Kamil Yusuf; A Qari Who Established His Own Style by Listening to Others’ Recitations
He was influenced by great qaris like Sheikh Muhammad Rif’at and influenced Quran reciters after him.
Kamil Yusuf was born in 1922 in Bahtim village. 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.
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.
It is important to note that most prominent qaris belonging to Egypt’s golden era of recitation had learned Quran recitation by attending classes and Quranic programs but Kamil Yusuf established his own style by just listening to Quran recitations of top qaris.
Kamil Yusuf died on February 6, 1969.
