A remarkable interview with renowned reciter Abdul Basit Abdus Samad.

(1927--1988) ( ‫عبد الباسط عبد‬

‫ )الصمد‬He is the only Qari to have won three world Qirat competitions in the early 1970s. 'Abd us-
Samad was one of the first huffaz to make commercial recordings of his recitations, and the first
president of the newly formed Reciters' Union in Egypt. ================

transcript:

[ Interviewer ]: As for composition, without musical instruments, I mean, Mr. Abdel Wahab's idea of
not using instruments...

[Abdel Basit] No, well, the Quran has rules for ghann (nasal 'nn' sound), and madd (elongating vowel
sounds) , and shortening and stuff like that. So I am sure it will conflict with, umm, with the glory of
the Quran.

[Interviewer] : I mean, the same Tajweed (proper recitation) that exists in the Quran, appears to me
to be sufficient

[AB] Of course, because the voice itself is a collection of tones, And every person, all the verses he
brings out (recites) This one is Nahawand, this one is Rast (Different Melodic structures), and so on
Each recitation a person can learn.

[I] So we are able to say that the Quran is a [melodic] composer [ab] Precisely, a natural [melodic]
composer [i] So the idea is not new...

[ab] No, the idea of the sound, is the sound itself, of course in it has its tunes.

[i] Respected Sheikh, do you listen to songs?

[ab] Yes, I listen to numerous songs.

[i] Which singers do you like?

[ab] Well, Wallahi I listen to every beautiful voice. And of course for the more beautiful voice, I listen
to the Misses Umm Kulthum, the star of the East and West

I: The Diva The Misses of Singing Well, because it seems to me that at the start of your life, you did
not Focus primarily on recitation.

AB: No, from the start it was my wish to become a Qari (Reciter) and when I was young I used to
melodify the recitation of the Quran.