Maahad As’Sayyida Aisha

Maahad Aisha has been such an amazing experience. Words can not even express it.

Let me start from the basics and build up to the PEAK!

You enter this building, walk down a bit and then go up to the first floor, the ground floor has an Arabic nursery that you can put your little munchkins…

When you enter the section on the first floor, you are greeted by smiling, eager and happy faces from the teachers to the admin workers. The sweet secretary (speaks English, Turkish and Arabic) and the amazing mudeera of the school  who has the utmost respect, adab and akhlaaq would welcome you into the office on the left and ask if you want any tea as you introduce yourself and what you seek.

I have been to a lot of the marakiz here in Istanbul and also in some other countries and, let me just say – you can see how dedicated they are to really truly bring up the next generation of mothers, daa’iyas and women! Most marakiz asked for a TON of paperwork and yes, some are quite expensive, yet this beautiful maahad, even though it is small, it has a cozy, sisterly, warm atmosphere that I just never felt elsewhere. This place gave me the same vibes as the women’s section in Jamii Abu Nour.

Okay, see I’m sidetracking! The mudeera has a jolly persona, she speaks articulately and is always accommodative mashaAllah. The Mudeera will explain the programs as follows:

Ages: 12+ all the way to 60+

Nationalities: All around the world!

Fees: 400 TL/50 USD/39 GBP per month + One off 500 TL registration fee at the start.

Time: 9am to 2pm – Monday to Friday

Facilities: Wudhu Area, Prayer Room, Water cooler and Mini Tuck shop in the canteen area for your 15 min breaks.

Accommodation: The centre has a hostel for sisters (all around the world, Russian, Turkish etc) .

Contact:

Address:Karagümrük Mah. Fevzipaşa Cad. No:315 Fatih / İstanbul –

WhatsApp: 00905510495504 (English, Turkish and Arabic)

Telegram: @alsayyida_aisha

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alsayyida.aisha/

The Arabic program

Books: They have a leveled program, where they have a group for sisters who need to start with the basics ‘Tufaah’ – ‘Kitaab’ etc and then they have a faster program that they extend as needed. Below are the pictures of the books. As I have studied in Egypt using the books Al Arabi Bayna Yadayk, I always used to recommend this set of books however, when my friend explained the books, the detail and sections they have, and more importantly the way the teachers teach the subject, I am all for this program and will keep recommending it to others inshaAllah.

ONE amazing amazing thing I love love love about this Maahad is that it is not JUST a Nahw, Muhadatha, Qiraa and khalas, sallam! No, they have other amazing integrated subjects and activities which aim to really nurture young girls and women and unite them – which is JUST beautiful, they have Nashaat Safee – which consists of teaching various skills, sewing, knitting, drawing, calligraphy. They also have Hadith – which the teacher breaks down the hadith in detail and then guides the students to memorize. Finally, they have cooking classes – the teacher for the first few sessions explains the recipe in Arabic and then each week a student leads the cooking session by choosing a dish of her choice, this encourages the students to prepare and speak out loud in Arabic with confidence and also, learn dishes from all around the world! Quran – they have a lovely Quraan program mashaAllah. They also have events to places where the students go places together such as picnics etc. You really feel a warm community vibe, all whilst learning Arabic and meeting amazing friends and teachers along the way.

Arabic Program

Here is an example of the program:

The Ta’hili Program: This program is for those who have a decent amount of Arabic yet not able to jump into the first year of the Sharia program.

The Sharia Program (4 Years):

This beautiful program is amaaaazing – if I could add more (a’s) I would!

First of all, can I just say – every single teacher that teaches there, is such a force of nour and ‘ilm mashaAllah. They would have sessions back to back, and yet still come to our class, excited, full of patience and enthusiastic to give us these gems and jewels of knowledge. When you are taught by such people, I’m telling it rubs off on you and others too. I am a teacher and I know there is something ajeeb  (in a good way) and amazing there, it’s tawfeeq and barakah from Allah. Something rare these days.

Another thing I noticed, and this repetitively happened, one teacher would teach something, and the next teacher would repeat the same thing with an integrated approach to her subject, and then another would come and ask us questions on it, even though they are all teaching different subjects (Fiqh, History, Hadith) yet touch on this lightly. I am very sure they did not intend this much integration but trust me it kept happening and was a sign of khayr. May Allah increase them all. Ameen.

Okay, I think I should stop raving for a little while and give you an example of the books they study at each level inshaAllah.

2nd Year Books and Hours

For all the books for all the levels, check their Telegram channel inshaAllah.

