Shahe Mardan is a group of musicians from the cities of Sheffield and Bradford that performs qawwali music.
They are steeped in the tradition of this centuries-old form of belief and its associated music which originated in Persia (now Iran) and moved on to become very significant across South Asia. Their lead singer and harmonium player Mohamed Zubair accompanied the late Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, well-known for helping to bring Qawwali music to the 'world music' scene.
Shah-e-Mardan believe that qawwali music comes not only from the musicians' voices, instruments and clapping, but also from the heart. The late Sufi master Sheikh Nazim gave them their name (meaning 'King of Men') and told them to take their music not just to other believers but also to new audiences. Sheikh Nazim was also "known for his compassion, clemency, knowledge of the world around him, and with the celestial aim of bringing people to an ocean of love, steering us away from harm to oneself and others".
Shah-e-Mardan aim to show people the beauty of Sufi music, and to take people away from the 'now' through trance-like music, using the classic Sufi feeling of "inebriation, though without the alcohol".
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