The Oxford Madressa was started over a month ago to cater for the children of the local community. As the only Shia Mosque in Oxford, at the AhllBayt Centre we deemed it our responsibility to open a Madressa to convey the teachings of Prophet Muhammad and the AhlulBayt to the next generation.

When we started over a month ago, we catered for 3 classes of different age groups: 6-7, 8-9 and 10-12. As of last week we were also able to expand our age group from 6-15 year olds. So currently we are holding five classes: 6-7 (mixed), 8-9 (mixed), 10-12 (mixed), 13-15 (girls only) and 13-15 (boys only). Currently we have over 30 children attending on a weekly basis and the numbers seem to be growing every week.

To facilitate this growth and to ensure sustainability we are reaching out for funds for the Madressa. All funds received will be fully reinvested and allocated toward class essentials and costs related to the Madressa.

Teaching at the Madressa over the past few weeks has been an incredibly rewarding experience for me and all the other volunteers, especially seeing the endless enthusiasm and excitement of the students when learning about these topics. For some of the children it is their first experience of praying Salat and learning about the Holy Prophet and the AhlulBayt so we hope this can serve as a platform for their spiritual growth in the years to come.

If anyone would like a tour of the Madressa on any Sunday, or would like to help in any other way please contact us at ahlulbaytcentre.ox@gmail.com.

May Allah bless you all.

- Syed Ammar Ali Naqvi