#6Oct73: Those Quran verses at Dawn Prayer

This post is marked at 4:25 a.m. Cairo local time, the time of Al-Fajr (dawn) prayer on 6 October 1973.

It was the 10th of Ramadan, 1393 AH, and, as usual during the holy month, many people were awake to attend the dawn prayer.

A group of Egyptian soldiers praying on the front in October 1973 during the war 
with their boots on. Enhanced and colored by Google Gemini

Most of them tuned their radios to the Holy Qur’an Radio Station to follow the live broadcast of the prayer.

Those listeners, as well as those people in the mosque, became, unknowingly, the lucky few in the world who heard the renowned Qur’an reciter Sheikh Mohamed Ahmed Shabib lead the Fajr prayer from Al-Hussein Mosque.

That early morning before the prayer itself, Sheikh Shabib recited verses from Surah Al-Imran, the third chapter of the Holy Qur’an — a chapter that tells of the family of Imran (Joachim), which includes Imran, Saint Anne (wife of Imran), Mary, and Jesus.

It also contains references to the Battles of Badr and Uhud, two pivotal moments in early Islamic history.

What made this recitation unforgettable was that Sheikh Shabib chose — and repeated three times the first verse from the collection known as the martyrdom verses in that Surah. 

وَلَئِن قُتِلْتُمْ فِى سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ أَوْ مُتُّمْ لَمَغْفِرَةٌۭ مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ وَرَحْمَةٌ خَيْرٌۭ مِّمَّا يَجْمَعُونَ ١٥٧

Should you be martyred or die in the cause of Allah, then His forgiveness and mercy are far better than whatever ˹wealth˺ those ˹who stay behind˺ accumulate.”

https://quran.com/3/157

You can hear the people in the mosque cheering for him because he recited in three different ways. It is a well-known practice in Egypt for people to cheer for Quran reciters when they recite the Quran beautifully. 

Then the Sheikh completed

وَلَئِن مُّتُّمْ أَوْ قُتِلْتُمْ لَإِلَى ٱللَّهِ تُحْشَرُونَ ١٥٨

Whether you die or are martyred—all of you will be gathered before Allah.

فَبِمَا رَحْمَةٍۢ مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ لِنتَ لَهُمْ ۖ وَلَوْ كُنتَ فَظًّا غَلِيظَ ٱلْقَلْبِ لَٱنفَضُّوا۟ مِنْ حَوْلِكَ ۖ فَٱعْفُ عَنْهُمْ وَٱسْتَغْفِرْ لَهُمْ وَشَاوِرْهُمْ فِى ٱلْأَمْرِ ۖ فَإِذَا عَزَمْتَ فَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يُحِبُّ ٱلْمُتَوَكِّلِينَ ١٥٩

It is out of Allah’s mercy that you ˹O Prophet˺ have been lenient with them. Had you been cruel or hard-hearted, they would have certainly abandoned you. So pardon them, ask Allah’s forgiveness for them, and consult with them in ˹conducting˺ matters. Once you make a decision, put your trust in Allah. Surely Allah loves those who trust in Him.

إِن يَنصُرْكُمُ ٱللَّهُ فَلَا غَالِبَ لَكُمْ ۖ وَإِن يَخْذُلْكُمْ فَمَن ذَا ٱلَّذِى يَنصُرُكُم مِّنۢ بَعْدِهِۦ ۗ وَعَلَى ٱللَّهِ فَلْيَتَوَكَّلِ ٱلْمُؤْمِنُونَ ١٦٠

If Allah helps you, none can defeat you. But if He denies you help, then who else can help you? So in Allah let the believers put their trust.

Yones Mady · قرآن الفجر. الشيخ محمد أحمد شبيب. 6 أكتوبر 1973 م.

No one had told him what would happen later that day at 2:00 p.m., when the Egyptian army would launch the surprise attack that began the October War. He had no knowledge of it, yet something within him drew him to those verses that morning.

The Holy Qur’an Radio Station still preserves that recording — a recording that continues to send chills down the spine of all who hear it. Until his passing in 2012, Sheikh Shabib was lovingly known as “The Victory Sheikh.”

To all the martyrs of Egypt who gave their souls to restore our dignity and our land — may Allah bless your spirits.
We will never forget you, Insha’Allah.