Hifdh Program

The process of memorizing this voluminous Arabic scripture is an art called “Hifdh حفظ”. Someone who completes this process and memorizes the entire Quran is referred to as hafidh (for male) or hafidha (for female).

At IQA, the Hifdh schedule is broken down into three different class periods, each session is 45-minutes long. The first period is dedicated solely for memorization of new material, and the remaining two sessions are for students to review portions that they have memorized recently as well as those that they have memorized over 10 days ago. These three sessions help students solidify their memorization.

Hifdh is taught through individualized instruction that incorporates correct memorization and review of new material as well as ongoing cumulative review in accordance with individually assigned daily, weekly, and monthly goals. Goals are determined in accordance with the student's demonstrated ability to memorize. The Hifdh curriculum is a standard plan by which the average student may memorize a moderate portion of Quran each year beginning in Kindergarten toward completion by the end of 6th grade. The individualized plan customized for each student affords early completion for exceptional students balanced against allowing beginning students the appropriate expectations for slower paced achievement.

IQA’s Strategy in Memorization:

For the purpose of memorization, IQA uses a standard mushaf which has 604 pages. Teachers begin familiarizing younger students with the shorter chapters found at the end and teach students how to properly pronounce words.

As students’ ability and confidence increases with time and practice and their maturity level reaches a certain point, then the memorization process begins in a more structured manner. Students memorize page by page on their own and recite what they have memorized to their teachers on a daily basis. Initially, they memorize chapters or surahs from the very end of the Holy Quran starting from chapter 114 which is titled as Al-Naas meaning “The People” and continue working their way towards chapter 36 which is titled Al-Yasin meaning “O Human Being!” an epithet used for referring to our Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. Upon mastering this chapter, the backwards progress is stopped and the student is directed to take up next chapter for memorization from the beginning which is chapter 2 titled Al-Baqarah meaning the “The Cow”. Now, his progress is in forward direction and culminates upon mastering chapter 35 titled Al-Fatir meaning “The Originator”.

Memorization Target

Review

To ensure what students have memorized is not forgotten, they are required to review what they have previously memorized daily as well. Highschool students earn credits for their memorization and review class which is considered a religion class.

Hifdh Mastery

All IQA huffadh (plural for Hafidh) are enrolled in a separate program with master teachers who listen to their recitation. A revision routine of the entire Quran is the focus of the hifdh mastery class at IQA. It integrates memorization with tajweed (rules for reading Quranic Arabic), pronunciation and fluency, in order to help huffadh achieve proficiency while developing a daily habit of reviewing to keep their memorization strong throughout their lives.

Qira'ah

Quranic Pronunciation & Recitation

Qira'ah is taught through individualized instruction towards correct reading and pronunciation of the Arabic letters and beautification of the Quranic recitation. Every student completes a basic course beginning in 1st grade on the principles of reading Quran and progresses toward the advanced level where pronunciation and enhancement of the Quranic recital is mastered.

Arabic

At IQA, our vision for teaching Quranic Arabic is to provide students with a comprehensive and immersive language-learning experience that emphasizes the integration of the Quran and Islamic Studies. We believe that Quranic Arabic is a critical tool for understanding the Quran and deepening our comprehension of Islamic values and beliefs.

Our Quranic Arabic courses are designed to provide students with a strong foundation in Quranic Arabic vocabulary and grammar. We integrate Islamic Studies into our curriculum to help students connect their language learning with Islamic history, beliefs, and values.

In our Quranic Arabic classes, students learn Quranic vocabulary, grammar rules, and how to read and analyze Quranic passages in their original Arabic text. We emphasize reading comprehension as it is the foundation of Quranic Arabic learning. To achieve this, students learn the Arabic script, diacritics, and basic grammar rules. As they progress, students read longer passages and engage in more complex analyses of the text.

To enable students to apply their reading skills to different contexts, we provide comprehension exercises. These exercises help students to identify key vocabulary words, understand their meaning in context, and identify grammatical structures that they can apply to their own writing.

In addition, we have implemented a pullout program for new students who are not yet proficient in Quranic Arabic. This program provides intensive lessons to help new students prepare for the main Quranic Arabic classes. The program is designed to enable students to reach a level of proficiency that will allow them to join the main Quranic Arabic classes within one year.

Overall, our Quranic Arabic courses aim to provide students with a holistic and immersive learning experience that integrates the Quran, Islamic Studies, vocabulary, and grammar. Our goal is to inspire a love of learning Quranic Arabic and Islamic Studies and to help students develop the skills and knowledge they need to connect with the Islamic faith and deepen their comprehension of Islamic values.

Islamic Studies

Instruction in the Islamic studies is given from Kindergarten through 8th Grade based loosely on the scope and sequence provided by the “I Love Islam” series published by Islamic Services Foundation.

Alim Program

The Alim-Preparatory courses are offered in 9th grade and above where the focus shifts from the Quran Memorization phase toward the Alim-Preparatory phase. At this stage, instead of Islamic studies, students begin to apply their training in classical Arabic to study Arabic texts in the religious sciences of Aqeedah (Theology), Tafsir (Quranic Exegesis), Hadith (Prophetic Narrations), Fiqh (Jurisprudence), the foundations of these disciplines and other Islamic sciences.