Commentary: This song, which has been popular in the Indian subcontinent for centuries, is based on a poem by the Chisti Sufi and musical genius, Amir Khusro, which was later modified by the great Panjabi Sufi poet Bulleh Shah. The song’s lyrics honor and revere (but do not worship) ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib, to whom virtually all Sufi orders trace their lineage, as well as the famous 12th century Sufi saint of Sindh, Lal Shahbaz Qalandar.

*A Qalandar is a type of wandering Sufi or dervish who would often live in the wilderness and wear tattered clothes. Lal Shahbaz Qalandar was one such Sufi.