Student s Experiences

Transcription

1 Student s Experiences We asked several of our students to share their experiences of learning the Quran Online and learning at Al-Wasatiyyah Quran Institute for Women and the effect of learning Quran has had in their life: My Experience With Al-Wasatiyyah Quran Institute HOW IT ALL BEGAN: After graduating from University I found myself with abundant free time. I was young and thirsty for Islamic Knowledge. I wanted to learn the religion of Islam as a fulltime activity. But I was puzzled where do I start? Who do I go to? After reflecting upon how I could take my first step towards understanding the religion of Allah (The Exalted) I came to realize tha the foundation of every branch of Islamic knowledge was the Quran. For this reason, the Salaf-us- Saalih (Our pious predecessors) would give importance to learning the Quran before learning any other branch of knowledge. My heart begain to yearn to learn how to recite the speech of Allaah the Most High correctly, memorise it properly and to fully comprehend what it informs us. I was with this intention that I started searching for a Quran teacher; calling out to Allaah (Subhanahu-wa Ta aalah) to guide me to someone who could teach me fulltime. One day, I received an from a sister informing about a Two week Tajweed course run by Al-Wasatiyyah Institute, so I decided to enrol. On the very enquiry and after meeting the teachers and speaking to current students of Al-Wasatiyyah, I realised that the Institute was like no other Institute and the teachers were unique. When I was informed that I have been accepted as a full time student at Al-Wasatiyyah not just for the two week course, I was jumping with joy! Because it was exactly what my heart was longing for, what I was searching for and the answer of my du aas Al-HemduliAllah. THE CURRICULUM: Being a full time student at Al-Wasatiyyah meant that I was studying to complete the Quran and hence be issued an Ijaazah ( A authentic chain going back to the Prophet Peace be upon Him-. The currciculum covered: : The Ar cula on points A ributes of the le ers. 2: Qaaidatul Al-Baghdaadiyyah (A book putting what you learnt in the first level into practice) : Tajweed rules with implimeta on. : eci ng the Quran upon the teacher. As illustrated the course helped to build strong foundation first before going onto the Quran. E-LEARNING: The Meessenger of Allah Peace be upon Him- said regarding the women and their homes are better for them. This is the reason why the students of Al-Wasatiyyah are very thankful and happy that their lessons are at home. What a blessing it was to learn from home! Travelling generallay to learn was a fitnah for me as I couldn t generally find lessons locally, so I

2 would have to travel far and have to leave home approximately an hour and half before classes started. Studying online meant I was safe because especially in my case where I wear the Islamic covering including veiling my face and its not safe travelling alone via public transport or walking amongst a non-muslim society which the majority are not used to my appearance and hence will come across ignorant individuals who will act not wisely. Also staying at home meant that I also didn t have to waste time travelling to classes; walking through the market with music blasting everywhere and covering your eyes so that you don t see the non-modest billboards and thus, I could dedicate more time to studying the notes, practicing and reciting and memorising the Quran. All of us realised that Allaah put more blessing in the online lessons and that we progressed faster by the permission of Allaah. THE TEACHER: Our noble teacher Ummu Salmaan, may Allah preserve her, was one of those whom Allah had blessed with the Ijaazah in the the di erent recita ons. The tone of her lessons was very serious and purposeful and the Quran deserves this level of respect when it is taught. She reminded us that we were learning the beautiful uncreated words which our Lord The exalted- spoke in a manner that befits His Majesty. She installed high aims into us and encourages us to continue and keep persisting upon this path until we complete the Quran and she also encouraged to seek other Islamic knowledge especially Aqeedah from correct sources and to stick to the reputable Scholars of Ahlus Sunnah and to take our knowledge from them. Many people limit themselves to success in the dunyah only. They have high goals such as the best education, best job, big house and the list goes on. Why then do we not have the same standards for our aakhirah? Why do we have limited goals for our aakhirah and unlimited goals for our dunyah?! It was first thanks to Allaah subhaanahu wa ta`aalaa and then due to this encouragement that I have now reached the level that I have reached in my recitation and I ask Allaah, the Most Great, to make it easy for me to finish what I have started with Al-Wasatiyyah and continue reciting upon the teacher until I complete the Quran with memorisation. Aameen. SubhaanakAllaahumma Wa BihamdikaAsh-hadu an-laa