Qawwali’s charm transcends age. It never fails to transport its listeners to an other-worldly realm, where just the deep voice of the throaty singer, his crew, and their rhythm remains. Somewhere between the claps and the tabla beats, you’d think you have met God. And for many who witnessed the world’s greatest qawwal perform, Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan was Shahenshah-e-Qawwali (the Emperor of Qawwali).

American singer Jeff Buckley, who earned a cult following in the ‘90s, called him his “Elvis”. “I idolise Nusrat. He’s a god, too.”

Khan collected many monikers across the world. In Japan, he was the “Singing Buddha.” In London, “The Spirit of Islam.” In Los Angeles, “The Voice of Paradise.”

With the rise of the internet, fans gave him a new title: “NFAK.” On early online forums dating

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