Mukhayyam Taleem al-Quran al-Kareem Houston (Dikrao – Boys)
About the Program
"Seek prosperity in both worlds [spiritual and material] together"
Imam Ahmed al-Mastur SA
Mukhayyam al-Quran Houston, originally known as the Nisaab Mahad al-Zahra program, was founded on the core principle expressed in the proverb above: that pursuing a full-time education and Hifz al-Quran are not mutually-exclusive ideas. This philosophy carried the program through its inception and remained the strongest allure for parents across North America, that children can achieve excellence in Al-Quran, and through that create the discipline and goal-oriented focus of a successful scholar and professional.
This 4-year program dedicated to simultaneously providing an excellent public school education and the resources and pathways for the memorization and study of the Quran al-Majeed. Established in 2009-1431H with a founding class of 7 students, it is the oldest tehfeez program in America, and one of the first established following its sister program in Surat, India. Students are given boarding in Fakhri Makaan, in the campus of Masjid al-Mohammadi.
As Hifz-al-Quran becomes a part of a student’s routine, their daily schedules and movements are crafted around optimizing their time to complete their tasks, and this mindset of always pressing forward helps excel everywhere. The administration understands that along with academic performance however, the personal development of growing adolescents is of paramount importance. Talabat-ul-Ilm are marked and dignified by their respect for others and their selflessness, and students are taught both by example, and through intervention. Continuous interaction with faculty teaches them respect and effective communications, and travels across the world, for Ashara Mubaraka and asfaar of Huzurala (TUS,) makes them global citizens. Learning humility and patience from tadrees, and the myriad other soft skills that differentiate the successful are taught here, in Mahad-al-Zahra.
Schedule
The following schedule consists of sectors all across the academic field, a breadth which gives students a portion of each subject everyday. Time is properly allotted for homework and Hifz, students are allowed to request time off to complete longer projects and assignments, and every effort is made to ensure a seamless cooperation between secular and non-secular studies. This schedule allows them to complete both their school requirements and hifz requirements in a timely manner, and teaches students self-discipline and time management.
8:00 AM
Tilawat Dua
8:15-11am
Tahfeez
11am-12pm
Tadrees
12-1:30PM
School
1:30-2:30pm
Namaz/Lunch
2:30-4PM
School
4-6PM
Tahfeez
6 PM
Magrib Khaimat
8pm
Dinner
9:30
Qasida/Bedtime
TESTIMONIALS
"After we switched to online school, my hifz progress increased a lot. I just felt better in the morning hifz sessions, and I had no stress during school time.
Daniyal Diwan 2
Darajah 3, Class of 2018
Tahfeez
Tahfeez is split into a daily 3 part routine: murajaat, juz haali, and jadeed. Murajaat is the revision of all past memorization, for a student who just completed Juz 3, his murajaat would be Juz 1 and 2. Juz Haali is the last ten (or more) pages leading up to where he most recently recited, or the last 10 pages of Juz 3.
Finally, jadeed is the newest material a student will memorize and recite, or in our example, the first page of Juz 4. Everyday, students complete this as part of a cycle, and work on completing more ajzaa, of the Quran. They also are required to take sanawat ikhtebaar, or benchmark tests, at Juz 5, 12, 21, and on completion, which test their progress and strength of memorization. Mahad prepares students for both the oral and written portions of these tests, and particularly the final test.
Tadrees
On specific days throughout the week, and in a focus session on Saturday, tadrees classes are held, or sabaq, in which students learn and take barakat from the curriculum of Al-Jamea-tus-Saifiyah. This includes Islamic jurisprudence, Arabic poetry and literature, history, Quranic sciences, Arabic language, and more.
For this curriculum they take 3 major tests, Fasal 1, 2, (midterms) and Al-Imtehaan-as-Sanawi, or the final, year-end test. They also take part in an annual Hayat-Tayeba program and competition, which chronicles the history and journeys of our Duat Mutlaqeen, and work on many different projects like ma’raz exhibitions throughout the year both creatively and in a research capacity.
