Imam Hamzah Abdul-Malik studied Islam for 15 years in Morocco, Syria, Yemen and finally Egypt. Imam Hamzah was born and raised in a Muslim household in New Haven, Connecticut, and grew up in the Masjid al-Islam community. As a young man he went to Tangiers, Morocco, where he completed his memorization of Qur’ān (ḥifẓ). After Morocco, Imam Hamzah moved to Damascus, Syria, and attended the Abu Noor Institute for Arabic and Islamic Studies for five years to focus on mastering classical Arabic (fuṣḥa), Islamic law (sharī’a) and theology (‘aqīda), and honing his Quranic phonetics (tajwīd). Later, he undertook private studies in jurisprudence (fiqh) and spirituality (taṣawwuf) at Dar al-Mustafa Institute in Tarim, Yemen, and then spent four years at al-Azhar University in Cairo, Egypt, where he completed a Bachelor’s degree in Sharī’ah. Currently, he is Imam of the Midtown Mosque in Memphis, Tennessee and president of Miraaj Academy for Quran and Leadership studies. Imam Hamzah famously recited Qur’an at the Muhammad Ali Janazah.