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 Aziz Mian Qawwal (April 17, 1942 – December 6, 2000) was one of Pakistan's most famous traditional Qawwals.
He is responsible for the longest commercially released Qawwali, Hashr Ke Roz Yeh Poochhunga, which runs slightly over 115 minutes and was originally released on two cassettes.
Aziz Mian was born as Abdul Aziz in Delhi, British India. The exclamation, Mian, which he often used in his Qawwalis, became part of his stage name. He began to introduce himself as Aziz Mian Mairthi. The word Mairthi refers to Meerut, a city in northern India, from which he migrated to Pakistan in 1947.
At the age of ten, he began learning the art of Qawwali under the tutelage of Ustad Abdul Waheed Khan. He received sixteen years of training at the Data Ganj Baksh School of Lahore. Aziz Mian obtained M.S. degrees in Arabic, Persian, Persian literature, Urdu literature, and History from the University of Punjab, Lahore.
 Aziz Mian was one of the more traditional Pakistani Qawwals. His voice was raspy and powerful, yet this was not the sole reason for his success. Aziz Mian was not only a master musician but was also the only prominent Qawwal to write his own lyrics (though, like others, he also performed songs written by other poets).
His break-out performance was in 1966, when he performed before the Shah of Iran, Reza Pahlavi. He won first prize and a gold medal from the Shah of Iran. In the early days of his career, he was nicknamed Fauji Qawwal (Urdu: فوجی قوال) (meaning "Military Qawwal") because most of his early stage-performances were in military barracks for army personnel.
Aziz Mian's Qawwalis emphasised on chorus and on the main point of the Qawwali through repetition; very little attention was paid to the musical part of the Qawwali. Aziz Mian had a talent for reciting poetry to the effect that it touched the audience's hearts. He brought passion to his live performances. One of the trademarks of his stage performances was his habit of rising to his knees (from the normal sitting position) while reciting poetry in the middle of a Qawwali, losing contact with the microphone in the process.
Although Aziz Mian mainly sang religious Qawwalis, he had some success in the romantic field. Some of Aziz Mian's most famous Qawwalis are Main Sharabi Sharabi/Teri Soorat Allah Hi Jaane Kaun Bashar Hai, and Ya Nabi. For his service in philosophy and music, the Government of Pakistan awarded him the Pride of Performance medal in 1989.
He was fond of discussing religious and Sufi paradoxes in his Qawwalis. He directly addressed Allah and complained about the misery of man (the greatest creation of the Almighty). Most of the poetry in which Aziz Mian addressed Allah was written by Allama Iqbal. He also has performed poetry by a number of contemporary Urdu poets, including Sadiq and Qateel Shifai. Pakistani comedian Umar Sharif has said in one of his stand-up shows about Aziz Mian: "Other people have disputes on earth, his disputes are in heaven. He altercates with Allah."
The Sabri Brothers critiqued his Qawwali, Main Sharabi Sharabi (I am an Alcoholic, I am an Alcoholic) through their own Qawwali, Peena Veena Chhor Sharabi (Quit Drinking, Alcoholic). Aziz Mian retorted with Hai Kambakht Toone Pee Hi Nahi (Alas You Haven't Drunk). After the release of Aziz Mian's response, Main Sharabi Sharabi is coupled with Hai Kambakht Toone Pee Hi Nahi in newly released volumes. |
