THE BLOSSOMING FLOWER
Qari ‘Abd Al-Basit ‘Abd As-Samad as an extraordinarily gifted talent who despite his young age attracted a great deal of attention and yielded a significant degree of respect. Allah had endowed him with a beautiful voice and the ability to convey a deep and meaning understanding of the scripture through his melodious and heartfelt recitations. A year following his participation in the religious ceremony at the Grand Mosque of Lady Zainab in Cairo, the young ‘Abd Al-Basit ‘Abd As-Samad would enroll himself into a very challenging, exceptionally selective radio audition which was broadcast on one of the main radio stations, in Country. Sitting on the board of senior assessors was the notable scholar and critic Sheikh Ad-Dabah who had initially encouraged the young talent to enroll for the audition. Other adjudicators included the knowledgeable scholar Sheikh Muhammad Shaltût as well as the respected and renowned Quran reciter Sheikh Mahmûd Ali Al Bannâ.
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| Sheikh ABdul baseet |
By the grace of Allah the young Qari had surpassed all expectations he did not fail to impress his assessors by successfully passing the examination at the first attempt. From that moment onward his voice was broadcast across the airwaves at eight in the evening, every Saturday.
Soon the inhabitants of his village in Armant would begin to gather around a small radio in order to listen to their beloved son, as he embellished the airwaves with his ornamental and exquisitely beautiful recitation of the Glorious Quran.
A RISING STAR
In 1952 ‘Abd Al-Basit ‘Abd As-Samad became the official reciter of the grand Masjid of Imam Ash-Shafee’i, and in 1985 he also became the official reciter at the Grand Masjid of Imam Hussein, thereby succeeding the late and great Sheikh Mahmûd Ali Al Bannâ.
During his lifetime he was granted the honorific title of - As-Sawtu Makkah – (The Voice of Makkah) having enjoyed the rare privilege and honour of reciting the Glorious Quran from Islam’s holiest Mosque and sanctuary - Al Masjid Al Haram - located in modern day Saudi Arabia.
He also had the distinction of reciting before thousands of believers from all over the world in Islam’s second holiest Mosque - Masjid Al Nabawy - in the enlightened city of Al Madinah. Qari ‘Abd Al-Basit Muhammad ‘Abd As-Samad also founded the - National Union for Reciters - and was subsequently elected by unanimous consensus to champion the initiative by becoming the first president and chairman of the newly formed organization.
In addition to being counted amongst the top five Quran reciters of the latter generations, Qari ‘Abd Al-Basit Muhammad ‘Abd As-Samad went on to become the very first reciter to win three consecutive titles at the world Quran recitation championships during the 1970s.
BENEATH THE GOLDEN SMILE
Yet despite his overwhelming fame and his astounding achievements the Sheikh maintained a very pleasant and kind disposition. Some of his closest friends and companions would often recount the instances when the Sheikh, would return home after his international travels often times to be greeted by long lines of people who would come to him asking for help, yet he would always assist them and listen to their concerns and although he granted them large sums of money from his own personal earnings, the Sheikh would still refrain from requesting any financial compensation for his recitation of the Quran.
We have some rare insight and intimate pointers into the character and personal life of the late Sheikh ‘Abd Al-Basit Muhammad ‘Abd As-Samad, in an article published in 1966 by an English lecturer at the University of Al Azhar – Egypt.
In this publication the late Sheikh is described in the following words:
“(He was a) very simple soft-hearted man. He never forgot his friends, however rich or poor they may be. When sitting in his chauffeur-driven limousine, he loved to sit next to his driver whom he called Akh Masood (Brother Masood)”
[Razack 1966:6]
As a result of his heartfelt recitation and his deeply rooted love of the scripture, it is reported that many people had embraced the Faith after having listened to and internalized the recitation of Sheikh ‘Abd Al-Basit ‘Abd As-Samad.
In fact, during an interview broadcast on national television. The Sheikh recounts an incident that took place while he was accompanying the Egyptian president Gamal Abdul Nassir who at the time had an audience with some Russian dignitaries and senior ranking officers. The Sheikh recalls that after he had completed his rehearsal of the Holy Quran, he witnessed a significant number of Russian officers who were moved to tears despite not having understood the Quranic Arabic that was being recited before them.
TOWARDS THE GARDEN
However, towards the latter part of the twentieth century, the great Sheikh ‘Abd Al-Basit ‘Abd As-Samad would spend his final few days on this earth.
He passed away on Wednesday November the 30th in 1988 and his passing away was mourned by dignitaries, patrons of the arts, ordinary men, women and children from all walks of life, across the Muslim world and beyond. Yet even after his death, his beautiful voice continues to touch the hearts and penetrates the souls of his audiences.
His awesome recitations continue to live in the collective Muslim hearts and minds, his life story is an outstanding inspiration for subsequent generations of Quran students, listeners and reciters from across the world. By the Divine Grace of Allah. Qari ‘Abd Al-Basit Muhammad ‘Abd As-Samad spent a vast proportion of his adult life teaching the words of the Glorious Quran and transmitting it’s beautiful and rhythmic verses to audiences around the world and at home. He championed the fine science and discipline of Quranic recitation, through the - National Union of Reciters - and through his timeless studio recordings.
May God grant him the light of the Quran on the day of Judgment and may he be raised to the highest ranks in Paradise.
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