For over five decades, the voice of Sheikh Mohammad Hussein Amer has added a distinctive flavor to the blessed month of Ramadan with his recitations of the Holy Quran and religious chants of many hymns and poems praising the Prophet peace paid upon him.
Sheikh Hafiz Mohammad Hussein Ali Amer Al-Zahiri was born in the village of Al-Zawahrah, Hayd of Al-Sawad, Al Hadda district of Dhammar governorate in 1939.
He grew up in his village and became blind in the sixth month of his first year. However, his visual impairment did not concern his father, Sheikh Hussein Amer, as he took upon himself the task of teaching his son Mohammad the Noble Quran. By the age of ten, Mohammad had completed the memorization of the entire Holy Quran.
Sheikh Mohammad used to teach the Quran to people in his village for nine years. He then moved to Sana'a with his father and his brother Ahmed, who was also visually impaired. They joined the Quran memorization centers at the Grand Mosque in Sana'a. Among his prominent teachers were Sheikh Hassan Shandaf, Sheikh Abdullah Al-Taifi, Sheikh Hussein Mubarak Al-Ghaithi, Sheikh Al-Azzi Al-Jandari, and Sheikh Ahmed bin Hussein Al-Khawlani. He completed the recitation of the Quran within a year and four months and later became one of the most important scholars of the seven recitations and their masters.
Sheikh Mohammad Hussein Amer established numerous Quran memorization schools in Al-Nahreen Mosque in Sana'a, as well as in many other mosques. Many Quran memorizers graduated under his guidance, including prominent figures like Sheikh Yahya Ahmed Al-Halili. He also taught the seven recitations to many of his students.
Moreover, Sheikh Mohammad Hussein Amer had also enrolled in Dar Al-Uloom School, where he studied the science of the seven recitations. His instructors there were Sheikh Hussein Al-Jalal and Sheikh Mohammad Ali Al-Akwa. Afterward, he transferred to the Scientific School and studied various texts, such as Al-Azhar in the branches of knowledge, Al-Ajrumiyya and Qatr Al-Nada in grammar, and other sciences.
In addition to his fame as a Quran reciter, Sheikh Mohammad was known for his talent in chanting. He was often invited to perform on radio and television, as well as at Yemeni weddings. In this context, we spoke to his son, Mohammad bin Mohammad Hussein Amer, to learn more about his father's talent in chanting and how he discovered it, despite his primary focus being the recitation of the Holy Quran.
Mohammad Mohammad Hussein Amer told Khuyut that at that time, it was required for a chant performer, if he wanted to participate in occasions such as weddings, funerals, and birthdays, to be a knowledgeable scholar. This allowed Sheikh Mohammad to have the opportunity to showcase Yemeni chants with their distinctive San'ani feature.
He was one of the pioneers of the renewal of Yemeni chanting and one of the founders of the Yemeni Chanters Association. Some of the poems he recited, which are still resonating in the people's memories such as: “Oh, the eye of this great master,” “I am in God and in the face that I am,” “Patience is the fortress of a young man,” and “If you focus on God.” He also performed, with his distinctive voice, famous stanzas, such as: “My Lord, with the seven repeated verses,” and the stanza “O, by whose remembrance the knots of calamities and hardships are solved.”).
During the drafting of this article, we contacted Mr. Ali Mohsen Al-Akwa'a, the president of the Yemeni Chanters Association, who spoke to us about the association's experience with Sheikh Mohammad Hussein Amer. Al-Akwa'a said: "Since the establishment of the association in 1998, we were keen to host Sheikh Mohammad Hussein Amer, and we held many occasions and celebrations together, especially during the blessed month of Ramadan. According to Mr. Ali Mohsen Al-Akwa'a, Sheikh Mohammad Hussein Amer's chants exceeded a hundred poems. We also remember some popular chants of Sheikh Amer like, “Pray, O Lord, upon Ahmed Mohammad Al-Mahmoud, the most beautiful."
Sheikh Amer stood out with his unique and distinctive voice, whether in reciting the Quran or performing chants and poems. His son, Mohammed, said, "No chant performer can imitate my father tone, even if they try, due to his unique and distinct tone of voice."
Alaa Al-Shallali, stated in an article titled "The Season of Chants in Yemen" published by "Khuyut": "In the past, Mohammed Hussein Amer, who was the first innovator of chanting in Yemen and one of the prominent founders of the Yemeni Chanters Association, made sure to present the special supplications for welcoming and bidding farewell to the month of Ramadan, which remained in the memories of many Yemenis even after his departure from this world. One of the prominent chants is One of the most prominent of these tawashihs is: “O you who fast and pray to the month of the Lord of the Worlds. May God bring it back to us, and to all of you.”
Sheikh Amer stood out with his unique and distinctive voice, whether in reciting the Quran or performing chants and poems. His son, Muhammad, says, "No chant performer can imitate my father chanting, even if they try, due to his unique and distinct tone of voice."
Sheikh Mohammad Hussein Amer fell ill and passed away on the third of January 1999, which coincided with the fifteenth of Ramadan, in the year 1419 Hijiri.
