Top 5 Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan Qawwalis: Remembering the Legend on His 23rd Death Anniversary

Pakistan’s Qawwali Meastro, Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan’s 23^rd death anniversary is being observed today (Sunday).

Popularly regarded as “The King Of Qawwali” or “Shahenshah-e-Qawwali”, the legendary Qawwal was born on 13^th October 1948 in Faisalabad. Setting the bar high for fusion music in Pakistan, the singer was the pioneer in Sufi music and is still considered the best Qawwals Pakistan ever produced.

He was the first son and fifth child of musician, instrumentalist, vocalist and Qawwal Fateh Ali Khan.

The legendary qawwal had a six-octave vocal range; this means he was able to give classic and outstanding performances on a high intensity level for hours.

Belonging to a Patiala household, NFK carried forward his family’s 600-year-old Qawwali legacy and even familiarized it to global audiences.

Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan holds the world record for the largest recorded song by a Qawwali artist, according to Guinness Book of World Records; a total of 125 albums as of 2001.

He also received the Pride of Performance by the Pakistani government in the year 1987 for his unmatchable contribution to Pakistani music.

He also received the Pride of Performance by the Pakistani government in the year 1987 for his unmatchable contribution to Pakistani music. The singer was also honoured with the UNESCO Music Award for releasing as many as 25 albums on Qawwali.

The singer’s renditions have been picked up by several Bollywood movies are still celebrated by famous singers. His hit kalam “Dam Mast Qalandar” became a household anthem while his patriotic song “Mera Paighan Pakistan” is still famous amongst music lovers. His hamd “Wohi Khuda Hai” is still considered sacred by muslims everywhere. He even did music projects in films with Javed Akhter and the legendary, A.R. Rehman.

He worked with Peter Gabriel and spread his music to western audiences through the song, The Last Temptation of Christ in 1985.

He fell ill due to kidney and liver failure in London, on August 11^th 1997 and passed away due to cardiac arrest on August 16^th 1997 at Cromwell Hospital‚ London- at the age of 48, reports Bol News.

It is said that NKF’s father wanted him to pursue medicine or engineering and not continue with the family’s legacy of Sufi music, since he believed Qawwal’s were not considered respectable in the society.

On his 23rd death anniversary, let’s celebrate with some of his best compositions ever.