Why we established RightPath Arabic school, by Al-Imam

…as school holds sixth graduation ceremony on Sunday

Sheik Yunus Al-Imam, the proprietor and founder of RightPath Arabic School in Lagos, has said that the driving force behind establishing the school was to enhance the development of Islam and dawah activities.

According to him, the objective was achieved through the teaching of the Quran and the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad (May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).

He shared this view during an interaction with Telescope.ng on Thursday, February 29, as part of the activities planned for the school’s sixth graduation ceremony.

Speaking on the accomplishments of the school since its inception, Al-Imam highlighted that over 600 students have been proficiently trained in reading, writing, and understanding the Arabic language.

He added that since its establishment, the school has successfully taught over six hundred adults to fluently read the Quran within a short period.

He said: “The RightPath Arabic School introduced its programme called ARABIC MADE EASY uniquely by teaching students from the basic Arabic and Islamic courses to the advance Arabic and Islamic courses. With this, we have trained more than 600 students on how to read, write and understand Arabic Language very well.

“The school since its inception has taught more than six hundred Adults how to read the Quran fluently within a few months.

“The school, having introduced the children programme in 2015 has been able to teach children how to read the Quran fluently within two months on weekend, Saturday and Sunday programmes.

“We have children of Age 4 that could read anywhere from the Quran and can memorize easily and read, write, speak and understand Arabic easily through our unique methodology.

He added: “The following are a few of the numerous achievements of the school.

Today, we have graduands with a sound knowledge of Sharia, Islamic and Arabic knowledge.

“One of the identified challenges is ignorance, from the past years, we have trained and tutored our students on how to be peaceful and pious Muslims in the society and serve Allah with knowledge and proofs.

“We have also established RightPath Academy to serve the purpose of complete memorization of the Qur’an, proper grooming and training about Islam, and attainment of Ihdaadiy and Thanaawiy Certificates in two (2) years respectively.

“The Academy also serves as an ICT Training school where children and youths learn different coding skills and are empowered with the latest 21st-century technologies for both boarding and day students.

“To improve the knowledge and understanding of Muslims, we usually have daily classes in different topics using virtual/social media

“We also observed the challenges of educating, training and bringing up pious and obedient children, especially in this kind of society with mixed cultures, level of Islamic understanding and the deception of enemies of Islam and more importantly to balance the education received by the children from both home and our madrasah, we initiated a programme tagged a TERBIYAH CLASS.

“In that class, issues relating to parenting skills, children upbringing and Islamic education according to the way our prophet, his companions and past pious predecessors were able to train theirs. This programme commenced in year July 2017 with audience in both Nigeria and abroad with our erudite scholar per excellence As-Shaykh Dr. Sharafdeen Gbadebo Raji. The programme comes up every three months. We had the last one in January 28, 2024 and another one is coming up in shaa Allah in April 28, 2024 in shaa Allah.”

When questioned about Rightpath’s contributions to the educational landscape within its community since its establishment, Al-Imam pointed out that many community members have learned a lot about Islam through direct enrollment in the school and its dawah activities.

He said: “Through the establishment of RightPath Arabic school, many members of the community both children and adults have learnt a lot about Islam through direct enrolment into the school and through its dawah activities.

“The school has also advanced their knowledge and understanding of Islam through various activities of education in line with Quran and Sunnah.”

Speaking on the impact of Rightpath School on its students and the wider community, Al-Imam emphasized that students receive more than just education in Sharia and Arabic; they also benefit from mentorship.

According to him, “The school has maintained its standard and discipline from inception. Our students are not only taken through knowledge of Sharia and Arabic but we also ensure that we mentor them and train them to have good character and morals.

“We nurture them so that they can also be agents of positive change in society. We always encourage them that they should engage in a series of dawah activities within their communities since its not everyone that has the opportunity to travel far to acquire knowledge like them.”

He further noted that RightPath school has initiated programmes to support its students’ academic and personal development.

Al-Imam said: “RightPath Arabic School management, having understood that many of our adult students are in need of knowledge and must put the knowledge into practice, encourages our adult students to engage in different dawah activities to enhance their learning and series of seminars and workshops have been organized to achieve that.”