Fakhri Makaan
Students are required to sleep in Fakhri Makan every night, and this is strictly enforced. Saturday nights are a celebratory tradition in Makan, where students stay up until late watching movies and releasing the stress of a hard week of work.
Every month, on one weekend given in advance, students are given raza to sleep elsewhere at friends houses, or if necessary, return home as well, known as Monthly Weekend. Mahad has instituted an amanat system as well, where students can keep their spending cash and request when they require.
Khaimat Al-Riyazat
A new sports complex was constructed as part of the new Fakhri Makan to ensure students stay in good physical shape and keep their minds fresh. It contains a basketball court, a full-length grass field, box cricket, and a swimming pool, so students can opt to recreate however they wish.
Every student is also part of a house, named after the Jawame Al-Aimat SA, for which they compete in an annual sports tournament. Every 2 week a new sport is played, from football and soccer, to swimming and ultimate frisbee, and even foreign sports like kabbati and cricket. Throughout the year, each win in a sport adds to the point total of a house, and this goal-oriented mindset and 4-year dynasty membership encourages students to compete year after year, for dominance in Mahad Sports. The longest run of any house has been the Aqmar Broncos, winning from 2014-2017. Team Anwar is the current reigning champion of Mahad Sports!
Tarbiyat
A crucial part of our program has been the deeni tarbiyat of our students; to instill the traditional values of Thaqafat Fatimiyah, our traditional culture. Among these, respect, honor, responsibility, and chivalry are the core, and its physical manifestations in the actions of our well-groomed youth are of utmost importance. Students who enter this program, assume the identity of Mahad Al-Zahra, an institution of His Holiness TUS, of which humility and gratitude are foundational.
We teach our students to care for their own things, from even the simplest: ironing and folding their clothes with care everyday, to washing and cleaning their topis, and making their beds every morning. We look after our students, by teaching them to look after themselves, and building the habits that last a lifetime.
Adaab Al-Ta’aam, eating manners on the thaal, are also an important part of our culture, particularly to take raza to sit with teachers, how to sit, who is given deference for starting meals, when to leave the thaal, and every other soft skill that defines us as a humble, respectful people. Our students are taught from day one these manners, and teachers sit amongst the students to teach this and help them understand why this is so impactful.
Lisaan Al-Dawat is the face of our culture, the medium through which waaz is conducted, our asbaaq are held, and the bridge between our ancestral Arabic and the Gujraati of our home in India. Many students come to the program unfamiliar and unpracticed, and we make it a goal to teach them conversational Lisaan Al-Dawat, so that the day they are in front of Moula TUS, they can fluently araz their hearts desires, and continue to pass on this heritage to their children.
Holistic Development
90% of the fortune 500 companies use Gallup’s strengths-based assessment and coaching as their learning management system (LMS). Keeping with the high standards we aspire to at Mahad we have achieved a complete migration to a certified strengths-based campus. Strengths-based coaching means; bringing forth what is best in our students with the science-based industry-standard Gallup’s Clifton’s strengths assessment. With the help of Hawra bhen Harianawala a certified Strengths coach, we have trained to move from the prevalent and damaging weakness fixing mindset to a strengths building mindset. We will be reinforcing this empowered mindset throughout the four years of Mahad.
Our coaching initiative is aimed at ensuring that each student leaves Mahad not only Hafiz ul Quran but also the most empowered version of him/herself.
Other Activities
With the academic rigor that our program provides, we like to make sure students get a change of pace often, and are challenged in different ways. It’s important that as growing adolescents they are exposed to the culture, history, art, and natural beauty, that helps them understand who they are in the world around them. For this, we often plan trips called Rehlat al-Ilmiyah, in which we take students to historic and modernizing spots around us.
We also plan fun events every other week, like friday night barbeques and movie nights, to keep their minds fresh and engaged. Students themselves are quite enterprising in their recreational activities, and have planned events like paintball, beach trips, Sherullah IHOP sehori, and more.
