Warsh

== Biography ==

== Biography ==

Imam Warsh (110-197AH) was born Uthman Ibn Sa‘id al-Qibṭi in Egypt. He was called Warsh, a substance of milk, by his teacher Naafi' because he was light skinned.{{Cite web|url=http://www.arab-ency.com/_/details.php?nid=13885&full=1&keys=%D9%88%D8%B1%D8%B4%20%D8%B9%D9%86%20%D9%86%D8%A7%D9%81%D8%B9|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161114170320/http://www.arab-ency.com/_/details.php?nid=13885&full=1&keys=%D9%88%D8%B1%D8%B4%20%D8%B9%D9%86%20%D9%86%D8%A7%D9%81%D8%B9|url-status=usurped|archive-date=November 14, 2016|title=الموسوعة العربية|first=The Arabic |last=Encyclopedia|publisher=}} He learned his recitation from Naafi' at [[Medina]]. After finishing his education, he returned to Egypt where he became the senior reciter of the Quran.Nasser, Shady Hekmat. ''The Transmission of the Variant Readings of the Qur'an: The Problem of Tawatur and the Emergence of Shawadhdh''. Leiden: Brill, 2013, p. 154> He died in 812CE.>

Imam Warsh (110-197AH) was born Uthman Ibn Sa‘id al-Qibṭi in Egypt. He was called Warsh, a substance of milk, by his teacher Naafi' because he was light skinned.{{Cite web|url=http://www.arab-ency.com/_/details.php?nid=13885&full=1&keys=%D9%88%D8%B1%D8%B4%20%D8%B9%D9%86%20%D9%86%D8%A7%D9%81%D8%B9|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161114170320/http://www.arab-ency.com/_/details.php?nid=13885&full=1&keys=%D9%88%D8%B1%D8%B4%20%D8%B9%D9%86%20%D9%86%D8%A7%D9%81%D8%B9|url-status=usurped|archive-date=November 14, 2016|title=الموسوعة العربية|first=The Arabic |last=Encyclopedia|publisher=}} He learned his recitation from Naafi' at [[Medina]]. After finishing his education, he returned to Egypt where he became the senior reciter of the Quran.Nasser, Shady Hekmat. ''The Transmission of the Variant Readings of the Qur'an: The Problem of Tawatur and the Emergence of Shawadhdh''. Leiden: Brill, 2013, p. 154

=== Death and Burial ===

Warsh died in [[Egypt]] in 197 AH / 813 CE, during the reign of the Caliph [[Al-Ma'mun|al-Maʾmūn]], at the age of 87.{{cite book |last=al-Dānī |first=Abū ʿAmr |title=Al-Taysīr fī al-Qirāʾāt al-Sabʿ: A Translation with Linguistic Commentary |date=2026 |publisher=Open Book Publishers |isbn=978-1-80511-642-4 |series=Cambridge Semitic Languages and Cultures |location=Cambridge |page=71 |translator-last=van Putten |translator-first=Marijn |doi=10.11647/OBP.0475 |issn=2632-6914 |doi-access=free}} He was buried in the [[City of the Dead (Cairo)|Al-Qarāfa cemetery]], in the Qarafa al-sughra, within the Imam al-Shāfiʿī Qarāfa at the foot of [[Mokattam|Mount al-Muqaṭṭam]], currently located within the modern enclosure of the family of Shaykh Muhammad Muḥarram.{{Cite news |last=Imad Nour al-Din|date=27 May 2023|title=شيخ القراءات القادم من أعماق الصعيد.. قطار الإزالات بالقاهرة يصل مقبرة الإمام ورش|trans-title=The Shaykh of Qurʾānic Readings from the Depths of Upper Egypt… Cairo’s Demolition Train Reaches the Grave of Imam Warsh|url=http://www.aljazeera.net/culture/2023/5/27/شيخ-القراءات-القادم-من-أعماق-الصعيد|access-date=29 January 2026|work=Al-Jazeera Net|publisher=Al Jazeera Media Network|language=ar}}{{Cite news |url=https://www.egwin.net/article/4868950/%D8%BA%D8%B6%D8%A8-%D9%88%D8%A7%D8%B3%D8%B9-%D9%85%D9%86-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%87%D8%AC%D9%85%D8%A9-%D8%B9%D9%84%D9%89-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D9%82%D8%A7%D8%A8%D8%B1-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A3%D8%AB%D8%B1%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D9%84%D8%B5%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AD-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%83%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%B1%D9%8A-%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A5%D9%85%D8%A7%D9%85-%D9%88%D8%B1%D8%B4-%D8%A3%D8%AD%D8%AF%D8%AB-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B6%D8%AD%D8%A7%D9%8A%D8%A7|title=غضب واسع من الهجمة على المقابر التاريخية لصالح الكباري.. و"الإمام ورش" أحدث الضحايا|date=27 May 2023|trans-title=Widespread Anger over the Assault on Historic Cemeteries for the Sake of Flyovers…“Imam Warsh” the Latest Victim|access-date=29 January 2026|work=Egwin|language=ar}}

