TEHRAN – “Rabbana”, a recitation of an invocation performed by legendary vocalist Mohammadreza Shajarian in 1980, has been registered on the National Intangible Cultural Heritage list.

During a special ceremony held at the Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts Organization (CHTHO) on Tuesday, Shajarian’s son, Homayun, received the registration certificate of the piece on behalf of his father from CHTHO director Zahar Ahmadipur.

Shajarian, 76, is currently battling kidney cancer.

“Master Shajarian is one of our national honors and due to the care our people exercise for ‘Rabbana’ and their feeling of nostalgia for the piece, the CHTHO was determined to inscribed it on the list,” Ahmadipur said during the ceremony.

The recitation of the supplication, which is composed of several verses of the Holy Quran that are read before iftar, the evening meal for breaking the fast during Ramadan, was recorded at Iran’s national radio at a singing class Shajarian held for two his students. 

Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) announced in 2009 that it would stop broadcasting Shajarian’s works, including “Rabbana”.

The decision was made in response to the vocalist’s protest against IRIB’s extensive use of his epic songs in programs celebrating Mahmoud Ahamadinejad’s victory in the presidential election of that year.

Afterwards, Shajarian asked “Rabbana” to be broadcast by popular demand. However, IRIB turned a deaf ear to the demand.

MMS/YAW