Abdul Basit 'Abd us-Samad

‘Abdul-Basit ‘Abdus-Samad (Arabic: عبـدُ الباسِـط مُحـمّـد عبـدُ ٱلصّـمـد), or Abdel Basit Abdel Samad, or Abdul Basit Muhammad Abdus Samad (1927 – 30 November 1988) was an Egyptian Quran reciter and Hafiz and is regarded as one of the best reciters of the Quran who ever lived. He had won three world Qira'at competitions in the early 1970s. ‘Abdus-Samad was one of the first huffaz to make commercial recordings of his recitations, and the first president of the Reciters' Union in Egypt. At 10, Abdul Basit finished learning the Quran. He also learned 7 styles of Quran recitation by the age of 12 and the 10 styles by 14. The quadrumvirate of Al-Minshawy, Abdul Basit, Mustafa Ismail, and Al-Hussary, who belong to the "Egyptian Reciting School", are generally considered the most important and famous Qurra' of modern times to have had an outsized impact on the Islamic world. He came to be called the Golden Throat and the Voice of Heaven due to his melodious style, breath control, and unique emotional and engaging tone. He has a son, Tareq Abd El Basit Abd El Samad, who is also a known sheikh in Egypt; he has done many interviews on his father's life, family and career.

He died on Wednesday, November 30, 1988, and his funeral was national and official at the local and global levels. So great was the attendance at his funeral, it included ambassadors of various countries attending on behalf of their people, as well as kings and heads of state, in appreciation of his role in the field of advocacy in all its forms. His surviving relatives included (from oldest to the youngest): Yasir, Hisham, and Tariq. Following 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.

After this experience, Sheikh Abdul Basit began to think about applying to the radio station as a Quran reciter, but he hesitated a lot 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.

Sheikh Abdul Basit Abdul Samad was born in the year 1927 in the village of Al-Maarazeh situated in Qena Governorate (Egypt). From a very early age, he was very 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 its rules of recitation (al-tajwid and al-ahkam). His father, Muhammad Abdul Samad, was also one of the great reciters of the Quran and worked as a civil servant in the Ministry of Communications.