When most of us set out to connect with the Quran and improve our recitation, we invariably start with learning tajweed - perhaps you’ve already put in the time and heard it all: “slow it down - you’re reading too fast - you have to read letter by letter” ...

or how about “give a little bit more bounce on the qaaf” …

or “make your ikhfaa a little bit lighter” …

Maybe you even went on to study a text in tajweed, or recited to a teacher to fix your mistakes - perhaps you’ve gotten to the point where you’re satisfied with your level in tajweed.

The tajweed helped - it definitely did. You’re reciting more clearly, more confidently, and alhamdulillah correctly. But when you listen to your favourite reciter, their voice, their tune, the way they’re reading - it’s just. so. mashaAllah - you can feel it. The Quran comes alive, and you feel the words, meanings, and stories - it’s real - and your heart reacts to that …

Their recitation draws you into the scene and touches your heart in a way that's hard to put in words ... you’re no longer just hearing with your ears; you can feel the ayat being recited - and for just a moment the thought crosses your mind:

And it’s not just you - from the emails I get from readers like yourself, I know that this is something that many are struggling with - and it’s not really being addressed.

Take a look - these are real quotes from emails I regularly receive:

“I tend to keep a similar tune the whole qiraat”
“I read one ayat and it sounds nice but the next one sounds not so nice. and it's difficult to read the entire surah in one beautiful tune”
“I don’t know which maqam will suit me … I don’t know which maqam should I pick … I don’t know which maqam is suitable for beginners”
“I have difficulty hearing a tone and figuring out where to go high and where to go low.”
“Alhamdulillah my tajweed is good … my only problem is that i don’t like my tone”

From the emails I get from readers like yourself, I know that this is something that you’re struggling with. You know that you want to improve your tune, but you’re not really sure where to start. You know that when you listen to your favourite reciter, you can feel their tune - it pulls you in and sounds oh-so-beautiful. But when you try to recite with a tune, it’s just not coming out the way you want it to.

Maybe you asked someone about this, and they told you “don’t worry just focus on tajweed”. But you already did that (alhamdulillah!) but you’re still not happy with your tune.

Maybe you discovered there’s this thing called maqamat - the tunes used by our favourite reciters - and you’re like *OMG this is what I was looking for*. So you start listening to clips on YouTube, trying to figure this out on your own.

So you go from one clip to the next, listening attentively, trying to copy the tune, but hours later you find yourself stuck in the same place. Sometimes you can kind of hear the pattern, but from one reciter to the next, it sort of, kind of sounds the same, yet at the same time it sounds so different ... sometimes it seems like it's there right in front of you, but then it slips away right as you try to hold on to it ...

“How exactly does this whole maqamat thing work, and why is it so hard for me to learn a maqam? Will I ever be able to recite with a tune, or maybe this is just the way my voice is?”

I get it - it can seem daunting at first - you’re trying to listen to different clips and you’re trying to get the tune, but it’s just not coming to you. And you can’t for the life of you figure out what you’re supposed to be doing differently. And that’s where the doubt begins to set in … maybe I’m just tone-deaf ... maybe I’m not cut out for this ... and you give up even before you fully got started.

But what if I told you that you could recite with a tune, and experience even some of the joy of reciting beautifully? What if you could recite with emotion, and actually enjoy the sound of your own recitation? What if you could enjoy hearing yourself while reciting aloud in Isha, or maybe when you sit down with your mushaf after a long day at work?

Alhamdulillah for the past eight years, I’ve been teaching the art of recitation and maqamat - helping others like you to recite Quran beautifully. Today I want to tell you about my newest course, and how it can help you learn to recite beautifully:

In the course we'll actually draw out the pattern, so you can follow along visually. No more guessing how to go up and down - we’ll show you exactly how and where to go up and down so that you can implement the pattern in your recitation. This is a huge 'aha' moment for a lot of my students - going from "I have no idea what's going on" to "Ah so that's how it works!".

