Part of: Older students and advanced study
Older studentsWhat to pack for alim class
For alim class, pack the day's kitabs (check the timetable), your mushaf in its cover, a notebook per subject for sharh notes, pens and highlighters, an Arabic dictionary or app, and prayer items. Pack the Quran separately from the other books, and keep a spare pen and a small water bottle.
Handmade leather madrasah bag, coming soonRegister interest
Every day
- Mushaf, in a cover
- The day's kitabs. Check the timetable the night before.
- One notebook per subject, or a ring binder with dividers
- Pens (including red for corrections), pencil, highlighters
- Arabic dictionary or app
- Topi, or hijab and niqab as applicable
- Water bottle, kept away from the books
Often forgotten
- Sticky tabs for marking pages in kitabs, since many students avoid writing in them
- A pencil case big enough for highlighters
- Spare miswak
- Lunch, for full-time students
Packing order
Heaviest kitabs flat at the back, notebooks in front, the mushaf in its own sleeve or on top. Bottles in an outside pocket. See carrying the Quran respectfully.
Questions people also ask
Can you write in your kitabs?
Many students annotate their own study copies of kitabs, but avoid writing in the mushaf. Follow your teacher's guidance.
A pen or notebook to go with the bag
Many students choose a dependable pen for long note-taking sessions, and a pocket notebook helps for quick notes. See fountain pens at Pen Store ↗, which stocks brands such as Lamy, Faber-Castell and Moleskine.
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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 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 alimiyyah (the alim course)?
- 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