Regarding the challenges encountered by the school and potential solutions, Al-Imam said that the main hurdle was finances for implementing projects and dawah plans and activities.

He said: “Our challenges are just usual challenges being faced by the work of dawah. Majorly we have financial constraints to implement many of our projects and dawah plans and activities.”

When asked about mechanisms to track graduands’ progress post-graduation, he mentioned that they’re enrolled in the Alumni Association to maintain consistent engagement with them.

He said: “Immediately after graduation, we admit graduands into Alumni and ensure consistent consultation and engagement with them. We also encourage them to further their education beyond the advance levels. We have many of our graduates that have concluded their University education and higher learning.”

Graduating students speak about RightPath School:

Abdurrahman Maaruf Awwal, a graduating student from the Advance level, characterised RightPath Arabic School as a dedicated school for studying and acquiring Islamic education in a distinctive manner that achieves its goals.

He said: “Rightpath Arabic School is a madrasah that was founded in 2012 with a small number of students.

“It is a dedicated place for studying and learning Islamic education in a unique way its goals are produced.

“RightPath Arabic School has significantly influenced the lives of both adults and children, bringing about profound changes and enabling them to realize that they can attain intensive Islamic and Arabic education within a short timeframe.”

Sulaiman Ibrahim Akinola, a graduating student from the Intermediate level, said the RightPath school really helped him to grasp Islamic creed, jurisprudence, traditions of the Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W), etiquettes, Quranic exegesis, and Arabic grammar.

He shared: “When I first started RightPath Arabic School, I saw it as an opportunity to deepen my understanding of my religion. The school has helped me grasp Islamic Creed, Jurisprudence, Traditions of the Prophet (S.A.W), Etiquettes, Quranic Exegesis, and Arabic Grammar.

“Now, I can confidently say that the school has had a significant impact on me. All praise and glory belong to Allah for granting me this privilege and opportunity.”

In his comments, Shereef Akinola, a graduating student from the Advance level, gave thanks to Allah for making the completion of the programme a reality for him.

He expressed that the school had a positive impact on him in terms of acquiring knowledge and improving his skills in sermon presentation and delivery.

He said: “I give glory to Allah, the first without precedence and the last without end, for granting me this rare opportunity to complete this program. It would not have been possible without Him.

“Truly, RightPath has significantly impacted my life, and I wish to acknowledge the efforts of our Mudeer (Al-Imam) and other teachers (Ustadh Musa, Ustadh Abduwaahid, Ustadh AbdulAfeez, Ustadh Yousuf, and others) who contributed in various ways to the success of my educational journey at RightPath Arabic School. May Allah reward you abundantly in this life and the hereafter, aameen.”

Yunus Abduwaahid, a graduating student from the Intermediate level, shared his journey of seeking knowledge that ultimately brought him to RightPath Arabic School.

He expressed that with the guidance of Allah, self-dedication, and the high standards upheld by the management of RightPath, he has successfully memorized half of the Quran.

He said: “I came to realize that true worship hinges on knowledge. Thus, I embarked on a quest for knowledge, trying various avenues such as studying with a Sheikh, self-guided tutorials and watching YouTube videos, yet none yielded significant benefits.

“In 2018, I met Brother Shereef Akinola, who is one of the graduating students. Alhamdulillah, he introduced me to Rightpath Arabic School. Upon enrolling, I found immense satisfaction in the structured curriculum and diverse courses offered. In just a few months, I managed to memorize Juz Amma, which served as a foundation for memorizing half of the Quran, despite my hectic schedule. All praise be to Allah!

“Through Rightpath Arabic School, I have gained numerous blessings, including proficiency in reading and understanding Arabic texts, spiritual elevation, deeper comprehension of my faith, and the ability to impart knowledge to others. My gratitude to Allah and the management of Rightpath Arabic School knows no bounds.

“I pray to Allah to elevate the status of the school, reward its management abundantly for their efforts, and grant them unparalleled success in all their endeavours.”