Students from all over the world attend Ribaat’s online program in beginning to advanced levels to enhance their Quran recitation. Our most advanced students enter the Ijaza Track, with the goal of receiving an ijaza—a traditional certificate that links a student to a chain of transmission going all the way back to the Prophet ﷺ.
Traditionally, this sacred transmission was only possible face-to-face. A student of the Quran had to recite the entirety of the Quran in-person with a qualified mujiz—a teacher who has authority to grant ijazas. The teacher would not only provide individualized feedback in order to correct a student’s recitation in terms of the tajwid and linguistic aspects of recitation but also attend to a student’s character and mannerisms as needed. During these hours, days, months, and years together, students would develop a deep bond of mentorship with their teacher. When a local teacher wasn’t available, students would journey hundreds or thousands of miles to find qualified teachers to learn from.
One remarkable example is Imam Ibn al-Jazari, one of the most significant figures in the sciences of tajwid and Quranic recitation. Born in Damascus, he memorized the Quran at a young age under the guidance of a local teacher and went on to study with the master reciters of the Bilad-ash-Sham region. He later continued his studies during his Hajj to the Hijaz, where he read to leading scholars of recitation. In his continuous pursuit of knowledge, he then began to travel frequently between Damascus and Egypt, first to Cairo, then to Alexandria, where he studied with numerous Quran experts. His dedication and mastery eventually earned him the title of Grandmaster of Quranic Reciters in Damascus, where he also founded a school dedicated to the study of the Quran. His scholarly contributions remain central to advanced tajwid instruction, including in our own Ijaza Track at Ribaat. His tireless travels to study were vital to his development and remain an enduring example of the sacrifices made in pursuit of sacred knowledge.
Today, with the blessing of global connectivity, students and teachers no longer need to travel extensively to access qualified teachers of the Quran. Ribaat students in the Ijaza Track are matched with a teacher online to complete a khatm, or a complete recitation of the Quran from beginning to end, via Zoom, FaceTime, or WhatsApp. These tools have made Quranic study more accessible than ever before, especially for women, who often face additional challenges in leaving their families or communities to pursue sacred knowledge. Yet despite this convenience, something essential is still lost in the virtual experience. The traditional teacher–student connection is about more than correcting pronunciation; it is a relationship rooted in presence, adab, and personal interaction. These nuances are difficult to observe through a screen.
To preserve the essence of this sacred tradition, every two years, Rabata Cultural Center in Minnesota opens its doors to welcome students from the Ijaza Track for a special three-day retreat. Students travel from across the globe to meet their teachers face-to-face and recite directly to the Tajwid Committee.
The Tajwid Committee is a team of seasoned female scholars at Ribaat who hold ijaza and have devoted their lives to the recitation and teaching of the Quran. During the retreat, students participate in multiple live reading sessions with the committee and receive detailed, in-person feedback on their recitation. These face-to-face encounters often reveal habits and subtleties in recitation that can go unnoticed in virtual settings. Beyond the technical benefits, the retreat offers something truly rare: a space led by and filled entirely with women—teachers, students, and staff—fostering an environment of trust and spiritual sisterhood. Such a setting is often difficult to find in male-dominated learning spaces, making the retreat a uniquely empowering experience for women on the Quranic path.
In addition to reading sessions, students participate in enriching workshops. At the most recent retreat this past June, Anse Ola Habbab led a session on waqf and ibtida’, the rules of stopping and starting during recitation—an essential yet often overlooked area of Quranic recitation. Anse Nisreen shared the history of ijaza and the meaning of a sanad, highlighting the noble lineage that our students, inshallah, will become part of. I led a workshop on the study of mutashabihat, the similar-sounding verses that challenge even seasoned memorizers.
The retreat also included opportunities for spiritual growth and community. We began with a special session led by Anse Tamara where she shared inspirational stories of the Quran and we concluded by joining the local halaqa celebrating the sisters in the local community who had just completed their Hajj. Throughout the weekend, intimate dhikr sessions and communal prayers enriched our time together.
One of the most meaningful parts of the retreat for me personally is the chance to truly get to know our students. When we are together in person, we connect more deeply, as whole people, from head to toe, in both our outward presence and inward states. These in-person moments strengthen our bonds and transform us from distant screens into true real-life companions on the path of the Quran.
Our next Ijaza Retreat will take place in 2027 inshallah. We look forward to welcoming more ijaza students to step away from the virtual world for a few precious days and experience the beauty of learning, reciting, and growing spiritually in the live company of other women.
Anse Nawar Taleb-Agha, Tajwid Coordinator, Ribaat Academic Institute