About
The Qutubi Brothers are one of India's most celebrated qawwali ensembles, headed by Haji Mohammad Idris (born 22 September 1971, Delhi) and Arshad Qutbi, with Adnan Qutbi. They belong to the Sarawa Gharana, inheritors of a tradition tracing over 750 years at the dargah of Hazrat Qutbuddin Bakhtiyar Kaki in Mehrauli, Delhi. They hold All India Radio Top Grade status and are ICCR-empanelled Outstanding artists, making them among India's most officially recognised qawwali ensembles.
The Qutubi Brothers trace their music to the qawwali lineage of Delhi and the shrine tradition of Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya, one of the most documented strands of Sufi devotional music in India. Led by Haji Mohammad Idris and his brothers, the ensemble inherited its repertoire and style through a hereditary family line of qawwals, learning the ragas, rhythmic cycles and vast repertoire of Persian, Urdu and Hindavi kalaam passed down over generations. They have performed at dargahs, concerts and festivals in India and abroad, carrying a centuries-old devotional tradition into the present.
The artistry
The Qutubi Brothers perform qawwali in the classic shrine style, built on a lead voice, responding chorus, harmonium, dholak and the driving handclaps that lift a mehfil toward ecstasy. Rooted in the Nizamuddin tradition, they draw on a deep repertoire of Sufi kalaam in Persian, Urdu and Hindavi, building the slow devotional unfolding of a qawwali to its rapturous climax. Their singing preserves the improvisatory craft and spiritual intent of a hereditary qawwali family.
The Qutubi Brothers occupy a significant position in India's qawwali ecosystem, distinguished by the combination of institutional recognition (ICCR Outstanding, AIR Top Grade), a genuine shrine-based lineage, and a demonstrated capacity to connect with broad audiences across devotional, festival, and social contexts. The 12-hour world record at the Sangeet Natak Akademi, while an unusual metric, demonstrates both stamina and the institutional support their standing commands. For programme curators, they represent a well-documented qawwali ensemble with the credibility of dargah tradition and the accessibility of a contemporary performance career.
The Qutubi Brothers represent a living strand of Delhi's most documented Sufi musical tradition. Their connection to the dargah of Hazrat Qutbuddin Bakhtiyar Kaki (the first Chishti saint in India, whose shrine at Mehrauli is among the most visited in the country) places them within a devotional practice that has been continuous since the thirteenth century. The Sarawa Gharana they belong to is one of the established hereditary lineages of qawwali in Delhi, and their role as darbari qawwals means that their music functions not simply as concert performance but as an ongoing act of devotional service at the dargah. The ICCR Outstanding empanelment and All India Radio Top Grade confirm official institutional recognition within India's classical and semi-classical arts infrastructure.