Amjad Sabri
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Amjad Farid (Fareed) Sabri (23 December 1976 – 22 June 2016) was a Pakistani
qawwal Qawwali (Punjabi: (Shahmukhi), (Gurmukhi); Urdu: ( Nasta'liq); Hindi: क़व्वाली (Devanagari); Bengali: কাওয়ালি (Bengali)) is a form of Sufi Islamic devotional singing, originating from the Indian subcontinent ...
, naat khawan and a proponent of the Sufi Muslim tradition. Son of
Ghulam Farid Sabri Ghulam Farid Sabri (1930 – 5 April 1994) was a qawwali singer and member of the Sabri Brothers, a qawwali group in Pakistan in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. The Sabri Brothers received the Pride of Performance award by the President of Pakistan i ...
and nephew of
Maqbool Ahmed Sabri Maqbool Ahmed Sabri (12 October 1945 – 21 September 2011) was a Pakistani qawwali singer and a prominent member of the Sabri Brothers, one of the greatest qawwali groups of all times which belonged to Pakistan. The Sabri Brothers were hono ...
of the
Sabri Brothers The Sabri Brothers ( Punjabi, ) were a musical band from Pakistan who were performers of Sufi qawwali music and were closely connected to the Chishti Order. They are considered as one of the greatest Sufi qawwali singers of all times. The Sabri ...
, he emerged as one of South Asia's most prominent ''
qawwali Qawwali ( Punjabi: (Shahmukhi), (Gurmukhi); Urdu: (Nasta'liq); Hindi: क़व्वाली (Devanagari); Bengali: কাওয়ালি (Bengali)) is a form of Sufi Islamic devotional singing, originating from the Indian subcontinent ...
'' singers, often reciting poems written by his father and uncle. The TTP Hakimullah Mehsud group has claimed responsibility for Sabri's death, saying that they carried out the assassination "for blasphemy."


Career

Born in
Karachi Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former cap ...
,
Sindh Sindh (; ; ur, , ; historically romanized as Sind) is one of the four provinces of Pakistan. Located in the southeastern region of the country, Sindh is the third-largest province of Pakistan by land area and the second-largest province ...
, Amjad began learning ''
qawwali Qawwali ( Punjabi: (Shahmukhi), (Gurmukhi); Urdu: (Nasta'liq); Hindi: क़व्वाली (Devanagari); Bengali: কাওয়ালি (Bengali)) is a form of Sufi Islamic devotional singing, originating from the Indian subcontinent ...
'' music from his father at age nine and joined his father on stage to perform in 1982. His father trained him in ''Raag Bhairon'', which is practiced in early morning. For this training Sabri had to get out of bed in the middle of the night, then after performing ''tahajjud'' (a midnight prayer), he practiced the ''baja''. Sabri presented the work of his family and travelled widely to India, America and Europe where he was known as the "rock star" of ''qawwali''. From then on he remained one of the most acclaimed ''qawwali'' singers on the
Indian subcontinent The Indian subcontinent is a list of the physiographic regions of the world, physiographical region in United Nations geoscheme for Asia#Southern Asia, Southern Asia. It is situated on the Indian Plate, projecting southwards into the Indian O ...
and performed around the world. Amjad used to be in the chorus and would clap in his father's and uncle's band the
Sabri Brothers The Sabri Brothers ( Punjabi, ) were a musical band from Pakistan who were performers of Sufi qawwali music and were closely connected to the Chishti Order. They are considered as one of the greatest Sufi qawwali singers of all times. The Sabri ...
. He also appeared alongside his father
Ghulam Farid Sabri Ghulam Farid Sabri (1930 – 5 April 1994) was a qawwali singer and member of the Sabri Brothers, a qawwali group in Pakistan in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. The Sabri Brothers received the Pride of Performance award by the President of Pakistan i ...
and uncle
Maqbool Ahmed Sabri Maqbool Ahmed Sabri (12 October 1945 – 21 September 2011) was a Pakistani qawwali singer and a prominent member of the Sabri Brothers, one of the greatest qawwali groups of all times which belonged to Pakistan. The Sabri Brothers were hono ...
at the age of 6 years old, along with the
Sabri Brothers The Sabri Brothers ( Punjabi, ) were a musical band from Pakistan who were performers of Sufi qawwali music and were closely connected to the Chishti Order. They are considered as one of the greatest Sufi qawwali singers of all times. The Sabri ...
in Pakistani film ''Saharay'' which was released in 1982. In which his father and uncle recited their famous golden hit ''
Tajdar-e-Haram "Tajdar-e-Haram" () is a qawwali performed by the Pakistani musical group, Sabri Brothers and written by Mirza Muhammad Hakim, a 16th century Mughal prince and brother to Emperor Akbar. 1982 version In 1982, Sabri Brothers recorded this ...
''. Amjad also recited
Allama Iqbal Sir Muhammad Iqbal ( ur, ; 9 November 187721 April 1938), was a South Asian Muslim writer, philosopher, Quote: "In Persian, ... he published six volumes of mainly long poems between 1915 and 1936, ... more or less complete works on philoso ...
's poem ''
Lab Pe Aati Hai Dua "Lab Pe Aati Hai Dua" ( ur, لب پہ آتی ہے دعا ; also known as "Bachche Ki Dua"), is a ''Dua, duʿā'' or prayer, in Urdu verse authored by Muhammad Iqbal in 1902. The dua is recited in morning school assembly almost universally in Pakis ...
'' in the same film. After his father's death, The Sabri Brothers were led by Amjad's uncle
Maqbool Ahmed Sabri Maqbool Ahmed Sabri (12 October 1945 – 21 September 2011) was a Pakistani qawwali singer and a prominent member of the Sabri Brothers, one of the greatest qawwali groups of all times which belonged to Pakistan. The Sabri Brothers were hono ...
, Amjad took up the role of a supporting vocalist and also used to play the
Bongos Bongos ( es, bongó) are an Afro-Cuban percussion instrument consisting of a pair of small open bottomed hand drums of different sizes. They are struck with both hands, most commonly in an eight-stroke pattern called ''martillo'' (hammer). The ...
. Later, in 1996, he started his own group with his brothers and friends as members. His first album was ''Balaghal Ola Be Kamalehi'' which was released by Oriental star agencies in 1997 which featured his father's and uncle's golden hit ''Sar E La Makan Se Talab Hui'' as the main item. He mostly used to recite poetry sung by his father and uncle, then eventually began to include some of his own compositions. Some of his hit Qawwalis included ''Ali Ke Sath Hai Zehra Ki Shaadi'' and ''Na Poochiye Ke Kya Hussain Hai''. His most popular song is a Naat ''Karam Maangta Hoon''. His other works include ''Main Nazar Karoon Jaan E Jigar'', ''Allah Allah'', ''Dhoom Macha Do'', ''Kaabe Ki Raunaq'', ''Kaash Yeh Dua Meri'', ''Ali Mera Dil'', ''Phir Dikha De Haram'', ''Tuloo E Saher Hai Shaam-E-Qalandar'' and his last Naat ''Aye Sabz Gumbad Wale''. Sabri's last musical project was with ''
Coke Studio Coke Studio may refer to: * ''Coke Studio'' (Pakistan), a Pakistani television series featuring live music performances. * ''Coke Studio'' (India), an Indian television series featuring live music performances. * ''Coke Studio Bangla'', a Banglade ...
''. He performed an outstanding qawwali, "Aaj Rang Hai" with
Rahat Fateh Ali Khan Rahat Fateh Ali Khan ( Punjabi, ; born 9 December 1974) is a Pakistani Singer, primarily of Qawwali, a form of Sufi devotional music. Khan is one of the biggest and highest paid singers in Pakistan. He is the nephew of Nusrat Fateh Ali Kha ...
in Episode 7 of
Season 9 A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and po ...
. Sabri's performance on the platform came out to be his first and last one.


