Today marks the death anniversary of the famous Egyptian Qur’an reciter, Muhammed Siddiq al-Minshawi (20 January 1920 – 20 June 1969). Since he is considered among the unique Qur’an reciters and huffaz of the twentieth century, it is important to remember him and be inspired by his great legacy.

Al-Minshawi comes from a well-known family of reciters, calligraphers and huffaz (memorisers of the Qur’an). At a very young age, his father, Siddiq Tayib started to teach him the art of Qur’anic recitation. Later, he traveled to Cairo with his uncle to study the Qur’an there. In 1928, at the age of 8, he finished memorising the holy Qur’an. Then he went back to his town, Suhaj, where he continued studying different Qur’anic sciences.

He used to gather his father and his uncle in numerous nights, listening to their great recitations and learning from them, and sometimes reciting with them. In his early thirties he became a famous reciter, not only in Egypt but also in the Islamic world. Everyone was impressed by his unique recitation and he was invited to recite the Qur’an in many countries, such as Palestine, Syria, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Libya and Indonesia.

Al-Minshawi’s recitation is very powerful and engaging. It easily brings the meanings and the message of the Quran to the listener, through different tones and emphasis on specific words.

In addition to his impeccable tajwid and style, he wrote books on various aspects of the Qur’an and was involved in the calligraphic printing of the Qur’anic text. Moreover, he taught Qur’an recitation to a generation of younger reciters, and held the title of shaykh al-maqari’.

Having learnt about the legacy of this great personality, and knowing that the Qur’an is our only saviour in this difficult time, we urgently need to strengthen our connection with the Qur’an, and encourage everyone around us to do so. Are we going to follow his steps?

 

By Dr. Iman Alattar