I just want to note, even if you are not Hanafi, the teacher who teaches Fiqh has taught for 20+  years and at times when I was mixing up  some hukm between the schools of thought, she is very well-versed and helped clarify things. Alhamdulilah. There were times, I did not want the lesson to finish and did not want a break because the lessons were literally food for the soul. The teachers were so supportive and friendly mashaAllah.

When I observed the way the teachers would ask thought-provoking questions and gently guide the young students who were in their mid-teens, I was like WOW, seriously, the students who leave this place after their course like gems and jewels, they are giving the young students very very very good tarbiyah, the way the akhlaaq teacher would go through the book and discuss Sidq and the questions the young students had in addition to the wise comments the elderly students had, created such a mesmerizing bubble of imaan,  I kid you not when I say this, sometimes I used to think, hey – is this the utopia they talk about? (Especially in these aakhir zaman days!) Maybe I am on cloud 9 and romanticizing too much, but you get my gist.

The Mudeera has her heart for the sake of Allah, and I tell you it shows in every part of the Maahad. The teachers are dedicated individuals who are passionate about what they teach.

Here is the schedule for all levels to give you a better idea inshaAllah:

For the Sharia Program – unlike typical Islamic courses you get around the world or online, this Maahad, you need to allocate time and dedication as you are seeking knowledge the traditional way to memorize the hukm, ahaadith etc. The teachers will ask you key points from the previous lesson and it is expected of you to know. There were sisters who knew fiqh, aqeedah, seera, etc but their Arabic was not 100% fluent like a native speaker, but the teachers spent extra time explaining certain phrases, words and terms. Alhamdulilah.

The program is 4 years, but for example if you have a decent knowledge in Aqeedah, Fiqh, Tafseer etc, you will be able to join the year group that suits you best,

I will give you an example of a typical day:

8:45 – 9:00 -Come to class and prepare books on table for the day in addition to spend 15 mins reviewing

9:00 – 9:45 – Fiqh – Ustaadah A enters the class with a smile and goes through the book Noor Al Idaah, she asks questions and thoroughly encourages us to ask questions, which often get us discussing many many topics and the hukm on it. More often than not, most students really want to prolong the fiqh lesson as she makes it super duper interesting! She uses illustrations to demonstrate and honestly has such amazing teaching techniques (trust me, I am a teacher!) and is always super supportive and encouraging esp to those who may be timid and shy. Wallah, a gem of a woman, Allahuma Baarik mashaAllah.

9:45 – 10:30 – Aqeedah – Ustaadah S, she beautifully always starts the lesson by getting us to say the 99 names of Allah and a dua at the end, then she starts asking questions from the previous lesson. She often had such amazing stories to help put things into perspective.

10:30 – 10:45 – Break – Time for bonding with the sisters or make yourself a cuppa and prepare for the next lesson.

10:45 – 11:30 –  Mustalah Al Hadith – Ustaadah F is super passionate about her subject mashaAllaha and yes, we have to memorize the main points as she asks review questions at the start of every lesson. Love her lessons.

11:30 – 12:15 – Nahw – Ustaadah A is such a talented teacher and is very supportive and flexible. She adds ‘fun’ into the lessons by using a variety of techniques to help teach the students and guide them. The book Nahw al Wadih is also fab!

12:15 – 12:30 – Break – Oh, not another break! Okay, I have to admit, when it comes to 12:15, a cup of tea is welcome.

12:30 – 1:15 – Islamic History – Ustaadah R, makes the memories of our past literally come alive with her eloquent speech and terms. The book is also really good and in the 2^nd year we study the time of Ummayads and Abbasids.

1:15 – 2:00 – Nashaat Saffee (Class activities) – as mentioned above, this class really gets the students time to bond together and learn how to sew, make cute flowers using yarn and just other relaxing, chill stuff and yeah, all in Arabic.

You know something, all what I have written does not do justice to the institute at all. You really have to experience it for yourself. Take one year out of your busy schedules, and trust me, just enroll!  Jamii Abu Nour was available for a period of time, then it went, and now this is available, grab it whilst it is here. Allah knows what the future holds. This is obviously for sisters, there is a similar brothers institute called Maahad Imam Abu Hanifa, (I’m not sure if they have the same schedule etc, but they seem to be very similar).

When you visit, it may seem small but remember, quality over quantity and also, keep in mind it this is the 2^nd year since opening. They did not ask me to promote the centre and they have no idea I am doing reviewing them, just in case people think this is a paid ad or something. 🙂

Note: You may not follow a certain theology or school of thought that may be taught here, but don’t let that stop you. Make istikhara and may Allah bless us with His love, Mercy and Aafiya, Ameen.

Allah knows best and all success is from Him alone.