Their family has an unbroken tradition of Qawwali and is called the Qawwal Bacchon gharana, linked closely to the Sufi Chishti Order for over 600 years.
[4] Allama Iqbal's poetry was regarded as difficult to set musical tunes to, and while he was highly admired in academic circles and by intellectuals, Allama Iqbal did not have much of a popular following yet among the common people mainly due to the radio broadcasting technology still under development back then in British India.
Fateh Ali Khan and Mubarak Ali Khan, more than anyone else, helped Iqbal achieve popular success as well by first popularizing Iqbal's poem by singing it as their qawwali, Sehar Qareeb Hai Taaron Ka Haal Kya Hoga.
Fateh Ali Khan wanted Nusrat to become a doctor or an engineer because he felt Qawwali artists had low social status.
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan went on to become a household name and widely respected as the greatest exponent of Qawwali.