Glossary
The words behind the tags — nasheed, naat, madih, murattal, maqam and more, explained in one breath each.
Genres
What kind of devotional song you are hearing, by tradition and language.
- NasheedArabic نشيدalso: nasheeds, nashid, anasheed, islamic song
- The broad word for a devotional Islamic song, from the Arabic for "chant". Classic nasheeds are vocal-only or use only percussion; contemporary artists (Maher Zain, Sami Yusuf) often add full instrumentation. SawtiQ labels each release by its instrumentation so you can choose. Browse Nasheed →
- MadihArabic مديحalso: madeeh, madih nabawi, praise
- Madih (or madih nabawi) is sung praise of the Prophet ﷺ — his character, his life, love and longing for him. It is the Arabic-world counterpart of the Urdu naat and the Turkish ilahi. Browse Madih →
- NaatUrdu / Persian نعتalso: naats, naat sharif, na'at
- Naat is the South-Asian tradition of praising the Prophet ﷺ in verse, sung in Urdu, Punjabi or Persian — traditionally a cappella. A performer is called a naat khawan. Browse Naat →
- HamdArabic حمدalso: hamd-o-sana, hamd o sana
- Hamd means praise of Allah. Where a naat or madih praises the Prophet ﷺ, a hamd is addressed only to God — thanks, glorification, awe. Browse Hamd →
- IlahiTurkish ilahialso: ilahis, ilahiler, turkish ilahi
- Ilahi ("divine") is the Turkish devotional hymn. Many come from centuries-old Sufi poetry (Yunus Emre, Niyazi Misri); modern Turkish artists record them both unaccompanied and with instruments. Browse Ilahi →
- ManqabatUrdu / Arabic منقبتalso: manqabats
- A manqabat praises a revered figure other than the Prophet ﷺ himself — the Ahl al-Bayt, the Companions, or Sufi saints. It sits beside the naat in the South-Asian repertoire. Browse Manqabat →
- QawwaliUrdu / Persian قوّالیalso: qawali, qawwalis
- Qawwali is the ecstatic devotional music of South-Asian Sufism (Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, the Sabri Brothers): call-and-response singing over harmonium and tabla. It is instrumental by nature and labelled as such. Browse Qawwali →
- SholawatIndonesian / Malay from Arabic صلواتalso: selawat, salawat, shalawat, solawat
- Sholawat (Malay: selawat) are sung invocations of blessings upon the Prophet ﷺ, hugely popular in Indonesia and Malaysia — from traditional hadrah with frame drums to modern pop arrangements. Browse Sholawat →
- GojolBengali গজলalso: gazal, bangla gojol, islamic gojol
- Gojol (from ghazal) is the Bengali devotional song. Bangladeshi groups such as Kalarab made it a modern genre; most are vocal-only or percussion-only. Browse Gojol →
Forms
Words for the poem, the performer or the practice behind a track.
- MunshidArabic منشدalso: munshids, inshad
- A munshid is a nasheed vocalist; the performance itself is called inshad. When a track is tagged "munshid" it means a solo devotional vocal performance in that tradition. Browse Munshid →
- QasidaArabic قصيدةalso: qaseeda, qasidah, kasida, qasa'id
- The qasida is the classical Arabic ode — a single long poem with one rhyme. Devotional qasidas such as al-Busiri's Burdah are sung across the Muslim world; the "qasida" tag marks a track built on such a poem. Browse Qasida →
- GhazalArabic / Persian / Urdu غزلalso: ghazals
- The ghazal is a short lyric poem of couplets sharing a rhyme, central to Persian and Urdu literature. On SawtiQ the tag marks sung ghazals whose subject is divine love or spiritual longing. Browse Ghazal →
- DhikrArabic ذكرalso: zikr, zikir, dhikr chant, tasbih
- Dhikr is the repeated remembrance of God by name or phrase. Recorded dhikr is chanted, often in a group and with a steady rhythm, meant to be joined rather than just listened to. Browse Dhikr →
- DuaArabic دعاءalso: duas, supplication, du'a, munajat
- Dua is personal prayer: asking, thanking, seeking forgiveness. Recorded duas range from the Prophet's ﷺ own words to sung munajat (intimate night supplications) in Persian and Urdu. Browse Dua →
Quran recitation
Styles and terms of tilawah. They describe pace and ornamentation — never the text itself.
