Shaykh Azhar Nasser was born and raised in Michigan and has a degree in cultural anthropology from the University of Michigan. After completing his academic studies, he pursued his religious studies at the Hawza of Najaf under the offices of Grand Ayatollah Sistani and Grand Ayatollah Hakim.

In addition to his extensive study of classical religious texts, he has also taught introductory courses to western students at the seminary. Shaykh Azhar has a deep passion for the study of the Holy Quran which is evident from his lectures and discussions. Shaykh Azhar is the author of two books, “The Grand Tour: Quranic Descriptions of Paradise”, published in 2018 and “Spiritual Prescriptions”, published in 2019.

Sheikh Azhar is the Religious Director of Curriculum Planning. He is also a Co-Founder of Tasneem Institute.

Mustafa Ali Masood is an Islamic lecturer and researcher. Having completed his undergraduate studies at the Kingston University, he went on to study Islamic Studies at the Hawza at the Islamic College. He continued his Islamic education at the Khataam al-Nabeen Hawza based in London. Currently he is enrolled in the Najaf Hawza at Dar Ul Ilm Khoei institute.

As well as lecturing Mustafa Masood works in Islamic media and has been a researcher and producer for over 10 years. He has produced and directed many groundbreaking documentaries and shows on different Islamic topics including jurisprudence, theology, history and contemporary issues.

Ali Fadhil is an Islamic Nasheed artist, coming from a traditional Iraqi back ground. He is experienced in Islamic recitation focusing on the importance of Islam through poetry and melody.

He has lived in the West for the majority of his life and thus has accustomed himself with modern western poetry and recitation.As well as recitations Ali Fadhil also works in the media as a TV presenter for numerous Islamic television channels.

In terms of public recitation, Ali Fadhil has travelled the world expressing the love of Islam through poetry and singing, and produced numerous albums and videos available online.

Hayder graduated with a first-class honours in Finance in 2008 – he has been working in Business Intelligence since then and currently holds the position of Business Development Director. He is a seasoned public speaker, and his accolades include award ceremonies, community events and the odd wedding!

He has also been providing Voice Overs and hosting/presenting events across various media streams over the last 12 years. Notably he is co-founder of Al-Haraka Al-Hussainiya and a writer of poetry for Shia Eulogies.

Mulla Nazar is an internationally acclaimed artist, reciter and Qari Al Quran, renowned for his captivating recitations of various genres, from qasidas to latmiya and nohas, in multiple languages such as Arabic, Urdu, Farsi and English.

Mulla Nazar started from a young age learning the recitation of the Holy Quran and has won 7 Quran international competitions. At a young age he also started his latmiya recitation. Through his beautiful melodies, he effortlessly connects his listeners to the love of the Holy Prophet (s) and his Ahlulbayt (a). 

In addition to his remarkable artistry, Mulla Nazar is also celebrated for his tireless efforts to propagate the teaching of the Ahlulbayt (a) in his media work as well as his extraordinary work in children and youth programs. 

Al-Haj Nazar is also a goodwill ambassador for many charities and he continues to serve many people through his ongoing aid work, which has included travelling to Iraq and Syria. Mulla Nazar wants to make a real difference in the lives of the poor and needy and aims to encourage our youth to follow in the footsteps of the Holy Prophet (s) and his Holy Family (a).

Yusuf Ali Okera is a 19 year old Urdu Noha/Qasida reciter born and bred in London. He started reciting from the age of 4, while sitting next to his Dad who inspired him to start his own journey.

He started to recite at houses, local mosques, Tv studios then started to travel around the whole of UK and many countries around the globe for recital, such as Canada, Iraq, Tanzania, Dubai, Kenya and many more. He has years of experience accompanying different groups for ziyarah tours as an Urdu reciter.

Dr Rebecca Masterton graduated with a PhD in Islamic esoteric literature of West Africa from the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, in 2006.

She converted to Islam in 1999 after realising that the culture of secular modernity is mostly fake, and has been teaching, speaking and lecturing for twenty years on social, political and spiritual issues in the Muslim community.

In addition to producing and presenting programmes for various TV channels, she has published two books: Passing Through the Dream, and Shi‘i Spirituality for the Twenty-First Century, as well as academic articles and translations related to Islamic spirituality. Currently she teaches through her own platform, the Centre for Shia and Cultural Studies.