With the entire nation celebrating the 77th Republic Day, madarsas, the Muslim educational institutes, are second to none in singing the national anthem, hoisting the national flag and taking pledges to make this nation of over 1.4 billion people great and contribute to nation building through their efforts.
The Jamia Tajwidul Quran Madarsa in Malad area of Mumbai, run by the Noor Meher Education Trust, has produced over 160 Hafiz-e-Quran and some of them have gone on to work as teachers in colleges and universities.
This madarsa serves as a hub of modern education where children are trained not only in Islamic education but also in subjects such as Maths, science, social science and English. In fact, last week it celebrated its annual function where a debate competition in English was also held. Around 40 students participated, presenting their thoughts on stage on the need for modern education in madarsas in India. It integrates school-based learning with the daily study of the Quran. Both religious (Deen) and secular (Duniya) subjects are taught within the same facility.
Started in 2001 in Mumbai by the Noor Meher Charitable Trust, which also runs an Urdu high school, this modern madarsa provides education to students from poor backgrounds. The madarsa is housed in a bungalow in the Malvani area of Malad with a neat and clean environment and surroundings.
It is run by Sayyed Ali Hussain and his wife through their own contributions and donations of zakat and sadqaat, the charitable contributions. Last week, the madrasa celebrated its youngest Hafiz-e-Quran who memorised the Quran at the tender age of seven years.
-Mohammed Hussain Rahmani