During the Thanksgiving week of November, it has become a tradition for students to host the Shukur Jaman, in which they create specialized invites, prepare food, and decorate Fakhri Makan. The student body invites their Janabs, alumni, and other mentors who have helped them in their journeys, and present a Madeh program.
Mukhayyam FAQs
Classes for the upcoming 2025-2026 academic year will start on Monday July 29th, 2024. Dikrao and Dikrio being given accommodation by Mukhayyam al-Quran will be asked to move into Fakhri Makan/Nuzul al-Barakah a day before to register themselves. Students who are arriving later than the arrival date must inform the Qism al- Tahfeez head office in advance.
Qism al-Tahfeez does not take the responsibility of any students’ transportation to and from the airport throughout the academic year. Parents must arrange for their child’s transportation on their own and inform the head office of the arrival/departure details in advance by emailing admin@mahadalzahrausa.com.
An annual parent orientation is held at the beginning of each academic year. For the upcoming 2024-2025 academic year, this orientation will be tentatively held on Monday July 29th, 2024. All parents are encouraged to attend this in-person event to get a better understanding of our program’s requirements, tour our facilities and meet our staff. Further details and date of the orientation will be sent out to accepted families closer to the date. Recordings of this orientation will be made available to families who are unable to attend in person.
ll dikrao in the Mukhayyam al-Quran program live in Fakhri Makan
and all dikrio live with their families in Houston OR in Nuzul al-Barakah.
Address for Fakhri Makan:
6030 Langham Way Dr. Houston, TX 77084
Address for Nuzul al-Barakah:
17527 Coventry Oaks Dr. Houston, TX 77084
Students living in Fakhri Makan (dikrao) or Nuzul al-Barakah (dikrio) are given one weekend every month (known as monthly weekends) in which they are allowed to return to their families or visit their friends for one night. Students must inform the office about their whereabouts ahead of time and must return by Sunday nights to resume their classes on Monday. Students needing to temporarily leave the campus for extenuating circumstances (e.g., doctor visits, family emergencies) must request raza through admin@mahadalzahrausa.com and obtain raza slips from the Qism al-Tahfeez head office before they leave.
Dikrao are required to live in Fakhri Makan, our newly constructed dormitory, and out-of-city dikrio are required to live in Nuzul al-Barakah. Dikrio from Houston may only live at home with their families, and parents are responsible for their student’s daily pick-ups and drop-offs to and from Masjid-e-Mohammedi. Tahfeez, tadrees, school, lunches, outings, sport days, and other extracurriculars are a part of both programs.
Students will need to bring their own laptops in order to complete their school work. We do not take responsibility for any of our student’s personal devices such as phones, laptops, tablets, etc.
We require all students to bring laptops/tablets, notebooks, basic stationary and art supplies and headphones for their school work. In addition, we strongly recommend students bring scientific calculators and graphing paper to help them with their math assignments.
All students accepted in the program are required to complete school on state-accredited online platforms such as Connections Academy and K12. We provide a structured school atmosphere and a schedule that allows students dedicated time to work on assigned work within each class. An in-person learning coach and a team of tutors ensure that each student understands and completes their schoolwork with integrity and in a timely fashion. Once a student is accepted into our Muhkhayyam al- Quran program, we will send more information about the school program. Questions regarding the school program can be emailed to the School Director at schooldirector@mahadalzahrausa.com.
Throughout the year, several extracurriculars and outings are offered to help our students remain fresh and engaged during their studies. Once a month, a sports day is planned on Saturday and students compete in a variety of sports such as football, soccer, basketball, swimming, etc. In addition, monthly academic workshops offered by the school staff focus on topics such as essay writing, note-taking, plagiarizing, etc. Students are also offered zakireen and calligraphy workshops, and participate in Mahad band. Last, students compete for ‘house points’ through their performance in academics, tadrees, tahfeez and fun school extracurricular activities such as cookie decorating, art contests, debates, etc. Winners of the house awards are treated with an outing every semester and all students engage in an annual overnight tafreeh (outing) that helps them bond while treating themselves!
