Academic Curriculum

Al-Ibaanah’s curriculum research and development team has devoted years in pioneering a comprehensive curriculum and methodology of Arabic language instruction. Al-Ibaanah is one of the only Arabic Language centers using its own instructional materials, textbooks, and innovative teaching methods. The Al-Ibaanah Curriculum meshes traditional educational fundamentals and modern teaching methodologies to provide an overall program that provides for effective learning and usage of the Arabic Language. Our curriculum research and development department constantly reviews and researches the most effective teaching strategies, methodologies, and textbook and instructional aids.

At Al-Ibaanah, we take great interest in the progress of each individual student. We try to ensure that each and every student benefits in their studies, whether they learn at a rapid, moderate, or slow pace. We carefully monitor student and instructor performance. We devote concentrated efforts in fulfilling our responsibilities to our students, and likewise we expect our students to be diligent in fulfilling their academic responsibilities.

Academic Certification

The student population of Al-Ibaanah is culturally rich and diversified, traveling from afar with goals and inspiration to seek knowledge in the Arabic language. Many of our students, after receiving a strong foundation in the Arabic language, travel to various countries of the Arab world, in order to continue their religious and academic studies. Our students have gone on to study in universities in Saudi Arabia, Yemen, as well as the Western countries. Al-Ibaanah Arabic Center is fully licensed and certified by the Egyptian Ministry of Education. Al-Ibaanah is recognized in the East and West as providing high quality academic instruction in the Arabic Language.

Al-Ibaanah Academic Faculty and Staff

The heart of Al-Ibaanah’s successful educational program is its dedicated, highly trained and educated instructional staff. The educational staff (male and female instructors) consists of honor graduates from the best universities in Egypt. Our instructors have excelled in their personal studies, possessing high academic degrees (Bachelors, Masters, or Doctorate degrees) in the Arabic language. The administration of Al-Ibaanah carefully selects instructors based on their knowledge and love of the Arabic language, dedication and passion for teaching, high moral character and sincerity, and their love for molding and inspiring students to learn the Arabic Language. Each instructor goes through a series of rigorous examinations, character and teaching aptitude screening. Only those instructors who pass each phase of the testing and interviewing process with excellence are selected to begin the comprehensive training sessions in the Al-Ibaanah educational methodology. Our instructional team receives routine monitoring, evaluation, and training sessions, in order to maintain the highest of instructional excellence in teaching Arabic to non-native speakers.
NOTE: Al-Ibaanah educational staff is comprised of both a men’s division and women’s division, with separated instruction for male and female students.

Al-Ibaanah Arabic Program

Our curriculum research and development team created our pioneering academic programs. The Ibaanah program has been developed to provide our students with the necessary foundation and training needed to enhance rapid learning along with gradual skill building techniques in the areas of verbal articulation, phonetics (makharij), reading and comprehension, writing, grammar, morphology, rhetoric and critical thinking and application in the Arabic language, along with many other important skills. The focus of our program is to provide a complete foundation in the Arabic language, equipping students with all the necessary components for understanding and usage.

Al-Ibaanah’s program consists of three phases of study: Phase One, Phase Two, and Phase Three. The entire academic program consists of 20 levels of study.

Phase One:

This phase consists of 9 levels of study, two introductory levels (muqadamah and tamhidi) and level one to level seven. Each of these 9 levels consists of 90 hours of study, with classes being conducted 5 days a week, for 3 ½ hours of study daily. The first phase of study requires approximately 1 – 1 ½ years of continuous studies to complete. Phase One of the Ibaanah program focuses on beginning with the fundamentals of reading, writing, and speaking, gradually strengthening and re-enforcing all components needed for understanding and usage of the Arabic language.

The first two levels of study, Introductory Level and Level 0 (muqadamah and tamhidi) focus on equipping students who have little or absolutely no background in the Arabic language with the fundamentals of correct pronunciation of the Arabic letters (makharij), the fundamentals of reading, correct written formation of each letter, basic everyday vocabulary, with concentration on formation of simple sentences, basic verbal and written expression. Level One thru Level Seven focus on gradual introduction, application, and mastering of the rules of grammar (Nahw), morphology (Sarf), dictation and writing (Imlaa), rhetoric (Balagha) in verbal and written expression. Strong emphasis is placed on comprehension and understanding of simple to complex reading texts, ranging from short stories, literature, Arabic poetry, Quraan, Hadeeth, and other Islamic texts. Special attention is paid to the students listening and speaking development. Intense focus is directed to assist the student in applying each concept and adopting the Arabic language as his/her means of expression without relying on translating into his/her mother language.

