Mahmoud al-Toukhi, Egyptian Qari Who Imitates Legendary Sheikh Rafa’at (+Video)
Toukhi was born in a village in Qalyubiyya Governorate northeast of the country where people loved learning the Quran and would hold various Quranic programs, especially during the holy month of Ramadan.
In an interview with al-Arabia TV, he said his father took sent him at an early age to a Maktab (Quran school) where an old Sheikh taught the Quran.
He first memorized the Quran and then started learning recitation.
Toukhi says he first imitated the styles of many prominent Qaris like Abdul Basit Abdul Samad, Mustafa Ismail, Mohamed Sidiq Minshawi and Mahmodu Ali al-Bana.
The one who mostly affected his recitation style, though, was Sheikh Mohamed Rafa’at who was both a Qari and a muezzin (one who recites the call to prayer or Adhan).
Toukhi has recited the Quran on many occasion and in various ceremonies in Egypt, including those attended by senior officials.
He has also travelled to different countries, both Muslim and non-Muslim, for recitation of the Quran.
He remembers that in Tanzania, there are many Quranic schools that teach Quran recitation in the style of Egyptian Qaris.
He also recalls a trip to Kyrgyzstan during which thousands had attended one of the sessions in which he recited the Quran.
Toukhi says that in recent years he has rejected some 50 invitations to travel to Turkey because of opposition to the policies of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Asked about the reason why Quran recitations by previous generations of Qaris were so popular in their times and even now, he says it is because they recited with pure intention as they only recited for God.
They also had mastery not only in recitation skills but also in Quran interpretation, he added.
Here is a video of Toukhi's recitation of verses from Surah al-Baqara:
Egypt is a country in North Africa with a population of around 96 million.
Muslims account for around 90 percent of the country’s total population.
Quranic activities are very common in the Muslim-majority Arab country and many of the Muslim world’s top Qaris in the past and present have been Egyptian.
