Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan was born in 1948 in the soil of Faisalabad, Pakistan. Nusrat followed the path of his father since childhood and took the path of spirituality, which came from his ancestors, back from a 600-year-old tradition of qawwali. Under the guidance of Ustad Fateh Ali Khan, he decided to carry on their legacy of Sufi music. Sufi music to him was not only a type of music but a form of worship.
The Beginning of the Legendary Era of NFAK
Coming towards the teenage years, his father started teaching him his own techniques and different methods like the practice of sur-taal, raags, etc. These teachings gave him a great idea behind the spiritual and devotional lyrics. But then, after the demise of his father in 1964, Nusrat took the responsibility to carry forward the legacy of his family. His uncle, Ustad Mubarak Ali Khan, also helped him follow his path and gave him intensive training for hours every day.
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan’s Boosting Career Moment
In 1971, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan performed his first public performance, where he sang “Haq Ali Ali” – a qawwali giving tribute to Hazrat Ali. It was the time when the audience witnessed the depth and the power of his legendary voice. It was the beginning of many more such qawwali to come in the future. While wrapping up his twenties, Nusrat was not only a singer but he also built a qawwali troupe, which included his brothers and cousins. With the rise of time, his qawwali became world famous, and people all over the globe started to recognise him and his troupe.
Qawwali – The Heart of Sufi Spiritual Music
Qawwali is a type of Sufi devotional music, which is not only an art of performance but an act of worship and delivering the utmost spirituality in the form of music and lyrics to the audience. It is intensely rooted in the learnings of Islam and Sufism. Also, qawwali includes powerful vocals mainly from the Urdu, Punjabi, and Persian languages. Qawwali was taken to the highest heights by Ustaad Nusrat, also known as the King of Qawwali.
Mentioning some of his qawwalis below.
“Allah Hoo Allah Hoo” – The chant
“Jab nazar mila kar keh diya ‘Allah Hoo’,
Duniya se dil hata kar keh diya ‘Allah Hoo’…”
This phrase of Sufi qawwali is a zikr, meaning remembrance of Allah (God). This qawwali was a repetition of the name of Allah, like that of a heartbeat. This qawwali is an emotional connection towards the Almighty. The audience in this qawwali felt the dilution of the negativity and the bad karma in general.
“Ni Main Jana Jogi De Naal” – Following the mystic
“Ni main jana jogi de naal, Naal naal tur jana…”
This sophisticated qawwali produced in the Punjabi language refers to the “Jogi” representing God, and means that the speaker is ready to give up everything, for instance name, identity, wish, lust, ego, to follow and walk the path of the Almighty Allah.
Ustaad Nusrat Fateh Sahab – Globally Renowned
In the 1980s, Nusrat’s global presence became undeniable, reaching the ears of audiences from the United Kingdom (UK) to the United States of America (USA). But instead of getting indulged in the fame, he decided to stick to his roots and continued to perform banger sufi-qawwali’s in different places.
Final moments – The Sufi voice that became Immortal
The legend of Sufi qawwali – Ustaad Nusrat had a lot of physical body issues in the 90s. Due to his health issues, Ustaad was taken to the UK for treatment as he was battling liver and kidney illness. During his treatment, Nusrat Sahab was still doing offline Qawwali performances. In his last years, he also collaborated with international and national artists like Peter Gabriel etc. He also said that “My best performance of Nusrat was in dargahs, not in front of cameras”.
In August 1997, at the age of 48, Ustaad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan left this world with a lot of treasures in the form of his recordings and lyrical voice notes across Pakistan, India, and across the globe. Even though he died, his presence is still alive within the followers and his true fans.
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan – A Legendary Voice of Sufi Devotion
Ustaad was born in 1948 in Pakistan, in a family with a qawwali background. His father then taught him crucial teachings of raad, sur-taal, etc. And after the demise of his father, his uncle took the initiative of evolving the musical legacy by training Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. Then, in 1971, he sang his first qawwal, “Haq Ali Ali,” and formed a qawwali troupe with his brothers and cousins. Then I described the meaning and importance of qawwali and described a few of them by Nusrat Sahab. Lastly, I described his global presence and his hard work. Ending with how he expired due to his health issues, and even though he is no more but his presence is still alive and respected.
