Abul Hasan Tana Shah
The Eighth Sultan of Qutb Shahi dynasty
Reign	Fourteen years
Coronation	140
Born	8/10/1600
Birthplace	ARUANGBAD
Died	1699 24
Place of death	Daulatabad, Aurangabad
Predecessor	Abdullah Qutb Shah
Successor	SLROSK QUTB SHAH
Consort	KJJHYGTFR
Offspring	,JH QUTB SHAH
Royal House	Qutb Shahis
Royal anthem	MAEKDF
Father	SHAH JAHAN
Mother	MECCA JAHAN

Abul Hasan Qutb Shah (Abul Hasan Tana Shah) (Urdu: ابوالحسن قطب شاہ) was the eighth and last ruler of the Qutb Shahi dynasty, who ruled the kingdom of Golconda in south India. He ruled from 1672 to 1687.

Title of 'Tana Shah'[link]

His real name was Abul Hasan and nicknamed as 'Tana Shah' even before he was contender to the throne of Golconda by his teacher, a Sufi saint called Hazrat Syed Shah Raziuddin, popularly known as Hazrat Shah Raju Qattal. Hazrat Shah Raju was eighth in the lineage of the Sufi saint Hazrat Syedna Khwaja Banda Nawaz Gesu Daraz of Gulbarga. Abul Hassan had a good voice and sang well. He also had a certain innocence about him. Shah Raju, therefore, gave him the nickname of `Tana Shah' which means a child saint.^[1] He was also known as Tani Shah, meaning "benevolent ruler".

He is remembered as a popular statesman who did not discriminate against those of another ethnicity or religion. He hired Brahmins as his ministers and generals. For example Madanna and Akkanna, Brahmin brothers from Hanamkonda, were his most important ministers. Tana Shah gained a place in Telugu literature due to Kancharla Gopanna, nephew of Madanna. Kancharla Gopanna is famously known as "Ramadasu". Ramadasu lived in Nelakondapalli village in Palvancha taluk. Tani Shah hired him as "Tehsildar" (head of the revenue department) of Palvancha taluk. Ramadasu diverted the public funds to construct a Rama temple in Bhadrachalam and for the jewelry for the idols of Rama, Sita and Lakshmana. Tana Shah found Ramadasu guilty of misappropriation of public funds and put him in jail.

Earlier Tana Shah's father-in-law Abdullah Qutb Shah was forced by Aurangzeb to acknowledged the suzerainty of Shah Jahan. And his daughter was wed to Aurangzeb's son Sultan Muhammad.

About the year 1683, Abul Hasan Qutb Shah appears to have become irregular in payments of taxes to the Mughals and his relations with Sikandar Adil Shah also caused concern among the Mughals. Abul Hasan Qutb Shah consequently refused to be a vassal of the Mughal Empire and prompted Aurangzeb to initiate a campaign to assert the rule of Mughals on Golconda. He attacked Golconda. With his able commanders Nawab Khwaja Abid Siddiqi (Qilich Khan) and Qaziuddin Khan Siddiqi father and grand father of Nizam I (Asaf Jah I). Tana Shah defended the fort for eight months, but Aurangazeb succeeded in capturing Golconda at the end in September 1687. Abul Hasan Qutb Shah surrendered and handed over the Nur-Ul-Ain Diamond, the Hope Diamond, the Wittelsbach Diamond and the Regent Diamond, making the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb the richest monarch in the world.

Tana Shan was taken as a prisoner and was imprisoned in the Daulatabad fort (near Aurangabad) where he died in prison after 12 years of captivity. When the Sultan died, he was not buried alongside his ancestors and other Qutub Shahi kings but in a modest grave at Khuldabad near Aurangabad.

With the defeat of Abul Hasan Qutub Shah, the Qutb Shahi dynasty ended and a new Nizam dynasty began in Hyderabad under the control of the Mughal Dynasty.

After the fall of Golconda on September 22, 1687, it became a part of the six Mughal provinces in the Deccan. Mahabat Khan, who was initially the commander of the Qutb Shahi army and had switched loyalty to the Mughals, was appointed the governor of Golconda, laying the foundations for the Hyderabad State under the Nizams by Aurangzeb.

