Sheikh Bashir bin Ahmed Siddiq, the senior Quran recitation teacher at Al-Masjid An-Nabawi, passed away on October 1, 2025, after dedicating sixty years to teaching at the Prophet’s Mosque. His students include some of the most prominent reciters and Islamic scholars of recent generations, forming a legacy that extends across the Muslim world.
Among his notable students are former Holy Mosques Imams Sheikh Muhammad Ayyoub and Sheikh Ali Jaber, current An-Nabawi Imams Sheikh Abdul Muhsin Al-Qasim and Sheikh Salah Al-Budair, and Sheikh Muhammad Al-Mukhtar Al-Shanqiti of the Senior Scholars Council. These figures represent just a portion of the thousands who studied under Sheikh Bashir’s guidance at the Medina mosque.
Sheikh Bashir established himself as a pillar of Quranic education within the sacred premises of the Prophet’s Mosque. His teaching career spanned six decades, during which he maintained a consistent presence in the mosque’s educational circles.
Students traveled from various countries specifically to learn Quran recitation from him, drawn by his reputation for precision and deep knowledge of tajweed rules.
The Sheikh’s methodology combined traditional teaching techniques with deep scholarly insight, creating a learning environment that produced some of the most recognized voices in Islamic recitation.
His students now lead prayers at Islam’s holiest sites and hold positions on scholarly councils, continuing the traditions he preserved and taught.
Speaking at the event, Adiz Boboyev, Khokim of the Samarkand region, Abdulaziz Aqqulov, Chairman of the Tourism Committee, and Muhammad Irfan Yusuf, Minister of Hajj and Umrah of the Republic of Indonesia, noted that the Imam Bukhari complex, newly constructed at the initiative of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, has been an important step in the development of pilgrimage tourism in our country.
During the reconstruction of the complex, more than twenty hotels and modern infrastructure for tourists were established around it.
The 240-bed "Hadith Hotel," built in collaboration with Indonesian investors, is the largest accommodation facility around the Imam Bukhari complex and, at the same time, the first five-star hotel. The hotel has established a modern service system, harmonizing international hotel standards with national traditions of hospitality and pilgrimage etiquette.
As part of the event, a meeting was held between Adiz Boboyev, Khokim of the Samarkand region, and Muhammad Irfan Yusuf, Minister of Hajj and Umrah of Indonesia. During the meeting, they discussed issues such as attracting a large number of Indonesian pilgrims to Samarkand and launching special flights under the "Umrah+" program, among other matters.
Previously, one of the hotels built on the territory of the complex was purchased by an Indonesian entrepreneur, creating opportunities to receive pilgrims from that country.