Fanna-fi-allah

Fanna-fi-allah

Fanna-fi-allah is a qawwali group that performs the devotional music tradition associated with Sufi poetry and shrine-based performance. The name is explained as meaning “annihilation into Allah”. The group performs in the qawwali style, using Urdu, Farsi, Hindi and Punjabi texts set to ragas and driven by voice, harmonium, Pakistani tabla, handclapping and tampura. Audience participation is an important part of the tradition, with the music often performed in settings where prayer, dancing and communal response are central.

Line-up and members

Tahir Qawwal and Amena Chisty Qawwal lead the ensemble. The group is described as ranging from five to ten rigorously trained musicians and includes Arjun, who is also associated with Arjun & Guardians, and Deja, who is also associated with Hamsa Lila.

Style and tradition

Qawwali is presented as an ancient practice in which the poetry of Sufi poets is expressed through singing and rhythm. Fanna-fi-allah emphasises the voice as the main instrument, supported by multiple harmoniums, tabla, handclapping and tampura. The performances may also include trained dancers, dramatized Sufi stories, video footage of qawwali in Pakistan, song translations and explanations of classical ragas. Tahir and Amena also lead workshops on the tradition.

Background and activity

The group begins performing outside Pakistan, India and Hawaii from the summer of 2004. It also appears at venues and events including Earthdance, Dancing Dragons Festival, Oregon Country Fair, The Auburn Sacred Arts Fair and Harbin Hot Springs, and it broadcasts live on KVMR. The ensemble is described as being well known on the west coast.

Mentors and influences

Fanna-fi-allah is described as being a disciple of Rahat Fateh Ali Khan and Dildar Hussein. Rahat Fateh Ali Khan is identified as the successor-nephew of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, and Dildar Hussein is identified as a tabla master from Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan’s qawwali group.