Sheikh Shaban Sayyad: Remembering ‘Star of Quranic Circles’
Sheikh Sayyad was born on September 20, 1940, in Sarawak, Menofia Governorate, to a father who was also a top qari. He memorized the Quran by the age of seven and started participating in Quranic circles at the age of 12.
He later became an instructor at Al-Azhar Islamic University, Egypt's top center for Islamic learning.
He developed a unique style of recitation that was named after him as the Sayyadiyah school. He was also called the owner of the diamond larynx, the king of morning, the Muslim world qari, the owner of heavenly voice, the chevalier of qaris, and the star of Quranic circles. He was admired for his beautiful voice, long breath and skill in performing various Maqamat, or scales of tunes, in Quranic recitation.
Here is his famous recitation of verses 82-83 of Surah An-Nisa:
He was recognized as an international qari in 1966 and joined Egypt’s Quran Radio as a reciter in 1975.
He traveled to many countries, both Muslim and non-Muslim, to recite the Quran and received many awards, including the royal insignia of Brunei.
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He dedicated his life to the Quran and preferred Quran-related activities to teaching at Al-Azhar.
Late Ammar al-Shura’ei, a renowned Egyptian musician, once praised Sheikh Sayyad’s voice as breaking all regular laws in music. “Shaban Sayyad in his recitation acts very fluently and descends (lowers his voice) very simply like the flow of water,” he said.
What follows is a call to prayer (adhan) performed by the top qari:
Sheikh Sayyad passed away on the day of Eid al-Fitr, a major Islamic festival that marks the end of Ramadan, the month of fasting. He had been suffering from kidney disease since 1994.
He left behind a legacy of Quranic recitation that continues to inspire many Muslims around the world.
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