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.