

External links

• Blachère, R. & Bausani, A. (1965)."G̲h̲azal".InLewis, B.;Pellat, Ch.&Schacht, J.(eds.).The Encyclopaedia of Islam, Second Edition.Volume II:C–G.Leiden: E. J. Brill.OCLC495469475.
• A Desertful of RosesThe Divan-e Ghalib – in Urdu, with Devanagari and Roman transliterations.
• Ghazal Radiodedicated ghazal radio.
• Ghazal poetsA list of ghazal writers.
• Mere Rashke QamarOne of the Best ghazal of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan.
• One of the Best ghazal of Naqi Naqvi.

• Ghazals Manuscript,Rare Book & Manuscript Library University of Pennsylvania LJS 44Archived2017-04-04 at theWayback Machine