ilaaha illaa anta Was-taghfiruka wa Atooboo ilayk Samiha Ahmed, North England Studying online with the newest technology of a virtual classroom has been great in many ways in that it has been possible to be taught like one would be face to face in that we had a whiteboard and the ability to display related topics directly from the internet onto the board, we were also able to recite with some media sharing allowing the teacher to see you while you recite.all in all in it has allowed a lot of ease to learn from the comfort of my home maa shaa Allaah, where without it ascertaining such knowledge would be a much greater task, where by most people have to travel to places like North Africa or the Middle East involving much expenditure and vast effort. All glory be to Allah, having such a beautiful opportunity to learn and memorise the Quraan the way it was revealed to the Prophet sallallaahu alayhi wasallam is a blessing to which it's greatness I cannot express in words and subhaan Allaah from home! I have been a student at Al-Wasatiyyah Institute for a year and half now and completed all the explanation of the Tajweed rules and so far corrected 8 Juz of my recitation of the Quran having reached the 22 nd Part of the Quran starting from the back and currently memorising on the 3 rd part of the Quran. The main aim why I joined Al Wasatiyyah Institute was firstly to learn how to read correctly and fluently for my daily worships and I knew this was rare opportunity as I had heard that the teachers had an Ijazaah, which is that they was on a chain of recitation that went back to the Prophet (Peace be upon him) as I wanted to ensure I was being taught correctly.

3 Secondly, because the Institute follows the teachings of the Quran and Sunnah and also the fact of all the teachers are only strictly permitted to teach the Quran recitation or Arabic language which makes your heart feel at rest that the teachers are teaching what they are qualified for. Thirdly it being an all women s Institution and all the staff members are female which personally makes me feel more comfortable not having to communicate with men in the admin department. What also impresses me at the Institute is the efficiency and organisation and how motivated and helpful and caring all the teachers were maa shaa Allaah. Then when we started classes I was very happy and felt like I was back at University as there was a curriculum and it was being taught in a very productive way where the teachers would actively ask you about what you understood throughout the class so you would be involved, ensuring you were learning and not just being given a lecture. Learning the Quran has affected my life in such a real positive way, in ways I could not have imagined. One cannot comprehend or describe it in words for the benefits it has, for it can be only be felt by the one who actualises it. I pray Allaah (swt) accept our efforts and forgives our errors, and I pray others benefit too..aameen. Student: Dr. Loubna Khan. United Kingdom, Ilford.. I am currently a teacher at a state school. I first joined Al-Wasatiyyah two years ago as a part time student. I wanted to perfect my Quran recitation which is why I joined. To help perfect my recitation I was taught how to pronounce the letters correctly starting by the letters of the throat which are known to be the hardest letters to pronounce. In the class we were taught the attributes of each letter which I found very useful as I had never been taught this properly before. I found the experience of learning incredible. The teacher would practice with us until each letter was pronounced correctly and from the right Mukkarij. I found the online classes just as a great as lessons I had onsite with other teachers as the sound was clear and the teacher was able to spot any mistakes even without seeing where we were pronouncing he letters from and we interacted using the whiteboard and message board and mic. On line I joined a group of people. The teacher would explain the different rules of Tajweed and then give examples from the Quran and ask us to recite and correct our mistakes. Individual time was given to every student to recite to insure understanding of the rules and their implementation. The thing which I admired the most about Al-Wasatiyyah was that the teacher would use the whole teaching time to teach and would not deviate from teaching. The teacher was very committed in helping us learn and was extremely confident in her teaching and subject knowledge Mashallah. I have to admit that having gone to various places to learn Quran I have never met a female teacher who was as qualified as the teacher at the Al- Wasa yyah. Within minutes of joining it became very apparent that the teacher was very advance and knew how to teach and get the students to learn Mashallah. Joining Al-Wasatiyyah Institute has inspired me in so many ways. Not only has it inspired me to learn the beautiful language of the Quran but it has also inspired me to want to teach the Quran to others in the future Inshallah. Aasia UK..

