al-aqqad was born in aswan, a city in upper egypt, in 1889. his father was a money-changer originally from damietta while his mother had kurdish roots. he received little formal education, completing only his elementary education; he later supplemented his learning by buying books and reading on his own. unlike his schoolmates, he spent all his weekly allowance on books. he read about religion, geography, history and many other subjects. he was known for his excellent english and french. he was also particularly well-read in german literature.