Personal life

Amjad Sabri is fondly remembered by friends and family as a warm and affable person who was always smiling, and had a love for board games and a childish tendency to play pranks. He married his wife Nadia after being introduced to her in 2002 through mutual friends. Nadia and Sabri have five children together. Sabri was known to be a family man who preferred to spend time with his wife and children despite his hectic career and travelling commitments and felt homesick when travelling abroad. Friends who knew him closely also considered him somewhat of an eccentric and an outspoken misfit. Sabri preferred to live in his humble Liaqatabad residence even after achieving world fame and refused to move to a more affluent area due to his spiritual association with the home built by his father.


Death

On 22 June 2016, after finishing a morning TV show where his last naat included the words "When I shudder in my dark tomb, dear
Prophet In religion, a prophet or prophetess is an individual who is regarded as being in contact with a divine being and is said to speak on behalf of that being, serving as an intermediary with humanity by delivering messages or teachings from the s ...
, look after me", two motorcyclists opened fire on Sabri's car in
Liaquatabad Town Liaquatabad Town ( ur, ) lies in the central part of the city. Liaquatabad Town was formed in 2001 as part of The Local Government Ordinance 2001, and was subdivided into 11 union councils. The town system was disbanded in 2011, but later was ...
, Karachi, critically injuring Sabri, an associate and his driver. Sabri was shot twice in the head and once on the ear. All of the passengers were then shifted to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital where Sabri died shortly after. His assassination occurred near an
underpass A tunnel is an underground passageway, dug through surrounding soil, earth or rock, and enclosed except for the entrance and exit, commonly at each end. A pipeline is not a tunnel, though some recent tunnels have used immersed tube constr ...
named after his father. Tens of thousands of people attended Amjad Sabri's funeral in Karachi. He was buried near the graves of his father
Ghulam Farid Sabri Ghulam Farid Sabri (1930 – 5 April 1994) was a qawwali singer and member of the Sabri Brothers, a qawwali group in Pakistan in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. The Sabri Brothers received the Pride of Performance award by the President of Pakistan i ...
and uncle
Maqbool Ahmed Sabri Maqbool Ahmed Sabri (12 October 1945 – 21 September 2011) was a Pakistani qawwali singer and a prominent member of the Sabri Brothers, one of the greatest qawwali groups of all times which belonged to Pakistan. The Sabri Brothers were hono ...
at '' Paposh Qabristan'', in
Nazimabad Nazimabad ( ur, , sd, نئون ناظم آباد) is a suburb of Karachi, Pakistan. It was established in 1952, and is named after the second Governor General of Pakistan Khawaja Nazimuddin. History Before the independence of Pakistan, the area ...
. Sabri's murder was met with condemnation from many public figures in Pakistan and India, and several protests were organised against the killing. Several songs, music videos were made, and articles were published, to pay a tribute to Sabri. In addition, Sabri was paid tribute in several shows and award ceremonies in Pakistan. Since Sabri's death, several concerts have been held around the world in his tribute. In 2016, a Qawal group held a concert in the United States in a tribute to Sabri, which was attended by thousands of people.


Perpetrators

Following Sabri's assassination, one of the workers of political party, Muttahida Qaumi Movement ( MQM), was arrested by security forces. The arrested worker, Shahzad Mullah, admitted that he was responsible for the murder of Amjad Sabri. Shahzad Mullah stated that a six member team was formed, comprising two MQM workers from Liaquatabad, to attack Amjad Sabri. He disclosed that Amjad Sabri was not paying
extortion Extortion is the practice of obtaining benefit through coercion. In most jurisdictions it is likely to constitute a criminal offence; the bulk of this article deals with such cases. Robbery is the simplest and most common form of extortion, ...
to the party, which was the reason for his murder. According to local Pakistani media like
Dawn News Dawn News is one of Pakistan's 24-hour Urdu news channel. Based in Karachi, the station is a subsidiary of Pakistan Herald Publications Limited (PHPL), Pakistan's largest English-language media group. The test transmission of the station occu ...
,
Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan The Pakistani Taliban (), formally called the Tehreek-e-Taliban-e-Pakistan (Urdu/ ps, , lit=Student Movement of Pakistan, TTP), is an umbrella organization of various Islamist armed militant groups operating along the Afghan–Pakistani bo ...
(TTP) also claimed responsibility for killing Amjad Sabri. The responsibility was claimed by the group's spokesman, Qari Saifullah Mehsud. Qari Saifullah Mehsud was later shot dead by an unknown gunman in
Khost province Khost (Pashto/Dari: ) is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, located in the southeastern part of the country. Khost consists of thirteen districts and the city of Khost serves as the capital of the province. To the east, Khost Province is bord ...
of
Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...
on 29 December 2019. Mehsud was a key TTP commander and was among the terrorists most wanted by Pakistan for his involvement in several terror attacks in the country. He was previously arrested by U.S. forces in Afghanistan in 2016 but was later released after he spent 14 weeks in jail in Afghanistan.


Legacy

*Amjad Sabri was awarded
Pride of Performance The Pride of Performance ( ur, ), officially known as Presidential Pride of Performance, is an award bestowed by the Islamic Republic of Pakistan to recognize people with "notable achievements in the field of art, science, literature, sports, an ...
by the Government of Pakistan. *In 2018, Sabri was posthumously awarded the
Sitara-i-Imtiaz The Sitara-e-Imtiaz () also spelled as Sitara-i-Imtiaz, is the third-highest (in the order of "Imtiaz") honour and civilian award in the State of Pakistan. It recognizes individuals who have made an "especially meritorious contribution to the ...
– Pakistan's third highest civilian honour – by President
Mamnoon Hussain Mamnoon Hussain ( ur, ; 22 December 1941 – 14 July 2021) was a Pakistani politician and industrialist who served as the 12th president of Pakistan from 2013 to 2018. He was first appointed Governor of Sindh in June 1999 by President Rafiq ...
. *Amjad Sabri's voice featured in the track "Church" on
Coldplay Coldplay are a British rock band formed in London in 1997. They consist of vocalist and pianist Chris Martin, guitarist Jonny Buckland, bassist Guy Berryman, drummer Will Champion and creative director Phil Harvey. They met at University Col ...
's 2019 album
Everyday Life Everyday life, daily life or routine life comprises the ways in which people typically act, think, and feel on a daily basis. Everyday life may be described as mundane, routine, natural, habitual, or normal. Human diurnality means most peop ...
.


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sabri, Anjad Pakistani terrorism victims 1970 births 2016 deaths Harmonium players Pakistani qawwali singers Crime in Karachi People killed by the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan Targeted killings in Pakistan People murdered in Karachi Pakistani Sufis Pakistani murder victims Deaths by firearm in Sindh Recipients of Sitara-i-Imtiaz Muhajir people Chishti-Sabiris