4 All praise be to Allah, peace and blessing be upon our prophet sallahu alayhi wa salam Alhamdulillah is it Indeed Allah that teaches His slaves His book, as a means He sent excellent teachers at Al Wasaityyah Institue for us to learn from. I started studying with Al Wasatiyyah Institute in 2008, I have been private student and as well as group student studying in a class of 10. I am 53 year old, with Indian background who's mouth tongue is used uttering all letters full mouth. Since the age of 5years old we were taught Quran in Madarasa in Indian however, I was taught Quran but not the correct way. So due to this, over many years I was used to reciting the Quran in a way that was not correct. My aspiration for learning to recite the Quran properly grew, and I was searching for a teacher who could dedicate to teaching me. Before I started studying with Al Wasatiyyah, I had learnt some of basic rules of Tajweed from a teacher. However, the quality of teaching was different and my heart did not feel at rest. Then through making sincere dua, Allah subanahu wa Ta'al brought Al- Wasatiyyah on my way. One of many benefit that Al Wasatiyyah had to offer was that their teachers were all qualified and the teacher I studied from was Ummu Salmaan Al-Maghribiyyah who founded the Institute, may Allah preserve her. My studies of the Quran began from the makhaarrij course, Qaa'ida course, Tajweed rules and then finally going on to the Quran. I found that Al Wasatiyyah was unique in their teaching method, due to the importance it gave to the correct makhaarrij, articulation of the letters and their attributes. This being the foundation of Tajweed, and if the foundation is not correct or strong then one will not excel in the field there are studying and weakness will accompany it. In the Makhaarrij course. My teacher truly was patient with me; she made me aware of my mistakes, and directed me to why I made those mistakes. This helped in a way to overcome my mistakes as I was given instruction on how to correct it. And we would not move forward to the next letter until we could say the previously correctly. The teacher's knowledge in this field is very deep in way as the lessons are online and she was able to pin point out our mistakes, despite the fact that she could not see our mouth or tongue. The makhaarij course in group lesson was very beneficial to me as I couldn't recognise my own mistake but when I heard other student's making similar mistake it enhanced my understanding better and made me realising what I need to do to correct it. I was able to successfully complete the Qaa'ida course then progressed onto studying Tajweed rules, the teacher ensured I understood what I was taught and she would give me chance to explain what I understood so when it came to implementing I could do it confidently. I found that the teacher gave attention to every student and it was her utmost desire to wanting all the student to get it perfectly, she would bear patiently with us until we got it right and she would not move on to the next student until the student that was practising got it right. Our teacher gave each student time and did not rush anyone. While we were studying the Tajweed rules we also learnt the explanation of Ibn Al Jazareeyah's poem which gave our lesson an extra benefit, we studied the Arabic poem with English explanation along with understanding it fully. The knowledge and experience and practising gained from the Makhaarrij, Qaa'ida, and Tajweed rules helped us to move on to the recitation of the Quran successfully. This stage was made fairly easier due to what we had studied previously. This show the uniqueness of Al Wasatiyyah Institute due to that fact that they build the student's foundation before the student can go onto the the Book of Allah. In the dura on of weeks of intensive lessons I managed to reach 2 th juz of the Qu ran, this was able possible first and foremost with the tawfiq from Allah, dua, Istigfarah, hard work, and determination and successfully studying the other stages. Also my teacher played a great role in my development as she gave me constant reminders, encouragement and motivated me.