After completing this first phase of study, students have a strong foundation in all sciences of the Arabic Language (Fusha) and its usage. Any student that has completed this phase and has been diligent and studious should be able to listen to Arabic lectures, attend sittings of knowledge held by the Scholars and understand, read both secular and religious texts (modern and classical) with strong comprehension, write and speak correctly, applying the principles he/she has studied.

Phase Two:

This phase of study consists of levels eight through fifteen, requiring between one and one-half to two years of continuous study for its completion. All students are required to complete the Phase One comprehensive final examinations and interviews before entering studies in Phase Two.

Each level (of the eight levels) consists of two months of daily study. The structure of Phase Two is more flexible, and is similar to university level courses. Each level consists of individual classes in Grammar (النحو) and Morphology (الصرف), Rhetoric (البلاغة), Modern Literature and Traditional Religious Texts (النصوص), Arabic Poetry (الشعر), Meter and Rhythm of Arabic Poetry (العروض), and Methods in Research Writing and Composition (البحث و طريقة كتابته). Students may opt to take the full load of courses during each level or chose to take one, two, three, or all of the required courses.

The Phase Two curriculum focuses on the revision and expansion of the Phase One curriculum. The core curriculum of the Phase Two is based on works of the scholars of Arabic Language and Islamic Sciences, as well as beneficial traditional works from the Scholars of the past .(كتب التراث) Students, in this phase, study from the books and texts of the scholars directly, as in the some of following examples:

Phase Two study is in-depth, with focus on strengthening the student’s understanding and comprehension of the sciences of the Arabic language, Quraan, Ahaadeeth, and complicated literary texts, modern and past, and strengthening verbal expression, compositional skills, and written expression.
After completing this phase of study, a student should have a strong verbal and written command of the Arabic Language, as well as be able to research and study from the works of the Ulema from past and present.

Phase Three:

Phase Three consists of programs of concentration. A student may choose his/her level of concentration from the following fields of concentration:

• Arabic Grammar and Morphology (النحو و الصرف)
• Arabic Rhetoric, Literature, and Poetry ((الأدب
• Teaching Arabic as a Second Language
• Translation

Phase Three consists of one year of concentrated study in one of the above concentrations, from Level Sixteen thru Level Twenty. Students in this phase must successfully complete a series of special independent study projects in their field of study, and pass competency examinations before receiving their Certificate of Concentration.

Special Intensive Programs

The Special Intensive Programs were carefully designed for students who have constrained and limited time availability and are unable to study at a regular pace during the normal school year. This program of study was developed with the foundational components that are necessary to equip students with the capability to read, speak, understand, and write Arabic. The Intensive Programs are offered twice in the year, summer and winter.

Summer Intensive Program

The Summer Intensive Program is comprised of two one-month sessions with each session being 150 hours with a total of 300 hours of study for both sessions. The student has the option to study in both sessions and only one of the two sessions offered. Classes meet five hours daily, six days per week with no classes on Friday. NOTE: Al-Ibaanah does not calculate break time and exam time as class time; therefore the student will receive the complete five hours of daily instruction.

Winter Intensive Program

The Winter Intensive Program is comprised of one-hundred hours of study for a period of twenty days. Classes are held six days a week, five hours daily with Friday being the holiday. Please see special advertisements for the Winter Intensive Program because it is not always offered every academic year depending upon scheduling circumstances.
NOTE: Dates of the Summer and Winter Intensive Programs are posted during each academic year on our yearly academic schedule on our website.

Ramadan Workshops

Al-Ibaanah offers a series of special workshops during the month of Ramadan from which students may select, such as Grammar in the Quran, Tajweed and Recitation, Ta’beer (Verbal and Written Expression), al-Mutoon, and Arabic Calligraphy. Students may register for any of the registered courses. Students may opt to study in the regular program of study or continue their studies in the regular program.

