Our Story & Mission
Mizmaar Institute was born from a lifetime of devotion to the Qur'an, and from one simple conviction: it should be passed on exactly as it always has been, from a qualified teacher to a devoted student, one on one.
رِسَالَة
Our Mission
Why We Exist
What we do today, and the future we are working toward.
Our Mission
From a qualified teacher to a devoted student, one on one, the way it has been done for over 1,400 years. We nurture the next generation of reciters through memorization, authentic recitation and the adab of the Qur'an.
Our Vision
Whichever path a person takes, full-time Hifz, after-school study or our community services, we are committed to meeting them there, and to helping families of every background across Chicagoland access an authentic, chain-connected Islamic education.
Our Story
The journey of our founder, Imam Hassan Ali Kasi, and how it became Mizmaar Institute.
Quetta
Hassan Ali Kasi grows up in Quetta, Pakistan, in a family long known for accomplished Qur'anic reciters, learning maqamat and Tajweed from his uncle, Sheikh Muhammad Ibrahim Kasi.
Between 2010 and 2012 he completes the full memorization of the Qur'an at the Tajweed-ul-Qur'an Institute in Quetta, and wins his first national competition in 2011.
2010
2013
From 2013 to 2016 he serves as an official reciter for PTV Quetta, in live and recorded broadcasts.
Competing in Afghanistan, Turkey, Iran, Qatar, Germany and the United States, he takes 1st position at the Siraj Al-Kabeer International Holy Qur'an Recitation Competition in 2021.
2021
2023
He begins serving as an Imam in the Chicago area, at the Islamic Center of Wheaton and then in Orland Park.
He receives his Ijazah in the recitation of Hafs 'an 'Asim, through a Sanad of just 29 narrators back to the Prophet ﷺ.
2026
Today
A lifetime of devotion finds its fullest expression: an institute where the Qur'an is passed on one on one, with Sanad, to the next generation.
Our Name
The journey of our founder, Imam Hassan Ali Kasi, and how it became Mizmaar Institute.
«لَقَدْ أُوتِيتَ مِزْمَارًا مِنْ مَزَامِيرِ آلِ دَاوُدَ»
“You have been given a mizmar from among the mazamir of the family of Dawud.”
Sahih Muslim 793
A mizmar is a wind instrument, but the word describes a voice so beautiful it captivates all who hear it. The Prophet ﷺ said these words to Abu Musa al-Ash'ari after hearing his recitation. It is the standard we named our institute after: not only to memorize the Qur'an, but to recite it beautifully.
Our Foundation
Every program rests on the same five commitments, shaping not only how our students recite, but who they become.
01
Preserving the Qur'an in the hearts of our students through complete memorization under a qualified teacher.
02
Preserving the sacred oral transmission of the Qur'an through scholarly rigor and Sanad-based training.
03
Cultivating the beauty of recitation, with the proper adab and spiritual depth of the Qur'anic art.
04
Rooting every student in reverence and consistency first, before all else.
05
Unlocking the meanings of the Qur'an, so memorization matures into understanding and lived practice.
Looking Ahead
We are starting with depth, not breadth, and growing one program at a time.
Day One
Coming Next
As Mizmaar Grows
Be Part of the Story
Learn the Qur'an the way it has always been taught: one on one, from a qualified teacher, with Sanad.