Once you learn this there’s no going back - you’ll finally understand how maqamat work. No more listening, listening, and listening more - but still you're not quite sure why or how a certain maqam sounds the way it does. You'll start to build your ear to be able to hear differences in pitch so that you can understand how maqamat are put together. This is a skill that will help you later on when and if you decide to go further with learning more maqamat.

Good question - I’m guessing you’re new here. Think of your favourite reciter - they’re not just reciting with excellent tajweed - they’re also captivating you with a beautiful tune, aka a maqam. So maqam=tune. Some reciters (like Sh. Sudais for example) always recite with the same tune, whereas many other reciters change up their tune from day to day, or even within a single recitation. The different tune patterns have different names - for example hijaz, sika, rast, and so on. Most likely, even if you’re not familiar with the names, the sound of at least some of these tunes might be fairly recognizable to you. Maqam hijaz for example is a very common tune - it's beautiful, with a sound of longing and sadness. If you listen to Quran, most likely you’ve heard this tune even if you didn’t know the name.

Remember earlier, when we spoke about the doubts that creep in? Many people - perhaps even yourself - might have tried to figure out maqamat on YouTube, but it didn’t work out. So you might think to yourself “maybe I’m just tone-deaf” or “maybe I just have a bad voice”. But here’s the thing - from my experience as a teacher, in most cases that’s simply not the case.

Here's the thing: for every maqam there's a key, or a specific pattern that creates a specific sound. Go up and down a certain way, and you'll get a certain tune - say for example maqam hijaz. Go up and down a different way, and you end up with a different tune - say maqam nahawand, and so on. Once you know that pattern, it becomes way easier to follow and hear the pattern in your head, and then to implement in your recitation.

The difficulty with trying to figure it out from YouTube recitations is that these patterns leave a lot of room for creativity - so when you’re online going from one clip to another, it's often unclear to the beginner what exactly the pattern is - each reciter might have their own way of expressing the pattern, and on top of that they're going above and beyond, playing with their voices, extending their breath, and so on ... leaving you confused about what exactly is the pattern for the maqam.

In this course we’ll solve that - no more confusion. We’ll start by helping you understand how maqamat work - like how exactly do different tunes get their sound? What makes one maqam sound different from another?

Then from there, we’ll break down the pattern and structure for maqam nahawand and ajam. Not just my reading a pattern and expecting you to follow - rather we’ll break it down for you, using simple, easy to follow diagrams and short patterns. So you get to use multiple senses - in this case seeing the pattern with your eyes helps you to hear it better in your head.

From there, we move from short patterns to implementing them in short ayat. Step-by-step, with a well thought out progression - not just someone reciting and expecting that you just copy them.

From there, we move to longer ayat, more patterns, and a lot of practice to help you implement the pattern in your own recitation, so that you can recite smoothly and fluently with a beautiful tune.

It’s a method that’s well thought out and designed to help you progress, and student results show that this works.

"I really enjoyed Idrees Ally's hijaz mini-course. It was very well structured and went from basically zero to actually doing some more advanced recitation in a very short time. It is clear that the progression is well-thought out - much more so than in other online maqamat courses that I have experienced. What I enjoyed the most is that you present the subject in an organized, step by step manner, which gave me a sense of direction. I enjoyed the way you explained the hijaz pattern visually (with the lines at different heights) which made it very easy and approachable for people with little-to-no experience. I sincerely recommend this course if you want a clear, guided introduction to Hijaz, and maqamat in general."

(Suleyman, Spain)

This is not a full course outline - rather an overview of some of the topics we’ll cover in this program to give you an idea of what to expect. Some topics and concepts will be covered in extensive detail - such as Maqam Hijaz and Bayati, and more broadly understanding how maqamat work. We won't just “talk” about this, rather we’ll spend most of the course practicing maqam nahawand and seeing in practice how maqamat work.

Some other things - for example the moods of the maqamat - are topics that we’ll introduce and explain the concepts rather than spending several lessons practicing this.

