Noor Hifz Academy (NHA) was founded at the MCA prayer hall in Fall 2014. Alhamdulillah, between 2017 and 2022, we graduated 35 students. In addition to being enrolled in NHA, our full-time students continue their standard academic curriculum through a home-schooling option of their choice.
NHA is proud to offer in-person and online hifz class options for both boys and girls.
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Previous activities
Our Goal
Our Approach
Our Graduates
Alhamdulillah, from 2017-2022, we had 35 students complete their hifz. Our graduates are our “crown jewels” – Ma sha Allah, Tabarak Allah.
Enrollment Criteria
• Please refer to the most recent version of our school handbook.
Admission Process
• As successful completion of the hifz program requires dedication and commitment from the parents as well, they will be interviewed by the NHA Committee.
• The parents are responsible for supplementing their child’s hifz journey with an appropriate academic program. Full-time hifz students often opt for a charter school (e.g., Ocean Grove or Connecting Waters) or another homeschooling option of their choice.
Program Duration
• The full-time hifz program runs five days a week, from 8:00 am-1:30 pm, with a shorter day on Fridays. It is targeted toward students who want to memorize the Quran in 2-5 years and are willing to homeschool.
• The part-time hifz program runs four days a week, from 3:30pm-5:30pm, with no classes on Fridays. It is targeted toward students who attend regular school during the day and eventually want to memorize the Quran full-time.
Teaching Methodology
The daily class schedule comprises of three components:
1. Dor (revision)
2. Sabaq-Dor (most recent homework / memorization)
3. New Sabaq (new homework / memorization)*
*This is conditional – assigned if both the Dor and Sabaq-Dor components are recited well.
Tracking Student Progress
• All parents receive a daily progress Google spreadsheet at the start of each academic year. This is one of the main forms of communication between parents and teachers.
• Parents and teachers are encouraged to meet on a monthly basis to discuss the hifz progress and class experience.
• Students construct an annual plan toward accomplishing both short-term and long-term hifz goals with the help of their teachers. They are encouraged to challenge themselves while being realistic and flexible, as plans sometimes need to be modified.
• The yearly action plan is the short-term goal; completing hifz is the long-term goal; building a connection with the Quran is the life-long goal.
Expectations from Parents
- Set up a designated space and supportive learning environment at home (for the off-site/virtual program) with parental supervision
- Drop off and pick up your child on time (for the on-site program)
- Check your child’s daily progress
- Check your child’s annual plan and encourage him/her to achieve their goal (without unnecessary pressure)
- Ensure that your child completes his/her homework regularly
- Communicate with the school, as needed: [email protected]
- Ensure your child respects the dress code
School Calendar
School Handbook
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Sana Alhakim | Administrator
Mirvat Saadeh | Teacher (girls)
Zakariae ElMekkaoui | Program Head
Sh. Zakariae ElMekkaoui has been teaching at Noor Hifz Academy since it was founded in 2014. He
was born in Morocco and has memorized numerous texts on Ḥadīth, Fiqh, and the Arabic language.
He also holds Ijazah for the memorization of both the Warsh-an-Nafi and Hafs-an-Asim recitations
of the Holy Quran. He has led Taraweeh prayers during Ramadan since 1998 in Morocco, United
Arab Emirates, Sweden, and across the United States. Currently, he is the full-time imam for the
South Bay Islamic Association (SBIA) and also leads prayers at the Muslim Community Association
(MCA) and Masjid Al-Noor in Santa Clara. Sh. Zakariae completed the Positive Discipline in the
Classroom training for teachers in 2019.
Hamza Palya | Teacher (boys)
Saad Mirza | Teacher (boys)
Hafidh Saad Mirza joined Noor Hifz Academy in 2023. While growing up in San Francisco, the local masjid, – Islamic Center of San Francisco (ISF) – was always a second home for him, and that is where he developed the passion to memorize the Holy Quran. After completing his memorization of the Holy Quran in 2008 with Molana Yusuf in the hifz program at ISF, Hafidh Saad started leading taraweeh prayers at various local masaajid, with the current one being the Fiji Masjid in South San Francisco. He has also been teaching the recitation of the Holy Quran, various surahs, duas, and Fiqh at the Maktab program in San Francisco to various age groups. He also conducts one-on-one Tajweed sessions for adults. In his free time, he enjoys all things sports: Basketball, football, baseball, soccer, and cricket.
Sahar Khalil | Teacher (girls)
Hassaan Haq | Teacher (boys)
Tr. Hassaan Haq first taught at Noor Hifz Academy from 2019-2020 and then rejoined our staff in 2022. He is a recent graduate from San José State University with a degree in Applied and Computational Mathematics. He was born and raised in the Bay Area and has been attending prayers and events at his local Masaajid since he was a child. Tr. Hassaan completed his Hifdh of the Holy Quran in 2013 with Imam Ilyas Anwar and Mufti Muddassir Oovais in the Irvington Masjid in Fremont, California (ICF), and has been leading Taraweeh prayers during the holy month of Ramadan ever since. Prior to that, he studied part-time Hifdh with Sh. Ebrahim and Sh. Faatina. Tr. Hassaan has a strong passion for volunteer work and enjoys working with the youth and giving back to the local community. He also enjoys playing soccer, traveling, and exploring the various Halal cuisines that the Bay Area has to offer!
Muna Bashir | Chair
Has been involved with Noor Hifz Academy (NHA) since 2015 – first as a parent and then as a committee member in 2019. MashaAllah, she is the proud parent of a 2018 NHA graduate. Sr. Muna is a DONA International-certified birth doula and CAPPA-certified childbirth educator. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Biology and a master’s degree in Maternal-Child Health Systems.
Amjath Ali | Member
Has been living in the US (Santa Clara) since 2012. He is the proud father of two daughters. MashaAllah, his elder daughter was among the 2020-2021 NHA graduates. Br. Amjath has been involved with volunteering activities for ICNA and MCA during Ramadan. Also, he served as the Treasurer for the non-profit organization, USATNMA (i.e., the Tamil Muslim Association in the Bay Area) for two years (2018-2019).
Suleyman Saib | Member
Graduated from San Jose State University with a master’s degree in software engineering. He is a frequent volunteer with local organizations such as the Muslim American Society (MAS) and the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). He graduated from UC Santa Cruz with a degree in computer science in 2020, where he was the treasurer for the Muslim Student Association.
Fathima Sharmila | Member
Has been living in the Bay Area since 2008. She resides in Campbell with her husband and two kids. Sr. Fathima grew up in India, where she did her Bachelors in Computer Science, and subsequently got her Masters in Software Engineering in San Jose, California.
Nadia Abid | Member
Completed her bachelor in medicine and surgery (MBBS) from Pakistan. She completed her Taleem-al Quran diploma course from Al-Huda International from 2015-2019. She is currently working toward her ijazah for Tajweed and completing another diploma course in Sahih Al-Bukhari. She has been homeschooling her children for the past four years, alhamdulillah.
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