About the Founder

About the Founder

I am Somaira Bashir, the founder of Zil Noorain, an online Islamic institute dedicated to nurturing young hearts with authentic Islamic knowledge from an early age.

The inspiration behind Zil Noorain is deeply personal and rooted in my own journey with Islam, which began in my childhood in Jeddah, during regular visits to Makkah with my parents. Those moments remain among the most beautiful memories of my life. The peaceful atmosphere of the Haram and the recitation of the Qur’an left a lasting impression on my heart and inspired within me a strong desire to learn the Book of Allah.

I still remember a special moment during Tawaf, when I raised my hands and made a sincere dua:“O Allah, please help me. I want to memorize Your Book (Quran). I want to memorize the Qur’an.” By the mercy of Allah, that dua was accepted, and I began my journey of memorizing the Qur’an.

During this journey, Allah blessed me with an inspiring Islamic studies teacher “Ustadha Mubeena” who encouraged me not only to practice Islam, but to understand it deeply, rather than follow it blindly. This curiosity led me to pursue formal Islamic studies at the university, where I discovered the beauty, depth, and completeness of Islam. Living in Islamic countries further strengthened my connection to my faith and deepened my understanding of it.

Throughout my studies, one question remained in my heart: Why is Islamic education not a strong foundation in early childhood learning?

In my early twenties, I got married and moved to the United States. Soon after, Allah blessed me with a daughter. The moment my first child opened her eyes to the world, I felt a deep responsibility—to ensure that she learned Islam from the very beginning of her life.

I asked myself, Who will be her role model? Who will inspire her to love Islam and grow as a confident Muslim?
The answer was clear: it had to start with me.

That realization led to another powerful thought—why should this journey be only for my child? From that moment, Zil Noorain was born.

Today, Zil Noorain is an online Islamic institute dedicated to nurturing children with authentic Islamic knowledge, love for the Qur’an, and strong Islamic values. With the support of a dedicated team of qualified teachers and educators, we work tirelessly to help children understand Islam with clarity, confidence, and compassion.