• Musician’s son recounts precise behavior of his father inside the home
• Family testimonies reveal a striking strictness in dealing with hygiene and illness

For years since the passing of “the Maestro of Generations,” Mohamed Abdel Wahab, his personal life has continued to attract wide public interest, with multiple accounts circulating about his long-standing habits and daily routines.

Among the most frequently discussed aspects of his life is his intense obsession with cleanliness and order, a trait some previously considered exaggerated when describing his personality, before his family later stepped forward with accounts offering a closer look at how he behaved at home with those around him, including his children.

In a televised appearance, Mohamed Mohamed Abdel Wahab, the late composer’s son, spoke about his father’s private life, insisting that such descriptions were not exaggerated, and portraying him as “incredibly obsessive in ways no one could imagine,” while sharing family memories that illustrate this character.

One of the most notable incidents dates back to the 1940s during the cholera outbreak, when he would place a dish of potassium permanganate on the dining table to disinfect salads before eating them as a strict precautionary measure.

The accounts also include a domestic incident involving his late daughter “Esh Esh,” who once ate salad before it had been washed in the disinfectant solution. He reportedly rushed toward her in a state of intense panic and attempted to force her to spit it out, until the mother intervened and calmed the situation.

His daughter also recalled another episode in which he became angry after learning she had eaten food outside the home, including grilled items and salad, and asked her not to speak with him for a period afterward.

This strictness was not limited to food. He was also extremely cautious when receiving visitors, particularly those showing signs of a cold, refusing entry to anyone who appeared ill.

He even used a personal screening method, asking visitors to pronounce the word “Mamnoon” to test whether they were healthy.

If a person mispronounced it, he would refuse entry entirely—even if they were family. This reportedly happened with his son, Mohamed Mohamed Abdel Wahab, who was ill at the time and communicated with his father by phone.

After being asked to say “Mamnoon” over the phone and being assumed to have recovered, the son later visited the house in person, which caused his father clear discomfort. He questioned the visit and ultimately avoided sitting with him before the son left.