With that in mind, here are some of the things we’ll cover:

How maqamat work: After this, maqamat will no longer remain a mystery. You’ll understand how maqamat are structured and how and why certain maqamat sound the way they do. This will also give you the framework for learning maqamat rather than just guessing and trying to copy a sound.
Training your ears: how to train your ears to sense pitch and hear maqam patterns as though you could see them
Maqam Hijaz: We’ll cover this extensively and do a lot of step by step practice. You’ll learn simple patterns to go up in the maqam, to go down, and also to “hang out” in the middle. We’ll practice in shorter ayat, then graduate to longer ayat. We’ll do exercises where we *zoom in* and learn specific patterns, and then readings where we *zoom out* and build up a feel for the maqam. We'll look at different reciters to hear different expressions of the maqam. This will be the bulk of the course.
Maqam bayati: After spending most of the course learning the fundamentals with Maqam nahawand, we'll introduce and cover the main patterns for maqam ajam as well.
Other maqamat: We may touch on other maqamat, especially to demonstrate different points about maqamat, but teaching them in detail will not be the focus of this program
The Reciter's Journey: understanding the steps involved in learning how to recite beautifully with maqamat, and how to practice depending on what stage you're at
The moods of the maqamat: understanding the different moods of the maqamat, and how they relate to their usage when reciting
Painting a picture of the meaning: using your voice to bring out the meaning, so that your voice and tune reflects and corresponds to what you're reciting

Meet Your Instructor.

Assalaamu alaikum! I still remember the days when I first discovered maqamat, and I'd be poring over different clips online, struggling to figure out the patterns. At that time, I would have died (not literally lol) for a course like this one. Fast forward to today, and alhamdulillah I've been successfully teaching maqamat and the art of recitation to students like yourself for over eight years. Alhamdulillah I have excellent command of the main maqamat, and it's easy for me to recite in any maqam and transition between them as well. I also like to believe that I have a balanced approach to maqamat and the art of recitation, and I always try to convey to my students the importance of reciting beautifully whilst not going unnecessarily overboard.

Alhamdulillah I've had the honour of studying tajweed and qira'at with a number of teachers. Most notably I have ijazah in riyawat Hafs from the late Mufti Umer Ismail (rahimahullah), as well as ijazah in the ten qira'at (asharah sughra & kubra).

Click below to join The Overnight Qari Experience, and experience the joy of reciting beautifully. You’ll get full access to a self-study version of the course. These are recordings of the course that was taught live in May 2023.

You will get the main lessons where we teach the course material, plus the guided practice audios which will help you implement the concepts and learn how to implement the maqam patterns in your recitation.

Normally the live version of the course is $345 USD - but we are offering this self-study version at 40% off - for $207 USD

If you’ve been looking to learn maqamat and beautify your tune, you know as well as I do that it would be very difficult to find a course similar to this one. I’ve poured my heart and soul into figuring out how best to teach maqamat to beginners, and I stand behind this course 100% - I know that if you put in the practice, you will eventually get results. The student feedback highlighted on this page is testament to that.

Having said that, for this self-study version of the course, you will be getting immediate access to the full course. As such it is a final sale which is non-refundable.

On the fence? Here’s what my past students have said after taking my maqamat courses:

"Perfectly catered to my busy schedule"

"For student like me, this course perfectly catered to my busy schedule, and absolutely met my expectations. Since it was only a short course, the course materials that was taught wasn't overwhelming, but was ample and well spaced out. I was new to this subject and had no background in maqamat - this was perfect to get a feel of how things go in learning maqamat. One thing I found interesting was how each maqam has a specific tune, and Maqam Hijaz has its own specific tune, so now I was able to recognize certain Qaris who used this maqamat."

(Saba Shaikh, USA)

"I liked the way you broke down the pattern of the maqam in a simple way that I could practice"

"I've tried listening to different maqamat and have only been able to get a feel of the emotions that are associated with it, but could never distinguish between them at all. I liked the way you broke down the pattern of the maqam in a simple way that I could practice. I liked the idea of focusing on one and feeling comfortable with it before moving on. I feel like I now understand maqam hijaz on a very basic level which is a huge success in my opinion. Every class, more and more things started to make sense to me and I kind of just added on what I knew every week. Overall, I loved it and I don't know of any other classes like it so I'm extremely grateful."