Student progress is communicated on a weekly basis. Progress in tahfeez can be tracked via weekly reports sent by the staff and daily through the students’ Elearning account. School progress can be tracked via weekly reports on Gradelink (our internal communications system) and through Connections Academy or K12 (students’ online schooling platforms.) Finally, in-depth conversations regarding individual students happen between staff and parents during the parent-teaching meetings held thrice during the year.
Daily progress in hifz can be tracked through the Elearning Quran (ELQ) system. All students joining our program must transfer themselves to the ELQ system Houston Mukhayyam Branch (Elearning Quran) before August 1st 2023 to confirm their enrollment in any of our programs.
The initial branch transfer request will be done by Mukhayyam Houston. Parents are responsible for accepting the transfer request in their child’s e-learning account and paying the $10 (USD) transfer fee. The transfer procedure takes anywhere from 3-8 days. However, we cannot initialize the transfer request if parents have not registered on Elearning OR if the account has pending dues. If you have not done so already, please ensure that your child is registered on Elearning and that all previous dues have been paid off. Students who have not approved the transfer request on Elearning by August 1st will not be granted raza to join our program.
Admissions for Nisaab Mahad Al-Zahra
All Students Must Have
- Be in the 7th – 9th Grade for first year applicants
- Have a 30th juz certificate from Mahad Al-Zahra, Aljamea-tus-Saifiyah (Surat).
- US Citizen or the ability to legally reside and attend school in the USA.
- Completely memorized until Juz 1.
- Able to swim unsupervised.
Fees Structure
$1200/month - Yearly $13,200
Room & Board
- Residence in brand-new Fakhri Makan
- Transportation
- Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner included
Tuition
- Tahfeez al-Quran
- Assigned Muhaffiz
- Tadrees (Asbaaq)
- Educational Activities
Recreational Activity
- Khaimat al-Riyazat
- Rehlat al-Ilmiyah (Field Trips)
- Weekend Outings
Requirements for Admission
Students with a passion for learning and a deep understanding of the challenges to succeed in anything worth achieving are core to the mission of Mahad Al-Zahra, Aljamea-tus-Saifiyah in the USA. Admission requirements differ from program to program. The below describes the various programs requirements for admissions.
Tuition payment can be done in a variety of installment schedules, and exact details will be emailed after admission. Students, once admitted, are required to stay for a certain duration and pay tuition according to the schedule set by program directors.
For a list of all required documents, please see the enrollment checklist.
Registration FAQs
All students enrolling must have a legal status and prior schooling experience in the US (cannot be on a visit visa), and be between the ages of 11-18. Students entering below 6th grade will not be accepted into our program.
The Rawdat programs only consist of Tahfeez (hifz). Students in the morning programs do their in-person hifz every
day from 8:15-11:00am and then go home. Students in the evening programs do their in-person hifz four days a
week from 5:00-7:00 pm. Both of these Rawdat programs do not offer tadrees, schooling, extracurriculars,
lunches/snacks, transportation or accommodation.
The registration deadline for each applicant is 30 days from the day their application had started. This is to ensure
that all serious applicants complete and submit the applications in time for the enrollment team to review the
application before making an admission decision. Admission is on a first-come basis and the registration process
will stop allowing applicants to begin their applications after May 1, 2025.
All students need to submit the following attachments with their Mahad application. The enrollment checklist
can be found here.
Latest school transcript
Medical Consent Form
Insurance card
Madresah report card
Registration Link:
https://mahadalzahrausa.com/student-registration-page/
All programs have a different yearly fee. Details regarding the yearly fees can be found in the ‘Yearly Fee Structure’ document. All Mukhayyam al-Quran programs have the option for three payment plans. Please note that although option 3 allows families to pay the yearly fee for our program on a monthly basis, this fee is still for the full year and not just for the month. This means that the total amount for the year is divided into equal monthly payments (with the exception of the first month in some programs) for your convenience.