NOTE: Please see the special notices and yearly academic schedule posted on our website for the time frames for the Ramadan Workshops.

Elective Programs and Courses

In addition to the regular and intensive programs, Al-Ibaanah offers a wide range of elective programs and courses, supplementing and strengthening our regular program.

Al-Mutoon Program

Al-Ibaanah offers a comprehensive program in the studies of Mutoon and their explanation for those students who wish to study in the traditional way of the Scholars. The Mutoon program consists of the traditional stages of study from the basics to the complex and comprehensive. Al-Ibaanah offers studies in the mutoon of nahw (grammar), sarf (morphology), and balagha (rhetoric). For example, the program of study in nahw (grammar) begins with Ajromeeyah (الأجرومية) and follows through the traditional course; Mulhatul-I’raab (ملحة الإعراب), Qatr al-Nada (قطر الندى), Shuthoor ath-Thahab ((شذور الذهب, and Alfiyyah bin Malik ((الألفية. For specific details on this program of study, please contact the Administration of Al-Ibaanah.
The curriculum and methodology of this program of study is especially designed for those students who chose to pursue the path of students of knowledge.
Each class meets five days a week, two and a half hours daily, and varies in duration depending upon the particular Matn and its explanation.

Ta’beer Program (Verbal and Written Expression)

The Ta’beer program of Al-Ibaanah is specially developed to enhance understanding and communication skills, focusing on the application and usage of vocabulary, grammar, morphology, etc. in both verbal and written expression. The concentration is focused upon correct verbal usage and sentence structure, using and applying all vocabulary and rules of grammar learned at each phase in daily conversation, verbal expression and usage. The beginning classes of ta’beer focus on everyday conversation and daily life. The levels in this program of study progress in the construction of conversation, expression of thoughts and ideas, and complex speaking and expression.

Qur’aan Recitation and Tajweed

Al-Ibaanah’s Quraan recitation and Tajweed Program focuses on correct pronunciation and makharij, study and application of the rules of Tajweed, study and memorization of mutoon at- tajweed, Quraan reading and memorization, with concentration on constant revision and correction. The instructors at Al-Ibaanah of Quraan and Tajweed have ijaazah with isnaad. The Quraan program is flexible depending upon the student’s level, and can be tailored as private or group classes. The student can chose from three to five days of study, as well as the number of hours daily.

Arabic Calligraphy

Al-Ibaanah offers comprehensive courses in various types of Arabic Calligraphy (الخط). The series of courses focus on basic fundamental of Arabic writing and correct formation of the letters and their joining, progressing to complex scripts and artistic compositions of various forms of Arabic Calligraphy.

Study Options

Al-Ibaanah Arabic Center offers a variety of study options to accommodate student’s needs and time constraints.

Collective Study Program

Most of the classes offered at the Institute are group classes. Our Collective Study Program classes are designed to provide a challenging and a very competitive classroom environment. A collective (group) class normally consists of three to ten students. In keeping with the standard of excellence, our institute has established a policy which limits the number of students to ten students per classroom, giving our teachers the opportunity to concentrate on every individual student in an intensive classroom environment

Individual Study Program

Our Individual Study classes are offered to special students who meet the Institutes academic qualification criteria. The Institute offers limited space for Individual Study Program classes during every six week session, year round, except during the months of June through August. The Individual Study classes are specially designed to accommodate students with little time and or prefer not to sit in a group class setting but yet want to receive quality Arabic education or who have special educational requirements. The Institute offers two types of private classes: The Individual Private class and Cooperative Private Class.

In the Individual Private Class a student is assigned to a private teacher. This type of program offers students many opportunities which are not normally available in a collective class setting; opportunities, such as the ability of having personal instruction tailored to suit the student’s individual pace and with the flexibility for acceleration depending on the teacher’s recommendation. Also, with this program a teacher can concentrate on those areas in which the student requires special attention.

The Cooperative Private Class consists of two level-comparable students studying with a designated teacher. Like Individual Private Class, students enjoy the opportunity of having a private teacher and at the same time having a competitive study partner, thereby creating a challenging class room environment normally found in a Collective Study Program class setting.