Maddahi

An Iranian Maddah singing

Maddahi (Persian: مداحی) is a ceremonial singing or eulogy recitation especially for Shia Muslims. The word Maddahi means "to praise". The one who sings is called a maddah. Maddahs commonly perform at mosques, Husayniyas, shrines, and other religious gatherings. Maddahs mostly sing on Ahl al-Bayt's birth and death anniversary. The theme of Maddahi may be joyous or sorrowful. Most maddahs are men but some women perform in exclusively female gatherings. The majority of maddahis are sung in mourning of Ahl al-Bayt, particularly at the Mourning of Muharram in the beginning of Muharram until the Day of Ashura and Arba'een.

Notable maddahs

Iran

Among the best-known contemporary Iranian Maddahs are Mahmoud Karimi, Seyyed Majid Bani Fatemeh, Hossein Taheri, Mahdi Rasouli, Hossein Sotoodeh, Mohammad-Hossein Haddadian, Seyyed Mehdi Mirdamad, Hamid Ali, Seyyed Mojtaba Ramezani, Mohammad Taheri, Saeed Haddadian, Gholamreza Kouiti Pour, Haj Sadegh Ahangaran, and Sajjad Mohammadi.

Iraq

Among the best-known contemporary Iraqi Maddahs are Basim al-Karbalaei, Sayyid Faqid al-Mousawi, Sayyed Salam Alhusaini, Mohammad Al Jannami, Mulla Jalil al-Karbalaei, Murtadha Harb, Ali al-Karbalaei, Haidar al-Bayati, Abbas al-Saba', Mojtaba Al Kaabi, Haider Alsaad, and Abbas Eajid Al-Ameri.

Bahrain

Among the best-known contemporary Bahraini Maddahs are Hussain Al Akraf, Jafar al-Dirazi, Saleh al-Dirazi, Abbas al-Halwaji, Mahdi Suhwan, and Fadhil al-Baladi.

Saudi Arabia

Among the best-known contemporary Saudi Maddahs are Saleh al-Mu'min, Abdulhamid al-Dahnin, Mustafa al-Marhoun, and Zaki al-Fardan.

Kuwait

Among the best-known contemporary Kuwaiti Maddahs are Mohammad al-Hajiyat and Walid al-Mazidi.

Oman

Among the best-known contemporary Omani Maddahs are Hussain al-Lawati, Taha al-Lawati, and Murtadha al-Khabouri.

Pakistan

Among the best-known contemporary Pakistani Maddahs are Nadeem Sarwar and Mir Hasan Mir,

International popularity

Al-Karbalaei, Bani Fatemeh, Taheri and Rasouli have gained huge international audience. Their popularity extends well beyond live gatherings: official videos by them have gained tens or even hundreds of millions of views on YouTube. In South Asia, Nadeem Sarwar is particularly prominent, with his nohas being widely performed and heard among Shia Muslims across the Indian subcontinent.

See also

• Muharram
• Maddah
• Ashura
• Tasua

References

• از پرده خوانی تا مرشدی jadidonline.com in Persian language