Trivia[link]

'Tana Shahi' a synonym for authoritarian rule or tyranny, which became acceptable and common as Urdu and Hindi idiom is derived from Tana Shah. It is reflective of the infamy and myths propagated by his detractors and supporters of Mughal rule against him.

See also[link]

• Aurangzeb
• Qutb Shahi dynasty
• Golconda
• Qutb Shahi Tombs
• Khuldabad
• Hayath Baqshi Begum
• Mahabat Khan
• Nawab Khwaja Abid Siddiqi- kilich Khan ll
• Ghaziuddin Khan Feroz Jung
• Mir Qamaruddin Khan Nizam-ul-Mulk (Asaf Jah I) 'Chin Qilich Khan' the founder of the Asaf Jahi Dynasty.
• Bahmani kingdom
• Siege of Golconda

References[link]

External links[link]

• [1] Narendra Luther Archives-Strange life of Tana Shah
• [2] Narendra Luther Archives-Fall of Tana Shah
• [3] Hyderabad Planet-History of Hyderabad
• [4] A city of bulging domes.
• [5] Qutb Shahi Tombs
• [6] AP online -History Medieval Period
• [7] Hyderabad Timeline
• [8] Indian Classical Dances-Kuchipudi
• [9] On the use of 'Tana Shahi' by Indian parliamentarians

Qutb Shah (Persian: قطب شاه‎) was the ruler of Herat and a general in the army of Sultan Mahmud Ghaznavi. Qutub Shah was a Hashemite descendant of Muhammad ibn al-Hanafiyyah, son of Hazart Ali, and Imam of the Kaysanites Shia^[1] , who was the son of Ali, who in turn was the cousin and son-in-law of the prophet Muhammad.^[2]

Historical sources attest that Herat was under the rule of King Nuh III of Samanids^[3] the seventh of the Samanid line—at the time of Sebük Tigin and his older son, Sultan Mahmud Ghaznavi.

The governor of Herāt was a noble by the name of Faik,^[3] who governed on behalf of King Nuh III. Faik was a powerful, but insubordinate governor of Nuh III; and had been punished by Nuh III. Faik made overtures to Bogra Khan and Ughar Khan of Khorasan. Bogra Khan answered Faik's call, came to Herāt and became its master.^[4]

In 994, Nuh III invited Alp Tigin to come to his aid. Alp Tigin, along with Mahmud of Ghazni, defeated Faik and annexed Herāt, Nishapur and Tous.^[5]

Biography[link]

Qutb Shah and nine of his sons accompanied and assisted Sultan Mahmud Ghaznavi in his early eleventh century conquests of what today forms parts of Afghanistan, Pakistan and Northern India, who, according to tribal traditions, settled primarily in the Salt Range.

Legacy[link]

Tribal history holds that Qutb Shah and his sons married local women who converted to Islam from Hinduism. Qutb Shah’s sons are said to have settled in different regions of the Punjab and to a lesser extent, what now constitutes parts of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa; Gauhar Shah or Gorrara, settled near Sakesar, Kalan Shah or Kalgan, settled in Kalabagh, Chauhan colonized the hills close to the Jehlum, Mohammad Shah, settled by the Kahar, and Tori ‏and Jhajh settled in Padhrar. All these regions collectively less Kalabagh and Sakesar are referred to as "Wanhar" today. Their descendants not only came to heavily populate these regions.^[6]

However, most of these claims can be traced to the works of H. A. Rose in the book 'Glossary of the Tribes and Castes of the Punjab and North West Frontier Province'^[9][10][11] and confirms his findings to H M Eliot and Dowson's book The History of India, as told by its own Historians.

H. A. Rose then, in the same book, goes on to accept the Awan to be of Arab origin:

See also[link]

• Herat

References[link]

Abulhasan, Abolhasan, Abul Hassan, Abul-Hasan, Abu'l Hasan Abu al-Hasan, Abu Hassan, etc., is a part of a personal name of Arabic derivation, literally meaning "father of (abu) Hassan". In Western perception, it may be considered as a first name or as a family name.

