FAQs

Yes. We welcome those who wish to serve the work of the Qurʾān in a voluntary capacity, whether their strength is teaching, administration, design, outreach, or simply willing hands. Write to us at info@elbadrinstitute.org with a little about yourself and where you feel you could help.

Yes, and we are grateful for it. El Badr Institute reinvests in education, research, teacher training, and community outreach, and donations carry that work further than fees alone can. You can give through the Donate button on our website, and every contribution, whatever its size, becomes part of an ongoing work of the Qurʾān.

Yes. Most of our students study with us from across the world. One to one lesson times are agreed around your timezone during onboarding, and cohort course times are published on each course page in UK time.

Yes. The ādāb of the Qurʾān and its carriers runs through everything we teach. Recitation is an act of worship before it is a skill, and our teachers model that in how they teach, correct, and encourage.

Through structure. Every student studies to a written roadmap, receives a monthly written progress report, and is examined periodically by an external tutor rather than their own teacher. Teaching is reviewed continuously, and the director maintains oversight of every student pairing.

Every teacher is an Ijāzah certified Qārī, vetted personally by the institute for both knowledge and character. Many are ḥuffādh with sanad reaching back through unbroken chains of transmission. We select teachers slowly and deliberately, because the teacher is the programme.

Yes. Every lesson is live and online, taught face to face over Zoom or Microsoft Teams. Students join us from across the world, and we also host in person gatherings in the UK under our Majālis al-Qurʾān events.

Courses are taught in English. The advanced Sabʿ al-Qirāʾāt programme is taught in Arabic by our senior scholar. Where a student prefers instruction in Arabic, we accommodate this wherever teacher availability allows.

Three. One to one mentorship with a dedicated teacher, live cohort courses studied together in a group, and weekly Qurʾān circles. The format determines the price, schedule, and enrolment journey, and each course page tells you which format it runs in.

Tajweed, recitation, ḥifdh and murājaʿah, Ijāzah, Qirāʾāt, maqāmāt, imam and teacher training, and the classical mutūn of Qurʾānic science. Each is offered through the format that serves it best: one to one mentorship, live cohort courses, or weekly circles.

The institute is led by two brothers. Shaykh Ilyās Badr, its founder, memorised the Qur'ān in Masjid al-Ḥaram, and holds one of the shortest surviving chains of transmission in Qur'ān recitation to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. Shaykh Yusuf Badr, Principal of the institute, memorised the Qur'ān in Madinah in the environment of Masjid an-Nabawi, received ijāzah in recitation and tajweed under renowned scholars in Egypt, and has led prayer at some of the Muslim world's most iconic mosques. Between them stand more than two decades of teaching the Qur'ān across the world, and together they oversee the standard of every teacher at the institute. They both specialised in the Seven Qirāʾāt at the Islamic University of Madinah.

El Badr Institute is a UK based institute for Qur'ānic education, specialising in tajweed, ḥifdh, recitation, Ijāzah, and the classical sciences of the Qur'ān. Most of our teaching runs online, live and face to face with Ijāzah certified teachers, with a written plan, external examination, and monthly reporting as standard. We also gather in person: our Majālis al-Qur'ān events, alongside courses and seminars held throughout the year.

We do not offer trials, and deliberately so. Enrolment is a minimum commitment of one term of twelve lessons, because that is the shortest span in which real change in recitation takes root. Your first session is a working session, and if you would like a professional assessment before committing, the Consultation exists exactly for that.

Mentorship begins as soon as your onboarding is complete and your teacher is matched, usually within days of enrolling. Cohort courses begin on the dates published on each course page.

One to one mentorship is fully segregated as standard: sisters study with female teachers and brothers with male teachers. Group courses and cohorts are mixed, with student cameras off throughout.

With the Extended Consultation. It is a confidential, professional audit of your recitation by an Ijāzah certified Qārī, with a written report and a clear, unbiased roadmap. Those who carry the Qurʾān publicly deserve an honest assessment delivered privately.

Yes. Many of our students begin from the very start of the journey, including the Arabic letters themselves. Your roadmap is set from your actual level, not an assumed one, and your teacher moves at your pace.

Yes, with care. Children study one to one with a dedicated teacher, a parent present throughout, and the same written roadmap and monthly reporting as every other student, so parents can see exactly how their child is progressing.

We teach all ages. Students under sixteen require parental consent, and a parent or guardian must be present during lessons. Our onboarding form captures this before study begins.

You join our waiting list and places are offered in order of priority as they open. If you would rather not wait, your payment is refunded in full.

For most courses, no; your first session with your teacher includes a full diagnostic, so the work begins immediately. The advanced pathways, Ijāzah, Qirāʾāt, and Maqāmāt, open with a paid Recitation Consultation so your readiness is confirmed before study begins. Each course page tells you if one is needed.

