When dusk stretched over the horizon, and after 11 months of longing, Al-Bashir’s voice came: “The Egyptian Fatwa House announced that the crescent of the blessed month of Ramadan has been confirmed.”

As soon as the broadcaster finished reading the statement, the artist Mohamed Abdel Muttalib followed it on the air to sing for the dear guest:

Ramadan has come and we rejoiced in


it after its absence. For a long time,


they sang and said a long month.


Sing and say,


Welcome, Ramadan.. Ramadan has come.


Welcome Ramadan.. say with us,


Welcome, Ramadan has come..

“Ramadan Gana” is an episode of the “Song Story” series, which was produced by Al Jazeera Documentary and broadcast successively in the month of guidance and the Qur’an.

The song, composed by Mahmoud Sharif and sung by Mohamed Abdel Muttalib, was officially broadcast in 1965, and shook the conscience of Egyptians, causing the cities of Kenana to sway to its rhythm for several decades.

Al-Ahram journalist Ahmed Al-Samahi narrates that producing the song cost 20 pounds, six pounds for the singer Abdel Muttalib, five for its composer Sherif, and the rest for the team members.

An eternal Ramadan symphony 

But it is no longer just a passing melody in the memory of days, but rather it touched the hearts of Egyptians and Arabs and turned into an immortal ritual and a symphony played by time due to its simplicity and sweetness.

Speaking in the documentary, Sumaya Muhammad Abdel Muttalib says, “My father sang it with feeling and joy, and people do not feel Ramadan until they hear the song.”

Somaya tells the story of the birth of “Ramadan Gana,” and that she entered her father’s room while he was practicing memorizing the lyrics of the song and then “put on the jalabiya.”

In a representative scene in the documentary, the artist appeared hugging a child with two braids loose on her shoulders, then leaving the house to where he would sing in joy and joy for the guest who was dear to the Egyptians.

In the company of village girls carrying lanterns and wearing traditional costumes, Abdul Muttalib melted with joy and joy:

Hello Ramadan.. Ramadan has arrived.


Hello Ramadan.. Say with us:


Welcome Ramadan.. Ramadan has arrived.

A song that sums up the ritual

According to the song’s director, Yousry Gharaba, “Ramadan Gana” sums up all of Egypt’s rituals during the month of fasting with its sweetness and beauty. It was a luminous image, while its author, Hussein Tantawi, was adept at capturing the minute details in the movement and vitality of the street.

The film tells an aspect of the joy of the Egyptian street in Ramadan, as the minarets of the mosques pierce the sky of ancient Cairo and you see the studded arks sailing and anchoring on the Nile.

The streets of Muslim cities are decorated with decorations to celebrate the arrival of the month of Ramadan, the month of goodness and blessings

Once again, the director returns to Somaya Abdel Muttalib to talk about the Egyptians’ love for her father, and how people used to gather around him when they saw him in the street, saying that he was happy with his song, which turned his voice into a permanent ritual every Ramadan.

More than half a century after its production and broadcast, Abdul Muttalib’s song is still a symbol of Ramadan throughout Egypt, to the extent that some believe it is no less important than the Mufti’s statement regarding the establishment of the holy month.

In a tone of pain, director Yusri Gharaba regrets that mobile and Internet technologies have detracted from the social and spiritual momentum of Ramadan, which made Abdul Muttalib’s song arouse people’s grief and take them back to the days of warmth, connection, and beauty.