5 Also I felt that during my period of studying with Al Wasatiyyah my love for the Quran grew even more and many people noticed my attachment to the Quran and how greatly I improved in my recitation walhamdulillah abil Almeen. It is truly Allah who teaches if you truly turn to Him with sincerity and obedience, and He provides from sources that you can not even imagine. I never thought I would reach this stages in reciting the Book of Allah Alhamdulillah Allah made it possible what may have seemed impossible and there is great hope for anyone that wants to learn Quran despite the difficulties that they may have because at the beginning stages It was very difficult for me change my way of uttering the letters due my old way of reciting the Quran with the Indian accent which took awhile for it to be disappear. I have juz of the Quran le to be correct which I hope to complete with my teacher and then once I ve completed the correction, I hope to move on to the next stage of memorising the Quran and then finally getting the ijazah inshaallahu Ta al by Allah s mercy. May Allah eward my teacher greatly in this world and hereafter. Umm Mohammed, Fazila, 53years old, Wales, UK.... Bismillaah, Whoever treads a path in search of knowledge, Allah will make easy for him the path to Jannah. [Muslim] I began my journey with Al-Wasatiyyah two years ago, and all praise is to Allah, I have never seen myself progress in this way before, for the method used at Al-Wasatiyyah is truly unique. Though I had studied some tajweed rules previously, and had even been told by other teachers that I was pronouncing the letters fine and reading correctly as I am of Indian origin, however I was brought to reality when I was first assessed at this institute. I had never witnessed so much attention being paid to each and every individual letter; it was this that opened my eyes to the true recitation of the Qur-aan. The Qur-aan is accurate and precise, each letter has its own attributes and characteristics, and only when the student, especially non native Arabic speaker understands and implements this correctly will they be able to begin their way to reciting the Qur-aan the way it was revealed. After completing the most fundamental Makhaarij course, which dealt with the way to pronounce every letter, I moved on to studying the Qaa idah, Tajweed rules and Qur-aan recitation. Now that I have been taught in this way, I cannot imagine how a non Arabic native speaker can grasp the recitation of the Qur-aan without learning in this method. For if one can not understand the correctness of individual letters, how then will they be able to pronounce correctly the words, let alone the aayaat. Yet it was this same knowledge that made me realise so much more about the religion; if the Qur-aan, the source of our religion, was to be learnt step by step, taking the small and building upwards, then indeed the rest of our religion could only follow suit. All glory be to Allah, it is amazing how studying the Qur-aan opens so many doors to Allaah, the One whose Pleasure is what we all desire. I studied in group classes which were always small, as well as privately, and found that Al-Wasatiyyah aided the students in making the most out of the study method they had chosen. I have completed reading parts (Juzz) with my teacher, may Allah reward her, and this was through intensive studying within the space of - months! Though I still have much to learn, two years ago I would never had expected myself to be where I am now. With what I gained, I have been able to help sisters in a local mosque with tajweed and Quran recitation. May Allaah help us all in our journey to Him, and help us to hold on firmly to the Book which He revealed - His word, not created. And May He make this Qur-aan the spring of our hearts and the light of our chests aameen. Student: Aneesa bint Ahmed. United Kingdom, East London Verily, in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find rest [Surah ar- a d: 2 ]

6 I started studying with Al-Wasatiyyah over a year ago after my sister who studies at Al-Wasatiyyah informed me about the Institute. Allah blessed me with a great opportunity to learn the Quran online via a virtual classroom. Subhaanallaah! A chance to study without having to leave my house or trying to get someone to look after my children. I was able to complete many of the rules for the Hafs an Aasim way of recitation this way and if I could not attend at times due to the children I was able to catch up by listening to the recorded sessions (one of the great benefits of online study), walhamdulillaah. I would like to complete my studies with Al-Wasatiyyah in the future Insha Allaah (I had to stop studies because of the birth of my third child), but I cannot Praise Allaah enough for what I was able to study. Studies which increased my love for reciting the Qur aan in the way it was revealed and which allow me to teach my children to recite more correctly. I sincerely thank the teachers Al-Wasatiyyah Institute for their commitment, love and patience and all praise be to the Lord of the worlds. Student: Umm Salamah, Mahirah bint Ahmed. United Kingdom... I have always wanted to go abroad to study Quran and al-hemduliallaah, Allaah found a way out for me by sending me a teacher through Al-Wasatiyyah. It s been a year now since I have been studying with Al-Wasatiyyah and truly has been a great learning experience for me. Initially I thought it would be difficult to learn online however after Allaah, Al-Wasatiyyah made it very easy because we was following a unique step by step curriculum, the class size didn t exceed 2 students and there was more interaction with the teacher and the lessons were consistent. The classes focus so much on practicing and implementing the knowledge you learn which made me progress quickly and became dramatically more fluent in reciting the Quran. I have completed all the Tajweed rules including the Attributes and where the letters exit from, and not only