Part 4/9:
Despite the controversies surrounding Snook, one of his most lasting legacies is connected to the preservation of the Quran. In 1885, in Mecca, the earliest known recording of the Quran was made using a wax cylinder recorder—one of the pioneering devices for capturing sound at the time.
This historic recording marked a groundbreaking moment in Islamic history: it was the first time the Quran was preserved in audio form. The recording captures a reciter's voice, whose identity remains unknown, even lacking details about his origin or name. Upon analysis, what is astonishing is the fidelity of the recitation. Every element—words, tone, mode, and application of rules—remains essentially identical to the way Muslims still recite the Quran today.