Dār Al-Arqam Academy for Arabic and Islamic Studies

Dār Al-Arqam Academy for Arabic and Islamic Studies is poised to change the narrative on Arabic-Islamic education.

بدار الأرقم العرفان عال
لتنوير الدروب إلى المعالي

رسالتها لنشر العلم حقا
بنهج مستوٍ دون التغالى

ومنها ينبت العلم الجليل
ويزداد الأماني إلى العوالي

تعلم سنة بعد الكتاب
ومنهج سالفين أولى اعتدال

وفي عرصاتها نقل وعقل
تضم الأطيبين على التوالي

وفيها للورى ينبوع هدي
فتروينا على الماء الزُلال

لسان الضاد فيها -قومِ- تحيا
وفيها تهتدون عن الضلال

جليٌَ في الشعار لكل رام
تضيء عقولنا دون الجدال

وقدوتنا الهداة بهدي طه
سموا بالعلم في كل المجال

فدار الأرقم البدر المنير
لذا تهدي العقول ولا تبالي

إليها قومنا شدوا الرحال
ففيها تصنعون فكالجبال

أدمٔ دوما لها ربي البقاء
ليرفع ذكرها دون الزوال

Levels of Study at Dār Al-Arqam Academy for Arabic and Islamic Studies

In line with the vision of Dār al-Arqam Academy for Arabic and Islamic Studies to offer a robust and accelerated alternative to the traditional 8-year madrasah model, the Academy adopts a 4-year intensive and immersive programme. This model is designed to produce students who are intellectually grounded, spiritually refined, and linguistically competent in both Arabic and Islamic sciences.

The entire curriculum is organised into four progressive and interdependent levels, each known as a marḥalah (stage), and structured as follows:

1. al-marḥalah al-ūlā (The Foundational Stage)

This stage introduces learners to the basics of the Arabic language (al-lughah al-‘Arabiyyah), Qur’ānic recitation (tajwīd), Islamic etiquette (ādāb Islāmiyyah), and essential memorisation (ḥifẓ al-mukhtaṣarāt). Emphasis is placed on literacy, phonetics, and initial comprehension.

2. al-marḥalah al-thāniyah (The Elementary Stage)
Students deepen their engagement with Arabic grammar (naḥw and ṣarf), build on memorisation of selected sūrahs and prophetic traditions, and are introduced to thematic tafsīr, fiqh al-‘ibādāt, and Islamic history. Foundational texts in Arabic literature are also introduced at this level.

3. al-marḥalah al-thālithah (The Intermediate Stage)
This level advances students in Arabic morphology and syntax, structured tafsīr, ḥadīth studies (with basic isnād analysis), comparative fiqh, uṣūl al-fiqh, and early logic (manṭiq). Critical engagement with primary sources and their commentaries becomes more prominent.

4. al-marḥalah al-rābi‘ah (The Advanced Stage)
At this culminating stage, students undertake advanced studies in tafsīr, ḥadīth, fiqh, uṣūl al-fiqh, maqāṣid al-sharī‘ah, al-qawā‘id al-fiqhiyyah, balāghah, and Arabic rhetoric. They also develop research skills, participate in academic seminars, and engage in supervised teaching and da‘wah training.

The curriculum for Dār al-Arqam Academy for Arabic and Islamic Studies is designed as a structured, integrative, and multi-tiered educational framework tailored to address the specific linguistic and intellectual needs of learners with diverse educational backgrounds. The Academy’s vision is to produce morally upright, intellectually sound, and spiritually refined students who are deeply grounded in the Islamic tradition while being conversant with contemporary realities.

Anchored in the dual commitment to ta‘līm (instruction) and tarbiyah (holistic nurturing), the Academy’s curriculum draws from the classical Islamic educational heritage while incorporating contemporary methodologies suitable for adult learners. It embraces the integration of naẓm and nathr memorisation, and critical engagement with source texts across different levels of learning—namely, al-marḥalah al-ūlā, al-marḥalah al-thāniyah, al-marḥalah al-thālithah and al-marḥalah al-rābi'ah.

The curriculum responds to the identified pedagogical gap within tertiary Islamic Studies programmes, especially among learners lacking foundational Arabic competence. It is thus intended to serve as both a preparatory and complementary platform to higher Islamic education within and beyond the University setting.

The Management
Dār Al-Arqam Academy for Arabic and Islamic Studies

Justification for the Establishment of Dār al-Arqam Academy for Arabic and Islamic Studies

Following my appointment as a member of the academic staff at Tai Solarin University of Education, Ijagun, and my subsequent posting to the Islamic Studies Unit within the Department of Religious Studies, I undertook a critical assessment of the student enrolment patterns in the University’s B.A. (Ed) Islamic Studies programme.

My observations revealed two distinct categories of students who are admitted into the programme. The first category comprises students who possess a functional competence in Arabic, typically as a result of their prior education in traditional madāris (Arabic and Islamic schools). The second category includes those who lack this foundational competence in Arabic, often because they did not attend any form of madrasah prior to their enrolment at the University.

Regrettably, it has become evident that students in the latter category are disproportionately disadvantaged in their academic performance. Their lack of foundational Arabic knowledge significantly impairs their ability to engage meaningfully with core courses in the Islamic Studies curriculum, many of which require a minimum level of linguistic proficiency in Arabic. This deficiency not only hampers their understanding of classical texts but also affects their appreciation of Qur'ānic Studies, ḥadīth studies, fiqh, Uṣūl Al-Fiqh, Maqāṣid Al-Sharī'ah, Al-Qawā'id Al-Fiqhiyyah, and other essential courses in the Islamic Studies programme.

In response to this pedagogical gap, and as part of broader remediation efforts aimed at enhancing academic inclusion and student success, the establishment of Dār al-Arqam Academy for Arabic and Islamic Studies has been conceived. The Academy offers a structured, intensive, and comprehensive preparatory programme—particularly through its four-year Thānawiyyah track—designed to build students' competence in Arabic and Islamic Studies from the foundational level.

By doing so, the Academy will serve as a feeder institution, equipping students—especially those without prior madrasah experience—with the requisite linguistic, intellectual, and spiritual tools to thrive in the University’s Islamic Studies programme and beyond. Ultimately, this initiative will bridge the knowledge gap, promote academic excellence, and contribute to the production of well-rounded graduates who are grounded in both traditional Islamic scholarship and modern academic expectations.