(Janna Soliman, USA)

"Definitely exceeded expectations"

"Thank you for providing this course - it was very useful, informative and definitely exceeded expectations. I do believe the most significant thing is the course structure, especially with regards to timing. With this course there is a set webinar, at a specific time, for 4 weeks (very reasonable), with some practice lessons to do during the week, so from my perspective (and I am sure many others) this was very effective. Of course, the content was great and everything you mentioned during the webinars was an "aha" moment, especially as the course goes on and when you connect the dots. Finally, I would just like to say I am very happy that I stumbled across your site and joined both courses (and hopefully more to come!). May Allah reward and bless you and your family."

(Anonymous, USA)

"Maybe one day my kids will be your students too!"

"Maqamat has always been a mystery to me, but through this course I got an insight into the maqamat. A lot of things have been made clear - I learned basics and it’s helpful in building up on it. I have already started looking into other maqamat and understood those. Alhamdulillah by the third class and with some practice it was very rewarding and those were "yes i know now", "i got it" moments. Please keep doing the good work, so far you are the only teacher I came across who is doing this work in english language. so, JazakAllah khairan katheeran for making this knowledge available to us. and inshaAllah maybe one day my kids will be your students too!"

(Hanan Mohammed, USA)

After the Nahawand mini-course, his voice no longer jumps around wildly:

"I was also very pleasantly surprised by how much I was able to learn nevertheless based on your course’s structure. I am now able to incorporate maqam nahawand (and vary it) in my own recitation. I improved in being able to control the tone of my voice when reciting; it no longer jumps around wildly or seemingly without a pattern like it used to."

(M. Ali, USA)

FAQs

When is this program taking place?

This is a recorded version of the Overnight Qari Experience, not a live program. As such there's no fixed start or end date - you'll get immediate access to the full course.

Can I recite to you to get feedback on my recitation?

In the full live program, we have optional group coaching calls where students can ask questions and also take the mic to get specific help and feedback on their implementation of the material. For this version, there are no live calls included - hence the 40% discount.

There may be separate opportunities for students to book calls with me (at an additional cost). In addition, I normally offer students who take this self-study version an opportunity to join the live cohort at a significant discount (usually 50%)

What can I reasonably expect from taking this program? Will I master maqamat by the end of this program?

Mastery (of anything) takes time, so it would be unreasonable to expect that. Generally speaking, most students that follow the program and put in the practice will, by the end of this program, be able to take the patterns they learned and implement it anywhere they recite. Others will make significant progress towards this, but may need more time and practice to fine tune their implementation. This is normal and to be expected as students are all coming in at different levels.

What if I’m tone-deaf?

Most people who think they’re tone-deaf are not truly tone-deaf - they just haven’t done much practice in this regard, or they haven’t learned a structure/pattern to base their recitation on. I’ve worked with students who thought they were tone-deaf, only to have them reciting in a tune within a few weeks. A minority of students may have difficulty in this regard, and may need to spend a bit more time on ear training. We have a bonus ear training module included in this program for students who need extra help with this.

Can sisters join this program?

Yes, absolutely! I encourage sisters to join - beautifying one's recitation is not just for brothers. Many of our students are sisters who've made wonderful progress through our way of teaching maqamat.

What if my tajweed isn’t great? Can I still benefit from this program?

Tajweed is absolutely the foundation of a beautiful recitation. Having said that, there’s no harm in exploring your tune even if you’re still working on improving your tajweed.

I want to learn another maqam!

So not quite a question, but often when I teach a course like this, I’ll always get some students saying they want to learn sika, or saba, or some other maqam. What students often don’t realize is that the maqamat are all related. Yes they’re different but they work in similar ways. In a program like this, you’ll understand how maqamat are put together - and by practicing one maqam, you inevitably make it easier for you to learn others afterwards as well.

