In respect of setting up Maktabs, be it locally or abroad, which syllabus / curriculum would be best advised to implement?

Answer

No, it is not approved by us. The LMA syllabus is a waste. It wastes years of the child's life with futility. The best system is the old system. The first kitaab should be Nooraani Qaa-idah. After a couple of months when this kitaab is completed, the child will go straight into the Qur'aan Shareef. The child should complete the Qur'aan Majeed naathirah in one year. By the time the child is seven years, he/ she should complete the Qur'aan Shareef.

Along with the above, the child should be practically taught Wudhu and Salaat. The short Surahs, the Salaat duas and a few other duas for daily recitation should be taught. By the time the child is 7 or 8, the primary level of Ta'leem should be completed. But the LMA and similar other syllabi, even the Mia's farm syllabi considerably waste years of the child's life.

Furthermore, numerous children doing the LMA syllabi are unable to recite the Qur'aan correctly with Tajweed.

For the Akhlaaq of the children, it is essential that the Ustaadh devotes a few minutes daily to anecdotes of the Auliya. The children should not read the stories. The Ustaadh should narrate to them, while they will listen attentively and absorb what is being narrated.

The modernistically couched syllabi in emulation of kuffaar schools, employ much futile theory which does not benefit the pupils. The entire system of maktabs in our country is flawed and grossly deficient. This is because they are bootlickers of the West. They feel that the old system which has come down to us from the seniors is insufficient. They have made a mess with their new syllabi.

The Qur'aan Majeed is OLD, but not antique. To teach this OLD Divine labus incorporating futili- Kitaab, the Old system is ty in the way the syllabi the best. There is no need of secular schools do. for stupid ‗elaborate' syl-

A Simple Programme of Ibaadat

For those who are unable to devote much time for Ibaadat, Hadhrat Thanvi advised the following programme:

Morning and evening recite Subhaanallaah, Alhamdulillah and Laa ilaha ilallaah, Istighfaar and Durood Shareef 100 times each, and after every Namaaz recite Tasbeeh Faatimi.

(Hadhrat Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanvi)