Qari Abdul Basit 'Abd us-Samad (1927 – 30 November 1988; ) was a well known Qari (reciter of the Quran). As such, many modern reciters try to copy his style. He is the only Qari to have won three world Qirat competitions in the early 1970s. 'Abd us-Samad was one of the first Hafiz to make commercial recordings of his recitations, and the first president of the newly formed Reciters' Union in Egypt. He is best known for his recitation of Sura Al-Fatiha, the first chapter of the Qur'an, and an important sura in the five daily Islamic prayers. His mother was an Egyptian Arab and his father was of Kurdish descent