More Than a King of Qawwali: Nusrat as Father, Teacher and Servant of Love

This piece was written by Vatanpreet Singh on the death anniversary of Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, shortly after he painted a portrait of the maestro. Though composed in that moment of remembrance, it is now shared with readers as a meditation on Nusrat’s music, spirit and his everlasting place in the soul of Punjab and beyond.

The brushstrokes on this canvas try to do more than just show a famous musician. They try to show the deeply human side of Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, a man whose vulnerability was present in every note he sang. This portrait is based on a strong story about how he recorded “Dulhe Ka Sehra” for the movie Dhadkan. It was very hard for Nusrat to record the line “Mein Teri Baaho’n Ke Jhoole Mein Pli Babul” (I grew up swinging in your arms, father) without breaking down in tears. He felt this way because he had seen his daughters get married. His recording team had a hard time finishing the song because he was crying and they had to do it over and over again, but Nusrat insisted on doing it right then, in that moment of “fever” and pain, because he thought that if they waited, the song would lose its essence. This showed the honesty that only a true artist could show. This story makes him feel closer to us because it reminds us that Nusrat was a father who felt pain, loss and longing just like we all do, even though he had a powerful, otherworldly aura and spiritual energy. His authenticity stemmed not solely from talent, but from personal experience and profound emotional depth.

Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, also known by his initials NFAK or Shehenshah-e-Qawwali (King of Qawwali), had a huge effect on the genre of qawwali. He brought new life to Sufi verses that had been around for hundreds of years and made his craft famous all over the world. From the Qawwal Bachchon ka Gharana, he came from a long line of qawwali musicians that goes back over six centuries. Nusrat’s father wanted him to be a doctor at first, but Nusrat loved his family’s musical legacy and made his first performance at his father’s funeral in 1964. He was a huge presence on stage, both physically and spiritually. He could perform for eight to ten hours without losing intensity, which showed how dedicated and disciplined he was. Family members remember him practicing for hours every day, carefully working on his breath control and expanding his vocal range. Nusrat didn’t just enjoy music. He saw it as a way to pray, worship and give thanks. He would raise his hands, palms up and curl his fingers to show how complicated the music was. His voice was so acrobatic that it took listeners to another world, reaching “white-hot peaks”. His unique style of singing qawwalis like “Mast Mast Dum Mast,” “Yeh Jo Halka Halka Saroor,” and “Kali Kali Zulfon Ke Phande Na Daalo” gave these adaptations a special sense of peace and energy.

Nusrat was a “Great Unifier” in addition to being a musical genius. His music crossed borders and brought people together, even though they had different political and religious views. He sang in many languages, such as Punjabi, Urdu, Farsi and Arabic, which made it easier for people from different backgrounds to connect with his music. He powerfully redefined the traditional borders of Punjab so that they reflected the region’s rich cultural history instead of modern-day politics. His music kept the spiritual and literary heritage of Punjab alive. His Punjabi kalams, such as “Allah Hoo” and “Ni Main Jana Jogi De Naal,” captured the earthy yet transcendent spirit of Punjab, focussing on love, devotion and the equality of all people. His music became a “umbilical cord” that connected India and Pakistan through a shared cultural heritage. He helped spread this message through popular qawwalis like “Sanson Ki Maala” which came from the 16th-century Hindu mystic Meera Bai and stayed popular among Hindus and Muslims on both sides of the border after his first tour to India in 1980. He and A.R. Rahman sang “Gurus for Peace” on the 50th anniversary of India’s independence to help ease tensions between the two countries.

His qawwalis always had strong social messages, making him a voice for equality, religious harmony and universal love. For example, in “Othe Amlan De Hone Navede” and “Bullah Ki Jana Main Kaun,” he criticised caste and hierarchy and said that divine love and truth are more important than caste, class or status. His music also stressed religious harmony and universalism. In his qawwalis, like “Ni Main Jana Jogi De Naal” and “Mera Piya Ghar Aaya,” he even subtly gave women more power by often using a female voice that was looking for the divine. Nusrat also helped spread a social critique of ritualism and empty dogma, calling for honesty and a direct connection with the divine.

Nusrat was one of the first South Asian musicians to get international fame. He was a pioneer in sharing the lively musical traditions of his home country with the world. His important collaborations with Western stars were very important. For example, he sang on Peter Gabriel’s soundtrack for Martin Scorsese’s The Last Temptation of Christ (1988) and performed at Gabriel’s WOMAD Festival in 1985. Gabriel said that Nusrat’s voice had “so much spirit” that it moved the soul. His album Must Must (1990), which he made with Michael Brook and included a dance remix by Massive Attack, brought his voice to clubs around the world. He also worked with Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam on the soundtrack for Dead Man Walking (1995), which mixed Sufi vocals with rock. David Robbins, who worked on the score, said that Nusrat’s spirituality “just laid you out as humble as could be.” Trent Reznor even added layers to his voice in the score for Oliver Stone’s Natural Born Killers (1994). His album Night Song (1996) with Michael Brook has the “criminally underrated” song “Longing” (Tere Bin Nahi Lagda Dil Mera).

Nusrat's legacy lives on in Bollywood, Coke Studio and Western fusion albums, as well as in the work of his students. Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, his nephew, is now a well-known playback singer. This is because of Nusrat’s discipline and humility. A.R. Rahman, an Indian composer who won an Oscar, looked up to Nusrat as a spiritual guide. He used Nusrat’s qawwali style in his film music and was inspired by the spiritual energy of his singing. Bollywood often borrowed from his music, turning songs like “Dulhe Ka Sehra” and “Mast Mast” into big hits in movies. With over 125 albums, Nusrat holds the Guinness World Record for “most qawwali recordings.” This means that his huge body of work is always being rediscovered by new generations.

Even though he was famous all over the world and worked with many other artists, Nusrat was still a very humble, simple and spiritual man. He often said he was a “servant of the Sufi saints” and he saw his voice as a gift that he had been given to share their message. He would come back to Faisalabad after performing around the world and hang out with friends there, showing that he was down to earth. He also liked traditional foods like nihari and halwa puri. A well-known story tells of a Western critic telling Nusrat after a concert in Paris that his music sounded “like a prayer.” Nusrat simply said, “That is because it is a prayer.” This simple statement sums up his life: music was never about fame or money for him. It was about devotion, love and the message of unity.

This painting, thus, is a way to connect with both the heavenly and deeply human sides of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. He was a master musician who went beyond musical styles, national borders and religious differences, but he was still very much in touch with the raw feelings that make us all human. His music, which came from a heart that could hurt and soar, still heals, brings people together and inspires us. It reminds us that true greatness always comes from the heart. We remember not only the voice of an angel on the anniversary of his death, but also the soul of a man who put his truth into every note, which will always be with us.

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By: Vatanpreet Singh

Batch of 2028