have I just learned the rules I can implement them also with the help of Allaah. I have recited parts of the Quran upon my teacher, and memorised parts, and im s ll con nuing to memorise the Quran un l hopefully I complete it with the aid of Allah. From the benefits of learning online you do not have to spend time on travelling, the family were happy with me learning online especially because I m fully veiled and it can be not safe to travel. Since joining Al-Wasatiyyah my Love of the Quran and Allaah has increased and there is not a day that doesn t go past that I don t try to read the Quran and this is because I have become more fluent and my recitation is closer to the way the Messenger recited peace be upon him- which gives me more confidence to recite it because before I was making a lot of mistakes and found difficulty reading fluently. eading the Quran more has increased my desire to understand the Quran and implement its teachings. And due to me increasing the recitation of the Quran at home it has made an effect on my family by encouraging them to read more and following its teachings in our daily lives. Student: Maemuna United Kingdom, East London

7 My experience with Al Wasatiyyah Quran Institute for Women: Bismillahi ahmaanir aheem, Alhamdulillahi abbil Alameen Makhaarrij course. Completing the makhaarij course prepared us to move on to correcting our recitation of the Qu ran. When the teacher pointed out that we were neglecting some attributes of the letter while reciting the Qu ran, we understand fully and this made it easier for us to correct ourselves. And this illustrate why Al Wasatiyyah Institute begins the student with the makhaarij course before going on correcting recitation, as it would have been very confusing for a student to comprehend if the teacher told them they had neglected certain attributes of the letter such as whispering, apparentness, restraint, softness, elevation of the tongue or compression of the tongue. These terms would have been very confusing if the student didn t study Makhaarij prior to Quran recitation. And truly the beauty of Qu ran is through appearing the attributes of the letters while reciting. Qaa'ida course The Qaa ida course helped me to practice saying the letters with their true attributes, also I used to find great difficulty in saying a full mouth letter and a light letter together. I used to utter everything full mouth. So with the Qaai da course, the words were arranged in a way that full mouth and light letters came together, and with the constant practice with the teacher it helped me to exercise my mouth and tongue in order for me to say the full mouth letters separately and light letters separately within one word. In the Qaai da lesson, our teacher pointed our mistakes associated with the letters we uttered, this gave us knowledge to note those mistakes and pay attention to them when practicing the Qaa ida on our own. By the end of the Qaa ida course I felt a great improvement and by the mercy of Allah I was able to overcome my major mistakes in the pronunciation of the letters. Tajweed rules course In the Tajweed lesson, our teacher would explain the rules, and while explaining she would ensure that each and every student understood the principle, she would demonstrate examples to exemplify the rules. During the lesson it wasn t just a matter of learning all the information given to us, but rather, after learning a rule we had the chance to lean how to implement the rule by using examples from the Qu ran. During the time of implementing the rules, our teacher placed great emphasis on implementing the rules the way it was revealed to the Messenger of Allah sallahu alayhi wa salam, so there was a lot of practicing with the teacher. And at any time if we had the slightest mistake, our teacher wouldn t over look it, thus giving us the best out of our lessons. The most important principle of learning and implementing wasn t about learning every single thing but it was about how well you could implement the one thing you learnt. Its a great achievement to finish a lesson and know how to implement even one rule of Tajweed just the way it was revealed to the Messenger of Allah. Quran Recitation course By Allah s mercy I was able to reach this stage and alhamdulillah, I experienced a great joy reaching this stage. It was the final goal in our studies, I thought this stage would be really difficult because previously we went on to practicing our Qu ran recitation prior to Qaa ida course and during that time my mistakes were so many I had about o mistakes on just one ayah so on one page I had like 2 - mistakes. However once I nished prac cing Qaa ida and Tajweed rules with our teacher at Al Wasatiyyah this made a great difference in my recitation. When reciting the Qu ran to my teacher, she payed full attention to my Makhaarij, attributes of all the letters, the timing of each letters, and my implementation of Tajweed rules, and she would spend much time practicing with me until I could recite it correctly the way it was revealed. Also our teacher used a unique style in this stage in helping us to correct our recitation, considering that I was not fluent in reciting the Qu ran, I was bound to make mistakes, so my teacher was patient with me and worked on correcting my mistakes step by step, so from making 2 - mistake on one page, by the end of the juz I made - mistakes on a page or sometimes even less than that. I thank Allah for giving me this chance, and I thank my teacher at Al Wasatiyyah for helping me reach these great stage, May Allah reward our teachers at Al wasaityyah abundantly. Ameen. Overall the teachers at Al Wasaityyah gave us much dedication and commitment. Our teachers encouraged and motivated us during our learning process and this greatly helped us move further. As well as learning the Quran from our teachers, we learn many other goodness, namely good manners, importance of seeking knowledge and the importance of learning the Quran.

