Aaina | Simal Nafees | Amjad Islam Amjad | Arshad Mahmud

Poetry : Amjad Islam Amjad
Music Composer : Arshad Mahmud
Singer : Simal Nafees
Cinematographer : Shoeb Suleman Razzak
Video Director : Zarak Qaim Khani
Art Direction : Uzma Sabeen
Mastered, mixed, and videography at SMB Studios

Aaina Aaina

Jalal ud-Din Rumi remains, even today, one of the most revered Muslim philosophers in the world. His words transcend time, culture, and geography, touching hearts across centuries. Rumi placed love—divine, human, and universal—above all other pursuits, regarding it as the ultimate force capable of transforming one’s inner and outer world. Through his poetry and teachings, he offered profound methods for navigating the turbulence of life, urging individuals to look inward, cultivate spiritual awareness, and anchor themselves in patience, humility, and gratitude. He says and I quote.

“Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself.”

It was the timeless beauty of Rumi’s poetry—and the profound wisdom woven into every word of his verse—that inspired my dear friend, Amjad Islam Amjad, to write this ghazal. Our collaboration on this piece came about through yet another cherished friend, Nadir Tarin, who is producing a feature film based on the extraordinary lives of Rumi and Shams-e-Tabrez. Amjad was entrusted with crafting the film’s script as well as writing the lyrics for its original soundtrack (OST). I, in turn, was given the responsibility of composing the music, both for this ghazal and for the film as a whole.

The young and immensely gifted singer, Simal Nafees, lent her voice to this ghazal with remarkable sensitivity. She conveyed not only the emotional intent of the words but also the subtle nuances of the musical structure—one that carries a gentle imprint of the musical traditions of Central Asia, the very region that shaped Rumi’s early life and spiritual awakening.

This work stands as a heartfelt tribute to Jalal ud-Din Rumi from Amjad Islam Amjad, Nadir Tareen, Simal Nafees, and myself. We offer it with reverence and gratitude on the occasion of his death anniversary, observed on December 17—a day that reminds the world of the enduring radiance of his message of love, unity, and spiritual illumination.

Arshad Mahmud


Produced by Sound Musical Business (SMB Studios) In association with MoUSICi

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