About the Founder

A Journey of Devotion & Mastery

Founder & Executive Director, Mizmaar Institute

Hassan Ali Kasi is a Qari Al-Mujaaz, Imam, and internationally recognized Qur'anic reciter with more than a decade of experience in prayer leadership, Tajweed instruction, Hifz methodology, Qira'at, and Islamic education. Born in Quetta, Pakistan, into a family with a distinguished tradition of accomplished Qur'anic reciters, he has dedicated his life to memorizing, teaching, and living the Qur'an — a devotion that now finds its fullest expression in founding Mizmaar Institute.

Early Life and a Family Rooted in the Qur'an

Memorization and Early Training

Between 2010 and 2012, Hassan completed the full memorization of the Holy Qur'an (Hifz) at the Tajweed-ul-Qur'an Institute in Quetta, alongside foundational training in Tajweed, proper reading, and Qira'at. He began competing shortly after, winning his first national competition in 2011 through Pakistan's Ministry of Religious Affairs — the beginning of a competition career that would carry him onto international stages over the following decade.

Hassan grew up in Quetta, Pakistan, in a family long known for producing accomplished Qur'anic reciters and scholars. From an early age, he was immersed in the discipline and beauty of Qur'anic recitation, learning the foundations of maqamat — the melodic modes of recitation — and the art of Tajweed from his uncle, Sheikh Muhammad Ibrahim Kasi. This early, personal apprenticeship within his own family instilled in him both a rigorous ear for correct pronunciation and a lifelong devotion to the Qur'an.

National & International Recognition

International Awards

Distinguished National & Institutional Honors

• 2021 — 1st Position, Siraj Al-Kabeer International Holy Qur'an Recitation Competition, Afghanistan

• 2020 — 4th Position, Al-Kawthar TV International Qur'an Competition

• 2019 — World Top 100 Holy Qur'an Reciters, Katara International Qur'an Competition, Qatar

• 2018 — 6th Position, 35th International Qur'an Competition, Iran

• 2013 — 3rd Position, World Qur'an Recitation Competition, Turkey

Over more than fifteen years, Hassan has competed in and won numerous national and international Qur'an recitation competitions, representing Pakistan in Afghanistan, Turkey, Iran, Qatar, Germany, and the United States.

• 2021 — National Youth Award in the field of Qira'at, Pakistan

• 2021 — High Achiever of the Year Award, International Islamic University Islamabad

• 2021 — Best Reciter of the Holy Qur'an, Pakistan Television Quetta Centre

• 2018 — Gold Medal for Best Reciter of the Holy Qur'an, presented by the Chief Minister of Balochistan

National Qur'an, Qira'at & Azan Awards

Broadcasting and Public Recitation

• 2018 — 1st Position, BOL TV Holy Qur'an Recitation Competition

• 2016 — 1st Position, 32nd National Hifz and Qira'at Competition, Ministry of Religious Affairs, Pakistan

• 2016 — Best Holy Qur'an Reciter of the Region, Pakistan Television Quetta Centre

• 2015 — 1st Position, Qur'an Competition, Iqra Army Public School & College

• 2014 — 2nd Position, Qur'an Competition, Quaid Educational Academy, Quetta

• 2014 — 3rd Position, Qira'at Competition, Youth Affairs Department, Balochistan

• 2014 — 1st Position, Qira'at Competition, Tameer-i-Nau Model School, Quetta

• 2014 — 1st Position, Dunya News Azan Competition, Hayya Alal Falah

• 2014 — 1st Position, Pakistan Television Network, Husn-e-Quraan

• 2014 — 1st Position, Mega Qira'at Competition, APSACS

• 2013 — 1st Position, Pakistan Army National Qira'at Competition, Swat

• 2012 — 2nd Position, Qur'an Recitation Competition, Dunya News

• 2012 — 1st Position, Mega Qira'at and Naat Competition, Garrison Academy, Quetta

• 2012 — 1st Position, Mega Qira'at Competition, Al-Hadid

• 2012 — 1st Position, National Hifz and Qira'at Competition, Ministry of Religious Affairs, Pakistan

• 2011 — 1st Position, National Hifz and Qira'at Competition, Ministry of Religious Affairs, Pakistan

His achievements have been covered by international media outlets including Gulf News, Arab News (AFP), The Express Tribune, Dawn, Al Jazeera Mubasher, and others across English, Arabic, and Urdu-language press.

From 2013 to 2016, Hassan served as the Official Qur'anic Reciter for Pakistan Television (PTV Quetta), reciting live on air and in recorded broadcasts, and representing the station as a recognized regional reciter in national competitions.

Formal Islamic Education

Ijazah and Sanad: A Direct Chain to the Prophet ﷺ

Hassan holds a Bachelor of Islamic Studies (Usuluddin) from the International Islamic University Islamabad, with coursework in Arabic grammar and morphology (Nahw and Sarf), Balaghah, Hanafi jurisprudence, Usul al-Tafsir, and Usul al-Hadith, alongside advanced coursework completed in the United States. He continues his studies in Qira'at and Islamic jurisprudence at Manara College in the United States.

In 2026, after nearly two years of dedicated study and recitation review, Hassan received his Ijazah in Hafs 'an 'Asim through a connected Sanad, earning the title Qari Al-Mujaaz. This Sanad — the documented, authorized chain of transmission connecting his recitation back through each of his teachers to the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ — contains only 29 narrators, making it one of the most direct chains of the current era.

International Engagement

Hassan has represented Pakistan and the broader Muslim community at Qur'anic conferences and Ramadan programs abroad, including repeated Taraweeh engagements in Germany. He was nominated by the International Islamic University Islamabad for the 62nd Malaysia International Al-Qur'an Recital and Memorization Assembly (2022).

He is fluent in Arabic, English, and Urdu, a native Pashto speaker, and has working proficiency in German — allowing him to serve and connect with a wide range of communities.

Ministry and Community Leadership

Hassan has served Muslim communities in both Pakistan and the United States for over a decade:

• Imam & Qur'an Teacher, The Prayer Center of Orland Park (2024–Present) — Leading congregational prayers, Jumu'ah, Tarawih, and Qiyam; delivering khutbahs and daily khawatir; teaching Tajweed and Hifz to youth and adults; and providing religious counseling to individuals, couples, and families.

• Imam & Qur'an Teacher, Islamic Center of Wheaton (2023–2024) — Leading daily prayers and Jumu'ah, developing Qur'an and Islamic education programs for children, youth, and adults, and organizing Qur'an competitions and Ramadan programming.

• Qur'an Teacher, Iqra Qur'an Academy, Quetta (2016–2019) — Teaching Tajweed, Hifz, Qira'at, and maqamat, and preparing students for national and international recitation competitions.

• Imam, Jamiah Masjid Ayesha, Quetta (2015–2019) — Leading congregational prayers and providing guidance in Hanafi fiqh.

Why Mizmaar Institute

Hassan founded Mizmaar Institute to give students in the Chicago area the same rigorous, structured, and deeply personal path to the Qur'an that shaped his own life — full-time memorization grounded in authentic Tajweed, a living Sanad passed from teacher to student, and the same disciplined mentorship he once received from his own family. Mizmaar exists to carry that chain of transmission forward, one student at a time.