8 Benefit My learning process at Al Wasatiyyah had a positive affect on my deen. My teacher Ummu Salmaan was supportive and very concerned about our learning which influenced our hope and helped us to progress with our studies. She would encourage us to be patient and reminded us of the excellent reward with Allah when we experienced difficulties in our studies and without doubt learning to recite the Qu ran the way it was reveled was not the most easiest of thing to someone like me who s mother s tongue is not Arabic but now alhamdulillah I find more easy in my recitation and enjoyment. I feel that my connection with the Qu ran has improved more and my determination to follow the teaching of the Qu ran has increased walhamdulillah. And all praise is for Allah. Nafisa Sheikh Noor UK, London I have never attended any Tajweed course before because I was born and raised in Morocco and Arabic is my first language and the Quran is revealed in the Arabic Language so I never thought that there is a particular way to read it. In Morocco I learnt French and English so when I started practicing I have always wanted to do something to help sisters that cannot speak Arabic. When I got married and came to live in Egypt, Cairo I heard of Al-Wasatiyyah via my neighbor so I enrolled to learn Tajweed rules in English and to my suprise I recognised in my first lesson Subhana-Allaah that I myself was far away from the correct way of reciting the way it was revealed!!!. I was very excited when I was aware that I am not only going to improve my recitation and memorise the Quran but also going to have the honor of being part of a unbroken chain connected to the Messenger Peace be upon him and be from those who Allah chose to be a cause to preserve this Quran. My teacher from Al-Wasatiyyah has a very professional method of teaching, we started by correcting my pronounciation and I was very shocked because being an Arab I thought that I would have no mistakes in the pronounciation of the Arabic letters. My teacher was very patient and she would repeat and repeat the letters so that I would memorise how they should correctly be uttered. And what makes me more happy is that thanks to Al-Wasatiyyah Institute I can now teach my own children and I hope in Allaah that it will be a running charity for me whilst and after my death. Ummu Abdur-Rahmaan Egypt, Cairo Assalamu aluykum warahmatullah wabarakatuhu I started studying with Al-Wasa yyah over a year ago for several months alhadullillah. I am a mother of children and at present I stay at home to look after my children and home. My Children at the moments attend a Quran memorisation class and alhamdullilah I am able to teach them and help them with tajweed and due to the lessons that I had at Al-Wasatiyyah and masha allah they have improved their recitation. When I started studying with Al-Wasatiyyah I needed a lot of help with my recitation because I had only attended some basic tajweed course before. I found that teachers at Al-Wasatiyyah were able to help correct the mistakes I made with Allah s will and the correct pronounciation of each and every individual letters was taught. Since then I have tried to impliment what I learnt and alhamdullilah has made a significant difference. The course I attended was like no other Quran course mashaallah and found that the knowledge was being taught; bearing in mind that we are non Arab speakers of different dialect and have to start with the where every letter originates from. The teachers spent much time, may Allah reward them for their patients, correcting each individual students mistakes. By the time we had moved on to correcting our recitation on Juz amma all we could hear the difference in our recitation. The teachers were constantly reminding us of the reward and benefit of seeking this

9 kind of knowledge which kept us motivated, and I make dua that Allah that one day I will be able correct my recitation to good level and complete the whole Quran. Is is with Allah s blessing that I was able to study online and found this was convenient way of learning for a mother with small children, cutting out travelling time to and from classes, and the time was convenient as my children were often sleeping when the class was held after suhoor in ramadan. After learning with Al-Wasatiyyah the knowledge gained has helped me to help others implement the correct pronounciation of the letters and I have also learnt better listening skills and able to pinpoint were an individual is making a mistake, more importantly alhaduliliah have been able to improve my recitation of the Quran. I make dua that inshaallah i can continue my studies to memorise the Quran and reach a standard where my recitation is as it should be. Khaalida U.K London... Joining Al-Wasatiyyah Insitiute has been a life changing experience for me. I started thinking that there would not be much to learn in regards to tajweed and that it would only be about the rules, but little did I know that there was so much depth and meaning to reciting the Quran correctly. Although a difficult subject to teach especially as not many Tajweed books have been translated, the teacher does such a great job at