There will be no refunds provided should a student choose to leave midway through the semester. However, partial refunds may be given at the discretion of Qism al-Tahfeez’s head office under extenuating circumstances.
After an application has been submitted (with the required attachments) on Mahad, our enrollment team will review the application to determine whether the student is eligible for our program. Accepted students will either receive a tentative acceptance letter or a waitlist letter. Students who are not eligible will be notified via email.
After an application has been submitted (with the required attachments) on Mahad, our enrollment team will review the application to determine whether the student is eligible for our program. Accepted students will either receive a tentative acceptance letter or a waitlist letter. Students who are not eligible will be notified via email.
Medical Requirements
Existing and new students must bring the below documents upon arrival every year:
- Current vision and dental report Students are required to submit these documents if there are any changes or at least once upon admission
- Current shot/immunization records
- Medical Consent Form
- Doctors Physical Report
Schooling
A key component of our students’ upbringing in our program is their required involvement in our school program. Through flexible state-recognized online schooling platforms such as Connections Academy and K12, students get the opportunity to complete their secular education along with accomplishing their goals of becoming a Hafiz al-Quran.
The schooling programs offered are not self-study, individualistic regimens. Both K-12 and Connections Academy provide live lectures and tutoring, assigned readings, homeworks, and proctored tests, and the other hallmarks of a traditional schooling program, simply offered in a work-at-your-own pace, online setting. All standardized tests are still taken, and accreditation is the exact same as a normal middle/high school. Students are strictly monitored throughout the day by schooling directors from Mahad al-Zahra, who follow-up on assignments and grades, give progress updates to parents, and ensure time is given to students who need it. This system allows students to also complete Al-Quran at an accelerated pace, and go back home to complete traditional schooling as soon as possible. By transferring our students from a traditional in-person schooling to a virtual school environment, students can use the early hours of the day for Hifz al-Quran, and then settle into their school day feeling more relaxed. We’ve always believed that instead of removing students from school altogether as some programs do, keeping them in a hybrid system is beneficial both for their academic progress and work diversity.
We are proud to say this system has resulted in
- Higher overall grades
- Student satisfaction increases
- More time for sports and recreation
- Better hifz performance in all categories
- Additional asbaaq added
- Regained commute hours in schedule
- Tilawat Al-Dua conducted every morning
- Healthy work/home balance for teachers
Our Programs & its Benefits
Our school program runs daily from 2-5 PM, Monday-Friday and all students are expected to excel in their school work with the help of their online teachers and learning coaches. As a program, our goal is to ensure that our students are able to obtain a quality education through state-regulated curriculums, maintain their high grades and compete academically with their grade-level peers upon completion of their time at Mahad al-Zahra.
Dedicated learning
coaches
Monitor and motivate students to help them access the resources they need, and provide academic support.
Professional and
empathetic environment.
Weekly individualized sessions with learning coaches to discuss academic progress and personal concerns
Workshops and
Friday activities
Promote enthusiasm towards learning and build on academic skills needed to succeed in school.
Fun Facts
90%
Parents reported
87%
Student scored
in 2021-2022 semester, our 55 students scored an average of 87%, with over 55% of our students scoring an overall average of 90% (A) or higher.
100%
Individual attention
to not more than a group of 15 students at a time. This means that all students get individual attention from their coach at all times.
Thursday Sessions
The school component of Mahad-al-Zahra involves so much more than just online learning! We recognize that as useful as online learning can be, students thrive when given an interactive and fun learning environment.
- ‘Thursday talks’ occur every week on Thursdays.
- One-on-one sessions to go through their gradebook.
- Identify opportunities for grade improvement
- Discuss academic and personal progress
- Students are continuously aware of their grades
Friday Activities
To better support our student’s academic progress and lessen their stress, our school program also offers monthly workshops and weekly Friday activities.
