Sheikh Mohamed Salamah
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Al-Azhar University
Al-Azhar University is an educational institute in Cairo, Egypt. Founded in 970~972 as a madrasa, it is the chief centre of Arabic literature and Islamic learning in the world. It is the oldest degree-granting university in Egypt. In 1961 non-religious subjects were added to its curriculum.It is...
, and at the age of nineteen was encouraged to become a reciter. He had already been reciting since the age of ten. Sheikh Salamah fought in the rebellion against the British in 1919 and proudly acknowledged his role in that.
He is the only prominent reciter who refused to record for the radio. One of the reasons for this refusal was the latter's failure to comply with certain conditions set by him, such as not having the Quran broadcast into the streets and cafes and not having the female announcer present in the same room while he was recording. It is argued that this failure to comply (particularly with the objection of the presence of a female announcer) was the loss ultimately of the people.
He participated in a conference of reciters in 1937 which resulted in the establishment of a Reciters' Association. The issue at stake was that some reciters were afraid that broadcasting recitation would harm the less prominent reciters, and that as a consequence their services would be less in demand.
Sheikh Salamah was both extremely articulate and sincere about his faith. In performance he was restrained in his gestures, ignoring the admiring comments. He was even noted to turn away from those wanting to kiss his hand in appreciation. When another reciter was performing, he would listen intently with his bowed. He was the acknowledged mentor of Sheikh Kamil Yusuf Al-Bahtimi
Sheikh Kamil Yusuf Al-Bahtimi
Sheikh Kamil Yusuf Al-Bahtimi was a prominent Quran reciter from Egypt who achieved considerable fame in the 1950s and 1960s. He was a contemporary of Sheikh Mohamed Siddiq El-Minshawi, a student of Sheikh Mohamed Salamah and Sheikh Mohamed Es-Seify.He is noted for imitating both Sheikh Mohamed...
and Sheikh Mohamed Siddiq El-Minshawi
Sheikh Mohamed Siddiq El-Minshawi
Sheikh Mohamed Siddiq El-Minshawi was an Egyptian Qur'anic reciter. Son of Sheikh Siddiq El-Minshawi, his brother Sheikh Mahmoud El-Minshawi is also a famous reciter.-History:...
, both of whom lived in his house for a period of time and went on to become widely respected reciters. Sheikh Salamah was a teacher of several prominent reciters, such as Sheikh Ali Mahmood, Sheikh Sayyid Darweesh, and Sheikh Zakariyya Ahmad
Zakariyya Ahmad
Zakariyya Ahmad was an Egyptian musician and composer. He composed many pieces in a traditional Egyptian folk style. His works include solo pieces and film scores, and he composed for Umm Kulthum beginning with a taqtuqa written in 1925.His father was Egyptian and his mother was Turkish.-External...
. The Sheikh is also respected in that he was able to recite at a very old age - having lived to almost a hundred years of age, he recited with great sophistication well past the age at which many reciters were unable to recite with any real attainment.
Sheikh Mohamed Salamah, due to an almost total absence of recordings is, for the most part unknown in contemporary society. However, within the circles of Quranic recitation he is respected and in many ways his footsteps are still to be heard along the narrow side streets of Cairo.