Sheikh Mishary bin Rashid Alafasy (Arabic: الشيخ مشاري بن راشد العفاسي; born in Kuwait in September 5, 1976) is a Kuwaiti national, a qari and a munshid. He is the Imam of Masjid Al-Kabir Grand Mosque (Kuwait) in Kuwait City, and leads the taraweeh prayers in Ramadan every year.
Sheikh al-ʿAfāsī studied at the College of the Quran and Islamic Studies at the Islamic University of Madinah and specialized in the ten readings and translations of the Quran. Also, he has been certified by a number of scholars of Quran. He makes frequent appearances on television. Many of his recitations can be also found on YouTube or MukminTV.
On March 24, 2007 Sheikh Mishary traveled to the United States of America and visited three mosques: Islamic Center of Irvine in California, Islamic Institute of Orange County in California, and the ICD (Islamic Center of Detroit) in Michigan. The audio tapes of his recitations during his visit to America can be found on his website, and also on YouTube or MukminTV. On October 25, 2008, Sheikh Mishary was awarded the first Arab Creativity Oscar by the Arab Creativity Union in Egypt. The event was sponsored by the General Secretary of the League of Arab States Mr. Amr Mousa as a recognition of Sheikh Mishary Alafasy role in promoting Islamic principles and teachings utilizing the modern technology to deliver the peaceful message of Islam. On September 2009, Sheikh Mishary traveled to the ICOI or Islamic Center of Irvine, but had to leave early due to family emergency.