In the 7th and 8th centuries as Islam spread far and wide, there was an assimilation of cultures, with Arabic music and poetry influenced by, but not limited to, the cosmopolitan cultural centres of Syria and Iraq. One such art that grew during this time was the maqām (pl. maqamāt). As poems were being set to melodies, an organisational framework or maqamāt developed.
A maqām is based on an octave scale containing specific musical notes. Maqamāt were compiled by studying and listening to the tunes and rhythms of poetry. Each maqām represented a certain mood aiming to invoke different feelings and sounds and thus different emotions from the listening crowd, emotions such as happiness, humility or contemplation and reflection. The maqām would also be matched to the subject-matter of the poem itself with the appropriate maqām matching the meaning and message of the poem.
Below are some of the popular maqamāt:
Bayātī – Evokes humility and monasticism. This maqām brings focus to the heart.
Nahāwand – Evokes emotions of compassion and gentleness, and instils humility and reflection and is name after the Iranian city.
Sikā – Distinguished by its slow and easy pace.
Ṣabā – A very spiritual and powerful maqām, evoking emotions of compassion.
Rāst – A Persian word meaning steadfastness.
Ḥijāz – Named after the Ḥijāz region of Arabia. This maqām is very spiritual in nature, enabling one to focus on what is being sung.
The munshidūn (singers of praise, singular, munshid) or shaykh’s leading gatherings of poetry would use the different maqamāt to invoke particular feelings in the audience. A seasoned munshid would pick his maqām depending upon the atmosphere in the room. He would look into the eyes of the audience and judge at that point which maqām was suitable; alternating the maqām as necessary as the mood of the audience lifted and changed throughout.
To further aid the connection of the audience to the poems, the poems are grouped together according to their meter, of which there are 16 commonly used, enabling poems in the same meter to be sung on the melody and arrangement of another poem from the same meter. And so, depending on the mood of the audience, the munshid will pick his maqām. Is it to be upbeat, slow, sad or joyful? He will then pick his poem from the appropriate group of metered poems, so that the poem which is most appropriate in meaning for that particular time is sung.
The writing and singing of poems continue to the present day, providing a form of respite from the daily grind and are also a means of invoking deep love, understanding and connection to the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. One is also trying to gain a connection to the writer of the poem and experience even a little of what the author may have been feeling whilst writing. Integral to all this is the ability to understand the meanings of the poem and, therefore, also a necessary part of this tradition. And whether singing or just listening, we hope this act to be a means of increasing one’s servitude and closeness to Allah ﷻ.