Quran, tajweed and Arabic teacher

Sheikh Maher El‑Sayed

Ijazahs from Al‑Azhar, in the sanad of Imam Ibn al‑Jazari and Sheikh al‑Husary

Online hifz, tajweed and Arabic lessons, taught in English. Private or group, for children and adults at every level.

Book a lesson on WhatsApp

£7.50an hour

I have hifz classes with Sheikh Maher every day and completed his full tajweed course. I recommend him without hesitation.
Dr Hannan Chaudery, daily hifz student
Sheikh Maher El-Sayed
IJAZAH · AL-AZHAR · SANAD OF AL-HUSARY · إجازة

A chain of teachers reaching back to the Prophet ﷺ

The Quran has always been learned from a teacher, mouth to ear. Each teacher grants an ijazah, a certification that the student recites exactly as they were taught. The line of those teachers is the sanad. Sheikh Maher holds multiple ijazahs from Al-Azhar, in the same sanad as Sheikh Mahmoud Khalil al-Husary. See his ijazahs and certificates.

  1. The Prophet ﷺ

    Received the Quran from Jibril and taught it to his Companions.

  2. The Companions

    Memorised it and taught the generation after them.

  3. Fourteen centuries of teachers

    Each one certifying the next by ijazah.

  4. Sheikh Maher El-Sayed

    Ijazahs from Al-Azhar, in the sanad of Sheikh al-Husary.

  5. You

    Reciting as the Quran has always been recited.

Show his full sanadHide his full sanad

Sheikh Maher holds two chains in Hafs ‘an ‘Asim, both received from Dr Sa‘id Zu‘aymah. They share the same teachers back to Imam Ibn al-Jazari, then divide into two routes: al-Shatibiyyah, the most widely taught, and al-Misbah. Each teacher learned from the one listed after them.

