The 500 Most Influential Muslims - The Royal Islamic Strategic ...

QURAN RECITERS
Middle East and North Africa
EGYPT
tiblawi, sheikh mohammad
Tiblawi is a popular Egyptian Qur’an reciter. He gained popularity in the Middle East after
studying at Al Azhar—the second oldest university in the world, founded in 975 CE—and reciting
the Qur’an on Egyptian television in 1956. Since then, Tiblawi has been widely recognized as a
leading reciter of the Qur’an and has recited for royalty and at prominent international events.
KUWAIT
al afasy, sheikh mishary bin rashid
Al Afasy is a globally influential reciter of the Holy Qur’an, and an imam at Masjid al Kabir in
Kuwait. He is also a singer of Arabic language nasheed. He has gained international acclaim for his
innovative use of technology to promote Islam through two satellite channels, a website (www.
alafasy.com), and videos on YouTube.
SAUDI ARABIA
al ajmi, sheikh ahmed ali
Al Ajmi is a Qur’an reciter from Khobar Province in Saudi Arabia. Prior to gaining prominence
for his recitation style as an imam at mosques in Khobar and now in Jeddah, he studied Qur’anic
interpretation in Saudi Arabia and subsequently in Pakistan.
al ghamdi, sheikh sa’d ibn sa’id
Al Ghamdi is a world famous reciter of the Qur’an. He has served as imam to Muslim communities
across the globe and is currently the imam of Kanoo Mosque in Dammam, Saudi Arabia. Al
Ghamdi has studied Usul ad Din (fundamentals of religion) and isnad (chain of narration of
Hadith) and is recognized as an influential Saudi theologian.
al mu’ayqali, sheikh mahir bin hamad
Al Mu’ayqali is an imam at the Grand Mosque in Mecca. He is an influential reciter of the Qur’an,
which he memorized with distinguished scholars in Medina. Al Mu’ayqali left his career as a
mathematics teacher to become a scholar in Mecca and is now a popular preacher and teacher of
Qur’anic studies.
al shatri, sheikh abu bakr
Al Shatri is an imam in Jeddah, and a leading reciter of the Qur’an. Although he studied accounting,
he has become increasingly influential for his recitation of the Qur’an at international Islamic
events and particularly across the Middle East and in Saudi Arabia.
al shuraim, sheikh abu ibrahim sa’ud ibn muhammad
Al Shuraim is a leading reciter of the Qur’an known for his unique recitation style across the world.
He formally studied Usul ad Din (fundamentals of religion) in Saudi Arabia, before becoming a
teacher, and subsequently imam at the Grand Mosque in Mecca.
al sudais, sheikh abdul rahman
Al Sudais has international influence through his recitation of the Qur’an, which he memorized
at age 12. Currently an imam at the Grand Mosque in Mecca, he has studied sharia at Riyadh
University, Imam Muhammad bin Saud Islamic University, and Umm al Qura University. Al
Sudais is also popular for his sermons and stance on peaceful conflict-resolution.
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