Dust to Gold (Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan album)

Dust to Gold is a qawwali album by the Pakistani singer Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, recorded in 1997 with his ensemble in traditional form and released posthumously in 2000 by Real World Records; it runs 64 minutes. ^{1 2}

The liner notes on Real World's page say the title reflects Khan's view of himself as a pinch of dust from a holy place, and that the label discovered these recordings in unique archives in Lahore, Khan's hometown; it was the first album of those archive recordings, a traditional qawwali session with the full party. The page dates the release to 17 June 2000. ³

Four long pieces: 'Khawaja tum hi ho', 'Data teira durbar', 'Koi hai na ho ga' and 'Noor-e-khuda hai husn-e-sarapa rasool', in praise of the Prophet. ¹ The label's notes explain that all four are praise songs: the first, "Master It Is Only You", in Rajasthani Hindi, praises a Sufi saint whose shrine is at Ajmer; the second, "Master In Your Court", a Sufi saint who lived in Lahore; and the last two the Prophet ﷺ. ³

JazzTimes found Khan's posthumous releases uneven but this one worth hearing for its balance of improvisational freedom and control; Exclaim! heard strain in his voice and thought it better for listeners who already knew his work; AllMusic found the music fresh; and Norway's Dagsavisen called it a continuation rather than a departure. ¹

• English Wikipedia, 'Dust to Gold (Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan album)', revision 1369390858 of 14 August 2026. ¹
• Wikidata item Q139892507. ²
• Real World Records, release page for Dust to Gold. ³