Abd al-Fattah al-Marsafi
- Died
- 1409 AH
- Born in
- -
Abd al-Fattah al-Marsafi (1342–1409 AH / 1923–1989 CE) was an Egyptian scholar of Quranic recitation (qira'at) and orthoepy (tajwid), known for his comprehensive manual Hidayat al-Qari ila Tajwid Kalam al-Bari .
Early Life and Education
Abd al-Fattah ibn al-Sayyid 'Ajami al-Marsafi—whose family carried the title (laqab) al-'Asas—was born in the village of Marsafa in the Banha district of the Qalyubiyya Governorate, Egypt, on 5 June 1923 (1342 AH; another source dates his birth to 1341 AH) . He adhered to the Shafi'i school of jurisprudence . Raised in a household dedicated to the Quran, his father was a local Quran reciter and teacher who recited according to the reading of Abu 'Amr al-Basri . Marsafi memorized the entire Quran in his village before the age of ten, completed a full recitation with tajwid, and received a formal certification (ijaza) in the narration of Hafs around 1939 . In the same year, he graduated first in his class from primary school .
He continued his religious training at al-Azhar, studying rhetoric, morphology, jurisprudence, and Quranic exegesis . He entered the Institute of Recitations (Ma'had al-Qira'at) affiliated with the Faculty of Arabic Language at al-Azhar University in Cairo, earning his tajwid diploma in 1953 . During his studies, he mastered the foundational didactic poems and received transmission for both the seven and ten canonical readings via the routes of the Shatibiyya, al-Durra, and Tayyibat al-Nashr . His teachers included Muhammad 'Afifi al-Marsafi (also recorded as Zaki ibn Muhammad 'Afifi), Rifa'i Ahmad al-Majuli, Muhammad Hasan al-Anwar Sharif, and Ahmad Abd al-Aziz al-Zayyat .
Career and Teaching
In 1962, al-Marsafi moved to Libya to teach at the al-Sanusi Islamic University, where he authored his work al-Tariq al-Ma'mun . In 1397 AH, he relocated to Medina, Saudi Arabia, where he taught at the College of the Holy Quran at the Islamic University of Medina for approximately eleven years . During this period, he composed Hidayat al-Qari ila Tajwid Kalam al-Bari . He was subsequently appointed as a member and academic consultant at the King Fahd Complex for the Printing of the Holy Quran in Medina . Numerous students studied under him, including Ahmad al-Bur'i al-Husani and Abd al-Rahim al-Bur'i .
Death
Al-Marsafi died on Wednesday, 17 Jumada al-Akhira 1409 AH (1989 CE), after the afternoon ('Asr) prayer, while listening to one of his students recite a full completion (khatma) of the Quran .
Answer updated
List of Works
Hidayat al-Qari ila Tajwid Kalam al-Bari (The Reader's Guide to the Recitation of the Creator's Speech) is a comprehensive manual on the science of Tajwid (Quranic orthoepy and recitation). The work synthesizes foundational principles and intricate rulings of recitation, serving as an exhaustive reference for advanced scholars as well as an accessible guide for beginners while detailing authentic recitation practices.