Egypt: Quran reciter dies at mourning ceremony

Cairo: An Egyptian reciter of the Quran had passed away while reciting from the Holy Book at a mourning ceremony in a town north of Cairo, local media reported.

Sheikh Mohammed Hassan, 80, was reciting Quranic verses, a tradition at mourning gatherings in Egypt, Thursday night when he suddenly stopped and mourners found out he was dead.

Hassan was long noted for teaching the Quran to natives of his hometown in the Delta governorate of Sharqia, according to locals.

His relatives said he used to read the whole text of the Quran several times during the holy Muslim month of Ramadan

“My uncle died while reading the Quran. He was devoted to Quran reading. He would not ask for money in fees from his pupils whom he helped memorise the Quran,” his nephew Mohammed Al Sayyed said.

Thousands of his disciples and natives participated in his funeral before his burial in the family’s cemetery, local media said.