From a village in the Delta
Sheikh Shahat Muhammad Anwar – may Allah have mercy on him – was born in 1950 in Dakahlia governorate in Egypt's Nile Delta. Like so many reciters from his homeland, he began in his village kuttab and memorised the whole Quran as a child. His voice soon made him known in the area; he was invited to recite at celebrations and memorial gatherings, and his reputation grew from place to place.
The road to the radio
Towards the end of the 1970s Sheikh Shahat was accepted as a reciter on Egyptian radio. With that he joined the generation that carried forward the legacy of the great mid-century masters. In the decades that followed he travelled to many countries, recited at Ramadan nights, conferences and great mosques, and was a familiar voice in Egypt.
An expressive style
Sheikh Shahat was a reciter of mujawwad, the extended, melodically rich form of recitation. His voice was powerful and at the same time very agile; he commanded the maqamat with assurance and could move quickly between deep, earnest tones and bright, hopeful ones. Long, artfully shaped arcs and strong emotional expression were typical of him. Listeners in the mosques often responded audibly – a sign of how deeply his recitation reached people.
A father and his school
His legacy also lives on in his family: his son Mahmoud Shahat Anwar is a well-known reciter today and carries his father's style into a new generation.
What you can take from him as a learner
- Emotion and meaning: notice how he adapts his tone to the content. Then read the tafsir of a passage he recites – you will discover connections.
- Understanding mujawwad: his recordings are a good introduction to this form of recitation, which asks for patience in listening and rewards it.
- Tradition as a chain: father and son show how recitation is passed from generation to generation.
Legacy
Sheikh Shahat Muhammad Anwar passed away in 2008, far too early for many. His recordings are still listened to in Egypt and beyond. May Allah have mercy on him and make every verse he recited a light for him in the grave and on the Day of Resurrection.