Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan (born in Faisalabad, Pakistan) is the scion of a family whose name has become synonymous with a South Asian musical tradition ten centuries old, which has only in recent years captured the imagination of listeners in the West. Qawwali music (the word derives from the Arabic word "qual", which means "belief" or "credo") is the explosive devotional music of the Sufis --Muslim mystics -- of Pakistan and the Indian Subcontinent. It originated in the 10th century as a blend of Persian and Central Asian poetic, philosophical and religious elements with North Indian musical expression. Originally, and still today, the most common venues for the performance of Qawwali music are the traditional Thursday evening sessions of Sufi congregates gathered at the shrines of any of the hundreds of Muslim saints of the region. Groups of Qawwals (the lead performers of this music) play through the night, the best performing near dawn. The Qawwals are heard by "the friends" (the rank-and-file members of the Sufi orders themselves) the Pirs (holy men who serve as spiritual guides) and by laymen a like. Significantly, qawwali music evolved long ago into a popular form of musical expression with a wide following among persons of all the South Asian religious faiths. Qawwali music is inseparably linked to the name of Amir Khusrau (1254-1325), court musician, composer, poet and mystic, who experimented with diverse musical forms, combining the Indian and the Persian and the Muslim Sufi, arriving at a penetrating synthesis of Islamic devotional texts with North Indian classical music. Toward the middle of the sixteenth century, an idiosyncratic style of qawwali music arose in the Punjab which came to be known as the Punjabi 'Ang', weaving the profound texts of Punjabi Sufism with folk material including more energetic percussive themes and newfound haunting melodies. In modern times, another individual emerged as the central figure in qawwali music, destined to carry the music to new audiences and, for the first time, beyond the borders of the lands of its origins. His name was Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan (1949-1997). Nusrat, a singer of mythic proportions with a worldly other, trance-inducing voice, was the son of the great Fateh Ali Khan, brother of Farrukh Fateh Ali Khan, and uncle of Rahat. In Sufi Islam, Qawwali is also a form of prayer and an ultimate link to God. Although Qawwali is a symbol of Sufi Islam, Qawwali tradition was dying but credit goes to Nusrat that he brought back Qawwali into the world and positively used his rhythmic music to bring people together. He was discovered and promoted by British pop star Peter Gabriel through Gabriel's Real World record label and WOMAD international festival production company beginning in 1988,creating a wave of interest among listeners in the West. Soon He was appreciated and followed by people around the world. He has been awarded on a number of occasions during his lifetime, some of which include: Unicef Musical Award, French cultural Award, French grand-prix Award and Japan foco Asian cultural award. Nusrat was one of the greatest artists of Sufi music and he carried a spiritual message to the world. He was like an ambassador of peace, he carried the message of Allah which is peace and love. In fact Nusrat gave a positive image of the Muslims to the world. His music and voice were like a bridge between all religions, spreading the message of peace and spirituality to the masses. His untimely death was widely mourned outside of South Asia and his recordings continue to exhibit a measure of mass appeal throughout the entire world.
Written by Shafiq Saddiqui for www.avoicefromheaven.com
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