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If you’re familiar with the qawwali scene, you know of Fareed Ayaz. A clip of the 76-year-old qawwal has gone viral where he can be heard announcing his ‘retirement’ at an event in Karachi on Friday.

And if your immediate reaction to that news was quietly mumbling “no, that can’t be true,” we’ve got good news for you. His brother Abu Muhammad confirmed to Images on Tuesday that Ayaz was not in fact retiring and “was just angry”. He did not mention why he was angry.

Ayaz and Muhammad lead a qawwali troupe and are perhaps best known for their work on film tracks and their rendition of ‘Piya Ghar Aaya’ for Coke Studio.

In the clip, Ayaz is standing on a stage and addressing the crowd. “Ladies and gentlemen. Before I leave, I just want to say that I am announcing my retirement from qawwali today,” he said to a wave of gasps from the audience.

He went on to say that he had served his listeners for so long and now the next generation would carry on the tradition, inviting applause as he walked off stage.

And it certainly is a tradition Ayaz is upholding, with over 700 years of history behind it. They hail from the legendary qawwal-bachcha gharana, which is said to have been set up by none other than the poet Amir Khusrau.

While the news of the qawwal’s retirement spread far, it seemed a bit unlikely given that the brothers still have shows from the US tour running into the next month.

Cover photo: Girift Media/Instagram