Azhar Youth Program for the next generation of Muslim scholars

Photo: Sheikh Mohamad Trad. 

A well-attended Orientation Day at Azhar Australia’s headquarters in Lakemba on Saturday 25 July signalled the arrival of an initiative that the Muslim community has long needed – the Azhar Australia Islamic Studies Youth Program.

Kicking off this month, the Azhar youth program is a new and structured pathway in authentic Islamic education set to be delivered across five locations across Greater Sydney.

Teenage years are some of the most important in a person’s life as they are the years in which values are formed, identities are shaped and lifelong habits begin.

For Muslim families in Australia, the challenge of ensuring their children receive a solid grounding in their faith – alongside the pressures of school, social media and an increasingly complex world – has never been greater.

Azhar Australia Education Coordinator Sheikh Mohamad Trad says the program addresses a need he has seen first-hand. 

“Today our youth are exposed to countless influences and many are searching for answers about their faith – but they don’t know where to find authentic guidance,” he told AMUST. 

“This program provides that pathway.”

The new Youth Program has been designed with precisely that challenge in mind. 

Aimed at high school students from Years 7 to 12, the program delivers authentic Islamic education grounded in the Quran, Sunnah and classical scholarship.

It is authorised by Dar al Fatwa Lebanon and sits within the LMA’s well-established Azhar Australia framework that has, since 2023, built a strong reputation as a serious centre of Islamic learning in Sydney.

The curriculum is comprehensive without being overwhelming. 

Students work through Quranic memorisation, Tajweed and Tafseer alongside Arabic reading, writing, grammar, morphology and rhetoric. 

Fiqh covers acts of worship, transactions, marriage and inheritance – knowledge that isn’t simply academic but deeply practical for everyday Muslim life. 

Hadith studies cover the Hadith, Seerah and the foundations of Islamic jurisprudence, while Aqeedah anchors the whole program in sound belief.

Sheikh Jamal-Ud-Din El-Kiki, a resident imam at Lakemba Mosque and one of the program’s teachers, says the structured curriculum is what sets it apart from typical mosque classes. 

“This isn’t just a weekend Islamic class or study of scholarly texts in isolation – it’s a five-year educational pathway with qualified teachers that covers the foundations of various Islamic sciences to prepare for deeper learning,” he said.

“By the end of the program, students have the preliminary knowledge to undertake tertiary Islamic studies overseas or online.”

What makes the Youth Program stand out is its Wasati methodology – a balanced, grounded approach to Islamic learning that avoids extremes and equips young people to live confidently as Muslims in Australian society. 

Far from isolating young people from their world, the program is about giving them the tools to navigate it with clarity and conviction.

For Brother Muhammad Bassal – a graduate of Azhar Australia’s adult program and who will also be involved in teaching the Youth Program – the value of structured Islamic learning cannot be overstated. 

“The knowledge I gained through Azhar has helped me in my daily life in ways I didn’t expect,” said Mr Bassal, who delivered the Student Reflection at the Azhar Australia graduation ceremony for adults in May.

“I would encourage every young Muslim to take this opportunity.”

Classes run for four hours per week and are offered on weekdays or weekends depending on location, making it genuinely accessible for busy families. 

For those who go on to pursue further study, the program also provides a credit pathway towards Azhar Australia’s advanced Islamic studies program – meaning the investment made during high school can carry forward into tertiary-level Islamic education.

The program is being delivered across five campuses: Lakemba, Cabramatta, Young, Prestons and Guildford. 

The principal campus is at Azhar College, situated at the rear of the LMA Services Building, 71-75 Wangee Road. 

And it’s not too late to register.

Cost is $250 per term per student, with a concession for each additional child from the same family. 

Registrations can be made at bit.ly/azhar-youth, by calling 0420 957 408 or emailing azhar@lma.org.au.

This is exactly the kind of program Muslim communities across Australia have been waiting for. 

Don’t let this term pass without your children being part of it.