SON OF THE SOIL
Egypt the home of outstanding Quran recitation and the preservation of the Quranic sciences of Tajweed (elocution), Tarteel (recital) and Tahfeez (memorization). From this constellation of brilliant voices and exceptionally rare talent, God has blessed Egypt with a rich heritage and a treasure trove of unique (Quran) reciters with legendary voices such as that of Sheikh Muhammed Rif ’at or the golden melodies of Sheikh Mustapha Isma’il and the timeless wonder that is Sheikh Mahmûd Khalil Al-Husarî. Egypt was also the home and birthplace of the renowned Sheikh and Qari Muhammad Siddîq Al-Minshâwî. Each reciter had his very own unique talent and commanded the admiration and respect of millions of believing souls, they are dear to even the coldest of hearts and respected by the most eloquent and enlightened minds, indeed they are loved and imitated, by the very young to the very experienced, in equal measures.
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But even within a galaxy of heavenly lamps, there is always the piercing light, of one unique star, in fact, to most Egyptians and arguably for most in the Muslims world, at large, that star had an undeniably, beautiful and unique voice one that would become so iconic and so universally accepted that it came to be known as the voice of Makkah, a voice that is familiar to listeners from Libya all the way to London, it is imitated from New York to New Delhi and it is revered and held in high regard from the enlightened city of Al-Madinah to the blessed sanctuary of Al Quds, in Palestine.
More than any other reciter of his generation and certainly above all others since his era, Sheikh ‘Abd Al-Basit Muhammad ‘Abd As-Samad has come to be regarded, not only as the most famous Qari in the world but as one of the most inspirational and unique champions of the sacred discipline.
Humble origins Qari ‘Abd Al-Basit Muhammad ‘Abd As-Samad was born in 1927, he came from a scholarly family who resided in the small village of Armant which is situated, near the eternal spring that is commonly known as the river Nile. His father was of Kurdish decent and his mother was an Egyptian Arab. Even during his tender childhood years the great Qari, had an intense love and an attachment to the Holy Quran.
As he later recalls he would travel over three kilometers daily in order to get to a neighboring village where he could sit in a local coffee house and concentrate, deeply as he listened to the radio he would listen when they began the day’s broadcast of Quran recitations that was being read by some of the greatest and most celebrated Quran reciters of the day.
He would be enthusiastic and inspired as he absorbed the melodiously rich and rhythmic recitation of Sheikh Muhammad Rif ’ât, with the hope and ambition of one day following in his hero’s footsteps.
But the elder brothers of the young ‘Abd Al-Basit had by now, already expressed their fervent, desire to pursue studies in the scholarly tradition of their forefathers at the prestigious University of Al-Azhar in Egypt, but unlike his elder brothers the young ‘Abd Al-Basit would express his desire to memorize the Quran by heart and to one day achieve his dream of becoming a Qari, a devoted disciple and dedicated reciter of the Holy Quran.
UNDER THE WINGS OF A MENTOR
The young ‘Abd Al-Basit Muhammad ‘Abd As-Samad had his father’ approval and full support. In actual fact it was under his father’s caring and loving presence that the 10 year old prodigy came to memorize the entire Quran by heart, word for word, from cover to cover. The following year, his father took him to the village of Asfoon, where he enrolled him into a Quranic School where the young ‘Abd Al-Basit ‘Abd As-Samad excelled and eventually received his certification upon having mastered the seven modes recitations and a short while later, the 10 authoritative recitations of the Glorious Quran under the expert tutelage of his mentor Sheikh Muhammad Salim.
It was not long after this that his teacher, would permithis young protégé to accompany him whenever he attended, religious ceremonies, and gatherings in which, the Holy Quran, would be rehearsed publicly. Yet despite his tender age and lack of experience at the early age of 14 Sheikh Abdul Basit AbdusSamad was encouraged, by his mentor to participate in these public rehearsals. It was in these early days that the unusual talent and unique gift of Qari Abdul Basit began to be noticed.
HEART AND SOUL OF EGYPT
However it was not until 1950, during religious celebrations in Cairo that events suddenly took a fateful turn for the young and upcoming Qari. During these very special functions and gatherings, the audience would listen to the greatest and most seasoned performers of the day, many of whom travelled into Cairo from the famous village of Tanta, a place that is renowned to this day, for its exceptional Quran reciters and scholars. At only 23 years of age and somewhat unknown in larger cities, such as Cairo, the young hopeful was intimidated and reluctant to attend the ceremony, however with the encouragement of his senior companions and with the approval of his mentor he eventually accompanied them to Cairo. It was to be a day that would mark history in Egypt, a bright new day in which the voice of Qari ‘Abd Al-Basit ‘Abd As-Samad, like the splendid rays of light emitted by of the rising sun, would penetrate the very heart and soul of Egypt. Qari ‘Abd Al-Basit ‘Abd As-Samad was mostly anxious and relatively discreet in the overwhelming presence of senior practitioners and authoritative personalities that were present at the gathering. The Imam of Lady Zainab’s Mosque, Sheikh Ali Subay, had noticed the presence of this young man sitting amongst some of the greatest reciters and most famous memorizers of Glorious Quran, yet somehow unsuspectedly, the young Qari would be summoned to recite for a duration of only ten minutes as a short opening rehearsal while the audiences warmed up for the main performers to commence. Gracefully, the young Qari began with the name of Allah and proceeded to recite some verses from the Holy Quran. This was to be a defining moment, a Golden moment, that would propel him into the center, of a universe that had previously been exclusively for the senior Quran reciters and devotees of the day, but now – at only 23 years of age, Qari ‘Abd Al-Basit Muhammad ‘Abd As-Samad had captivated the heart of Cairo and totally mesmerized his audience. His 10 minute rehearsal eventually lasted for an entire hour and a half owing to the insatiable and overwhelming requests from the audience.
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