Sheikh Mustafa Ismail, A Qari with Memorable Recitations
Sheikh Mustafa Ismail was a Qari who introduced an innovative style of recitation in which he somehow would illustrate the concepts of the verses through his beautiful voice.
He was born on 17 June 1905 in a village called Mit Gazal near the city of Tanta in Egypt’s Gharbia Governorate.
His parents named him Mustafa Muhammad Mursi Ismail. His father, who was a farmer, sent him to a Quran school headed by Sheikh Abdul Rahman Abulainain to memorize the Quran.
Mustafa Ismail managed to learn the entire Quran by heart at the age of 10.
He then started learning Quran recitation and Tajweed principles with Sheikh Idris Fakhir.
He first recited the Quran before a crowd at the age of 14. Those who heard his recitation at the Atif Mosque in Tanta were amazed by his beautiful performance and encouraged him to continue on the path of Quran recitation.
He did so by going to Cairo and learning more in the field from prominent Qari Sheikh Muhammad Rafa’at.
Soon he became a well-known Qari all over Egypt and travelled to many other countires, including Iraq, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Germany, Palestine, Britain and France to recite the Quran.
He also received many medals of honor in his own country and elsewhere.
Sheikh Mustafa Ismail died on December 26, 1978 and was buried in his home.
Every year, prominent Quran activists from Egypt and other countries gather in his home on this day to pay respect to this great Qari of the 20th century.
