This first piece is attributed to two prominent figures of the Ahl-e Haqq tradition,¹ considered to be theophanies: Bābā Sarhang and Bābā Nāūs, who lived between the 10th and 12th centuries. Whereas the spirit of self-abnegation and self-sacrifice along the divine path characterized the mystical love of Bābā Sarhang, the main focus of Bābā Nāūs was to warn us of the need to emerge from our spiritual amnesia in this world and to concern ourselves with our spiritual destiny in the hereafter: "Do you think the eye that is blind today can tomorrow see? Beware that day when you shall be blinded to all that He has revealed.”²

The uniqueness of this piece lies in the fact that the entire session, from the moment the instrument is taken in hand and tuned to the concluding words that are uttered, has been recorded. The atmosphere is intimate, with only a few close acquaintances and relatives in attendance. The tuning of the tanbur can be heard, mixed with ambient noise, before the transition to playing begins with a sweet melody. The repetition of the same note that follows the first melodic phrases creates a kind of weightlessness. The playing gradually intensifies, as one can hear various melodies enriched with ornaments. The mood suddenly shifts to a joyful melody that invites a dance, as the melody alternates from one chord to another. Prompted by Ostad, a daf (frame drum) joins in; despite its overpowering presence and the rudimentary recording equipment,³ the sound of the tanbur can still be heard. Ostad Elahi was seldom accompanied by the daf—this accompaniment marks one of only two known instances to have been recorded.⁴

After concluding the sequence with the words “Hū avval-o ākherem Yār, Yā Ali”⁵ (You are my beginning and my end, O Ali), Ostad Elahi takes the daf and, exceptionally, plays a few beats, providing an example of the balance and solemnity with which he played this instrument.