Abdi Qays

Abdi Aden Haad , as known as Abdi Qays , is a Somali poet and musician.

Biography Early days Around 1948, Abdi Qays was born in Hagal , on the western outskirts of Hargeisa. He was raised in Hargeisa and studied the Quran and Arabic at the Shiikh Baraawe School. He has known Muse Bihi Abdi since they were young, and in a 2016 interview, he recounted that he once sold one of his favorite T-shirts to help Muse Bihi cover his food expenses on a trip to Lawyacado. In 1963, he wrote his first song and submitted it to Radio Hargeisa. The song, titled “Hooy hooy habawsaneey,” (Hey you, the strayed one) also known as “Beel hayaantiyo adhay horaysaa,” was performed by Hibo Mohamed and Osman Hacanlaw.

Hargeisa He lived in Hargeisa in the 1970s.

After his release from prison, Abdi Qays became deeply devoted to Sufism and sang his own qasidas. In particular, he often performed with Khadra Dahir, with her singing and him playing the oud.

In December 2014, he published his autobiography and poetry collection, "DARMAAN IYO DALXIIS", and received congratulations from many people, including Muse Bihi Abdi and former Somaliland ministers.

In April 2016, he gave an interview to a newspaper, in which he briefly described his background and said he was content to be in Hargeisa, where he is now free from anyone’s control.

In February 2018, the Somaliland government suspended the payment of a monthly allowance of approximately US$500 to poets Hadrawi, Hassan Ganey, and Abdi Qays. Former President Silanyo had been providing this allowance for the past eight months. At the time, Abdi Qays was battling an illness in Hargeisa.

In September 2019, an event celebrating the publication of the biography of Abdi Qays, Geedigii Abwaan Cabdi Qays, was held in the city of Hargeisa, attended by hundreds of Somaliland citizens, including prominent poets, artists, and politicians representing Somaliland.

In July 2021, Abdi Qays performed a reading of a traditional Somali epic poem at an exhibition event held as part of the Hargaysa International Book Fair.

Reviews by Celebrities Boobe Yusuf Duale, a writer and former Minister of Information of Somaliland, described him as "a man blessed by God with a passion for the arts." Hadrawi, a poet who was imprisoned at the same time as him, described him as "a kind-hearted and deeply compassionate person who is not the type to lie."