Founded in 2006 as a humble effort to serve the Somali Muslim community, Voices of the Reciters is now being revived and expanded into a global English- and Somali-language platform for authentic Islamic media.
Voices of the Reciters is a Shia Islamic media initiative dedicated to preserving, producing, and sharing spiritually uplifting content rooted in the Holy Qur'an and the teachings of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) and his purified Ahlulbayt (peace be upon them).
The martyrs preserved the faith through their sacrifice. We strive to preserve their legacy through our voices.
We are not defined by ethnicity, nationality, or language. We are united by a shared love for Allah, His Messenger, and the family entrusted to guide this Ummah.
We believe every talent entrusted to a person by Allah carries a responsibility. A beautiful voice, a gifted pen, knowledge, creativity, technology, and storytelling can all become forms of khidmah when used sincerely in service to Islam and the Ahlulbayt.
Voices of the Reciters is broader than a traditional recitation platform. We seek not only to publish media, but also to discover and develop talent, connect complementary gifts, produce original works, preserve them, and distribute them globally.
VR aims to connect writers with reciters, narrators with meaningful literature, producers with artists, and gifted individuals with opportunities to serve the message of the Ahlulbayt through professional media.
Voices of the Reciters began from a desire to preserve and amplify devotional recitation within the Somali Shia community. What began with a specific community need has since grown into a broader vision: a global, multilingual platform dedicated to preserving, producing, and sharing media inspired by the Qur'an and Ahlulbayt (a).
VR produces and shares Qur'an recitations, duas and ziyarat, ta'qibat, nohas and latmiyyat, nasheeds, spoken-word poetry, audiobooks, children's Islamic stories, lectures, documentaries, podcasts, and original media productions. English and Somali are our founding languages, reflecting the project's roots, while additional languages will be introduced as our network of reciters, poets, translators, and contributors grows around the world.
Our roots are Somali. Our mission is global. Our love for Ahlulbayt knows no language or border.
To preserve, produce, and distribute authentic Islamic media that revives remembrance, strengthens faith, and delivers the legacy of the Ahlulbayt and the martyrs to future generations.
To build a trusted international home for high-quality Shia Islamic media — an ecosystem where reciters, writers, poets, narrators, scholars, developers, designers, educators, and other creatives can collaborate and transform their individual gifts into collective khidmah.
We pursue beauty, quality, care, and intentionality in every recitation, recording, design, and project. Excellence is not a standard we aim for — it is an obligation of the work itself.
We seek the pleasure of Allah above recognition, popularity, or personal gain. Every production, every recording, every line of code begins with this intention — and is measured against it at the end.
We treat scholars, contributors, audiences, and one another with respect, humility, patience, and proper Islamic conduct. The how matters as much as the what — and the adab of a deed shapes its acceptance.
Voices of the Reciters is not simply a repository or aggregator of Shia media. It is a creative ecosystem designed to discover talent, connect complementary gifts, produce original works, preserve them, and distribute them globally — permanently.
In the Name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful
Some are blessed to defend the truth with their sacrifice. Others are entrusted to preserve that sacrifice for those who come after them.
The martyrs fulfilled their responsibility. Our responsibility is remembrance.
Their blood preserved the faith. Our voices strive to preserve their legacy.
Voices of the Reciters was established upon this conviction: the legacy of the martyrs should never become a memory confined to history books. It should continue to live within hearts, homes, communities, and generations yet to come.
We believe that every sincere voice raised in remembrance of Allah, His Messenger, and the Ahlulbayt becomes another link in an unbroken chain connecting one generation of believers to the next.
We believe every talent entrusted to us by Allah carries a responsibility. Voices of the Reciters exists to help transform individual gifts into collective khidmah.
Every generation must ask itself: How will we carry this legacy forward?
Voices of the Reciters is our answer to that question.
Abdul-Mahdi Abbas founded Voices of the Reciters in 2006 with a single purpose: to serve the Somali Muslim community through authentic Islamic recitations and religious media.
Nearly two decades later, that purpose has not changed — only the scale of its ambition. Under his leadership, VR is now being rebuilt as a global digital platform, one that serves English- and Somali-speaking audiences across cultures and generations.
His vision for VR is not merely a media platform. It is an institution — a creative ecosystem where talent is discovered, gifts are connected, original works are produced, and the legacy of the Ahlulbayt is preserved for every generation yet to come.
Many voices have yet to be discovered. Many stories have yet to be told. Many projects have yet to be imagined. Many hearts have yet to be reached.