By way of
  1. 1Sheikh Maher El-Sayed Mohamed Elsakeenالشيخ ماهر السيد محمد السكين
  2. 2Dr Sa‘id ibn Salih ibn Mustafa Zu‘aymahHis teacher, who granted these ijazahsالدكتور سعيد بن صالح بن مصطفى زعيمة
  3. 3Sheikh Muhammad ibn ‘Abd al-Hamid ibn ‘Abdullah Khalil al-Iskandariالشيخ محمد بن عبد الحميد بن عبد الله خليل السكندري
  4. 4Sheikh Muhammad ibn ‘Abd al-Rahman al-KhalijiHead reciter of Alexandria in his time, author of well-known works on the qira’atالشيخ محمد بن عبد الرحمن الخليجي
  5. 5Sheikh ‘Abd al-‘Aziz ibn ‘Ali KuhaylHead reciter of Alexandria in his timeالشيخ عبد العزيز بن علي كحيل
  6. 6Sheikh ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abd al-‘Azim al-DusuqiHead reciter of Dusuq, imam of the mosque of Ibrahim al-Dusuqiالشيخ عبد الله بن عبد العظيم الدسوقي
  7. 7Sheikh ‘Ali al-Haddadi al-Azhariالشيخ علي الحدادي الأزهري
  8. 8Sheikh Ibrahim ibn Badawi ibn Ahmad al-‘UbaydiHead reciter of Egypt, alive in 1237 AHالشيخ إبراهيم بن بدوي بن أحمد العبيدي
  9. 9Sheikh ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn Hasan ibn ‘Umar al-AjhuriMaliki jurist and reciter, died 1198 AHالشيخ عبد الرحمن بن حسن بن عمر الأجهوري
  10. 10Sheikh Abu al-Samah Ahmad ibn Rajab al-BaqariAlive in 1140 AHالشيخ أبو السماح أحمد بن رجب البقري
  11. 11Sheikh Muhammad ibn Qasim al-BaqariHead reciter of his timeالشيخ محمد بن قاسم البقري
  12. 12Sheikh ‘Abd al-Rahman Shahadhah al-YamaniHead reciter of Egyptالشيخ عبد الرحمن شحاذة اليمني
  13. 13Sheikh ‘Ali ibn Ghanim al-Maqdisiالشيخ علي بن غانم المقدسي
  14. 14Sheikh Muhammad ibn Ibrahim al-Samadisiالشيخ محمد بن إبراهيم السمديسي
  15. 15Sheikh Ahmad ibn Asad al-Amyutiالشيخ أحمد بن أسد الأميوطي
  16. 16Imam Muhammad ibn Muhammad ibn Muhammad ibn ‘Ali ibn Yusuf Ibn al-JazariThe foremost authority on the qira’at, author of al-Nashr and Tayyibat al-Nashr. The two routes divide here.الإمام محمد بن محمد بن محمد بن علي بن يوسف ابن الجزري
  1. 17Sheikh ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn Ahmad al-Baghdadiالشيخ عبد الرحمن بن أحمد البغدادي
  2. 18Sheikh Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn ‘Abd al-Khaliq al-Sa’ighالشيخ محمد بن أحمد بن عبد الخالق الصائغ
  3. 19Sheikh ‘Ali ibn Shuja‘, known as al-Kamal al-Darirالشيخ علي بن شجاع المعروف بالكمال الضرير
  4. 20Imam Abu al-Qasim al-ShatibiAuthor of al-Shatibiyyah, the route of this sanadالإمام أبو القاسم الشاطبي
  5. 21Sheikh Abu al-Hasan ‘Ali ibn Muhammad ibn Hudhayl al-Balansiالشيخ أبو الحسن علي بن محمد بن هذيل البلنسي
  6. 22Sheikh Abu Dawud Sulayman ibn Najahالشيخ أبو داود سليمان بن نجاح
  7. 23Imam Abu ‘Amr ‘Uthman ibn Sa‘id al-DaniOne of the great early authorities on the qira’atالإمام أبو عمرو عثمان بن سعيد الداني
  8. 24Sheikh Abu al-Hasan Tahir ibn Ghalbunالشيخ أبو الحسن طاهر بن غلبون
  9. 25Sheikh Abu al-Hasan ‘Ali ibn Muhammad al-Hashimi al-Darirالشيخ أبو الحسن علي بن محمد الهاشمي الضرير
  10. 26Sheikh Abu al-‘Abbas Ahmad ibn Sahl al-Ushnaniالشيخ أبو العباس أحمد بن سهل الأشناني
  11. 27Sheikh Abu Muhammad ‘Ubayd ibn al-Sabbahالشيخ أبو محمد عبيد بن الصباح
  12. 28Imam Hafs ibn SulaymanThe narrator of this riwayahالإمام حفص بن سليمان
  13. 29Imam ‘Asim ibn Abi al-NajudThe reader whose recitation it is. He learned from both of the next two.الإمام عاصم بن أبي النجود
  14. 30Abu ‘Abd al-Rahman ‘Abdullah ibn Habib al-Sulamiأبو عبد الرحمن عبد الله بن حبيب السلمي
  15. 31Abu Maryam Zirr ibn Hubayshأبو مريم زر بن حبيش
  16. Al-Sulami learned from a number of Companions, including‘Uthman ibn ‘Affan‘Ali ibn Abi TalibUbayy ibn Ka‘bZayd ibn Thabit‘Abdullah ibn Mas‘ud عثمان بن عفانعلي بن أبي طالبأُبيّ بن كعبزيد بن ثابتعبد الله بن مسعودرضي الله عنهم

ثم إلى رسول الله محمد ﷺ، عن جبريل عليه السلام، عن رب العالمين سبحانه وتعالى

Then to the Messenger of Allah, Muhammad ﷺ, from Jibril, peace be upon him, from the Lord of the Worlds, glorified and exalted.

  1. 17Sheikh Abu Hafs ‘Umar ibn al-Hasan Ibn al-Mazid al-MaraghiOf Aleppo and later Damascus. Ibn al-Jazari read al-Misbah to him.الشيخ عمر بن الحسن بن المزيد المراغي
  2. 18Sheikh Abu al-Hasan ‘Ali ibn Ahmad ibn ‘Abd al-Wahid al-Maqdisiالشيخ علي بن أحمد بن عبد الواحد المقدسي
  3. 19Sheikh Abu al-Barakat Dawud ibn Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Mansur ibn Mula‘ibالشيخ داود بن أحمد بن محمد بن منصور بن ملاعب
  4. 20Imam Abu al-Karam al-Mubarak ibn al-Hasan al-ShahrazuriAuthor of al-Misbah, the route of this sanadالإمام أبو الكرم المبارك بن الحسن الشهرزوري
  5. 21Sheikh Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn ‘Ali al-Khayyatالشيخ أبو بكر محمد بن علي الخياط
  6. 22Sheikh Abu al-Husayn al-Susanjirdiالشيخ أبو الحسين السوسنجردي
  7. 23Zur‘anزرعان
  8. 24‘Amr ibn al-Sabbahعمرو بن الصباح
  9. 25Imam Hafs ibn SulaymanThe narrator of this riwayahالإمام حفص بن سليمان
  10. 26Imam ‘Asim ibn Abi al-NajudThe reader whose recitation it isالإمام عاصم بن أبي النجود
  11. 27Abu ‘Abd al-Rahman ‘Abdullah ibn Habib al-Sulamiأبو عبد الرحمن عبد الله بن حبيب السلمي
  12. Who read to the Companions‘Uthman ibn ‘Affan‘Ali ibn Abi TalibZayd ibn ThabitUbayy ibn Ka‘b‘Abdullah ibn Mas‘ud عثمان بن عفانعلي بن أبي طالبزيد بن ثابتأُبيّ بن كعبعبد الله بن مسعودرضي الله عنهم

