: Refers to Ali as "The Spiritual Leader of the Brave." This denotes not only his bravery but also his role as a spiritual guide.
The most well-known rendition of this piece is the powerful naat (a poem in praise of the Prophet Muhammad) or manqabat (a poem in praise of Imam Ali) by the legendary Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, often titled or "Ali Shaah-e-Mardaan." Below is the original Urdu lyrics (in the Perso-Arabic script and a simple Romanized transliteration) alongside an English translation. shah e mardan e ali lyrics english translation
The qawwali blends Persian and Urdu poetry, often including these central themes: Lyrics: "La fataa illa Ali, la saif illa Zulfiqar" : Refers to Ali as "The Spiritual Leader of the Brave
The full Qawwali by Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan varies in length, often between , allowing for extended improvisation. "Shah e Mardan" is Persian/Urdu for or "King of Heroes
"Shah e Mardan" is Persian/Urdu for or "King of Heroes."