You receive an official welcome and a short onboarding form so we can learn your level, goals, and availability. We confirm your weekly time, match you to your dedicated Ijāzah certified teacher, and your roadmap is ready before your first lesson.

Choose your course or mentorship tier on the website and enrol directly through the course page. Your place is secured the moment you enrol, and we begin preparing your welcome straight away.

Yes. Choose your course or mentorship tier and enrol directly on its page; your place is secured the moment you enrol. Where a course is full you join the waiting list in order of priority, or your payment is returned in full.

Mentorship, for most students. Cohort graduates are placed at the front of the waiting list and the top of the queue for one to one places, because students who have already studied with us are students we already know how to teach.

Tier changes take effect at renewal, once confirmed with your teacher. This keeps your teacher's schedule stable through the term. If your needs change mid term, tell us early and we will have everything arranged so the new tier begins the moment your current term ends.

Yes. Our mutūn courses take students through the classical texts of Qurʾānic science, from Tuḥfat al-Aṭfāl and al-Jazariyyah onwards, taught live in cohorts. Dates and details are published on each course page.

Small weekly group sessions, held separately for men and women, for consistent recitation and revision in company. They are the most accessible way to keep the Qurʾān present in your week alongside, or before, formal study.

Teachers, imams, ḥuffādh, and advanced students who need a deeper audit. It allows time to examine recitation thoroughly across its dimensions and concludes with a written report. It is confidential by design.

A one to one session with an Ijāzah certified Qārī who hears your recitation in full, identifies precisely what needs attention, and gives you a clear, unbiased roadmap. It is a professional audit, not a lesson, and it carries no obligation to enrol.

Periodically, yes, including focused day intensives on specialist subjects. These are announced on the website and to our mailing list.

Yes. Within mentorship, your roadmap can combine subjects, for example recitation alongside ḥifdh. You can also enrol in a cohort course alongside your mentorship; many students do.

Yes. All required materials are provided electronically at no extra cost, curated to match your roadmap or your course syllabus.

Mentorship runs in terms of twelve sessions, renewing automatically so your teacher and time slot stay yours. Cohort courses run to fixed dates published on each course page. How far you travel within that time depends on your starting level and your consistency; your roadmap makes the path explicit.

Twelve sessions with your teacher. Terms renew automatically so your place and your time slot are protected, and you may leave at the end of any term.

By the depth of work your goal requires. Foundation suits steady weekly correction, Focus suits students building towards a defined goal, and Mastery suits serious study, ḥifdh, or preparation towards Ijāzah. If you are unsure, enrol at the tier that feels right; your teacher will advise honestly after your first sessions, and you can move tier at the next term.

Three tiers, each a term of twelve weekly sessions with a dedicated Ijāzah certified teacher. Foundation offers thirty minutes per week, Focus forty five minutes, and Mastery a full hour. Every tier includes the same personalised roadmap, monthly written progress report, and direct access to your teacher between sessions.

Mentorship is one to one: a dedicated teacher, a personalised roadmap, and a weekly time built around you. Cohort courses are studied live in a group, following a set syllabus with fixed dates. Many students do both, mentorship for their recitation and a cohort for a text they wish to study.

The institute does not reschedule lessons. In exceptional circumstances, a teacher may, entirely at their discretion, accommodate a genuine emergency. This is a personal courtesy from the teacher, not an entitlement, and creates no obligation on the institute to offer the same in any other case.

A device with a reliable connection, a quiet place free of distraction, and ideally headphones. Keep a notebook, pen, and pencil to hand, and use the same muṣḥaf for every lesson; consistency of the page is a quiet but powerful aid to memory and correction.

Through your dedicated WhatsApp channels. Every student has a direct support line to the institute, and every change is confirmed in writing there.

Yes. Enrolled students who miss a live session can catch up by recording, though live attendance is where the learning truly happens and we encourage it strongly.

The lesson is rearranged at a time that suits you, at no cost. A teacher cancellation never costs you a session.

Terms cannot be paused partway through, as your teacher's time is held for you across all twelve sessions. You can pause between terms, with no obligation to roll straight into the next. If you want the same teacher and slot when you return, tell us early and we will try to arrange it, subject to your teacher's availability.

The session is counted as taught. Your teacher's time was reserved for you alone, so missed lessons are not rescheduled or refunded. In a genuine emergency your teacher may choose to help, but this is at their discretion and never guaranteed.

The institute does not reschedule lessons. In exceptional circumstances a teacher may, entirely at their own discretion, choose to accommodate a genuine emergency. This is a personal courtesy from the teacher, not an entitlement, and creates no obligation on the institute to offer the same in any other case.

