![Photo Credit: NPR](http://media.npr.org/assets/img/2015/03/18/riyaaz_qawwali_ebruyildiz_npr_gf15-397aca6019c3961133caaa71d5c6bc17f6c6f40d-s800-c85.jpg)
Musical group Riyaaz Qawwali says they are strongly influenced by Qawwali – a musical tradition going back 700 years in India and Pakistan where singers performed Sufi Muslim poetry. The songs are said to be “ecstatic music” with the purpose of having a personal connection to God.