- Quran recitationArabic تلاوةalso: recitation, tilawah, tilawat, quranic recitation
- Every Quran track is a recitation (tilawah) of the Arabic text by a named reciter (qari). Sub-styles — murattal, mujawwad, tarteel — describe the pace and ornamentation, never the words.
- MurattalArabic مرتّلalso: murottal, murattal style
- Murattal is the steady, clear recitation style: moderate pace, little ornamentation, every letter given its due. Complete-Quran (khatm) recordings are almost always murattal.
- MujawwadArabic مجوّدalso: mujawad, tajweed style
- Mujawwad is the artistic style of recitation — slow, richly melodic, with long pauses and maqam modulation (Abdul Basit, Al-Minshawi). It is performance recitation rather than teaching recitation.
- TarteelArabic ترتيلalso: tartil
- Tarteel means to recite slowly and distinctly, as the Quran itself commands (73:4). In practice it overlaps with murattal; the tag marks recordings that emphasise clarity over speed.
- TajweedArabic تجويدalso: tajwid
- Tajweed is the science of pronouncing every letter of the Quran correctly — where to stretch, stop, nasalise. Tracks tagged tajweed are educational: slow model recitations to imitate.
- KhatmArabic ختمalso: khatam, khatm al-quran
- Khatm ("completion") is one full reading of the Quran from Al-Fatihah to An-Nas. SawtiQ's Khatm pages give you a complete recording from one reciter and track your progress surah by surah.
Maqams (melodic modes)
The mode a reciter or singer moves in. Think of it as key plus mood.
- MaqamArabic مقامalso: maqamat, makam
- Maqam is the system of melodic modes in Arabic, Turkish and Persian music. Reciters and munshids choose a maqam the way a Western musician chooses a key and a mood; each has a recognisable feeling.
- BayatiArabic بياتيalso: bayyati, beyati
- The most common maqam in Quran recitation: warm, humble, slightly plaintive. The "home" mode of many reciters. Browse Bayati →
- NahawandPersian نهاوندalso: nihavend, nahawend
- A soft, tender, minor-sounding maqam — gentle sadness and calm. Close to the Western minor scale. Browse Nahawand →
- HijazArabic حجازalso: hicaz, hejaz
- The maqam of longing and the desert night — instantly recognisable "Eastern" colour, used for emotional passages. Browse Hijaz →
- RastPersian راستalso: rast maqam
- Bright, steady, confident — the "straight" maqam, often used for joyful or declarative verses. Browse Rast →
- SabaArabic صباalso: sabaa
- The maqam of grief and yearning — fragile and moving; reciters use it for verses about loss and the hereafter. Browse Saba →
- AjamArabic عجمalso: acem, ajam maqam
- Open and majestic, close to the Western major scale — used for grandeur and praise. Browse Ajam →
- KurdKurdish کوردalso: kurdi, kürdi
- Serene and contemplative, with a gentle minor feel — common in modern nasheeds and calm recitation. Browse Kurd →
- SikahPersian سهگاهalso: sika, segah
- Delicate and mystical, with a distinctive quarter-tone colour — used for intimate, devotional moments. Browse Sikah →
- UşşakTurkish uşşakalso: ussak, ushshaq
- A Turkish maqam of tenderness and devotion, the mode of many classic ilahis. Browse Uşşak →
- HüseyniTurkish hüseynialso: huseyni, husayni
- Warm and expansive Turkish maqam, often heard in Sufi music and folk-rooted ilahis. Browse Hüseyni →
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