ORIENT 2007
The International Festival
of Oriental Music

Artistic director – Peeter VähiFri May 4th at 7 pm, Estonia Concert Hall, TallinnALIM QASIMOV ENSEMBLE (Azerbaijan)
Alim Qasimov – vocal; Fargana Movlamova – vocal; Natiq Shirinov – nagara-drum; Rauf Islamov – kamancha; Eli Esger Mammadov – tar
Program: Mugham-improvisations and folks songs from Azerbaijan (“Getme-getme”, “Cahargah”, “Leyla”, “Innabi”)
Fri May 4th at 7 pm, Estonia Concert Hall, TallinnALIM QASIMOV ENSEMBLE (Azerbaijan)
Alim Qasimov – vocal; Fargana Movlamova – vocal; Natiq Shirinov – nagara-drum; Rauf Islamov – kamancha; Eli Esger Mammadov – tar
Program: Mugham-improvisations and folks songs from Azerbaijan (“Getme-getme”, “Cahargah”, “Leyla”, “Innabi”)

RECITATION OF THE HOLY QUR’AN
Hafiz Shamsher Alam (India)
Program: two first chapters of Qur’ān – al-Fatiha and al-Baqara

The Qur’ān (القرآن, literally ‘recitation’) is the essential sacred book of Islam. Muslims believe the Qur’an to be the scripture of divine guidance and direction for mankind, consider the text in its original Arabic, to be the literal word of God revealed to Muhammad over a period of 23 years, and view the Qur’an as God’s final revelation to humanity.
All Muslims must memorize at least some parts of the Qur’ān, in order to perform their daily prayers. To perform prayer, a mandatory obligation in Islam, a Muslim is required to learn at least some suras of the Qur’ān (typically starting with the 1st sura al-Fatiha). Until one has learned al-Fatiha, a Muslim can only say phrases like “praise be to God” during the prayer. The person whose recital repertoire encompasses the whole Qur’ān is called hafiz (‘reciter’ or ‘protector’). Muhammad is regarded as the first hafiz. Recitation (تلاوة) of the Qur’ān is a fine art in the Muslim world. There are several schools of Qur’anic recitation, all of which are permissible pronunciations of the Uthmanic rasm. Today, 10 canonical and at least 4 non-canonical recitations of the Qur’ān exist.
Sura al-Fatiha (الفاتحة‎, ‘the opening’) is the 1st chapter of the Qur’ān. Its seven verses are a prayer for God’s guidance and stress the lordship and mercy of God. This chapter has a special role in traditional daily prayers, being recited at the start of each unit of prayer.

Bismillāhi r-rahmāni r-rahīm
Al hamdu lillāhi’ rabbi l-’ālamīn
Ar rahmāni r-rahīm
Māliki yawmi d-dīn
Iyyāka na’budu wa iyyāka nasta’īn
Ihdinā s-sirāt al mustaqīm
Sirāt al-ladīna an’amta ’alayhim ġayril maġ’dūbi ’alayhim walād dāllīn

In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful:
All the Praises and thanks be to God, the Lord of the Universe.
The Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
Master of the Day of Judgment.
You alone we worship, and You alone we ask for help
Guide us to the straight way;
The way of those whom you have blessed, not of those who have deserved anger, nor of those who stray.

Al-Baqara (‘the cow’) is the 2nd, and the longest chapter of the Qur’ān with 286 verses. The sura’s name is in reference to an argument between the prophet Musa (Moses) and the Israelites over a cow they should sacrifice in order to know the murderer of a slain man. It appears to be one of the earliest suras to be mentioned by name in a non-Muslim written sources.