In order to understand the importance of the Maktab, it will be crucial to first try and gain an understanding of its purpose, its aim, its end goal.

They say there are seven objectives of the Maktab, viz.

1) Building Personal Self-Confidence & Islamic Self-Confidence

2) Instilling the Love of the Deen of Islam

3) Instilling the Love of Allah ﷻ

4) Instilling the Love of Holy Prophet Muhammad ﷺ

5) Equipping Adequate & Holistic Islamic Knowledge and Current World Knowledge

6) Exhibiting of Islamic Behaviours & Practices

7) Building A Sense of Muslim Ummah Belonging & Developing General Humanity

As you can gauge from the list that the objectives are to create rounded Muslims who are equipped with Islamic knowledge and character but are also in tune about world affairs and their role as a Muslim/Muslimah to further strengthen the Muslim Ummah and further humanity at a global level.

These Seven Objectives need to underpin the entire curriculum, textbooks, handouts and also the methodology and pedagogy of teaching.

Let us take a look at each one individually.

1) Building Personal Self-Confidence & Islamic Self-Confidence

By ‘Personal Self-Confidence’ is meant the broad confidence that is related to the life of the student in general. The confidence that covers their studies (madrasah or school), personal life, general wellbeing, sports, social interactions, identity in general, etc.

By ‘Islamic Self-Confidence’ is meant the confidence that is specifically related to the Islam of the student. It is about the student being comfortable and confident in expressing their Islamic identity (them being a Muslim/Muslimah) in terms of names, clothing, behaviours, what they value and what they do not approve, because of their Islamic faith, etc.

A student who is confident at a personal level and also at being a Muslim/Muslimah will also be able to easily acquire and exhibit the other six objectives. Both these types of confidence can be instilled into students through small, subtle, simple and consistent steps throughout the Maktab duration.

Building Confidence (in general) is an important life skill that once acquired can help the students of the Maktab System to prosper and progress in their current and future studies and help them to go very far in life. It will help them to strive to achieve their full potential in aspects of their life.

2) Instilling the Love of the Deen of Islam

Instilling the ‘Love of the Deen of Islam’ within the child is instrumental as only the Deen of Islam is the saviour for success in the eternal life of the Hereafter. This objective is also more important to instill at this current time when Islam is being continuously maligned in the national and international press. The enemies of Islam want the followers of Islam to distant themselves from it. We should not fall in this trap. We have to rise to the challenge by becoming even more brazen about our association with Islam. That is the need of the hour. We need to instill and nurture this behaviour from childhood.

The Love of the Deen of Islam (every aspect and every teaching of it) needs to be drilled and nurtured into the students throughout the Maktab years both in a subtle and apparent manner (implicit and explicit) that Islam is the true faith and the only true faith that is best for humanity.

Tomorrow in sha Allah we will discuss the other objectives.