Ustad, ustadh, ustaz or ustadz (abbreviated as Ust., Ut. or Ud.; from Persian language استاد]] ustād) is an honorific title used in West Asia, North Africa, Central Asia, South Asia and Southeast Asia.[ Published 6 August 2006. Pages 495-512.] It is used in various languages, including Persian, Arabic (as أستاذ]] ’ustāḏ), Azerbaijani, Urdu, Hindi, Bengali language, Marathi language, Dhivehi, Punjabi language, Pashto language, Turkish language, Kazakh language, Uzbek language, Indonesian, Malay language and Kurdish.
Etymology
The
Persian language word استاد () is from
Middle Persian 𐫀𐫇𐫏𐫘𐫤𐫀𐫅 (, 'master, craftsman').
[Cheung, Johnny (2007) Etymological Dictionary of the Iranian Verb (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 2), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, pages 358-61]
Usage
The title precedes the name and was historically usually used for well-regarded teachers and
Islamic art. It can be used for any sort of master of an art or occupation; for example, an acknowledged master motorcycle mechanic would be addressed as
ustad.
The term is also used by an apprentice (
shagerd) for their teacher.
In Persian language and in the Arabic-speaking world, it also refers to a university professor. Ustad is only used for qualified Islamic scholars in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Southern Thailand where it is a direct equivalent of terms such as shaykh in the Arab world, and mawlānā in the Indian subcontinent. In the Maldives, the title al-usthaadh (އަލްއުސްތާޛު)[ Saruna: އަލްއުސްތާޛު މުޙައްމަދު ޖަމީލު އަވަހާރަވުން] or its abbreviation Uz. is used by people who are licensed to practice law.
Ustad as a title in Hindustani classical music
Ustad (abbreviated as Ust. or Ut. or Ud. and from
Persian language استاد]]) is an
honorific title for an expert person in Indian classical singing and instrumental playing, used for a Muslim musician. It is used in Hindustani classical music to recognize master performers. It is used as a music title. An expert other than a Hindu musician is given the title of ustad. The title is awarded to musicians by their teachers, prominent individuals, or members of their
gharana in recognition of their expertise.
It is used in various languages including
Hindi,
Bengali language, and
Punjabi language. A Muslim woman who is an expert in Indian classical music is given the title of
begum; some examples include
Begum Akhtar and Begum Parveen Sultana.
Pandit is the equivalent title for a Hindu man, and
Vidushi, Pandita, or Panditain for a Hindu woman.
Usage
The title of
ustad (and
pandit) is prepended informally to the names of classical singers and players by their admirers, individuals or institutions once they have reached eminence in their performing art, especially in public performances. As they are informal titles, mentioning the names of eminent singers without those appendages is acceptable, unlike prefixes like
doctor awarded formally by educational institutions.
The title ustad referring to a classical musician and the title ustad which is given to a knowledgeable person are different.
There are many ustads in Hindustani classical music, for example, Ustad Ahmed Jan Thirakwa, Ustad Alla Rakha, Ustad Zakir Hussain, Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, Ustad Vilayat Khan, Ustad Shahid Parvez, Ustad Rashid Khan, Bismillah Khan, etc.
-
Ustad-i-Badshahan, a title referring to Sher Shah Suri by the Mughal Empire
-
Ustad Ahmad Lahori, architect of the Taj Mahal
Further reading
