Part of: Older students and advanced study
GlossaryWhat is alimiyyah (the alim course)?
Alimiyyah is the multi-year course of study that trains a student to become an alim or alimah (Islamic scholar). In the UK it's typically six to eight years full-time at a Darul Uloom, Islamic college or girls' seminary, covering Arabic grammar, tafsir, hadith, fiqh and related sciences, often following the Dars-e-Nizami curriculum.
Handmade leather madrasah bag, coming soonRegister interest
Looking for a bag for your child’s Quran and books? See the handmade leather madrasah bag.
What's studied
- Arabic grammar and morphology (nahw and sarf)
- Rhetoric (balagha) and logic
- Fiqh and usul al-fiqh
- Tafsir and its principles
- Hadith and its sciences
- Aqidah and Islamic history
See what books alim students carry.
Full-time and part-time
Many students study full-time, sometimes boarding, often alongside GCSEs or A-levels. Part-time evening and weekend alimiyyah courses exist for adults, taking longer.
For students
See bags for alimiyyah students and what to pack.
Questions people also ask
How many years is the alim course?
Usually six to eight years full-time, and longer part-time.
More on older students and advanced study
← Bags and kit for older students: hifz, alim and beyond: the full topic guide
- The best bag for a hifz student
- Alim bag: a leather bag for alimiyyah and alimah students
- Bags for alimiyyah (alim course) students
- What to pack for alim class
- What books do alim students carry?
- Bags for alimah students
- Bags for Arabic course students
- Bags for Islamic studies students and ISoc
- Quran and madrasah bags for adults
- Bags for Quran and madrasah teachers
- What is an alim?
- What is Dars-e-Nizami?
- What is a Darul Uloom?
- What is dawrah al-hadith?
- What is an ijazah?
- What is a qari?
- Graduation gifts for a new alim or alimah
- Gifts for alim class students going abroad