I’m genuinely unable to afford this. Do you have a scholarship program or alternate payment options?

Alhamdulillah, we are offering international parity pricing - based on your location, you may see a banner on the checkout page offering a regional discount. No need to apply for a scholarship or request a discount.

If you've read this far, I'm guessing that you know deep down inside that you want to improve your tune so that you can recite smoothly and beautifully, and take your relationship with the Quran to new heights ...

Maybe you've tried to fix this on your own, going from one YouTube demo to another trying to figure this out ...

Perhaps it's been years that you've silently wished you could improve your tune, and you've started to bury that dream inside of you ...

I invite you to join what I really feel is a fresh and unique approach to learning maqamat. Our overwhelmingly positive student feedback exists because this works. Yes it takes effort - you have put in the practice if you want to improve. But the method works and I know that if you've ever wanted to learn maqamat, this course will definitely help you in ways you can't imagine.

Where might you be in a few months, if you could make significant improvements in your recitation? How might next Ramadan be different for you? I invite you to register below - try something different, and see where this road leads you.

Unlock the beauty of your recitation with maqamat - with simple patterns anyone can master

What if you could finally recite with a tune, without years of training?

Recorded course - access immediately!

There’s a secret to reciting beautifully that most people overlook …

But something’s missing, and you’re still not satisfied with your recitation …

"If only I could recite like that!" ...

In fact, check out this one email I received from a sister:

Let’s dig a bit deeper: why does it seem so hard to recite with a tune?

What if reciting in a tune wasn’t as hard as you thought it might be?

Introducing ...

Wait what’s maqamat? And what's hijaz?

How will this help you learn a tune?

No more guessing how to go up and down!

"Very well structured ... the progression is well-thought out ... in an organized, step by step manner"

Here's how the Overnight Qari program works:

Main Lessons

Audio Exercises

Our method works. But don't just take my word for it.
Here's what students have said:

"Maqam hijaz course was absolutely amazing"

"My recitation is now better than it was before!"

Here’s what you can expect to learn in the Overnight Qari Experience

Meet Your Instructor.

Your recitation changes today

Refund policy

On the fence? Here’s what my past students have said after taking my maqamat courses:

"Perfectly catered to my busy schedule"

"I liked the way you broke down the pattern of the maqam in a simple way that I could practice"

"Definitely exceeded expectations"

"Maybe one day my kids will be your students too!"

After the Nahawand mini-course, his voice no longer jumps around wildly:

FAQs

Join the Overnight Qari Experience Today

Unlock the beauty of your recitation with maqamat - with simple patterns anyone can master

What if you could finally recite with a tune, without years of training?

Recorded course - access immediately!

There’s a secret to reciting beautifully that most people overlook …

But something’s missing, and you’re still not satisfied with your recitation …

"If only I could recite like that!" ...

In fact, check out this one email I received from a sister:

Let’s dig a bit deeper: why does it seem so hard to recite with a tune?

What if reciting in a tune wasn’t as hard as you thought it might be?

Introducing ...

Wait what’s maqamat? And what's hijaz?

How will this help you learn a tune?

No more guessing how to go up and down!

"Very well structured ... the progression is well-thought out ... in an organized, step by step manner"

Here's how the Overnight Qari program works:

Main Lessons

Audio Exercises

Our method works. But don't just take my word for it.Here's what students have said:

"Maqam hijaz course was absolutely amazing"

"My recitation is now better than it was before!"

Here’s what you can expect to learn in the Overnight Qari Experience

Meet Your Instructor.

Your recitation changes today

Refund policy

On the fence? Here’s what my past students have said after taking my maqamat courses:

"Perfectly catered to my busy schedule"

"I liked the way you broke down the pattern of the maqam in a simple way that I could practice"

"Definitely exceeded expectations"

"Maybe one day my kids will be your students too!"

After the Nahawand mini-course, his voice no longer jumps around wildly:

FAQs

Join the Overnight Qari Experience Today

Our method works. But don't just take my word for it.
Here's what students have said: