# Kafi > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Kafi > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Kafi.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kafi > Source revision: 1351789193 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) For the raga, see [Kafi (raga)](/source/Kafi_(raga)). For other uses, see [Kafi (disambiguation)](/source/Kafi_(disambiguation)). **Kafi** is a classical form of [Sufi music](/source/Sufi_music) in the [Punjabi](/source/Punjabi_language) and [Sindhi](/source/Sindhi_language) languages that originated from the [Punjab](/source/Punjab) and [Sindh](/source/Sindh) regions of [South Asia](/source/South_Asia). Some well-known Kafi poets are [Baba Farid](/source/Baba_Farid), [Bulleh Shah](/source/Bulleh_Shah), [Shah Hussain](/source/Shah_Hussain), [Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai](/source/Shah_Abdul_Latif_Bhittai), [Sachal Sarmast](/source/Sachal_Sarmast) and [Khwaja Ghulam Farid](/source/Khwaja_Ghulam_Farid). This poetry style has also lent itself to the Kafi genre of singing, popular throughout South Asia, especially Pakistan, Bangladesh and India. Over the years, both Kafi poetry and its rendition have experienced rapid growth phases as various poets and vocalists added their own influences to the form,[1] creating a rich and varied poetic form, yet through it all it remained centered on the dialogue between the Soul and the Creator, symbolized by the [murid](/source/Murid) (disciple) and his [Murshid](/source/Murshid) (Master), and often by lover and his Beloved. The word Kafi is derived from the [Arabic](/source/Arabic_language) *qāfiya* ([قافية](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%D9%82%D8%A7%D9%81%D9%8A%D8%A9)) meaning 'rhyme'. The genre is said to be derived from the [Arabic poetry](/source/Arabic_poetry) genre, *[qasidah](/source/Qasidah)*, a [monorhyme](/source/Monorhyme) ode that is always meant to be sung, using one or two lines as a refrain that is repeated to create a mood. Kafi poetry is usually themed around heroic and great romantic tales from the folkfore, often used as a metaphor for mystical truths, and spiritual longing.[2][3] ## Kafi singing In musical terms, kafi refers to the genre of Punjabi and Sindhi [classical music](/source/Hindustani_classical_music) which utilizes the verses of kafi poets such as [Bulleh Shah](/source/Bulleh_Shah) and [Shah Hussain](/source/Shah_Hussain). Kafi music is devotional music, normally associated with the [Sufi orders](/source/Sufi_order) or *[Tariqah](/source/Tariqah)* of [Islam](/source/Islam) in [South Asia](/source/South_Asia), and was sung by [dervishes](/source/Dervishes) or [fakirs](/source/Fakir) (Islamic mendicants), solo or in groups, as an offering to their [murshid](/source/Murshid), spiritual guide. It is characterized by a devotional intensity in its delivery, and as such overlaps considerably with the [Qawwali](/source/Qawwali) genre. Just like Qawwali, its performances often took place at the [dargahs](/source/Dargah) (mausoleums) of various Sufi saints in the region. However, unlike Qawwali, the musical arrangement is much simpler and may only include one [harmonium](/source/Pump_organ), one [tabla](/source/Tabla), one [dholak](/source/Dholak) and a single vocalist. The emphasis remains on the words rather than the music itself, since the central aim of Kafi music is to convey the essence of the mystical lyrics. The central verse is often repeated. There are no fixed styles of singing of Kafi. Traditionally [dervishes](/source/Dervishes) in [Sindh](/source/Sindh) used instruments like *[yaktaro](/source/Ektara)*, a one-stringed plucked instrument, and wooden clappers, *chappars*, though many contemporary singers have chosen their own variations.[2] ## Rise of Kafi singing Some of the early notable exponents of this form in the 1930s, when classical singing became highly popular, were Ustad Ashiq Ali Khan of the [Patiala gharana](/source/Patiala_gharana), who used the [dhrupad](/source/Dhrupad) style in his rendition of Sindhi Kafis, and his contemporary in Sindhi kafi singing, Ustad Allahdino Noonari, who used the fusion form.[1] Kafi has gained a higher profile in the West in the late 20th century, thanks to the [Pakistani](/source/Pakistan) singer [Abida Parveen](/source/Abida_Parveen), who, like qawwali maestro [Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan](/source/Nusrat_Fateh_Ali_Khan), has performed in front of the Western audiences. [Sanam Marvi](/source/Sanam_Marvi) from [Hyderabad](/source/Hyderabad,_Sindh) is another singer and vocalist, performing Kafi-based Sufi songs. [Mooralala Marwada](/source/Mooralala_Marwada), a noted Sufi folk singer from Kutch, is an exponent of this form, and featured in [Coke Studio](/source/Coke_Studio_(Indian_TV_program)).[4][5] ## References 1. [Tribute: The legendary maestro](https://www.dawn.com/news/881605/tribute-the-legendary-maestro) by Shaikh Aziz, [Dawn (newspaper)](/source/Dawn_(newspaper)), 05 Jul, 2009. 1. [Kafi](https://books.google.com/books?id=au_Vk2VYyrkC&dq=abida+parveen&pg=PA317) *South Asian folklore: an encyclopedia : Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka*, by Peter J. Claus, Sarah Diamond, Margaret Ann Mills. Taylor & Francis, 2003. ISBN 0-415-93919-4. *p. 317*. 1. [Kafi](https://books.google.com/books?id=BfukTDZTBNMC&dq=Kafi+poetry&pg=PA133) *Crossing boundaries*, by Geeti Sen. Orient Blackswan, 1998. ISBN 8125013415. *p. 133*. 1. Mistry, Salonee (13 November 2021). ["Bringing Sufi, folk tunes to the city"](https://punemirror.com/entertainment/unwind/bringing-sufi-folk-tunes-to-the-city/cid5747455.htm). *Pune Mirror*. Retrieved 10 April 2025. 1. Adivarekar, Hari (19 December 2010). ["Seeking the Beloved (A Festival of Sindhi Sufi Poetry)"](https://web.archive.org/web/20160304073617/http://www.soundbox.co.in/seeking-the-beloved-a-festival-of-sindhi-sufi-poetry/). Archived from [the original](http://www.soundbox.co.in/seeking-the-beloved-a-festival-of-sindhi-sufi-poetry/) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 4 April 2012. --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Kafi](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kafi) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kafi?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.