My dear brothers and sisters,

Assalamualaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh;

In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful and the Most Kind.
All the praises and glories are to Allah, the Lord of the universe and every thing in it.
The only owner of the day of Resurrection. You (Alone) we worship, and you (Alone) we ask for help. Guide us to the Straight path, the way of those on whom you have bestowed Your Grace. Not (the way) of those who earned Your Anger, nor of those who went astray.

I bear witness that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, the One alone, without partner, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger. We also believe that Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala has kept our complete success in complete DEEN.  Our DEEN is following Al-Quran and the life of Prophet Muhammad sallallahu alaihi wasallam. Based on this we have developed our entire education system which is centered on the Quran and Sunnah. The syllabus that we intend to design will include the core subjects necessary for the average person to live as a practicing Muslim. Along with their general academic subjects, our students will receive religious instructions on matters pertaining to; Aqida, Fiqh, Seerah, Hadith, and Arabic language, with a specific emphasis on the Qur’anic subjects of Tajwid, Tilawah and translation.

Modern forms of educational systems fall into one of two extremes; the madrasah system aims to preserve and propagate the traditional teachings of Islam but does include any other academic fields of study necessary for the progress of society. The graduates of such institutes lack the necessary qualifications needed to lead a community.

On the other hand, standard public education systems provide academic subjects but does not include religious subjects such as; Quran, Hadith, Aqidah, and Fiqh. As a result, we have seen an alarming increase in the numbers of youth leaving the fold of Islam in recent years.

Our vison is to bridge this gap and strike a healthy balance between the two modes and develop a novel system that is comprised of the best elements of both worlds thereby producing future generations of Muslim scholars and professionals.

The education system that we are striving to develop is neither a madrasah nor a public school. We seek to create a mixed system in which careful measures are taken to ensure that our children receive the best education. With this objective in mind, our program focuses on three core elements:

Islamic Tarbiyah (character development): We will teach our children to possess a high moral standard while they progress along their educational journey. Nurturing our next generation in this manner will bring us a step closer towards ridding our societies of corruption and immortality. We envision a world in which scholars, social activists, politicians, engineers, doctors, lawyers and other professionals lead our communities in a manner that emulates prophetic teachings. Our educational philosophy entails that professionalism must be coupled with sterling qualities of honesty, compassion, selflessness, and empathy.

Education in basic Islamic sciences with an emphasis on the Quran: Our entire education system is centered around the Quran and Sunnah. The syllabus that we intend to design will include the core subjects necessary for the average person to live as a practicing Muslim. Along with their general academic subjects, our students will receive religious instructions on matters pertaining to; Aqida, Fiqh, Seerah, Hadith, and Arabic language, with a specific emphasis on the Qur’anic subjects of Tajwid, Tilawah and translation.

Furthermore, we will facilitate the memorization of the entire Quran for eligible students who will follow the footsteps of our previous Huffaz graduates. Our prior experience has demonstrated that it is indeed possible to commit the entire Quran to memory while pursuing general academics at the same time.

General academic education that meets international standards: To be a functional member in society, a Muslim must possess adequate knowledge of his surrounding environment in which he plans to work. The education system must provide students with the academic subjects relevant to living in a modern society. Subjects ranging from Math, science, English, social studies etc., will be incorporated into the syllabus. However, we are striving to produce a curriculum that will provide a high standard of education to our students while also sifting out any material contrary to Islamic thought.

To achieve this objective, we must bring our resources together in order to develop an education system that will serve as the mechanism in generating these much-needed leaders. We believe in a comprehensive definition of success in which the welfare of both this world and the next is given due importance. Our vision is to provide the Ummah's next generation with an education that prepares them for both worlds. An education system that will equip students with the academic tools needed to pursue a professional career while at the same time rooting them in the teachings of the Quran and Sunnah.

MIZANUR RAHAMAN

(BSc. EE, Chicago, USA)

Head of Acadecmic

IQRA BANGLADESH SCHOOL

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