Ustad Hafiz Atta Muhammad

Hafiz Atta Muhammad Qawwal (1908 – 1987)

Born in Mohalla Karrar Khan in Jalandhar, Hafiz Atta Muhammad was a distant relative of Agha Rasheed Ahmad and Muhammad Ali Fareedi of the Rajpoot Kerala gharana. His branch of the family was not traditionally associated with Qawwali. Instead, his father and grandfather were memorizers and reciters of the Holy Quran, and that’s the route young Atta Muhammad took after completing his elementary education. Traveling to the Madrassa “Mazahir-ul-Uloom” in Saharanpur to learn the Holy Quran under his uncle Qari Taj Muhammad’s tutelage, he learnt the Quran by heart and earned the title of “Hafiz”. He also earned a name for his sonorous recitations of the Holy Quran as well as his presentation of na’ats. Afterward, he became a shagird of ustad Tawakkul Hussain Khan and learnt classical music from the Ustad. In 1936, Hafiz Atta Muhammad joined the staff of Hyderabad Deccan radio as a ‘Qari’, na’at reciter, and light-classical vocalist. While in Hyderabad Deccan, he became a shagird of the legendary Ali Bakhsh Waiz Qawwal and began learning and performing Qawwali. After learning Qawwali for two years, Hafiz Atta Muhammad shifted to All India Radio Lahore and began performing light-classical vocal music, Qawwali as well as regular recitations of the Holy Quran. His Qawwali repertoire included Urdu, Punjabi, Farsi, Purbi, and Arabic kalaams, and was heavily influenced by his classical training. Hafiz Atta Muhammad lived in Gawalmandi, Lahore for the rest of his life and earned renown as one of Pakistan’s most popular Qawwals. He was a regular performer for Radio and Television, as well as for Pakistani films, and was renowned for the sweet tone of his voice and his melodious arrangements. He was accompanied by his step-brother Ahmad Ali on harmonium and trained his son Akhtar Atta Muhammad in the art of Qawwali. Akhtar Atta Muhammad is continuing his father’s legacy of traditional Qawwali.