Topic guide: Older students and advanced study, with 19 related pages below
Topic guideBags and kit for older students: hifz, alim and beyond
Quick answer
Older students carry more, and for longer, than children at evening madrasah. Hifz students carry one mushaf every day for years; alimiyyah (alim and alimah) students carry several heavy kitabs; Arabic and university students mix books with a laptop. They need a bag that protects the Quran separately, takes real weight on a comfortable strap, and looks right on an adult.
Handmade leather madrasah bag, coming soonRegister interest
Most madrasah bags are designed for a seven-year-old with a Qaidah. Many learners are older: teenagers in hifz, full-time alimiyyah students, adults learning Arabic, and teachers. This guide covers what each needs.
Who this covers
- Hifz students: see bags for hifz students
- Alimiyyah students: see bags for alim course students and what to pack for alim class
- Alimah students: see bags for alimah students
- Arabic learners: see bags for Arabic course students
- University students: see Islamic studies and ISoc
- Teachers: see bags for Quran teachers
- Adult learners: see Quran bags for adults
What changes as students get older
| Evening madrasah (7–11) | Hifz / alimiyyah / adult | |
|---|---|---|
| Books | Qaidah or one Quran | A mushaf plus several kitabs |
| Hours a week | 5–10 | Often 20–40 for full-time students |
| Weight | 1–2 kg | 2–5 kg |
| Also carrying | Pencil case, topi or hijab | Laptop, notes, prayer items, lunch |
| Look | Anything goes | Needs to suit an adult |
What to look for
- A separate place for the Quran, so it isn't pressed under heavy kitabs
- Depth, for two or three thick books, not just a slim exercise book
- A wide, strong strap and reinforced anchors, because heavy books break cheap straps (see strap broken)
- A plain, grown-up design
The terms
New to the vocabulary? See alim and alimah, alimiyyah, Dars-e-Nizami, Darul Uloom, ijazah and qari.
Questions people also ask
What bag is best for an alim student?
One with a separate Quran sleeve, room for two or three thick kitabs, and a wide, well-anchored strap, in a plain design suitable for an adult.
Everything in older students and advanced study
- The best bag for a hifz studentHifz students carry the same mushaf every day for years. What their bag needs: a padded Quran sleeve, room for the hifz diary, and durability.
- Alim bag: a leather bag for alimiyyah and alimah studentsAn alim bag built to last the whole course: handmade leather with room for a large mushaf, an A4 notebook and kitabs. Black or tan, £139.99.
- Bags for alimiyyah (alim course) studentsAlimiyyah students carry several heavy Arabic kitabs every day. What bag works: capacity, a separate Quran space, strap strength, and an adult look.
- What to pack for alim classA practical daily checklist for alimiyyah and alimah students: kitabs, mushaf, notebooks, stationery, prayer items and the things students forget.
- What books do alim students carry?An overview of the kinds of kitabs studied on alimiyyah courses in the Dars-e-Nizami tradition, year by year, and what that means for bag space.
- Bags for alimah studentsWhat female alimiyyah (alimah) students need from a bag: capacity for kitabs, a separate Quran sleeve, room for a spare hijab or niqab, and an elegant look.
- Bags for Arabic course studentsWhat students on Arabic courses (weekend, intensive or online-plus-class) need to carry: textbooks, a Quran, dictionary and laptop, and how to keep them apart.
- Bags for Islamic studies students and ISocFor university students studying Islamic studies or attending ISoc halaqahs between lectures: carrying a laptop, lecture notes and a Quran respectfully.
- Quran and madrasah bags for adultsBags for adults studying the Quran: university Islamic societies, alimiyyah students, converts learning to read, and adults doing hifz part-time.
- Bags for Quran and madrasah teachersWhat madrasah and Quran teachers carry between classes: their own mushaf, registers, marking, and spare Qaidahs, and what bag suits them.
- What is an alim?An alim (aalim) is an Islamic scholar with formal religious training. Meaning, the female form alimah, the plural ulama, alim vs hafiz, and what Alim means as a madrasah level.
- What is alimiyyah (the alim course)?Alimiyyah is the multi-year course that trains Islamic scholars (alims and alimahs). How long it takes, what's studied and where it's taught in the UK.
- What is Dars-e-Nizami?Dars-e-Nizami is the traditional curriculum used by many Darul Ulooms in South Asia and the UK to train alims. Its origins, structure and subjects.
- What is a Darul Uloom?A Darul Uloom is an Islamic seminary that trains scholars. What they teach, how UK Darul Ulooms work, and how they differ from a madrasah.
- What is dawrah al-hadith?Dawrah al-hadith is the final year of the traditional alim course, spent reading the major hadith collections. What it involves and how it's marked.
- What is an ijazah?An ijazah is a certification from a teacher authorising a student to teach or transmit a text, such as the Quran, often with a chain (sanad) back to the Prophet ﷺ.
- What is a qari?A qari (قارئ) is an expert reciter of the Quran trained in tajweed. Meaning of qari and Qari Sahib, qari vs hafiz and the female form qariah.
- Graduation gifts for a new alim or alimahGift ideas for an alim or alimah graduation, dastarbandi or hifz graduation: lasting, useful gifts for a lifetime of teaching and study.
- Gifts for alim class students going abroadTravel gifts for older alim and alimah students leaving to study overseas or going on Umrah: luggage, a travel eSIM, perfume, sending books ahead and airport help.