وقرأ هؤلاء على رسول الله ﷺ، عن جبريل عليه السلام، عن رب العزة سبحانه وتعالى

And they read to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, from Jibril, peace be upon him, from the Lord of Might, glorified and exalted.

  • Taught in English
  • Online by video call
  • Children and adults
  • Complete beginners to huffadh
  • Students across the world

What Sheikh Maher teaches

Lessons start from where you are, whether that is the first letters of the alphabet or polishing a complete hifz.

Hifz

Memorise new pages at a steady pace, with structured revision so nothing you have learned slips away.

Tajweed

Learn the rules of recitation properly and practise them until they become natural in your reading.

Arabic

Read and understand the language of the Quran, from the alphabet upwards.

Calligraphy

Master the classical scripts of Arabic writing, including Naskh, Ruq’ah and Diwani.

What his students say

Sheikh Maher teaches students across the world, in the UK and Europe, the USA, Canada, Bangladesh and beyond.

I have a hifz class with Sheikh Maher every day, and I completed a full tajweed course with him. He is patient, precise and warm, and he hears the smallest details in a recitation. My memorisation and my tajweed have come on more than I thought possible. To learn from a teacher with ijazahs from Al-Azhar and the sanad of Sheikh al-Husary is a real privilege.
Dr Hannan ChauderyDaily hifz student, completed the full tajweed course
As a hafiz, I revise with Sheikh Maher in the weeks before Ramadan so I am ready for taraweeh. He catches every slip straight away, and I go into Ramadan with my hifz strong.
Dr Muzthahid QuraishiHafiz, revision before taraweeh
I’ve memorised 15 juz so far. Sheikh Maher helps me learn new pages and keeps my revision going, so I don’t lose what I’ve already memorised.
Yahya, aged 1515 juz memorised, new memorisation and revision

£7.50an hour

  • Taught in English, by video call
  • Private or group lessons
  • Hifz, tajweed, Arabic or calligraphy
  • Every level, for children and adults
Book a lesson on WhatsApp

Starting is simple

  1. Send a message

    Tell Sheikh Maher on WhatsApp what you would like to learn and your current level.

  2. Agree your lesson times

    Arrange regular times that fit around school, work and family.

  3. Begin reciting

    Join your lesson by video call, one-to-one or in a small group.

Common questions

Anything else, just ask Sheikh Maher on WhatsApp.

I can’t read Arabic yet. Can I still start?

Yes. Sheikh Maher teaches every level, from learning the Arabic letters for the first time to completing and revising a full hifz.

Are lessons suitable for children?

Yes. He teaches children and adults. One of his students, Yahya, is 15 and has memorised 15 juz with him.

What time are lessons?

You agree lesson times with Sheikh Maher directly over WhatsApp. He already teaches students in time zones from North America to Bangladesh. Egypt is usually two hours ahead of the UK.

What do I need for an online lesson?

A phone, tablet or laptop with a camera, a stable internet connection, and a mushaf.

Ijazahs and certificates

Select a document to view it in full.

Quran and qira’at

Arabic calligraphy

English and teaching

خَيْرُكُمْ مَنْ تَعَلَّمَ الْقُرْآنَ وَعَلَّمَهُ

“The best of you are those who learn the Quran and teach it.” Sahih al-Bukhari

Start with a message

Tell Sheikh Maher what you would like to learn and he will arrange your first lesson with you.

Book a lesson on WhatsApp or call +20 112 705 8477