From Memorizing Quran in Childhood to Reciting in Kaaba; Quranic career of Sheikh Tablawi
He passed away on May 5, 2020, at the age of 86 and after several decades of service in the path of the Quran.
Sheikh Tablawi was a reciter with style and known as the “Leader of the Reciters” of Egypt, who worked in this field for more than sixty years.
He was born on November 14, 1934 in the Mait Aqaba neighborhood in Giza Governorate. Tablawi memorized the entire Quran at the age of 9 and his fame in reciting the Quran became widespread soon after. At the age of 12, he was invited to ceremonies honoring elders, officials, prominent figures, and famous families alongside famous radio qaris, and before he reached the age of 15, he had attained a high position among them. So the good news that his grandfather had given his father that his grandson would be a Hafiz and reciter of the Quran had now come true.
Tablawi was active in the field of judging international Quran memorization competitions and judged in many contests around the world. He was awarded an honorary plaque by the Lebanese authorities in recognition of his efforts in serving the Holy Quran.
Sheikh Tablawi’s son said in an interview with Sadi Al-Balad that his path in the world of Quran recitation began at the age of eight, through the celebration of Mother’s Day at his school. He recited verses from Surah Luqman at the ceremony.
He noted that his first trip with his father was to South Africa in 2006, where he experienced a level of love from the audience that surpassed what he had seen from the Egyptians.
He also described some of the human aspects of his father’s life, especially his weekly recitation of the Holy Quran and his humility towards people despite his fame in the world of Quran recitation.
Sheikh Tablawi was known as the owner of the “Golden Throat”. Officials from various countries around the world, including the Vatican, sent him official invitations. He was also invited to recite at the funeral of Queen Zein al-Sharaf, the mother of King Hussein of Jordan, the funeral of King Hassan II of Morocco, and the funeral of Basil, son of Hafez al-Assad, the former president of Syria. In addition, he received invitations to recite the Quran in front of large crowds of Muslims in Greece and Italy.
His intense care for his voice and his constant association with prominent reciters such as Masters Rifa’at, Ali Mahmoud, Mohamed Salameh, Saifi, Bahtimi and Mustafa Ismail, the leading reciters of the radio, and listening to them both directly and through the radio, helped him improve his art of recitation.
Tablawi made more effort to join the Quran Radio than other reciters. He applied for this nine times, but our divine providence is above human providence, and God did not allow him on these nine occasions, but on the tenth occasion he was able to achieve the desired privilege and join the radio.
He said sadly in an interview, “The respect and love of the people is a badge of honor for me; but what upsets me is that in Egypt only artists are respected. I have been honored in many countries, such as Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Lebanon, but I have not been honored in my own country yet.”
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Finally, the Egyptian ministry of Awqaf honored him at the closing ceremony of the 23rd International Quran Recitation Competition held in Sharm El-Sheikh, South Sinai Governorate, alongside a select group of distinguished reciters, including Sheikh Mahmoud Khalil Al-Husari and Sheikh Abdul Baset Abdul Samad.
Tablawi traveled to more than 100 countries, but the trip that will always remain memorable was his trip to Saudi Arabia and his recitation before the call to prayer inside the Kaaba, as he was the only qari to recite the Quran within its walls.
On the day of his death, a center for training Quran memorizers was named after him.
The video below is of Sheikh Muhammad Mahmoud Tablawi reciting Surah Yunus, Verses 84 to 86.
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