Abdul Basit 'Abd us-Samad (1927 – 30 November 1988) was an

Egyptian ''Egyptian'' describes something of, from, or related to Egypt. Egyptian or Egyptians may refer to: Nations and ethnic groups * Egyptians, a national group in North Africa ** Egyptian culture, a complex and stable culture with thousands of year ...

Quran reciter and Hafiz. He is part of a quadrumvirate, along with Siddiq Al-Minshawi,

Mustafa Ismail Mustafa Ismail (; 17 June 1905 – 26 December 1978) was an Egyptian Quran reciter. The quadrumvirate of Al-Minshawy, Abdul Basit, Al-Hussary and Mustafa Ismail are generally considered the most important and famous reciters of modern time ...

, and Al-Hussary, which are considered to be the most important and famous Qurra of modern times to have an outsized impact on the

Islamic World The terms Islamic world and Muslim world commonly refer to the Islamic community, which is also known as the Ummah. This consists of all those who adhere to the religious beliefs, politics, and laws of Islam or to societies in which Islam is ...

.Qari Abdul Basit Abdul-Samad Biography عبد الباسط عبد الصمد Great Muslim Lives
''http://www.youtube.com'', accessed 11 April 2021 He was the first president of the Reciter's union in

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

. He is known by the title "''Golden Throat"'' and "''Voice of Heaven"'' due to his melodious style, breath control, and unique emotional and engaging tone.

Early life

Sheikh Abdul Basit Abdul Samad was born in 1927 to an Saīdi Upper Egyptian family, in the village of Al-Maarazeh situated in

Qena Governorate Qena () is one of the governorates of Egypt. It is in Upper Egypt, the southern part of the country. It covers a stretch of the Nile valley. Its capital is the city of Qena. Overview The rate of poverty is more than 60% in this governorate but ...

. From a very early age, he was committed with the memorization and recitation of the Quran. His grandfather, Sheikh Abdul Samad, was well-known for his memorization of the Quran and known for his ability to memorize the Quran according to

tajwid In the context of the recitation of the Quran, or (, ) is a set of rules for the correct pronunciation of the letters with all their qualities and applying the various traditional methods of recitation, known as . In Arabic, the term is deriv ...

. His father, Muhammad Abdul Samad, was also a reciter of

the Quran The Quran, also Romanization, romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a Waḥy, revelation directly from God in Islam, God (''Allah, Allāh''). It is organized in 114 chapters (, ) which ...

and worked as a civil servant in the

Ministry of Communications A Communications Ministry or Department of Communications is a ministry or other government agency charged with communication. Communications responsibilities include regulating telecommunications, postal services, broadcasting and print media. The ...

. Sheikh Abdul Basit Abdul Samad had two older brothers, Mahmoud and Abdul Hamid Abdul Samad who used to memorize the

Quran The Quran, also Romanization, romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a Waḥy, revelation directly from God in Islam, God (''Allah, Allāh''). It is organized in 114 chapters (, ) which ...

at the

Madrasa Madrasa (, also , ; Arabic: مدرسة , ), sometimes Romanization of Arabic, romanized as madrasah or madrassa, is the Arabic word for any Educational institution, type of educational institution, secular or religious (of any religion), whet ...

, the young Abdul Basit joined them when he was six years old. Teacher of Abdul Basit noticed that he was quick in his memorization and very observant and keen to follow his teacher with all the pronunciation of the letters and the stop and start positions. His teacher also noticed his talent for recitation and great voice.

Education

Abdul Basit finished learning the Quran at age of 10 and then requested his grandfather and father to continue his education with the Qira’at (recitations). They both agreed and sent him to the city of

Tanta Tanta ( ' ) is a city in Egypt. Tanta had a population of 658,798 in 2018, making it the fifth most populous city in Egypt. Tanta is located between Cairo and Alexandria: north of Cairo and southeast of Alexandria. The capital of Gharbia Gove ...

(Lower Egypt) to study the Quranic recitations ''(‘ulum al-Quran wa al-Qira’at)'' under the

tutelage Tutoring is private academic help, usually provided by an expert teacher; someone with deep knowledge or defined expertise in a particular subject or set of subjects. A tutor, formally also called an academic tutor, is a person who provides assis ...

of Sheikh Muhammad Salim, a well known teacher of recitaion of that time. A day before his departure to

, Sheikh Muhammad Salim arrived to the Religious Institute in

Armant Armant (; or ''jwn.w-šmꜥ.w''; Coptic_language#Bohairic, Bohairic: ; Coptic_language#Sahidic, Sahidic: ), also known as Hermonthis (), is a town located about south of Thebes, Egypt, Thebes. It was an important Middle Kingdom of Egypt, Middle ...

in order to settle there as a teacher of Recitations. The people of the city established an association in Asfun Al-Matanah to preserve the Quran, so that Sheikh Muhammad Salim could teach the memorization of the Quran and its recitations. Abdul Basit went to him and reviewed the entire Qur’an with him, and then memorized the Al-Shatibia, a classical text of the science of the seven recitations. When Sheikh Abdul Basit reached the age of twelve, he was requested from all the cities and villages of

, especially Asfun Al-Matanah, with the help of Sheikh Muhammad Salim, who recommended Sheikh Abdul Basit everywhere he went, as Sheikh Salim's testimony was trusted by all people.

