Naat is a type of poem that is written to praise and ask for intercession from the Islamic prophet Muhammad. Being a religious poem, it describes and remembers the beautiful attributes that were done by the prophet during his time and is mainly performed in musical form.
The poem is divided into two categories; dervish lodge poems and mosque poems. The lyrics are made by selection of specific verses that are written by Sufi poets and are found in three languages: Arabic, Turkish and Persian. This poem is basically recited after the Quran is read before Friday and Eid prayers. It is recited by Na’than, this is not a name of a person but it’s the title of reciter in Islam.
Naat is a free flow kind of poem that has no guided rules on stanzas, and lines as the verses are picked directly from the Sufi poetry. This, therefore, gives the poet the liberty to use various meters and also rhyme scheme that will bring the flow of the poem.
During the presentation of this poem, it is recited in dervish lodge and this is done at the beginning of dhikr or maybe between different dhikr chants. There are various examples of the composition that are chanted by a single person and are usually extemporaneously. This is by following a slow rhythm, we find that the Nat has a more aesthetic and dignified style compared to the hymns.