explaining all the rules, making it easier to understand this difficult topic with the use of colorful diagrams which aid all types of learners. In the classes we do not only learn tajweed but helpful invaluable reminders which shape our manners that is required by a student of knowledge. Alhamdulillah the class sizes on average people nor more than 2 or. These small class sizes meant that more time was spent on correcting our individual errors and perfecting our recitation along with receiving feedback on our progress in our recitation. We all have the opportunity to ask questions which the teacher answers immediately and we can all benefit from. There is a lot of interaction with the teacher as she asks ques ons to make sure we understand what we have learnt the rules. Also in the online classes we take it in turns to recite on our microphones so the teacher can hear us and give us feedback on what we need to improve and praises us.. The virtual classroom allows the teacher to write on the board and we as students can see her on the web cam when it is needed. The curriculum is very unique as the classes started off by mastering the makharij before exploring the rules of tajweed. This unique format has allowed us to complete the difficult part first then move onto the easier parts. The classes are so conveniently online so we can study in the comfort of our homes without having to make long and time consuming journies this way we can have more lessons and sisters living anywhere in the world can join. I would definitely recommend learning the Quran from Al-Wasatiyyah Institute and believe that nothing can be gained from it, with the Help of Allah, except goodness. Mariam Abuelzein U.K

10 I started learning Al-Wasatiyyah from June 2 9. I am from Bangladeshi background, I have learnt Quran as child from private teachers in Bangladesh, none of them qualified in the field of teaching Quraan, which meant I did not have correct pronunciation on the Arabic letters. After coming to England and learning a little of Arabic I realised that the my Quraan reading was not correct so I decided to improve by listening to recitation and reading books on tajweed, however this was no way near sufficiency in terms of learning tajweed. Then by the bounty of Allaah i came to know of Al-Wasatiyyah Quran Ins tute in 2 9, and I developed a keen desire to learn from the teachers of Al-Wasatiyyah. What increased my desire to learn from Al-Wasatiyyah was firstly, the taecher at Al-Wasatiyyah had an ijaazah in Quraan which is a chain which affirms correction recitation going back to the Messenger peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him which assured me I am going to learn correctly this time, and secondly the teacher at Al-Wasatiyyah was upon the Quraan and Sunnah according to the understanding of the companions. Alhamdullilaah that Allaah facilitaed easy way of learning via internet without this means of communication learning for me would not have been possible. I found the my teacher at Al-Wasatiyyah very experienced in teaching and guiding towards correct understanding and pronounciation and may Allaah reward her immensely. I learnt the rules of tajweed from recorded lesson on Electa live. I found this very beneficial as it was full of clarity in terms of explanation as well as demonstration. Apart from this the other benefit was, I was able to listen to the recorded lessons in my own time this bought about flexibility. InshAllaah I hope to complete learning the Quraan and pass this beautiful knowledge to my family and others in the community. Shifa Ali U.K Birmingham I am a Quran teacher at my local mosque in South West London UK. I studied Tajweed for years prior to joining Al-Wasa yyah Ins tute in May 2. I have completed the whole Quran twice at Al-Wasatiyyah Institute and was accredited an authentic Quran chain transmitted to the Messenger for the recitation of Hafs upon Aasim. The teacher explained to me my mistakes and practiced with me all the verses I had difficulty in as we were going through the Quran and corrected my recitation. The teacher always encouraged me in my Qur anic studies and helped me greatly. As mentioned I recited the Quran al-hemdulillah twice completely over my teacher however by the aid of Allah in the period of months. This is the great bene t of studying frequently and this is one of the factors that make Al-Wasatiyyah Institute unique as well as having teachers that are from Muslim countries and native speakers and have a recognised license to teach the Quran. After completing the whole course at Al-Wasatiyyah I have continued on teaching in my local mosque what I have learnt to the sisters and applying the same method I learned from Al-Wasatiyyah Institute, I also pass on what I have learned to the children at the madrsah of my local Mosque every evenings. I supplicate to Allaah to put it on the scales of the founders of Al-Wasatiyyah Institute. I ask Allah to reward them for opening this opportunity for non-native Arabic speaking sisters to learn Allah s Book the way it was revealed and to memorise it. May Allah grant them aid in spreading the Quran and all beneficial knowledge. Zohra U.K, London