Who introduced 'qaul', a hymn sung at the opening or closing of a qawwali which gave a unique form to the Chishti sama'?

Amir Khusrau

The correct answer is Option 3 - Amir Khusrau

Amir Khusrau introduced 'qaul', a hymn sung at the opening or closing of a qawwali which gave a unique form to the Chishti sama'.

Amir Khusrau (1253-1325), the great poet, musician and disciple of Shaikh Nizamuddin Auliya, gave a unique form to the Chishti sama‘ by introducing the qaul (Arabic word meaning “saying”), a hymn sung at the opening or closing of qawwali. This was followed by sufi poetry in Persian, Hindavi or Urdu, and sometimes using words from all of these languages. Qawwals (those who sing these songs) at the shrine of Shaikh Nizamuddin Auliya always start their recital with the qaul. Today qawwali is performed in shrines all over the subcontinent.