What is the difference between an ijazah and a certificate?
A certificate shows you completed a course. An ijazah is permission from a qualified sheikh that you recited the whole Quran to them with mastery, so you now hold a connected chain of transmission (sanad) and may teach and pass it on.
How is an ijazah granted at the academy?
- Level test: We check your recitation and Tajweed are strong enough to begin.
- A full khatmah: You recite the whole Quran to the sheikh or sheikha, from memory or from the Mushaf depending on the ijazah type.
- Final test: A test on selected passages and rules.
- The ijazah: The sheikh writes your ijazah with the full sanad and hands it to you.
How do I check a sheikh’s sanad?
- Ask for a copy of the ijazahA real teacher with ijazah will show it to you.
- Read the name of the granting sheikhThen check that the names in the chain connect from one teacher to the next.
- Check the riwayah and routeFor example, “Hafs ʿan ʿAsim via ash-Shatibiyyah”. The ijazah you receive will be in the same riwayah.
- Ask how many students they have grantedExperienced sheikhs can tell you, and some list their students.
Which riwayat do you grant ijazah in?
Hafs ʿan ʿAsim, Warsh and Qalun ʿan Nafiʿ, Shuʿbah ʿan ʿAsim and the other riwayat, and the Ten Qiraʾat (minor and major), each with a sanad connected to the Prophet ﷺ. Our teachers’ specialties
Can I learn this with a teacher?
Yes. A written guide explains the rule with examples, but correct recitation is learned by reading to a teacher with ijazah who hears you and corrects you in the same class. The first class is a free trial, and packages then start at $25 a month for two classes a week. Book the free class · All courses
Frequently asked questions
Is an online ijazah valid?
An ijazah rests on the student reciting to a qualified sheikh and the sheikh hearing them. Video does not change that. What matters is the sheikh's sanad and the student's mastery.
How long does an ijazah take?
It depends on your mastery and the number of classes. The sheikh sets a plan and an estimated duration after a level test.
Do I need to memorize the whole Quran?
For an ijazah from memory, yes. An ijazah from the Mushaf (nazran) is for strong readers who have not memorized it all.
Which riwayah do you teach?
Hafs ʿan ʿAsim via ash-Shatibiyyah, the riwayah read in most of the Muslim world, plus Warsh, Qalun, Shuʿbah and the other riwayat, and the Ten Qiraʾat.
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