Maqaam Saba and Nahawand

The Maqamaat Series is a collection of posts that examines the various styles (melodies) of Quranic Recitation. The recitation of the Quran has captivated people from all walks of life, for centuries. In this series you’ll learn how to distinguish between the different styles of recitation. This series brought to you by activist, educator and Director of the Maryland Youth chapter of the Muslim American Society, Sami Zaharna. 

Ok – now that we got you excited (I hope) about the science of Maqamaat in the introduction, let us talk about the actual melodies!

The scholars of the Eastern musical scale melodies (which the Persian civilization deserves much of the credit for) consider there to be 7 principal melodies. These melodies are:

Sabaa (صبا)
Nahawand (نهاوند )
‘Ajam (عجم )
Bayati (بياتي )
See Gah (سيكا)
‘Hijaz (حجاز )
Rast (رست )

These 7 can be summarized in the Arabic acronym (صنع بسحر). Many also consider Maqaam Kurd (كرد) to be a principle maqaam. It was originally considered a branch maqaam (not a principle one) but, because of its popularity, developed a reputation as the “Eighth Maqaam.” This would now make the acronym (صنع بسحرك ).  I will briefly introduce each maqaam, it’s musical key, cultural significance, and samples of different Qura’anic reciters using this melody.

Maqaam Saba (صبا)

Saba in the Arabic language is a strong wind that is felt when the sun rises. It is one of the melodies that depicts a deep grief or sorrow. Sheikh Mutasim Billah Al-’Asaly, a well known Syrian reciter and nasheed performer, says that this melody is best used with verses of the hereafter.

I have personally found that reciters of the Levant and Iraq use this melody very frequently. The following is an example of a Palestinian nasheed being sung in this maqaam. Not surprisingly, the topic of the two snippets of nasheeds sung are related to death, and the oppressive reality of the life of the Palestinian.  This recording can also be used as a key to remember the maqaam by:

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Do you feel that this melody is befitting of the content of the song? Did you notice the penetrating nature of this melody? This is exactly why it is called “The strong blowing wind.”

Two of the greatest reciters of the recording age, Sheikh Abdul-Basit Abdul-Samad and Sheikh Mohammad Sideeq Al-Minshawy (may Allah have mercy on his soul) were both very popular for frequently reciting in this melody. This is an example of a live recitation of Surah Al-Qiyamah by Sheikh Abdul-Basit (I apologize for the terrible sound quality, as this was recorded more than 50 years ago):

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Try reading Surah Al-Qiyamah. Does the melody help you in understanding the meaning? Here is another example from Sheikh Abdulkarim Edghouch, a Morrocan reciter residing in Dallas, Tx reciting from Surah Tawbah:

Maqam Nahawand (نهاوند)

Nahawand is a city in modern day Iran. As a melody, it is known to be a very calm and tranquil melody that is suitable for a wide-range of meanings, although I find it to be most effective at closing stories/dialogues or verses that have strong emotions. From my personal experience reciting, what I really love about this maqaam is that it is very difficult to recite effectively if you are not “feeling” it, so to speak, thus making it the most penetrating of the maqamaat.

A key to remember this maqaam by:

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Again, many of the reciters use this melody, but perhaps the most famous of the old reciters is Sheikh Mahmoud Al-Husary (may Allah have mercy on him) and of the recent ones, Sheikh Mishary Al-Afasy. This is a clip from Sheikh Husary reciting from the end of the story of Yusuf (As):

And a clip from Sheikh Mishary Al-Afasy from Surah Maeda:

And finally, this is a clip from Sheikh Mishary reciting in both Saba and Nahawand.

Can you tell when he switches? Let us know in the comments section below! Insha’Allah in the next installment, we will discuss the Maqamaat of ‘Ajam and Bayati.

[Image Above: Attributed to Presidency Maldives]