Kamil Yusuf Al-Bahtimi; A Companion of Renowned Egyptian Reciters
That is why he was known in his country as the “companion of renowned Quran reciters”.
Yesterday, February 6, marked the anniversary of death of Bahtimi.
He was born in Bahtim village in 1922. His father, who was one of the village’s qaris, introduced him to the world of Quran recitation at an early age.
Kamil learned the entire Quran by heart at the age of ten. He also learned to recite Adhan (call to prayer).
At first the muezzin of the village’s mosque did not allow him to recite Adhan because he considered him to be too young. However, after his beautiful recitations in the village proved his talents, the muezzin relented.
In his early teenage years, Kamil started listening to Quran recitations by Master Muhammad al-Sayfi and imitating his style.
Al-Sayfi soon recognized Kamil’s talent and took the young boy with him to different cities of Egypt, including Cairo, to recite the Quran.
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Kamil also tried to benefit from the recitation styles of Sheikh Muhammad Rif’at and Sheikh Muhammad Salamah. He soon became known as a great qari throughout Egypt himself.
While most prominent qaris belonging to Egypt’s golden era of recitation had learned Quran recitation by attending classes and Quranic programs, Kamil established his own style by just listening to Quran recitations of top qaris.
In 1967, when he was in Port Said to recite the Quran at a memorial service, his performance came to an abrupt halt. It took the audience by surprise, and it soon became clear that he had suffered a stroke.
He recovered from it after some time but he never regained his strong voice again. Kamil Yusuf died on February 6, 1969.
The following footage features Kamil Yusuf Al-Bahtimi’s recitation of verses 44-46 of Surah Al-Baqarah:
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