IQNA – In the mid-20th century, Egypt emerged as the unrivaled global center of Quran recitation within the Islamic world—an era when great qaris, with their enduring voices, shaped the land’s religious and cultural identity.
How did this legacy come into being, and why has it never been replicated?
Although Egypt is the original birthplace of the art of recitation in the Islamic world, in the contemporary media environment we are witnessing “the gradual forgetting of the authentic schools” and “a break between the new generation of qaris and the legacy of their predecessors.”
Today, some commercial and superficial recitations have replaced artistic and thought-provoking recitations, and the precise techniques of Waqf, Ibtida, tone and Tajweed, which are the result of centuries of experience of Egyptian masters, are not properly documented and introduced.
In a series of reports, IQNA aims to retrace the evolution of this art, from the “old school” to the emergence of “recitation geniuses”, while evaluating the current situation, and establish a bridge between the original Egyptian techniques and the artistic needs of today’s Quranic audience, so that the art of recitation returns from a “merely imitative ritual” to a “living and dynamic flow”.
Yemen’s Al-Istiqlal newspaper in an article wrote on this subject:
“Reciters of Yesterday’ or ‘Reciters of the Good Old Days’ are terms distinctively used to describe the Egyptian Quran reciters of the mid-20th century.
Between the 1940s and the 1980s, Egypt—unlike many other parts of the Arab world—witnessed the emergence of exceptional stars in the field of Quran recitation; qaris whose performances left a profound and lasting impact not only locally but across the entire Arab and Islamic worlds.
This brilliant era began with figures such as Sheikh Muhammad Rifaat and Sheikh Mustafa Ismail, extended to Mahmoud Khalil al-Hussary and Muhammad Siddiq al-Minshawi, and continued with Abdul Basit Abdul Samad, Muhammad Mahmoud al-Tablawi, and dozens of others. These were voices that embodied Egypt’s religious and cultural identity, and whose renown spread from India, Pakistan, and Malaysia in the East to Muslim communities in Europe and the Americas in the West.
Amidst the “poignancy and sorrow” of al-Minshawi’s voice, the “soaring range and resonance” of Abdul Basit’s, and the “dignity and grandeur” of al-Hussary, the listener could soar through the spiritual atmosphere created by these recitations. Although many attempted to imitate their voices, they could neither replicate nor match them. The original voices retained their prestige and magnificence in the hearts and minds of listeners.
During that era, the radio served as a window connecting millions of people to the world. Many people first came to know Egypt through the recitations of these masters broadcast on Cairo’s Quran Radio. Although these qaris passed away years ago, their voices continue to delight the ears of millions every morning and evening, and their memory endures in the minds of many.
Role of Maqamat (Melodic Modes) in Quran Recitation
One day, Sheikh Muhammad Siddiq al-Minshawi was asked, “You are skilled in performing all the maqamat. Did you learn them from someone?” He replied, “I do not know what is meant by maqamat, nor have I ever studied them.”
This response holds the key to understanding the recitation style of Egyptian qaris; for the harmony found in the recitations of al-Minshawi and his peers stems from an innate alignment between the meaning of the verse and the choice of the appropriate melodic mode.
According to experts, these melodic modes—or musical scales, as some call them—consist of seven primary maqamat: Saba, Nahawand, Ajam, Bayat, Segah, Hijaz, and Rast; various secondary modes branch out from these.
Each maqam evokes a specific emotional state. For instance, Maqam Saba is melancholic and well-suited for verses describing the fires of Hell. Maqam Segah is uplifting and appropriate for verses depicting Paradise, while Maqam Bayat carries a tone of sorrow and grief.
While many contemporary qaris must actively study these modes to master them and reach the caliber of the great reciters of the past, the Egyptian qaris of that era possessed an innate mastery of them, having acquired the skill naturally rather than through formal training or educational programs. Furthermore, formal training in maqamat was not common among sheikhs and Quran reciters during those decades. It was generally the monopoly of singers and composers. Nevertheless, they mastered the maqamat and attained the rank of virtuosos.