In 2023, news circulated claiming that the grave of Warsh was slated for removal as part of [[City of the Dead (Cairo)#Demolition concerns|development projects targeting the area]] which erupted social media platforms in Egypt.{{Cite news |last=Ahmed al-Khatib|first=|date=25 May 2023|title=هدم المقابر في القاهرة: ما مصير مقابر الإمام الشافعي والسيدة نفيسة والسيدة زينب؟ وهل تنجو من الإزالة؟|trans-title=Demolition of Cemeteries in Cairo: What Is the Fate of the Cemeteries of Imam al-Shāfiʿī, al-Sayyida Nafīsa, and al-Sayyida Zaynab? And Will They Survive Removal?|url=https://www.bbc.com/arabic/middleeast-65716881|access-date=29 January 2026|work=[[BBC News]]|publisher=[[BBC]]|language=ar}} On May 22, images spread across social media showing the tomb of Warsh bearing a “Removal” mark, indicating the demolition of the grave and the transfer of his remains, sparking widespread outcry globally.{{Cite news |last=Dawoud Ali|first=|date=28 May 2023|title=حتى الموتى لم ينجوا من انقلابه.. قبور قامات مصر التاريخية تحت "بلدوزر" السيسي|trans-title=Even the Dead Did Not Escape His Coup… The Graves of Egypt’s Historical Figures Under Sisi’s “Bulldozer”|url=https://www.alestiklal.net/ar/article/dep-news-1685550441|access-date=29 January 2026|work=Al-Estiklal|language=ar}}

Researcher Sayyid ʿAlī reported that his attempt to reach the grave proved extremely difficult due to a heavy security cordon imposed on the area, where demolition operations were already reportedly underway. [[Al Jazeera Media Network|Al-Jazeera]] reported that heritage-preservation associations had failed to establish communication with the responsible authorities in order to halt the demolition and that the entities carrying out the demolition possessed broad powers and did not respond to inquiries from antiquities experts. [[Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities|Egypt's Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities]] disclaimed responsibility for the decision to demolish the grave, stating that the site is not registered under Islamic Antiquities and they have nothing to do with the demolition decision.

The reported action was strongly condemned by numerous people around the world. Some researchers urged the [[Politics of Morocco|Moroccan government]] to intervene and transfer Warsh’s remains to [[Fez, Morocco|Fez]] or [[Casablanca]] and rebury him at the [[Hassan II Mosque]].

In August, the [[Cairo Governorate]] denied the removal of the tomb of Warsh as part of the development works in the area. The Governorate affirmed that these claims were "completely unfounded and untrue" and released photographs showing the grave intact.{{cite web |last=Felfel |first=Amany |date=29 August 2023 |script-title=ar:محافظة القاهرة تنفي هدم مقبرتي الإمام ورش بن نافع وأمير الشعراء (صور) |trans-title=Cairo Governorate denies the demolition of the tombs of Imam Warsh bin Nafi’ and the Prince of Poets (Photos) |url=https://www.vetogate.com/4962561 |access-date=23 April 2026 |website=Veto Gate |language=ar}}

== History ==

== History ==

The transmission of the Warsh recitation to the western Islamic lands is associated with Ghāzī ibn Qays al-Andalusī ({{Died in|815}}), who traveled from [[Córdoba, Spain|Córdoba]] to [[Medina]] and studied directly with Warsh. He is reported to have carefully reviewed and corrected his ''[[Mushaf|muṣḥaf]]'', comparing it thirteen times with the original copy of [[Nafiʽ al-Madani|Imām Nāfiʿ]]. Because [[Al-Andalus]] was a major center of learning, its scholarly authority influenced the [[Maghreb]]; when Andalusian scholars adopted the Warsh recitation, it subsequently spread throughout North and West Africa.

The transmission of the Warsh recitation to the western Islamic lands is associated with Ghāzī ibn Qays al-Andalusī ({{Died in|815}}), who traveled from [[Córdoba, Spain|Córdoba]] to [[Medina]] and studied directly with Warsh. He is reported to have carefully reviewed and corrected his ''[[Mushaf|muṣḥaf]]'', comparing it thirteen times with the original copy of [[Nafiʽ al-Madani|Imām Nāfiʿ]]. Because [[Al-Andalus]] was a major center of learning, its scholarly authority influenced the [[Maghreb]]; when Andalusian scholars adopted the Warsh recitation, it subsequently spread throughout North and West Africa.

Muḥammad ibn Khayrūn (d. 919) is also credited with bringing Nāfiʿ's qirāʾah to [[North Africa]] after traveling to Egypt. Ibn Khayrūn became a successful qāriʾ and "people gathered around him," with students traveling from across the Islamic world to learn from him. His student, al-Bajā'ī al-Jazā'irī, also played an important part in teaching Nāfiʿ's reading in Algerian regions, ensuring the recitation spread westward across North Africa.

According to Dr. ʿAbd al-Hādī, in 234 AH when Imam [[Saḥnūn ibn Saʿīd]] was appointed as ''[[Qadi]]'' in [[Kairouan|Qayrawan]], he used his official power to favor the recitation of Nāfiʿ. Since the [[Maliki school|Mālikī school]] is based on the "Practice of the People of Medina," Saḥnūn believed that the Qurʾānic recitation used in the courts and mosques should also be the "Recitation of the People of Medina" (Nāfiʿ).

According to Dr. ʿAbd al-Hādī, in 234 AH when Imam [[Saḥnūn ibn Saʿīd]] was appointed as ''[[Qadi]]'' in [[Kairouan|Qayrawan]], he used his official power to favor the recitation of Nāfiʿ. Since the [[Maliki school|Mālikī school]] is based on the "Practice of the People of Medina," Saḥnūn believed that the Qurʾānic recitation used in the courts and mosques should also be the "Recitation of the People of Medina" (Nāfiʿ).