Our Purpose

Our beloved Prophet Muhammad sallAllahu alayhi wa sallam has taught us that the best of us are those who learn and teach the Quran.

This hadith reminds us of the nobility of pursuing knowledge regarding the Quran; firstly to cure our own ignorance as much as possible and then to share the enlightenment with others.

At ISC, we learn the Quran for the above reasons and also to taste the joy of learning these precious words, to be in the presence of angels, and to seek reward for every letter we recite.

May Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’aala protect us from learning for the wrong reasons and may He help us remember and purify our intentions with the right reasons.

Welcome Fellow Student

If you are starting from scratch or with very little previous experience, learning to recite the Quran as the Prophet Muhammad sallAllahu alayhi wa sallam has taught us may seem quite daunting. Tajweed may appear to be a complicated subject that cannot be grasped without fully immersing yourself in it. Memorisation may seem impossible.

At ISC, we strive to eliminate the myth that ‘tajweed and hifdh are difficult’. It isn’t difficult; it is merely something new to you. It can be grasped easily with the right attitude and approach.

So as you embark on this beautiful journey with the Quran, bear in mind that:

  • You are reciting the words that Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’aala chose to send down to you.
  • These are the very words recited by our beloved Prophet sallAllahu alayhi wa sallam and lovingly preserved and passed on by Muslims for centuries.
  • As you train yourself to produce the words correctly, you are engaged in ibadah. The Messenger of Allah sallAllahu alayhi wa sallam is reported to have said, “Whoever recites a letter from the Book of Allah, he will be credited with a good deed, and a good deed gets a ten-fold reward. I do not say that Alif-Lam-Mim is one letter, but Alif is a letter, Lam is a letter and Mim is a letter.” [At-Tirmidhi]
  • As you struggle but keep working, you are rewarded twice as much. The Prophet Muhammad sallAllahu alayhi wa sallam is reported to have said, “Such a person as recites the Quran and masters it by heart, will be with the noble righteous scribes (in Heaven). And such a person exerts himself to learn the Quran by heart, and recites it with great difficulty, will have a double reward.” [Sahih Bukhari]
  • Shaytan will be even more eager set you off course. Seek refuge in Allah and don’t fall into the trap.

The subject of the Quran is endless. Even as teachers, we are still very much in the rank of students and continuously learning. It is a subject that teaches us humility. The more we know, the more we realise how much we don’t know.

Avoid overwhelming yourself with how far you have to go, but push yourself to learn just a little bit more every day and see how far you’ve come from where you used to be. The objective is not to attain a certificate, but rather to increase our love for Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’aala and to seek His pleasure.

“And We have indeed made the Quran easy to understand and remember, then is there any that will remember (or receive admonition)?” [Surah Al-Qamar, 54:17]

 

Learning Approach

No matter what your level of recitation, your coach will ensure you are thorough with all the basic concepts by revisiting them with you as required.

Establishing the basics thoroughly makes it easy for the student to grasp advanced concepts in theory later on. The speed of progress depends on your capability as the purpose of one-on-one guidance is to provide personalised training. You will be challenged to put in an effort, but not in an overwhelming manner.

Commitment

Etiquette: While the teaching approach is soft, you will find a high level of strictness enforced with regard to attendance, punctuality, and homework. This is to ensure that lessons are treated with seriousness and that you as a student are committed to learning this sacred subject. As we learn the Quran, we will also be learning discipline, commitment, and adab (manners) related to learning, as taught by scholars who came before us.

Revision: The Quran is a book of izzah. If you leave it, it will leave you. As long as you are a student at ISC and hopefully even after that, you are expected to maintain the following revision schedule.

  • Reciting aloud from the Quran —> minimum 5 minutes a day
  • Listening to a qualified Qari —> minimum 5 minutes a day
  • Revising previous lessons and preparing for the next lesson —> before every class (for live lessons)

Attending Live Lessons

Tools Required: A good headset with microphone, notebook, easy access to notes that have been issued to you, and a distraction-free environment (if possible). You are advised to attend the lesson via a desktop or laptop rather than a mobile phone so that you may follow the lesson more easily.

Attendance: For live coaching, a lesson log will be maintained to track your attendance, progress, and homework. If you are unable to attend on a particular day, you are required to provide notice at least 4 hours in advance via e-mail or instant messaging. The class will then be made up on another date as is mutually convenient.

Failure to provide adequate notice will result in class cancellation (i.e. no substitute lesson provided) and will be noted as one demerit point in your record. Exceptions will be made in the case of:

  • an emergency in which you are personally affected
  • losing connectivity and thus being unable to send an e-mail or message
  • oversleeping (only if your lesson is scheduled before 7am in your local time and only if it is a rare occurrence)

A student who has been issued three demerits within a period of three months will be automatically expelled. No refund will be provided and his/her lesson slot will be unreserved.

Lessons Postponed by the Teacher: The teacher’s schedule is finalised on a weekly basis and if she is unable to conduct a lesson on a particular day, she will inform you via e-mail or instant messaging at the beginning of the week or at least four hours before your class time (depending on the reason for postponement). All such classes will be substituted at a mutually convenient time. If the number of classes to be substituted is more than the number you would typically have in a month and as such would cause inconvenience to either the student or the teacher, a refund will be issued.

Punctuality: Once you have agreed on a time for your class(es) each week, you are expected to be online a few minutes in advance and message your teacher to indicate your presence so that the teacher can call you on time. The class will not be prolonged beyond the scheduled end time to make up for any delays.

Homework: Practice exercises or other homework may be provided at the end of the lesson and checked during the following lesson. Homework is recorded in your lesson log, so it is a good practice to refer to your lesson log regularly.

Theory Lessons: If you are unfit to recite and would like to have a theory lesson instead, please inform the teacher at least four hours in advance. This is merely to allow the teacher to prepare a suitable theory lesson so that lesson time is not wasted in deciding what to teach.

Correspondence with Teacher: Your teacher is within reach via e-mail and instant messaging. You may use any of these methods to exchange messages such as notice of class postponement or to clarify homework. For lesson clarifications or longer discussions, it is preferred that you use your lesson time in order to get the best in-person explanation. A Q&A session is usually offered in the last 2-3 minutes of each session, but you may also pose your questions at the beginning of the lesson so that the teacher can plan the lesson accordingly.