Mubarak Ali Makha Leelan

Mubarak Ali Khan (1940 - ?) was born in Jalandhar, and was the son of Chajju Khan, a shagird of Ustad Roorhay Khan Qawwal. Chajju Khan was adept at Qawwali, and was a capable Sarangi player. He initially joined the Qawwal party of Karam Din Khan Dhapai Wala, and later formed his own party in Jalandhar. Ustad Mubarak Ali Khan learnt Qawwali from both his father and Ustad Karam Din Khan, as well as from Ustad Muhammad Ali Faridi. The family settled in the village of Leelan-wala near Faisalabad after the partition of the subcontinent, where in 1957, Mubarak Ali Khan formed a Qawwal party with his brothers Niaz Ali and Tufail Muhammad. Unique among other Punjabi Qawwals for Mubarak Ali’s throaty voice, and their almost primal style of Qawwali, Mubarak Ali Niaz Ali Qawwal and party performed traditional do-aba style Qawwali for almost five decades. Spiritually affiliated with the shrine of Pir Safdar Hussain Naqvi Qadri of Shahkot, Ustad Mubarak Ali’s Qawwali dealt primarily with themes of spiritual love and devotion, as well as praises of Allah, The Prophet (SAW) and the Saints. Performing into his ‘70s, Ustad Mubarak Ali’s voice retained its heft despite the ravages of time. He had begun training his son and nephew Inam Sabir and Ibadat Ali in his lifetime, and they took over the family Qawwali party after his death.