The institute runs on UK time, and cohort course times are published in UK time. One to one lesson times are simply agreed in whatever time suits you; we will do the conversion.

Yes, subject to teacher availability. Because we teach worldwide, our teachers cover a wide range of hours, and we will always try to find a time that genuinely works rather than one you merely tolerate.

During onboarding. You tell us your availability in the welcome form, we match it against your teacher's schedule, and your weekly time is confirmed before your first lesson. That time is then yours for the term.

Yes. A term of mentorship or a place on a course makes a gift of rare worth, for a parent, a spouse, a child, or a friend. Enrol on their behalf and let us know it is a gift at onboarding; we will take care of the welcome from there.

Not yet, but soon. Funded places for those who cannot afford study are part of what our donations are building towards, and we intend to offer them as soon as funding allows. If cost is what stands between you and the Qurʾān, write to us; we would rather know you than lose you.

We do not offer refunds once study begins. When you enrol, we secure your teacher's schedule and reserve their time exclusively for you for the full term, a commitment we make to them on your behalf. The exception is availability: if your chosen course is full and you prefer not to join the waiting list, your payment is returned in full.

No. External examination is part of every programme, included in your fee. We consider it a duty of the institute, not an extra.

Not while you remain enrolled. Continuing students keep the price at which they joined, even when prices rise for new students. Loyalty is protected here.

Your term renews automatically, so your teacher and your time slot stay yours without interruption. If you wish to finish, simply tell us before renewal; there is no obligation to continue.

Course and term fees are paid in full at enrolment. This is what allows us to reserve your teacher's time for the whole term.

Securely by card through the course page at enrolment. UK students may also pay by bank transfer; contact us at info@elbadrinstitute.org and we will send the details.

Mentorship is priced per term of twelve sessions, paid in advance. Cohort courses are a single payment for the full course. Circles are a simple monthly membership. Every price is published plainly on its course page; there are no hidden costs.

Students can request a private discussion about their studies with the institute at any point, whether about progress, direction, or workload. Your roadmap is a living document and we review it with you.

Directly and seriously, by the institute's management. Raise anything through your support channel or the contact form and it reaches the director's oversight, not a queue.

Tell us and we will rematch you. Fit matters enormously in one to one study, and a change of teacher carries no awkwardness and no cost. You deal with the institute; we handle the rest.

Through your support channel at any time, or the contact form on the website. We also check in with students proactively; your experience is reviewed, not assumed.

Every student has two channels: a lesson channel with your teacher for the study itself, and a support channel with the institute for everything else, including scheduling, questions, and feedback. It means you always know exactly where to turn.

Yes. Direct access to your teacher between sessions is a standard feature of mentorship, through your dedicated lesson channel. Recitation questions do not wait a week here.

It varies with the student's starting level, consistency, and the hours they give it. Serious students working steadily have completed it with us in around three to four years. The chain is not hurried; that is precisely its worth.

A formal authorisation, granted teacher to student in an unbroken chain, to recite and transmit the Qurʾān. For recitation, the sanad reaches back to the Prophet ﷺ himself. It is the highest certification in this science, and it is earned, never bought.

It depends on the course. Cohort courses and pathway programmes carry certification on completion, mentorship students receive formal written reports of their attainment, and the Ijāzah Programme concludes, for those who complete it, with the Ijāzah itself.

A written account of the month's work from your teacher, structured ratings across readiness, focus, retention, and effective learning, and what comes next on your roadmap. Parents of younger students receive these directly.

External teachers, never your own. This is deliberate: it keeps the assessment honest, protects the standard of the institute, and gives you a measure of your recitation that flattery cannot reach.

Continuously and formally. Your teacher works to your written roadmap week by week, you receive a monthly written progress report, and at intervals you are examined by an external tutor to verify your standard objectively.

Curriculum, teaching, and operations are reviewed continuously, informed by examination results, student feedback, and the director's oversight of every programme. The name of the institute is a claim to excellence; we audit ourselves against it.

Consistent attendance is the single greatest predictor of progress, and we treat it accordingly. Unnotified absences are charged, and persistent absence prompts a conversation about whether now is the right season for study.

Parental consent is required at enrolment, a parent or guardian is present during lessons, and all communication runs through the official institute channels where a parent has visibility. We hold ourselves to the standard we would want for our own children.

In sisters' one to one lessons and sisters' circles, cameras are recommended, as seeing the mouth aids correction. In mixed group courses, student cameras remain off throughout, and sisters' faces are never shown. The teacher's camera is on; yours is governed by the setting.

Lessons are held to the etiquette of sacred study: punctuality, preparedness, respect, and a quiet environment. We expect it of students because we expect it of ourselves.

The institute adheres to UK data protection regulations. Student information is held securely, used only for the administration of your studies, and never shared beyond the institute.