Nur Qutb Alam was born in the city of Hazrat Pandua to a Bengali Muslim family descended from Khalid ibn al-Walid, an Arab commander and companion of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, who belonged to the Banu Makhzum clan of Quraysh.[2] Alam's cousins, uncles and grandfathers were all employed by the Sultanate of Bengal, with his brother, Azam Khan, serving as the Wazir (Prime Minister). His father, Alaul Haq, was the court scholar of Bengal and entrusted with its treasury during the reign of Sikandar Shah. His grandfather, Shaykh As`ad Khālidī, migrated to Bengal from Lahore and served as the Sultanate's Finance Minister.