Career and personal life

Sheikh Abdul Basit Abdul Samad officially started his career as a Quran reciter in Cairo at the age of 23, when he was invited to attend the celebration of the birth of Sayyida Zainab. Where on the final night of the celebration, top reciters of the era were present including Sheikh Abdul Fattah Al-Shashaa’i, Sheikh Mustafa Isma’il, Sheikh Abdul Azim Zahir, Sheikh Abu Al-Aynayn Sha’iisha. The young Sheikh Abdul Basit tried to find a place for him among the audience of listeners to listen to these famous giants of recitation, see them and sit with them. After midnight, Sheikh Abdul Basit was accompanied by one of his relatives, who knew the officials in the Sayyida Zainab Mosque. He got the permission for Sheikh Abdul Basit to recite. He said: “I present to you a reader from Upper Egypt, whose voice is sweet and beautiful, and he will recite to you for ten minutes.” At that moment, the mosque was completely full to end, and the audience listened to his amazing voice that took the hearts of the listeners to the point that all attendees of the mosque yelled on top of his voice “Allah Akbar!” ''("God is the greatest!")''. Every time Sheikh Abdul Basit wanted to concluded the recitation with “Sadaqallahul Azim” ''("Allah Almighty has spoken the truth")'', the audience insisted that he keeps on reading, and he did so for about two hours and finished the recitation in the early morning. After this experience, Sheikh Abdul Basit thought about applying to

radio station Radio broadcasting is the broadcasting of audio (sound), sometimes with related metadata, by radio waves to radio receivers belonging to a public audience. In terrestrial radio broadcasting the radio waves are broadcast by a land-based rad ...

as a Quran reciter, but he hesitated due to his affiliation with the Upper Egypt, nevertheless, he choose to pursue a career as a Quran reciter. Sheikh Abdul Basit was appointed as a Quran reciter on the radio in the year 1951. ‘Abdus-Samad was among the first

huffaz In Islam, a Hafiz (; , pl. ''ḥuffāẓ'' , f. ''ḥāfiẓa'' ) is a person who has memorized the Quran. Hafiza is the female equivalent. A hafiz is highly respected by the community. A hafiz or hafiza are given titles such as "Hafiz Sahb" ...

to make commercial recordings of his recitations. His son, Tareq Abd El Basit Abd El Samad, is also a well-known reciter in Egypt; who has done many interviews on his father's life, family and career.

Travels

Sheikh Abdul Basit Abdul Samad travelled to several places, including: * He travelled to

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

and was received by the

Pakistani President The president of Pakistan () is the head of state of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. The president is the nominal head of the Government of Pakistan#Executive branch, executive and the commander-in-chief, supreme commander of the Pakistan ...

at the airport. * In 1955, he travelled to

Jakarta Jakarta (; , Betawi language, Betawi: ''Jakartè''), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta (; ''DKI Jakarta'') and formerly known as Batavia, Dutch East Indies, Batavia until 1949, is the capital and largest city of Indonesia and ...

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...

. The mosque was filled with attendees and they were outside the mosque for a distance of about a kilometer. The square opposite the mosque was filled with more than a quarter of a million Muslims listening to the Sheikh standing on their feet until dawn. * In 1952 he did the Hajj pilgrimage and recited the Quran in the Masjid-al-Haram in

Mecca Mecca, officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, is the capital of Mecca Province in the Hejaz region of western Saudi Arabia; it is the Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red Sea, in a narrow valley above ...

and the

Prophet's Mosque The Prophet's Mosque () is the List of the oldest mosques, second mosque built by the Prophets and messengers in Islam, Islamic prophet Muhammad in Islam, Muhammad in Medina, after the Quba Mosque, as well as the second List of large mosques, la ...

Medina Medina, officially al-Madinah al-Munawwarah (, ), also known as Taybah () and known in pre-Islamic times as Yathrib (), is the capital of Medina Province (Saudi Arabia), Medina Province in the Hejaz region of western Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, ...

. * He also travelled to

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

, where upon his arrival, officials sent him radio and television journalists to interview him. * He also travelled to

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

to celebrate a major religious ceremony held by one of the rich Muslims there. After his arrival, Sheikh Abdul Basit faced a moving situation. All those present were taking off their shoes and standing on the ground and they bowed their heads down looking at the place of prostration and their eyes overflowed with tears crying until the Sheikh finished recitation and his eyes tears shed from this humble attitude. * He also travelled to

Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...

