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  The increased interest around the world in Dar al-Mustafa as a center of sacred knowledge and the limited space for students has resulted in the need for a structured admissions process.
  The administrators of Dar al-Mustafa have appointed committees for the various regions where many of the students originate from.


The Committee for Western Students in Dar al-Mustafa facilitates the admission process for students coming from North America and Western Europe. The administrators of Dar al-Mustafa have requested that all applicants seek admission by way of the appointed committee for their particular region.

Any western student who wishes to seek knowledge at Dar al-Mustafa must first apply and receive acceptance before traveling. This will ensure that the student has a place reserved in Dar al-Mustafa and that the officials of the school will be prepared for the student's arrival.
Requirements for Admission

The following are pre-requisites to studying at Dar al-Mustafa:

  • must be at least 15 years of age
  • permission from parent/guardian (if applicable)
  • fluency in reading, writing and speaking formal Arabic
  • must have memorized part of the 30th juz of the Quran (from surat ad-Duhaa to surat an-Naas)
  • must be willing to remain enrolled in Dar al-Mustafa for a continuous period of time in order to complete one's studies, ranging from 1 year to 4 or 5 years.

Upon fulfilling these pre-requisites, a student may apply for admission. The Committee for Western Students requires all applicants to submit the following:

  • a curriculum vitae documenting the applicant's educational background including secular (eg., high school, college, etc.) and religious educational experiences (eg., halaqaat, intensive Islamic studies programs, regular individual lessons with teachers/shuyukh, etc.).
  • a letter of recommendation preferably written by a religious teacher/shaykh who can attest to the applicant's character, academic ability, and commitment to learning, teaching, and spreading Islam.
  • a statement of purpose describing why the applicant wishes to pursue Sacred Knowledge at Dar al-Mustafa.

Fluency in the Arabic language will be assessed as part of the admission process. Students who do not feel they meet the language requirement may want to complete an Arabic language program prior to applying to Dar al-Mustafa. (see link below)

Tuition Costs

In addition to covering the costs of their own books and supplies, students in Dar al-Mustafa are required to pay $20 a month for room and board expenses.

Further Information

Only male students are admitted to Dar al-Mustafa. There is another institute of learning in close proximity to Dar al-Mustafa that is exclusively for female students known as Dar az-Zahra.

USEFUL LINKS:

For more information about The Badr Language Institute, an Arabic language program located in Tarim, Hadramawt and affiliated with Dar al-Mustafa, please visit: http://www.badr.org.uk