Abulhasan or similar may refer to:

People[link]

• Abul Hasan, Abu Al-Hasan Ali ibn Othman (1297–1351), a Marinid-dynasty sultan of Morocco and Al-Andalus
• Abu l-Hasan Ali, Sultan of Granada (d.1485), known as Muley Hacén in Spanish
• Abul Hasan (1947-1975), Bangladeshi poet
• Abulhasan, pen name of Azerbaijani writer Abulhasan Alekperzadeh (1906–1986)
• Abu al-Hasan (Mughal painter) (born 1589), Indian Mughal painter
• Abul Hasan (cricketer), Bangladeshi cricketer

Fictional characters[link]

• "Abu al-Hasan, the merchant of Oman", a character from the Arabian Nights^[1]
• Abu Hassan is also the name of the main villain in the cartoon, Popeye the Sailor Meets Ali Baba's Forty Thieves. He appears as a semi-Arabized version of Bluto.

Other[link]

• Abu Hassan, a 1811 opera by Carl Maria von Weber

• All pages beginning with "Abu al-Hasan"
• All pages beginning with "Abulhasan"
• All pages beginning with "Abul Hasan"
• All pages beginning with "Abul-Hasan"
• All pages beginning with "Abulhassan"
• All pages beginning with "Abul Hassan"
• All pages beginning with "Abul-Hassan"
• All pages beginning with "Abu'l Hasan"
• All pages beginning with "Abu l-Hasan"
• All pages beginning with "Abu Al-Hasan"
• All pages beginning with "Abu al-Hasan"
• All pages beginning with "Abolhasan"
• All pages beginning with "Abolhassan"
• All pages beginning with "Abu Hasan"
• All pages beginning with "Abu Hassan"
• All pages beginning with "Abu-Hasan"
• All pages beginning with "Abu-Hassan"

References[link]

This disambiguation page lists articles about people with the same name. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.

Ahmed Raza Khan Fazil-e-Barelvi (Urdu: احمد رضاخان, Hindi: अहमद रज़ा खान) (1856–1921 CE) was a Sunni Islamic scholar and sufi, whose works influenced the Barelvi movement of South Asia.^[2] Raza Khan wrote on numerous topics, including law, religion, philosophy and the sciences. He was a prolific writer, producing nearly 1,000 works in his lifetime.^[2]

Early life[link]

His father was Naqi Ali Khan, and his great-grandfather Shah Kazim Ali Khan^[3] was a noted Sunni scholar.^[4]

Ahmed's mother named him Amman Miyān.^[5] Raza Khan used the appellation "Abdul Mustafa" (slave [or servant] of Mustafa) prior to signing his name in correspondence.^{[clarification needed][6]} He studied Islamic sciences and completed a traditional Dars-i-Nizami course under the supervision of his father Naqī Áli Khān, who was a legal scholar.^[2] He went on the Hajj with his father in 1878.

Beliefs[link]

Ahmed Raza Khan defended several beliefs regarding Muhammad:

• Muhammad, although human, possessed a Noor (Light) that predates creation. ^[7] This contrasts with the Deobandi view that Muhammad was insan-e-kamil ("the complete man"), a respected but physically typical human.^[8][9]
• He is haazir naazir (can be present in many places at the same time, as opposed to God, who is everywhere by definition).^[10]
• God has granted him ilm-e-ghaib (the knowledge of the unseen,this belief and theory directly negates the Islaamic concept of 'Shiirk'which attributes some qualities only to Allmighty Aallaah, including the 'i'lm-e-ghaib' or knowledge of the unknown and unseen..^[11] Raza Khan writes:

We do not hold that anyone can equal the knowledge of Allah Most High, or possess it independently, nor do we assert that Allah’s giving of knowledge to the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) is anything but a part. But what a patent and tremendous difference between one part [the Prophet’s] and another [anyone else’s]: like the difference between the sky and the earth, or rather even greater and more immense.

—Ahmed Raza Khan, al-Dawla al-Makkiyya (c00), 291.

• God has made him mukhtaar kul (having the authority to do whatever he desires).^{[citation needed]}

Quran and hadith studies[link]

Ahmed Raza Khan translated the Quran into Urdu, which was first published in 1912 under the title of Kanz ul-Iman fi Tarjuma al-Qur’an. The original manuscript is preserved in the library of Idara Tahqiqat-i-Imam Ahmed Raza, Karachi, and an English translation of Kanzul Iman has also been published. Ahmed Raza Khan also wrote several books on the collection and compilation of hadiths.

