No, this Gentleman did not Purchase Farid's Famous Oud

The oud this man is holding is Farid El Atrache's most famous oud made by Jamil Yorgaki Kandalaft. Nobody knows for sure where this oud is today. It's a big mystery that has sparked countless theories.

This picture, which actually first appeared on the Interet on MikeOuds years ago (retouched by me here), has become the subject of false theories on the Internet. It shows Fouad El Atrache (Farid's brother), after Farid's death, sitting with a man holding the famous oud. People have baselessly claimed that this man is a Gulf businessman that purchased the oud from Fouad El Atrache.

This claim is false and the people who spread that theory did so at the expense of this man's reputation.

I have spoken to the family of this gentleman. His name is Ustaz Abderrahman Kerdoudi Hassani, he was a leading composer, publisher and intellectual from Morocco. He was a long time friend of Farid, Fouad and the El Atrache family. May God rest their souls.

He did NOT purchase this oud.

Below is more information about Ustaz Hassani, given to me by his son.

As a composer, Ustaz Hassani's work has been performed by leading artists in the Arab world, including Fahd Ballan, whom he is credited with discovering. But the majority of his repertoire was performed by his wife, Mrs. Bahija Idriss, Morocco’s preeminent tarab icon, and a pioneering artist, who is highly regarded throughout the Arab world.

Together they have seven children, including Doua Abderrahman, a talented singer, who was highly acclaimed by Mohammad Abdelwahab and Fouad el Atrache among other leading authorities.