Born in April 1947 into a religious family in Egypt’s Sharqia Governorate, Mutawalli Abdul Aal learned the entire Quran by heart at the age of 12.

He then started learning Quran recitation by imitating the style of great masters like Abdul Basit and Mustafa Ismail.

After a while, he managed to create his own style of Quran recitation.

Abdul Aal travelled to many countries during his lifetime to recite the Quran and serve as board of judges in many international Quran competitions.

He had several trips to Iran, including one in 1991 in which he was accompanied by another renowned Egyptian Qari Shahat Mohamed Anwar.

His last visit to Iran was in the holy month of Ramadan in 2014. 

Abdul Aal died of a heart attack on July 16, 2015, at the age of 68.

The following footage features his recitation of Surah al-Fatiha and the first few verses of Surah al-Baqarah.

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