Fatwas[link]

Raza Khan's main work was Fatawa Ridawiyya which runs in 30 volumes of over 1000 pages each. The Raza Foundation under the leadership of Abdul Qayyum Hazarwi revised the work, translating all the Persian and Arabic sentences in Urdu, and published it in 30 volumes, running across 90,000 pages.

Religious research[link]

Raza Khan investigated numerous religious questions:

• In 1915 he wrote a treatise describing 160 types of water which are acceptable for wudu (ablution), and 146 types of proscribed water.
• He identified 181 acceptable and 130 unacceptable materials for tayammum (alternatives to water for ablution).
• He was able to fill up the Naqsh-i-Murabba (a sixteen column quadrilateral) by 1152 methods.
• He knew 800 names of Prophet Muhammad from books, and was able to gather 1400 more.
• He analysed whether it was credible that Hussain ibn ‘Alī was able to travel from Mecca to Kerbala on 3rd Dhū al-Ḥijja and reach there on 2nd of Moharram. He investigated the types of horse, the loads they carried, the route of the caravan, the types of terrain, and other factors, and finally concluded that the caravan could feasibly have reached Kerbala by the 2nd.

Works in physics[link]

Raza Khan opposed the belief in a heliocentric universe, instead stating that the sun and moon circulate around the Earth.^[12]

Works in economics[link]

Raza through his book^[which?] published in 1912, presented four points for the economic development of Muslims:

• Barring the affairs wherein government is involved, thus very tacit and shrewdly promoting unquestioned loyalty towards the Imperial-Colonial-Capitalist British Government. Muslims should decide all their disputes mutually so that millions of rupees, which are being spent over litigations, may be saved.
• The affluent Muslims of Bombay (Mumbai), Calcutta, Rangoon, Madras and Hyderabad should open banks for other poor Muslims.
• Muslims should not purchase anything from anybody except Muslims.
• The sciences of Islam should be propagated and publicized.

Antagonism towards Mirza Ghulam Ahmad and the Ahmadiyya Movement[link]

Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian claimed to be the Mahdi (messiah) awaited by the Muslims as well as a new prophet. These claims proved to be extremely controversial among many in the Muslim community, and he was branded a heretic and apostate by many religious scholars of the time, including Ahmed Raza Khan. Ghulam Ahmad's claims are controversial to this day, but his Mahdi status and prophethood is believed in by the Ahmadiyya sect. Though, Pakistan in 1974, have officially declared the Ahmadiyya sect non-Muslims.^[13]

When Ahmed Raza visited Mecca and Medina for pilgrimage in 1905, he prepared a draft document entitled Al Motamad Al Mustanad ("The Reliable Proofs") for presentation to the scholars of Mecca and Medina. Ahmed Raza Khan collected opinions of the ulama of the Hejaz and compiled them in an Arabic language compendium with the title, Husam al Harmain ("The Sword of Two Sanctuaries"), a work containing 34 verdicts from 33 ulama (20 Meccan and 13 Medinese). The work concluded that Ghulam Ahmad's beliefs were blasphemous and tantamount to apostasy.^[14]

Quietism[link]

During the period of the Indian Khilafat Movement, Gandhi was advised that he should meet with Raza Khan. When he was told that Gandhi wished to meet and speak to him, Raza Khan said, "What would he speak about? Religion or worldly affairs? If it is worldly affairs, what can I partake in, for I have abstained from the world and have no interest in it."^[15]

Opposition to heterodox practices[link]

Raza Khan condemned many practices he saw as bid'at (forbidden innovations), such as:

• Qawali (religious music)^[16]
• Women going to visit mazaar (tombs)^{[citation needed]}
• Tawaf (ceremonially walking in circles around a holy site) of tombs.^[17]
• Sajda (prostration) to those other than God^{[citation needed]}
• Ta'zieh, plays re-enacting religious scenes^{[citation needed]}but unfortunately the followers of him practice and preach just the opposite of what he had said.

