Mohammed Ahmed Omran; A Qari Who Developed His Own Style in Ibtihal
He went blind at an early age but thanks to his mothers’ prayers, he became a recognized qari in the world.
Mohammed was born in 1944 in the city of Tahta in Egypt’s Sohag Governorate.
After he lost his eyesight, his mother prayed that God help him become a memorizer and reciter of the Quran. Her prayers were granted and Mohammed learned the Quran by heart at the age of 10.
He also learned the principles of recitation and rules of Tajweed by the age of 12 and received a permission to recite the Quran.
Mohammed was greatly influenced by Sheikh Naqshbandi (1920-1976) who urged him to go to Cairo and he did. In Cairo, he went to a music school for the visually-impaired and learned Maqamat (scale of tunes).
After graduation from high school, Mohammed started working at a casting company. He also recited the Quran and sang religious songs at the company’s mosque.
He entered the road to fame after success in an exam to join Egypt’s Quran Radio as an Ibtihal reciter.
From then on, he attended many religious programs and ceremonies to recite Ibtihal.
Mohammed was one of the prominent figures in Egypt’s Quran recitation. Benefiting his genius in recitation and his musical knowledge, he managed to develop his own style in Quran recitation and Ibtihal.
He believed that learning music can greatly help one in reciting Ibtihal.
He was among the first to recite the Quran and Ibtihal in celebrations as well.
Mohammed Ahmed Omran died on October 6, 1994 before reaching the age of 50.
Here is his recitation of verse 3 of Surah Fatir:
What follows is an audio file of one of his Ibtihals on the occasion of the birthday of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).
