# Abdul Basit 'Abd us-Samad

Abdul Basit 'Abd us-Samad (1927 – 30 November 1988) was an Egyptian Quran reciter and Hafiz. He is part of a quadrumvirate, along with Siddiq Al-Minshawi, Mustafa Ismail, 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. He was the first president of the Reciter's union in Egypt. 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, Egypt. 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. His father, Muhammad Abdul Samad, was also a reciter of the Quran and worked as a civil servant in the Ministry of Communications.
Sheikh Abdul Basit Abdul Samad had two older brothers, Mahmoud and Abdul Hamid Abdul Samad who used to memorize the Quran at the Madrasa, 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 (Lower Egypt) to study the Quranic recitations (‘ulum al-Quran wa al-Qira’at) under the tutelage of Sheikh Muhammad Salim, a well known teacher of recitaion of that time.
A day before his departure to Tanta, Sheikh Muhammad Salim arrived to the Religious Institute in Armant 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 Qena Governorate Egypt, 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 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 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 and was received by the Pakistani President at the airport.
* In 1955, he travelled to Jakarta, Indonesia. 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 and the Prophet's Mosque in Medina.
* He also travelled to South Africa, where upon his arrival, officials sent him radio and television journalists to interview him.
* He also travelled to India 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, and read in the Al-Aqsa Mosque as well as the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron in Palestine and the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus 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 honoured him and awarded him the Order of Merit.
* He received the Order of Cedar from Lebanon
* The Golden Medal from Malaysia.
* A Medal from the Prime Minister of Syria in 1959.
* A Medal from the Prime Minister of Malaysia in 1965.
* The Order of Merit from the Senegalese President in 1975.
* The Golden Medal from Pakistan in 1980.
* The Order of Scholars from Pakistani President Zia-ul-Haq in 1984.
* The Egyptian Radio Medal on its fiftieth anniversary.
* The Order of Merit from the former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak 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.
* 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 ambassadors of various countries, as well as kings and heads of state. He was laid to rest in the graveyard of Imam Shafi Mosque, Egypt.

## 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, Southern Egypt, was opened under his name.