Recorded in the intimacy of his family circle with equipment from the 60s, this melody is conveyed through a pared-down style on the tanbur. From the outset, the chant is quite intimate and high-pitched, unfolding with subtle cantillation-like variations. The voice and the instrument are in complete unity.

During the principal chant, the accompaniment of the tanbur is based on a slow and sober rhythm, whereas it becomes filled with ornamentations when the assembly answers. The first verses of this zekr¹:

Haqq Haqq-e hū hū / Ey āqāy jāfem
Ghonaray sar tāfem / Yār bī gazāfem

are an invocation to Soltān,² who in this context represents the divine essence; “Haqq” and “Hū” are divine names that refer to the Truth, God, and the One.

“Ghonaray” (the river) “sar tāfem” (the foam on the crest of the wave) represents both the turbulence of the impetuous river’s currents and the flashes of light emerging from the swirling waters, while “yār bī gazāfem” means my Beloved (Yār), Soltān, who is devoid of lies. Thus, these verses can be translated as follows:

The world, like a river, is all sparkle and turbulence
But You, my Beloved, are devoid of ostentation, pure Truth