All courses offered by Zaynab Institute are free of charge and run on donations.

Students should be at least 18 years old for both the Quran Program and Classical Islamic Learning Program.

Classes are conducted online through live audio streaming via Zoom which includes visual aids through screen sharing and a chat box for live interaction with the instructor. Classes also use Canvas as the Learning Management System (LMS) which includes discussion and assignment submissions.

Some basic ability to read Quran in Arabic is assumed at the beginning of both the Quran Program and the Classical Islamic Learning program (CIL). In CIL, basic Arabic grammar is covered at moderate pace with English explanations. All the books covered are in English along with Arabic in some of the advanced subjects.

Attendance is regularly marked for each class. To qualify for certification, students need to maintain at least 70% attendance each term. Recordings are available when live attendance is not possible.

Classes are conducted in secondary-level English but the content of most subjects can be understood by a moderately educated woman who can read and write at a secondary school level. With moderate effort and time, such a student can complete and pass exams.

CIL is based on the classical curriculum of the alimah course (Dars-e-Nizami) and covers many of the subjects taught in the first few years of the full alimah course. So CIL is a partial alimah course. After successful completion of the CIL program, interested graduates may be able to apply for admission for the final few years of a full alimah program at other similar institutes who are willing to accept their coursework.

This new CIL program is an abridged version of the previous CIL course offered. The previous course was 6 years long and included the subjects for the alimah degree. This course is shortened to 4 years and includes many of the same early subjects with the addition of other academic and personal growth classes.

The Quran class of the CIL program is done jointly with QP. Some other subjects like History, Islamic Studies, Basic Fiqh, Islamic Spirituality and Life Skills are optional classes for QP students and held jointly with CIL students. However, advanced CIL subjects are not open for QP students.

Our courses are designed to cater to professionals, university students as well as stay-at-home moms. We do understand that there may be occasions when you may not be able to attend class for valid reasons. Recordings are available so that students may catch up with the classes they have missed after approval from the administration.

A smartphone, tablet, laptop or PC, with a working internet connection is essential. Students are expected to have a basic understanding of web browsing, accessing emails, and typing short answers or assignments which are all necessary in order to access classes and to submit exams.