Basim Karbalaei

Basim Karbalaei - Topic

Haj Basim Ismail Muhammad-Ali al-Karbalaei, commonly known as Basim Karbalaei is an Iraqi Shi'ite eulogy reciter.
Al-Karbalaei's voice and performance is considered particularly distinctive, the former is considered one of the most compelling instruments in the history of lamentations for the Ahl al-Bayt. His vocal abilities have allowed him to be identified as one of the greatest voices in the Arab world, widely heard by audiences all across the globe.
His choice of poetry, melodies, performances, were able to attract millions of listeners, allowing them to abandon the types of music that are religiously forbidden. Al-Karbalaei managed to fill a void for them, by continuously introducing new methods and styles in his recitations. He has also produced works in languages other than Arabic, like Persian, Urdu and English. Al-Karbalaei, for the most of it, has been apolitical with his elegies, trying to keep his elegies exclusively about the Ahl al-Bayt and their memory.
In 2019, al-Karbalaei was gifted with a crown made of pure gold, and dubbed Sultan al-Minbar al-Hussaini, by the Hussaini Reciters Association in Kadhimiya. He later donated the crown to the Abbas shrine museum.