Sheikh Mishary Rashid Alafasy مشاري بن راشد العفاسي

Sheikh Mishary Rashid Alafasy (born 5 September 1976 in Kuwait) is a Kuwaiti Quran reciter, imam and nasheed artist. He studied at the College of the Holy Quran at the Islamic University of Madinah, where he specialised in the ten canonical qira'āt (the recognised methods of Quranic recitation) and in tafsir.

Active as a reciter since 1997, he became a global figure through recordings and broadcasting: his YouTube channel has passed 11 million subscribers, with individual recordings exceeding 100 million views. Beyond recitation he is a well-known nasheed artist and preacher, and has recorded in several languages.

He memorised the whole Quran between 1992 and 1994. He read the complete Quran in the Hafs narration to Sheikh Ahmad Abdul Aziz Al-Zayyat, read the qira'a of Asim in both its narrations to Sheikh Abdul Rafi' Radwan Al-Sharqawi, and received an oral ijazah from Sheikh Ibrahim Al-Samannudi after reciting Al-Fatiha to him.

His first Quran release comprised Surahs Ghafir, Fussilat and Ash-Shura, and he later released two complete recitations: a murattal mushaf in 2003 and a second complete recording known as the California khatma in 2009. He has served as an imam of the Grand Mosque in Kuwait and as a khatib with Kuwait's Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs. His channel, Alafasy TV, has been described as Kuwait's first Islamic satellite channel, and he has taken part in judging Quran competitions in the United States, France, Chechnya, the UAE and Saudi Arabia.

Alafasy recites in a clear, bright, melodic register with clean articulation and a measured murattal pace. Where the Egyptian mujawwad masters lean into heavy ornamentation, Alafasy tends toward a warmer, more restrained line that carries emotion through phrasing rather than dramatic flourish.

To recognise him by ear, listen for a bright, slightly forward tenor; unhurried, even pacing that suits listening and memorisation; and a gentle swell at the ends of ayāt rather than the long, dynamic runs of the older Egyptian school. Because he trained in the ten qira'āt, you may occasionally hear him recite in readings other than the common Hafs.