الحياة في مصر♡

Sakhr ibn al-Ghamidi reported that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: اللَّهُمَّ بَارِكْ لِأُمَّتِي فِي بُكُورِهَا "O Allah, bless my nation in their early morning" [Sunan at-Tirmidhi 1212]

Peaceful mornings in Cairo 💌

Another example occured the other day whilst I was in class. My teacher entered the classroom in the morning, greeted us and the first thing she said after that was "Who of you is wearing perfume?" She proceeded with admonishing us about the prohibition of a woman wearing perfume outside of the home as to not pose a Fitnah to men, and how we are honorable Muslimat who are to obey the commandments of Allah. Studying in Markaz al-Ibanah goes beyond learning the Arabic language, it is an environment in which the evil is forbidden, and the good enjoined, alhamdulillah.

Something that I really like about Markaz al-Ibanah aside from their competence in teaching Arabic, is the fact that abiding by Islamic guidelines is heavily encouraged. One example being that they do not tolerate Taswir! All of the faces of people and animals depicted in their books, for the sake of understanding vocabulary, are censored, alhamdulillah. As the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said: "The people who will receive the severest punishment from Allah will be the picture makers."  [Sahih al-Bukhari 5950] I think this is something worth mentioning when choosing a Markaz, for a Markaz with the correct understanding of Qur'an and Sunnah is undoubtedly superior to a Markaz lacking it. I know of other Marakiz which have people, and even unveiled women depicted in their books whilst men are studying there using said books, Allahul musta'an.

Abu Huraira reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: "Whoever travels a path in search of knowledge, Allah will make easy for him a path to Paradise." [Sahīh Muslim 2699]

One thing I want to mention concerning seeking knowledge in Egypt, or anywhere for that matter: Do not expect a life of comfort. If you leave the West for the sake of knowledge, do not think you will come here and attain the same lifestyle as you had back home. Speaking for Egypt, you will have to compromise and lower you standards. There will be many culture shocks. Cairo, in particular, is dirty and dusty and chaotic, but this is the path of the student of knowledge. You cannot come here thinking everything is going to be Instagram-Talibatul 'Ilm aesthetic-picture perfect. On the contrary, if you come here with the intention of getting closer to Allah, tests and hardships will inevitably befall you. You will most likely have strong wasawis as Shaytan will try his all to divert you from this great act of 'Ibadah. However, once you taste the sweetness of knowledge, none of those things matter anymore, alhamdulillah. Attaining 'Ilm, understanding the book of Allah, being able to read the works of the Salaf, conversing in the language of our beloved Rasulullah صلى الله عليه وسلم, all of these are so worth leaving behind the comfort of the West.

A peek into a classroom at Markaz al-Ibanah

8th district of Nasr City, a typical neighbourhood in Cairo

About the cost: Yes, Markaz al-Ibanah is expensive. And it is way more expensive compared to other famous Marakiz in Cairo such as Lisan al-Arab, Markaz Furqan and many more. Yet with the start of each level of the Markaz the classes are almost full by the first day of registration. Why is this? ▫️Markaz al-Ibanah teaches its own book and program ➡️ Most other Marakiz teach generally known books such as Arabiyyah Bayna Yadayk ▫️Markaz al Ibanah teaches 4 hours a day, 5 days a week ➡️ Most Marakiz teach 2 hours a day ▫️One level in Markaz al-Ibanah equals 6 weeks ➡️ One level in most other Marakiz equals 4 weeks ▫️They have their very own style of teaching ➡️ From personal experience I can say that all of the teachers I've had so far are extremely competent and proficient in teaching Arabic to non-native speakers ▫️Also: The class is held in Arabic only, in fact writing down the translation of words is not allowed! Therefore, you are forced to read, listen to and, if you attempt to, speak Arabic only for 3.5 hours on the daily (Note: There is a 30 minute break, hence 3.5 hours) ▫️And even though this might sound strange at first, learning a language by just hearing, reading and listening to said language, with time and the permission of Allah, you will understand the teacher through context and repetition despite not knowing how to speak!