Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan was born in Faisalabad, Punjab on October 13, 1948 to Ustad Fateh Ali Khan, a distinguished musicologist, vocalist, instrumentalist, and skilled Qawwali performer.
Initially, his father did not want Nusrat to follow in his footsteps and join Qawwali business. He had his heart set on Nusrat choosing a much more respectable career path and becoming a doctor, because he felt Qawwali artists had low social status. However, Nusrat showed such an aptitude for, and interest in, Qawwali that his father finally relented and started to train him in the art of Qawwali. He was also taught to sing within the classical framework of Khayal. This training was still incomplete when Ustad Fateh Ali Khan died in 1964 while Nusrat was still in school. However, his training continued under the guidance of his paternal uncle, Ustad Mubarak Ali Khan. Under the guidance of Ustad Mubarak Ali Khan, he became the group's leader in 1965 and the group was called Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Mujahid Mubarak Ali Khan & Party.
He firmly established himself as a leading Qawwal of the 20th century. His incredible voice and his complete mastery of the genre made him a superstar in the Islamic world, especially in Pakistan and India. He sang in Urdu and his native Punjabi, as well as Persian. He was also one of the first South Asian singers to perform before a large western audience.
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan took over his family's Qawwali party in 1971 after the death of his father and uncle. In Pakistan, his first major hit was the song ‘Haq Ali Ali’. He reached out to western audience with a couple of fusion records produced by Canadian guitarist Michael Brook. In 1995, he collaborated with Eddie Vedder on the soundtrack of Dead Man Walking. His contribution to that and several other soundtracks and albums (including The Last Temptation of Christ and Natural Born Killers), as well as his friendship with Peter Gabriel, helped to increase his popularity in Europe and the United States. Peter Gabriel's Real World label released five albums of Nusrat's traditional Qawwali performances in the West. Real World also released albums of his experimental work, including Mustt Mustt and Star Rise. He also performed traditional Qawwali live to western audience at several WOMAD world music festivals.
According to the Guinness Book of World Records, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan holds the world record for the largest recorded output by a Qawwali artist—a total of 125 albums.
In his early stage of career when he used to sing Qawwali at different Sufi shrines, he used to complain that due status to Qawwali was not given by PTV as it relayed such programmes late at night when majority of the people was in deep slumber. But gradually when his popularity reached beyond the boundary, he was paid Rs0.6million by a music channel only for three hours. It will be interesting to note that many foreign embassies like those of the USA, UK, Canada, and especially Japan, always felt proud when he visited their country. In his life he was so popular that even leading Qawwals began imitating his style which continues to this day. “What can we do, people now expect Nusrat’s style from us because he is the certificate of sublimity,” said Akhtar Hussain, Sabir Hussain Qawwal Aroop walay.
Further when Bollywood stars have been enjoying popularity throughout the world, they used to feel great honour to touch his feet.
Lata Mangheskar, Javed Akhtar, Dilip Kumar and Atal Behari Vajpaee always welcomed his visit to India. Musicians like Anu Malik almost copied every tune of Nusrat’s.  He was flying high in music when he was taken ill with kidney and liver failure on Monday, August 11, 1997 in London, England while on his way to Los Angeles from Lahore to receive a kidney transplant.
He was due to perform in a live concert later in August. While still at Cromwell Hospital, Nusrat died of a sudden cardiac arrest on Saturday, August 16, 1997, aged 48. His body was then transported back to Faisalabad where thousands of distraught people attended his funeral and burial procession.
Throughout his life Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan always paid tribute to his Sufi saint Hazrat Khawaja Deewan Chisti Sabri (Hoshiarpur East Punjab India) whose patting and prayers enabled him to shine on the horizon of the music industry of the world.
May his soul rest in peace! Amin
Nusrat’s popular Qawwalis and songs:
Qawwalis:
1. Haq Ali Ali, Maula Ali Ali
2. Yad e Nabi ka Gulshan mehka, mehka rehta hey
3. Nit khair mangan sohnia main teri
4. Tum ek gorkh dhanda ho
5. Ja murr ja ajay v ghar mur ja, ni ishqay ch ki rakhya
 
Songs/ghazal
1. Gham hay ya khushi hay tuu
2. Dam mast qalandar mast mast
3. Gham hay ya khushi hay tuu
4. Afreen afreen
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