, and read in the

Al-Aqsa Mosque The Aqsa Mosque, also known as the Qibli Mosque or Qibli Chapel is the main congregational mosque or Musalla, prayer hall in the Al-Aqsa mosque compound in the Old City (Jerusalem), Old City of Jerusalem. In some sources the building is also n ...

as well as the Ibrahimi Mosque in

Hebron Hebron (; , or ; , ) is a Palestinian city in the southern West Bank, south of Jerusalem. Hebron is capital of the Hebron Governorate, the largest Governorates of Palestine, governorate in the West Bank. With a population of 201,063 in ...

Palestine Palestine, officially the State of Palestine, is a country in West Asia. Recognized by International recognition of Palestine, 147 of the UN's 193 member states, it encompasses the Israeli-occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and th ...

and the

Umayyad Mosque The Umayyad Mosque (; ), also known as the Great Mosque of Damascus, located in the old city of Damascus, the capital of Syria, is one of the largest and oldest mosques in the world. Its religious importance stems from the eschatological reports ...

Damascus Damascus ( , ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in the Levant region by population, largest city of Syria. It is the oldest capital in the world and, according to some, the fourth Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. Kno ...

and in other famous mosques in Asia, Africa, the United States, France and London.

Honours and awards

Through the travels of Sheikh Abdul Basit Abdul Samad around the world, he received a large number of honours and awards. * In 1956,

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

honoured him and awarded him the Order of Merit. * He received the Order of Cedar from

Lebanon Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...

* The Golden Medal from

Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

. * A Medal from the

Prime Minister of Syria The prime minister of Syria (), officially the president of the Council of Ministers of the Syrian Arab Republic, was the head of government of Syria from 1920 to 2025. After the fall of the Assad regime, the prime minister of Syria was the head ...

in 1959. * A Medal from the

Prime Minister of Malaysia The prime minister of Malaysia (; ) is the head of government of Malaysia. The prime minister directs the executive branch of the Government of Malaysia, federal government. The Yang di-Pertuan Agong appoints the prime minister who is a membe ...

in 1965. * The Order of Merit from the Senegalese President in 1975. * The Golden Medal from

in 1980. * The Order of Scholars from

Zia-ul-Haq Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq (12 August 192417 August 1988) was a Pakistani military officer and statesman who served as the sixth president of Pakistan from 1978 until his death in an airplane crash in 1988. He also served as the second chief of ...

in 1984. * The Egyptian Radio Medal on its fiftieth anniversary. * The Order of Merit from the former

Egyptian President The president of the Arab Republic of Egypt () is the executive head of state of Egypt and the de facto appointer of the official head of government under the Egyptian Constitution of 2014. Under the various iterations of the Constitution of Eg ...

Hosni Mubarak Muhammad Hosni El Sayed Mubarak (; 4 May 1928 – 25 February 2020) was an Egyptian politician and military officer who served as the fourth president of Egypt from 1981 to 2011 and the 41st Prime Minister of Egypt, prime minister from 1981 to ...

during the celebration of the Day of Preachers in 1987. * In 1990, he received the last honours after his departure from former President Mohamed Hosni Mubarak in the celebration of

Laylat al-Qadr In Islamic belief, Laylat al-Qadr () or Night of Power is an Islamic holidays, Islamic festival in memory of the night when the Quran was first sent down from Heaven in Islam, heaven to the world, the first Waḥy, revelation the Islamic proph ...

. * He has won three world Qira'at competitions in the early 1970s.

Illness and death

He suffered from complications from diabetes later in life, but his liver problems coincided with diabetes, and he could not fight these two conditions together. He contracted hepatitis less than a month before his death and was admitted to a hospital but his health deteriorated further. This prompted his children and doctors to advise him to travel London for treatment, where he stayed for a week. He was accompanied by his son Tariq, who was asked to take him back to Egypt. He died on Wednesday, November 30, 1988. His funeral prayer was held on the following day after Dhuhr Prayer, the attendants of his funeral included

ambassador An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or so ...

s of various countries, as well as kings and heads of state. He was laid to rest in the graveyard of Imam Shafi Mosque,

Children

He was survived by his sons, namely, from oldest to youngest, Yasir, Hisham and Tariq. Following in his father's footsteps, Yasir also became a Qari. In 2006, a mosque in his native village of Armant in

Luxor Luxor is a city in Upper Egypt. Luxor had a population of 263,109 in 2020, with an area of approximately and is the capital of the Luxor Governorate. It is among the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest continuously inhabited c ...

, Southern Egypt, was opened under his name.

Notes

References

External links

Abdul Baset Biography
at ''assajda.com''

at ''quran-e-majeed.com'' * {{DEFAULTSORT:Abd us-Samad, Abdul-Basit Egyptian Quran reciters Egyptian imams 1927 births 1988 deaths People from Luxor Governorate Mu'azzins