Positive Views and Admirers[link]

Syrian Islamic scholar Muhammad al-Ya’qoubi declared on national television his belief that the mujaddid of the Indian subcontinent was Ahmed Raza Khan, going so far as to say that a person of the Ahlus Sunnah wal Jamaah can be identified by his love of Ahmed Raza Khan, and that those outside the Ahlus Sunnah are identified by their attacks on him.^[18]

Criticism[link]

The neutrality of this article is disputed. Please see the discussion on the talk page. Please do not remove this message until the dispute is resolved. (July 2010)

• He issued fatwas against other religious group such as Deobandis and Wahabbis, accusing them of being disrespectful towards Prophet Muhammad. Deobandi and Wahabi scholars believe that Ahmed Raza Khan has made these accusations due to his "exaggeration" in loving the prophet, which they claim violates hadith which proscribe deifying Mohammad.
• He advocated the practice of tawassul (asking to deceased Muslims), which his opponents declared to be shirk (polytheism):

If you are embarrassed in your affairs, seek help from the inmates of the tombs, having beliefs that Allah is the one who is helping and the person in the tomb is just wasila.^[19]

• Raza opposed labeling then-British held India to be Dar-ul Harb ("land of war"), thus opposing any justification of jihad (struggle) or hijrat (mass emigration to escape) against the proposed plans of Gandhi and the Deobandiyya Movement who wished to begin jihaad with the help of Hindus.^{[citation needed]} This stance was opposed by Deobandi scholars such as Muhammad Qasim Nanotvi.^[20]

See also[link]

• Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat
• Mustafa Raza Khan
• Abu Bilal Muhammad Ilyas Attar Qadri
• Hamid Raza Khan
• Qamaruzzaman Azmi
• Akhtar Raza Khan

References[link]

Sources[link]

• Baraka, A – A Saviour in a Dark World (Article) The Islamic Times, March 2003 Stockport, UK
• Haroon, M The World of Ahmed Raza Kazi Publications, Lahore 1974
• Sanyal, Usha, Ahmed Riza Khan Barelwi: In the Path of the Prophet (Makers of the Muslim World), Oneworld, 2005.

External links[link]

• Alahazrat.net
• Online Quran Project includes the Qur'an translation of Ahmed Rida Khan.
• The True Life Picture of Hazrat
• A Complete Encyclopedia about Ahmed Raza Khan.
• The Life and Works of the Muslim Revivalist, A'La Hadrat
• Research works on Ahmed Raza Khan
• Books and works of Ahmed Rida Khan
• Fatawa and works by Ahmed Rida Khan
• A detailed website about the Raza's life and works

Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan (Punjabi: نصرت فتح علی خان (Shahmukhī)) (October 13, 1948 – August 16, 1997), a world-renowned Pakistani musician, was primarily a singer of Qawwali, the devotional music of the Sufis (a mystical tradition within Islam). Considered one of the greatest singers ever recorded, he possessed a six-octave vocal range^{[citation needed]} and could perform at a high level of intensity for several hours.^[1] Extending the 600-year old Qawwali tradition of his family, Khan is widely credited with introducing Sufi music to international audiences.^[2][3] He was popularly known as "Shahenshah-e-Qawwali", meaning "The King of Kings of Qawwali".^[4]

Born in Faisalabad, Pakistan, Khan had his first public performance at age of 16, at his father's chelum. He officially became the head of the family qawwali party in 1971, and was signed by Oriental Star Agencies (OSA), Birmingham, U.K., in the early 1980s. In subsequent years, Khan released movie scores and albums for various labels in Pakistan, Europe, Japan and the U.S. He engaged in collaborations and experiments with Western artists, becoming a well-known world music artist in the process. He toured extensively, performing in over 40 countries.^[5]

Biography[link]

Early life and career[link]

Khan was born on October 13, 1948 in the city of Lyallpur (now Faisalabad), Pakistan. He was the fifth child and first son of Fateh Ali Khan, a musicologist, vocalist, instrumentalist, and Qawwal. Khan's family, which included four older sisters and a younger brother, Farrukh Fateh Ali Khan, grew up in central Lyallpur. Initially, his father did not want Khan to follow the family's vocation. He had his heart set on Khan choosing a much more respectable career path and becoming a doctor, because he felt Qawwali artists had low social status. However, Khan showed such an aptitude for, and interest in, Qawwali that his father finally relented.^[6] Khan began by learning to play tabla alongside his father before progressing to learn Raag Vidya and Bol Bandish. He then went on to learn to sing within the classical framework of khayal. Khan's training with his father was cut short when his father died in 1964, leaving Khan's paternal uncles, Mubarak Ali Khan and Salamat Ali Khan, to complete his training. His first performance was at a traditional graveside ceremony for his father, known as chehlum, which took place forty days after his father's death.