Workshops include:
- Public speaking Skills
- Plagiarism
- Bullying and empathy
- High school graduation requirements
- Goal setting
- Creating comic books and short stories
Activities include:
- Watercolor paintings
- Debates
- Vision boards
- Basketball trivia
- Robotics
- Online trivia games such as Kahoot, Quizlet and Gimkits
- Wheel of Fortune
- Jeopardy
- Art contests
Student of the Month
To help recognize unique talents and positive personality traits, a student is chosen each month based on a predetermined theme. These themes are taken from Aqa Moula’s (TUS) waaz mubarak and highlight the key characteristics it takes to be a considerate student and peer. Some of our themes include generosity, positivity, leadership, consideration, perseverance, etc.
Winners receive a special recognition and present from the school staff and become a role model for their fellow classmates.
What Mahad prefers as best for schooling?
Based on our experience with both K12 and Connections Academy, Mahad al-Zahra highly suggests the Connections Academy online school program. The online system for Connections Academy allows our administration to closely and effectively monitor student progress. This monitoring includes staying up to date on student grades, teacher feedback, teacher contact, assignment completion and much more. The Connections Academy program has a great depth of transparency which is highly important in ensuring your student’s successful academic completion. Often the Connections Academy program is not offered based off an individual’s state. If this situation is applicable to you, then the K12 program is acceptable.
Connections Academy vs K12
Attendance
- Logging hours every day
- Mark attendace, daily/weekly
- Logging hours every day
- Mark attendace, daily/weekly
Live Lessons
- Live lessons are suggested but not required
- Live lesson recordings are available
- Live lessons have fixed times
- Live lessons count as attendance. They are mandatory and have fixed times
Assessment Feedback
- Assessment feedback is immediate
- Parents CAN view student’s answers
- Assessment feedback is immediate
- Parents CANNOT view student’s answers
Teacher Contact
- Teacher contacts parents and child
- Teachers frequently send important emails
- Teachers are available via texts, emails, and phone calls
- Teacher-student contact must happen on a regular basis. At least once every 2 weeks
- Parents can view the same emails their child gets
- Teachers are available via texts, emails and phone calls
- Teacher contacts student/parent when necessary (assignment correction, etc)
- Parents can view specific emails that their child gets
Assignment Redos
- Quick checks for each lesson
- Unit Tests (1 redo allowed)
- Discussion Posts
- Portfolio Assignments (3 attempts allowed) [portfolio can be projects/labs/essays/slideshows *dependent on the subject*]
- Interactive slide-shows
- Lesson checks (3 attempts allowed)
- Attendance quizzes (3 attempts allowed)
- Unit Assessments (2 attempts) [includes tests and essays]
- Interactive slide-shows
Deadlines
- Work at your own pace
- Must finish all assignments before semester-end-date
- Finish assignments per quarter
- Must mark attendance, DAILY
Parent Support
- Parents must go through orientations
- Optional parent-information sessions
- Parents will go through orientation
- Optional parent-information sessions
Materials
- Science/Art kits provided by school
- Textbooks provided by school
- Science/Art kits provided by school
- Textbooks provided by school
FAQs
When choosing between K12 or Connections Academy, please make sure you pay attention to the following:
- Role of the Learning Coach/Caretaker
- Enrollment Requirements
- Sample Curriculum
- Courses Offered
- Electives Offered
- Attendance Policies
- FAQ page
Additionally, parents will need to supply these basic materials:
- Laptop
- Mouse (Optional)
- Headphones with a Mic
- General School Supplies
- Students have to attend mandatory state exams locally. Children will need to go to their respective states in order to do this. As information regarding the state testing dates/locations is provided, parents will have to arrange for their child’s plane tickets or other means of transportation.
Khadija Rampurawala (School Administration)
- (281) 771-4822
- kdairywala@gmail.com
We have certified school administrators on staff that monitor students progress, assignments, grades, and follow-up with parents. This year, we are welcoming two more supervisors to our administration team, who will handle school affairs as well.
Students will be allotted time from tehfeez if needed, and can use the night as well to do homework and additional assignments.
Follow Connections
Academy on instagram:
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