Chhaap Tilak Sab Chheeni
Chhaap Tilak Sab Chheeni, is a ghazal written and composed by Amir Khusro, a 14th-century Sufi mystic, in the Braj Bhasha, or northern Awadi dialects from which literary Hindustani_language and Urdu and Hindi evolved. Due to the resonance of its melody and mystical lyrics, it is frequently heard in Qawwali concerts across South Asia. Chaapp Tilak Sab Cheeni is considered as Hazrat Amir Khusru‘s most known Kalam which is basically a praise to his spiritual mentor Hazrat Nizamuddin Awliyah R.A..
The theme of the composition, being the absolute power of a mere glance from the Divine, is a central theme in Muslim mystic literature.ʿAziz Nasafi, a 13th century Muslim mystic states in his Epistle on Love, “Fire reaches the heart by way of the eye” playing on the same metaphor of meeting the gaze of the beloved.
This poem has been sung in Qawwali format by notable Indian and Pakistani Qawwals, including Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Naheed Akhtar, Mehnaz Begum, Abida Parveen, Sabri Brothers, Iqbal Hussain Khan Bandanawazi, Farid Ayaz & Abu Muhammad Qawwal, Ustad Jafar Hussain Khan, Ustad Vilayat Khan, Ustad Shujaat Khan, Zila Khan, Hadiqa Kiani, Smita Bellur and Rahat Fateh Ali Khan.Text and translation
Popular culture
The 1978 Bollywood film Main Tulsi Tere Aangan Ki featured a version by Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhosle. Another popular version, by Abida Parveen and Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, appeared on the Pakistani musical variety show Coke Studio. The song has maintained its popularity over the years, being regularly heard on television talent shows in India and Pakistan, and on social media.