In 1971, after the death of Mubarak Ali Khan, Khan became the official leader of the family Qawwali party and the party became known as Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Mujahid Mubarak Ali Khan & Party. Khan's first public performance as the leader of the Qawwali party was at a studio recording broadcast as part of an annual music festival organised by Radio Pakistan, known as Jashn-e-Baharan. Khan sang mainly in Urdu and Punjabi and occasionally in Persian, Braj Bhasha and Hindi. His first major hit in Pakistan was the song Haq Ali Ali, which was performed in a traditional style and with traditional instrumentation. The song featured restrained use of Khan's sargam improvisations.

In 1979, Khan married his first cousin, Naheed (the daughter of Fateh Ali Khan's brother, Salamat Ali Khan); they had one daughter, Nida.^[7]

Early in his career, Khan was signed up by Oriental Star Agencies in the U.K. to their Star Cassette Label. OSA sponsored regular concert tours by Khan to the U.K. from the early '80s onwards, and released much of this live material on cassette, CD, videotape and DVD.G

Later career[link]

In the 1992–93 academic year, Khan was a Visiting Artist in the Ethnomusicology department at the University of Washington, Seattle.^[8]

Khan teamed with Peter Gabriel on the soundtrack to The Last Temptation of Christ in 1985, with Canadian musician Michael Brook on the albums Mustt Mustt (1990) and Night Song (1996),^[9] and with Pearl Jam lead singer Eddie Vedder in 1995 on two songs for the soundtrack to Dead Man Walking. One of these songs ("The Long Road") was re-used on the soundtrack for Eat Pray Love in 2010. Khan also contributed to the soundtrack of Natural Born Killers. He composed the music for the 1994 film Bandit Queen in collaboration with Roger White.

Peter Gabriel's Real World label later released five albums of Khan's traditional Qawwali, together with some of his experimental work which included the albums Mustt Mustt and Star Rise. Khan provided vocals for The Prayer Cycle, which was put together by Jonathan Elias, but died before the vocals could be completed. Alanis Morissette was brought in to sing with his unfinished vocals. Khan also collabrated with Michael Brook to create music for the song "Sweet Pain" used in the movie Any Given Sunday. He also performed traditional Qawwali before international audiences at several WOMAD world music festivals and the single "Dam Mast Qalandar" was remixed by electronic trip hop group Massive Attack in 1998.

His album Intoxicated Spirit was nominated for a Grammy award in 1997 for best traditional folk album.

Khan contributed songs to, and performed in, several Pakistani films. Shortly before his death, he recorded a song each for two Bollywood films, Aur Pyaar Ho Gaya (in which he also sang the song onscreen) and Kachche Dhaage. He sang the title song of the film Dhadkan. He also sang "Saya bhi saath jab chhod jaye" for Sunny Deol's movie Dillagi. The song was released in 1999, two years after Khan's death.

Khan contributed the song "Gurus of Peace" to the album Vande Mataram, composed by A. R. Rahman, and released to celebrate the 50th anniversary of India's independence. Rahman, who was a big fan of Khan could not do further songs with him. As a tribute, Rahman later released an album titled Gurus of Peace, which featured "Allah Hoo" by Khan. Rahman's 2007 song "Tere Bina" was also done as a tribute to Khan.^[10]

After his death, the song "Solemn Prayer", on which Khan provided vocals, was used on the Peter Gabriel song "Signal to Noise" (on the album Up), and on the soundtrack to the Martin Scorsese film Gangs of New York.

According to the Guinness Book of World Records, Khan Fateh Ali Khan holds the world record for the largest recorded output by a Qawwali artist—a total of 125 albums as of 2001.

Death[link]

Khan was taken ill with kidney and liver failure on August 11, 1997 in London, England, while on the way to Los Angeles in order to receive a kidney transplant. He died of a sudden cardiac arrest at Cromwell Hospital, London, on Saturday, August 16, 1997, aged 48.^[11] His body was returned to Faisalabad, Pakistan, and his funeral was attended by the public.

