Ostad Elahi was born in an environment where the practice of sacred music had been a part of daily life for centuries. From early childhood, he manifested an exceptional gift for music, particularly on the tanbour, a Kurdish lute that was the choice instrument of the tradition he inherited. His father, Haj Ne’mat, a revered saint who was among the great tanbour players of the time, personally attended to his son’s musical upbringing. Since Ostad’s hands were too small as a child to play the tanbour, his father had a special tanbour made for him from a wooden ladle. Many of the mystics who came from the surrounding regions and countries to visit Haj Ne’mat were also accomplished musicians. Ostad would spend a great deal of time with these pilgrims who, upon Haj Ne’mat’s request, would teach Ostad the secrets of their art.

Thus, from a very young age Ostad became familiarized with the technical subtleties of sacred music from the Kurdish, Lorish, Persian, Turkish, Arabic, and even Indian traditions. His aptitude for music was such that by the age of six, his skills and knowledge of the repertoire invoked great admiration. By the age of nine, he was a peerless master of the tanbour. It was at this same age that he would begin a period of asceticism that would last for twelve years, during which time Ostad’s passion for the tanbour increased as he explored new territories in its sacred repertoire.

During the twelve years of ascetic practices in my youth, I would take up my tanbour every night and play sacred music. Veils were lifted.... Sometimes I would find the room flooded with sunlight and then realize that I had spent the entire night playing the tanbour and singing. (Words of Truth, Vol. II, Saying 58)

At the age of twenty-four, Ostad settled in Tehran for some time and began studying classical Persian music (the tar, setar, and violin) with some of the greatest musicians of the time, notably Darvish Khân (1872-1926) and later Abolhasan Sabâ (1902-1957). His subsequent travels to various regions in Iran due to his judicial assignments enabled him to further enrich his art, most notably through contact with the Azerbaïdjan and Khorassan traditions.

As music was above all a means of reflection and prayer for Ostad, he always played alone or in small gatherings of relatives and friends. However, in 1960 Musa Marufi, a master of classical Persian music, discovered Ostad and in a long article detailed how he had been overwhelmed by Ostad’s music. Marufi’s account aroused the curiosity of musicologists, and from that day forward great artists and musicians such as Maurice Béjart and the late Yehudi Menuhin sought to visit Ostad and hear him play. Some of these musicians would later provide testimonials regarding the profound impact of Ostad’s music on the listener. Combining extraordinary technique and spiritual inspiration, certain pieces of Ostad’s music are so complex that attempts by Ruhollâh Khâleqi, Director of the National Academy of Music, and others to transcribe this music have met with little success. A few recordings of his work remain, which have been gradually digitized and released since 1995.