West African Ī large number of religious qasā'id have been written in Arabic by the Sufi Shaykh Amadou Bamba Mbacke (1855–1927) from Senegal, West Africa. As a rule it is longer than the ghazal but follows the same system of rhyme. Qasida in Urdu poetry is often panegyric, sometimes a satire, sometimes dealing with an important event. The qesîde is a type of oral religious poem in Yazidi literature, considered to have been composed by the disciples of Sheikh Adi. Mystical poets and Sufis used the ghazal for mystical purposes. The ghazal developed from the first part of qasida in which poets praised their sweethearts.
The opening is usually description of a natural event: the seasons, a natural landscape or an imaginary sweetheart. It may be a spring poem (Persian بهاریه, bahâriye) or autumn poem (Persian خزانیه, xazâniye). For example, Nasir Khusraw used it extensively for philosophical, theological, and ethical purposes, while Avicenna also used it to express philosophical ideas. Modern qasidah has broadened to include influence from Western and local Indonesian music.Īfter the 10th century Iranians developed the qasida immensely and used it for other purposes. Traditional qasidah was historically limited to Arab immigrant and pious Muslim neighbourhoods. In Indonesia, qasidah (Indonesian spelling: kasidah) refers broadly to Islamic music in general, rather than a specific style or poetry. See also: Music of Indonesia § Qasidah modern An old tradition of Old Dhaka is during the time of sehri, groups of people would sing qasidas to wake up the Muslims in the neighbourhood.
The qasidas were promoted by nawabs and sardars across the region, and especially popular during the Islamic month of Ramadan. In 1949, Hakim Habibur Rahman spoke of the recent revival of qasidas since that period in his book, Dhaka Panchas Baras Pahle (Dhaka, fifty years ago). Subahdar of Bengal, Islam Khan Chisti's naval fleet is said to have sung them after arriving in Jessore in 1604.
Qasidas were introduced to Dhaka, and later the rest of Bengal, during the Mughal era by Persians. From the Abbasid period onwards, two-part qaṣīda forms containing just a nasīb and madīḥ have been dominant. While many poets have intentionally or unintentionally deviated from this plan it is recognisable in many.