Composition of Nusrat's qawwali party[link]

The composition of Khan's ensemble, called a "party" (or "Humnawa" in Urdu), changed over its 26 years. Listed below is a snapshot of the party, circa 1983:

1. Mujahid Mubarak Ali Khan: Khan's first cousin, vocals
2. Farrukh Fateh Ali Khan: Khan's brother, vocals and lead harmonium
3. Rehmat Ali: vocals and second harmonium
4. Maqsood Hussain: vocals
5. Rahat Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan: Khan's nephew and pupil, vocals
6. Dildar Hussain: percussion
7. Majawar Abbas: mandolin and guitar/chorus, handclapping
8. Mohammed Iqbal Naqvi: secretary of the party, chorus, handclapping
9. Asad Ali: chorus, handclapping. Khan's cousin
10. Ghulam Farid: chorus, handclapping
11. Kaukab Ali: chorus, handclapping

The one significant member of the party who does not appear on this list is Atta Fareed. For many years, he alternated with Rehmat Ali on vocals and second harmonium. He is easily identifiable in videos since he plays the harmonium left-handed.

This snapshot is non-representative in one respect: harmoniums were usually the only instruments. Only rarely were instruments like mandolin or guitar used.

Awards and titles[link]

Khan is widely considered to be the most important qawwal in history.^[12][13] In 1987, Khan received the President of Pakistan’s Award for Pride of Performance for his contribution to Pakistani music.^[8][14] In 1995 he received the UNESCO Music Prize.^[15][16] In 1996 he was awarded Grand Prix des Amériques at Montreal World Film Festival for exceptional contribution to the art of cinema.^[17] In 2005, Khan was awarded the "Legends" award at the UK Asian Music Awards.^[18] Time magazine's issue of November 6, 2006, "60 Years of Asian Heroes", lists him as one of the top 12 artists and thinkers in the last 60 years.^[19] He also appeared on NPR's 50 Great Voices list in 2010.^[20] In August 2010 he was included in CNN's list of the twenty most iconic musicians from the past fifty years.^[21]

Many honorary titles were bestowed upon Khan during his 25-year music career. He was given the title of Ustad after performing classical music at a function in Lahore on his father's death anniversary.^[22]

Tributes, legacy and influence[link]

Alexandra A. Seno of Asiaweek wrote:^[23]

Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan's voice was otherworldly. For 25 years, his mystical songs transfixed millions. It was not long enough ... He performed qawali, which means wise or philosophical utterance, as nobody else of his generation did. His vocal range, talent for improvisation and sheer intensity were unsurpassed.

Jeff Buckley cited Khan as a major influence, saying of him "He's my Elvis", and performing the first few minutes of Khan's hit "Yeh Jo Halka Halka Suroor Hai" (including vocals) at live concerts.^[24][25] Many other artists have also cited Khan as an influence, such as A. R. Rahman,^[26] Sheila Chandra,^[27] and Alim Qasimov.^[28]

Paul Williams picked a concert performance by Khan for inclusion in his 2000 book The 20th Century's Greatest Hits: a 'top-40' list, in which he devotes a chapter each to what he considers the top 40 artistic achievements of the 20th century in any field (including art, movies, music, fiction, non-fiction, science-fiction).^[29]

In 2008, Khan was listed in 14th position in UGO's list of the best singers of all time.^[30]

In 2004, a tribute band called (Brooklyn Qawwali Party) (formerly Brook's Qawwali Party) was formed in New York City by percussionist Brook Martinez to perform the music of Khan. The 13-piece group still performs mostly instrumental jazz versions of Khan's qawwalis, using the instruments conventionally associated with jazz rather than those associated with qawwali.^[31]

Films[link]

Documentaries[link]

• Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan: le dernier prophète (1996). Directed by Jérôme de Missolz.
• Nusrat has Left the Building... But When? (1997). Directed by Farjad Nabi. (This 20-minute docudrama focuses on Khan's early career.)
• A Voice from Heaven (1999). Directed by Giuseppe Asaro. New York, NY: Winstar TV & Video. (This 75-minute documentary, available on VHS and DVD, provides an introduction to Khan's life and work.)
• Samandar Main Samandar (2007). A documentary aired on Geo TV detailing Khan's career.
• The King of Qawalli (2009). A short film aired on Dawn News about Khan's life and career.

