Tarouti: Sheikh Sha’sha’i’s Voice Made Listeners Feel the Majesty of Quran

IQNA – Renowned Egyptian reciter Abdul Fattah Tarouti described the late Sheikh Abdul Fattah Sha’sha’i as a qari whose majestic and distinctive voice conveyed the grandeur of the Quran and founded a unique school of recitation.

Speaking on Tuesday, during an interview with the satellite channel Al-Nas on the anniversary of Sheikh Sha’sha’i’s passing, Tarouti, who serves as Deputy Chief of Egyptian Quran Reciters, reflected on the master’s enduring legacy in the art of Quran recitation.

He said Sheikh Abdul Fattah Sha’sha’i had “a voice so magnificent and filled with majesty that the listener could feel the greatness of the Quran, as if the verses were descending from heaven.”

Tarouti added that Sha’sha’i’s voice “never lost its vitality over the years — it remained fresh and generous until the final days of his life.”

Tarouti noted that Sha’sha’i was among the first to join Egyptian Radio, which helped solidify his position in the hearts of the Muslim world.

According to Tarouti, Sha’sha’i stood alongside Sheikh Muhammad Rif’at and Sheikh Ali Mahmoud as one of the pillars of Egypt’s “Golden Age of Recitation.”

He described Sha’sha’i’s style as “unlike anyone else,” adding that many young reciters today imitate him for “the beauty of his performance and the spiritual depth of his delivery.”

Tarouti recalled that Sha’sha’i was the first Egyptian qari to recite the Quran through loudspeakers at the Grand Mosque in Mecca and the Prophet’s Mosque in Medina, especially on the Day of Arafah — “an honor bestowed only upon God’s chosen servants.”

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He concluded by praying for divine mercy upon the late qari, saying: “May God bless this blessed voice that served the Quran sincerely and make his recitation a light in his grave and a source of elevation in rank.”

Born on March 21, 1890, in Sha’sha village in Egypt’s Monufia Governorate, Sheikh Abdul Fattah Sha’sha’i memorized the Quran before the age of ten under his father, Sheikh Mahmoud Sha’sha’i.

He devoted his life to serving the Quran and passed away on November 11, 1962, at the age of 72. Known as the “Pillar of the Art of Recitation,” he left behind more than 400 recordings still broadcast on Egyptian radio today.

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