Why did this cultural leap occur only in Egypt?
In any discussion regarding the “Golden Age” of Quran reciters in Egypt, the question often arises: Why were those stars never replicated? Why was their presence confined to a specific era? And why did this leap in Quranic recitation occur exclusively in Egypt rather than in other geographical regions?
Addressing this question in an interview with Al-Estiqlal* newspaper, Abdulhadi Al-Azazi, Yemen’s deputy minister of culture, stated, “Egypt experienced an early cultural leap driven by an educational and cultural reform movement that began in the 19th century and peaked in the 20th century—particularly after the country became a key base for Allied forces during the First and Second World Wars. This transformation was fully reflected in Egypt’s cultural landscape and, in turn, extended to the Quranic schools of the time.”
According to him, the influence of reformers like Muhammad Abduh, the connection to the Arab Renaissance (Nahda), and the emergence of intellectual, nationalist, and Islamic movements transformed Egypt into the hub of cultural change within the Arab world.
He added, “The ‘School of Languages’ [and the broader educational evolution] laid the foundation for the emergence of a major cultural and artistic movement. This movement was fundamentally rooted in the recitation of the Holy Quran and served as one of the most significant factors in the evolution of performance styles in Egypt. This cultural surge—part of a quest for Arab and religious identity—emerged following decades of British occupation. These schools and cultural and artistic activities arose as a reaction to British policies regarding education in Egypt.”
He added that this movement was not limited to the Holy Quran; it also encompassed the revival of Arab heritage and authentic art rich in Arabic poetry—particularly Andalusian poetry—and entailed the establishment of music academies and Christian missionary schools.
Maktabs: The Incubators of Great Reciters
Many attribute Egypt’s cultural surge to the political and social conditions of that era; however, it appears there was another decisive factor alongside these conditions: the proliferation of maktabs (traditional Quranic schools) across Egypt’s cities and villages.
A study of the biographies of prominent reciters reveals that maktabs played a pivotal role in shaping many of Egyptian society’s icons, particularly in the cultural and literary spheres. These schools, which operated over several decades, were instrumental in enabling Egyptian reciters to reach such exceptional levels of mastery.
Maktabs served as centers for intensive education where students dedicated their full time to memorizing the Quran and mastering the art of recitation.
The role of maktabs was not limited solely to training great Quran reciters; they also played a part in nurturing prominent writers, artists, and singers—such as Umm Kulthum and Mohammed Abdel Wahab—who had mastered Quranic recitation before embarking on their singing careers.
In the realms of literature and intellectual thought, figures such as Rifa'a al-Tahtawi, Ahmed Shawqi, Ibrahim Nagi, Taha Hussein (Dean of the Faculty of Arabic Literature), Ahmed Shafiq Kamel, and Abdel Rahman el-Abnudi all graduated from these traditional Quranic schools.
Essam al-Qaisi, a writer and researcher, told Al-Estiqlal newspaper that from the early 20th century—or even earlier, particularly during the era of Muhammad Ali and the period that followed—prominent elites emerged in Egypt across all fields, including intellectual thought, literature, and the arts.
Al-Qaisi added, “Due to its proximity to the Mediterranean, Egypt was the first non-European nation to respond to the European Renaissance; it adopted and utilized what we might term the elements of modernity and the intellectual and literary renaissance, and these elements were reflected across all sectors.”
Regarding the emergence of this movement during that specific era, one could say—if the metaphor holds—that it was akin to someone stepping out of a cave; it was defined by the nature of that moment, characterized by high cognitive readiness and a clear mind, free from the myriad distractions or preoccupations that clutter modern life, as the sources of agitation in daily existence were far more limited at the time, he stated.
In his view, this very mental and spiritual readiness—coupled with an explosion of authentic knowledge—created a unique environment for the flourishing of linguistic, artistic, and Quranic capabilities; an environment that is rarely replicated today amidst shifting lifestyles and the rapid pace of media.
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