Concert films[link]

• The JVC Video Anthology of World Music and Dance (1990). Video 14 (of 30) (South Asia IV). Produced by Ichikawa Katsumori; directed by Nakagawa Kunikiko and Ichihashi Yuji; in collaboration with the National Museum of Ethnology, Osaka. [Tokyo]: JVC, Victor Company of Japan; Cambridge, Massachusetts: distributed by Rounder Records. Features a studio performance by Khan and Party (two Urdu-language songs: a Hamd, and a Manqabat for Khwaja Mu`inuddin Chishti. Filmed in Tokyo, Japan, September 20, 1987, for Asian Traditional Performing Arts).
• Nusrat! Live at Meany (1998). Produced by the University of Washington. (87-minute recording of a January 23, 1993 concert at Meany Hall, University of Washington in Seattle, during Khan's residency at the Ethnomusicology Program there.)
• Live in Concert in the U.K. (DVD, vols. 1–17) [OSA]; recorded between 1983 and 1993; first thirteen listed below:
  • Live in Concert in UK (DVD vol. 1)
  • Live in Concert (DVD vol. 2)
  • Live in Concert (DVD vol. 3)
  • Live in UK (DVD vol. 4)
  • Live in UK (DVD vol. 5)
  • Live in Concert (DVD vol. 6)
  • Live in UK (DVD vol. 7)
  • Live in UK (DVD vol. 8)
  • Live in UK (DVD vol. 9)
  • Live in UK (DVD vol. 10)
  • Live in UK (DVD vol. 11)
  • Digbeth Birmingham 12 November 1983 (DVD vol. 12)
  • Digbeth 30 October 1983 (DVD vol. 13)
• Akhiyan Udeek Diyan (DVD) [Nupur Audio]
• Je Tun Rab Nu Manauna (DVD) [Nupur Audio]
• Yaadan Vicchre Sajan Diyan Aayiyan (DVD) [Nupur Audio]
• Rang-e-Nusrat (DVD, vols. 1–11) [Music Today]; recorded between 1983 and 1993 (same material as the OSA DVDs)
• VHS videotapes, vols. 1–21 [OSA]; recorded between 1983 and 1993 (same material as the OSA DVDs)
  • Luxor Cinema Birmingham (VHS vol. 1, 1979)
  • Digbeth Birmingham (VHS vol. 2, 1983)
  • St. Francis Hall Birmingham (VHS vol. 3, 1983)
  • Royal Oak Birmingham (VHS vol. 4, 1983)
  • Private Mehfil (Wallace Lawley Centre, Lozells Birmingham, November 1983) (VHS vol. 5)
  • Private Mehfil (VHS vol. 6, 1983)
  • Natraj Cinema Leicester (VHS vol. 7, 1983)
  • Live In Southall (VHS vol. 8)
  • Live In Bradford (VHS vol. 9, 1983)
  • Live In Birmingham (VHS vol. 10, 1985)
  • Allah Ditta Hall (VHS vol. 11, 1985)
  • Harrow Leisure Centre (VHS vol. 12)
  • University Of Aston (VHS vol. 13, 1988)
  • Aston University (VHS vol. 14, 1988)
  • WOMAD Festival Bracknell (VHS vol. 15, 1988)
  • Live In Paris (VHS vol. 16, 1988)
  • Poplar Civic Centre London (VHS vol. 17)
  • Imperial Hotel Birmingham (VHS vol. 18, 1985)
  • Slough Gurdawara (SHABADS) (VHS vol. 19)
  • Imran Khan Cancer Appeal (VHS vol. 20)
  • Town Hall Birmingham (VHS vol. 21, 1993)

See also[link]

• List of Pakistani musicians
• Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan albums

References[link]

Additional reading[link]

• Baud, Pierre-Alain. Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, The Messenger of Qawwali. Editions Demi-Lune, 2008. (A biography of Nusrat)

External links[link]

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan

• Article with brief 1993 interview (edwebproject.org)
• King of Qawali documentary on YouTube
• NPR Audio Report: Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan: The Voice Of Pakistan
• Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan at the Internet Movie Database