Sami Yusuf is joined here by Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, one of the great singers of our time, on the immensely popular ‘Mast Qalandar’.
Powerful and poetic, its ecstatic rhythms and melodies celebrate love of the divine and evoke a state of spiritual intoxication. This piece, which has been immensely popular in the Indian subcontinent for centuries, is based on a poem by the 13/14th-c. Chishti Sufi and musical genius, Amir Khusro, and was later modified by the great Panjabi poet Bulleh Shah. The lyrics honour ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib as well as the famous 12th century saint of Sindh, Lal Shahbaz Qalandar. Special thanks are due to the late Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan who popularised this legendary piece.