Shaban Abdul Aziz Sayyad

He was born on 20 September 1940 in the village of Sarawa, in the Ashmun district of Menoufia Governorate, and had memorised the whole Quran by the age of seven. He revised it with Sheikh Abd al-Aziz Madkour and studied the readings with Sheikh Gad Abu Gharbiya. After the Azhari institute in Menouf, he enrolled in al-Azhar's Faculty of Principles of Religion and graduated from its department of creed and philosophy in 1966 with a "very good" grade.

He taught at the Azhari institutes of Samannud and then al-Bagour before moving to the Awqaf administration, where he rose to the grade of undersecretary. Although already well known, he only joined Egyptian Radio in 1975. He was reciter of the al-Sha'rani Mosque in the Bab al-Sha'riya district and travelled to many countries to recite during the nights of Ramadan. Sheikh Mustafa Ismail is reported to have told him after hearing him: "You remind me of my youth."

He died on 29 January 1998. His recitations are in the Hafs 'an 'Asim reading.