What is ijazah in Quran? An ijazah is a written permission from a qualified teacher. It says you recite the Quran the right way and may teach it to others. It comes with a sanad, a chain of teachers that goes back to the Prophet, peace be upon him.
You may have seen the word on a teacher's profile, or heard it at the mosque. It sounds big and a bit hard to reach. In truth, the idea is simple. This guide explains it in plain words. It covers what a sanad is, the 2 main types, who can get one, how long it takes, and how to check that one is real.
What Is Ijazah in Quran? A Simple Meaning
Ijazah is an Arabic word. It means permission. So an ijazah in the Quran is a teacher saying, "I heard you. You read it well. You may now read and teach it as I taught you."
To earn it, a student reads the whole Quran to a teacher who holds an ijazah. The teacher listens to each word. The teacher checks each letter, each vowel and each Tajweed rule. Tajweed means the rules for reading the Quran correctly. If a word is wrong, the teacher stops the student and fixes it.
When the whole Quran has been read with no mistakes, the teacher writes the ijazah. It is a paper with the student's name, the teacher's name and the full chain of teachers above them. It is not a school degree. It is a personal link from one teacher to the next.
What Is a Sanad?
A sanad is the chain of teachers behind an ijazah. Your teacher learned from their teacher. That teacher learned from theirs. And so on, back through time.
The chain goes back to the Companions. They learned the Quran straight from the Prophet, peace be upon him. So when you earn an ijazah, your name joins that long line of readers.
This is why the sanad matters so much. It is one of the ways the Quran has been kept the same, sound by sound, for over 1,400 years. People did not only write it down. They also passed it on by mouth, teacher to student, and checked it each time.
Types of Quran Ijazah
There are 2 main types, or tracks. You pick the one that fits what you can already do. Each one is also given for one way of reading.
- Recitation ijazah: you read the whole Quran from the mushaf (the printed Quran) with full Tajweed. This suits people who read well and want to teach reading and Tajweed.
- Hifz ijazah: you recite the whole Quran from memory, in order, with full Tajweed. This is for people who already know the Quran by heart. It gives their Hifz a formal seal.
- Ijazah in a reading: each ijazah is for one way of reading. Most people start with Hafs an Asim. That is the reading printed in most copies of the Quran today. Later, some go on to other readings in a Ten Qirat course.
Who Can Get an Ijazah?
Any Muslim who reads well can work toward an ijazah. Men and women both earn it. You do not need to be a scholar. You do not need to speak Arabic. You do need to read the Arabic text smoothly and use the Tajweed rules with care.
If you still stop and spell out words, you are not ready yet. That is fine. Start with a Tajweed course first. Build your reading. Then come back to the ijazah when your reading is strong.
For the Hifz track, you must already know the whole Quran by heart. You should be able to recite any juz (one of the 30 parts) when asked, with only small help.
Age is less important than skill. On our online ijazah course, students are 15 or older. A younger hafiz can join if a parent is there at the trial class.
How Long It Takes: An Honest Guide
There is no fixed time. It depends on 2 things. The first is how much the teacher has to fix. The second is how many classes you take each week.
Here is the guide we give on our ijazah page. A strong reader with 5 classes a week often finishes the recitation track in 8 to 12 months. A reader who needs to learn Tajweed rules from the start should plan for 12 to 18 months.
On the Hifz track, a hafiz with solid review often needs 12 to 18 months. Each juz must be ready before it is heard. A good teacher will not rush you. An ijazah is only worth having if you truly earned it.
Here is a short plan to start:
- Step 1: Book a trial class so a teacher can hear you read.
- Step 2: Pick your track, recitation or Hifz, with the teacher's help.
- Step 3: Learn or review the Tajweed rules you are weak in.
- Step 4: Read the whole Quran to your teacher, a page or two each class.
- Step 5: Do the final reading with no mistakes, then receive your ijazah.
How to Check a Real Ijazah and Sanad
Sadly, not every paper that says ijazah is real. Some sites sell a quick ijazah after a few weeks. A real one takes time, because the whole Quran has to be heard. Ask these questions before you pay or trust a teacher:
- Did the student read the whole Quran to the teacher? If not, it is not a full ijazah.
- Does the paper list the full chain of names, back to the Prophet, peace be upon him?
- Does it name the reading, such as Hafs an Asim?
- Is it signed and dated by the teacher who heard the student?
- Can the teacher tell you who their own teacher was, and where they learned?
- Does the time make sense? A full ijazah in a few weeks is a warning sign.
Can You Get an Ijazah Online?
Yes. An ijazah has always been about one thing: a qualified teacher hears you read. A live video call lets the teacher hear every sound, just as in a room. What matters is the teacher's sanad and that the whole Quran is heard. The place does not matter.
Online study helps a lot in the USA, UK, Canada and Australia. In many towns, there is no teacher with a sanad nearby. Online, you can learn from one at a time that suits you.
At Salam Campus, every class is one student with one teacher. We check each ijazah teacher's sanad before they teach. You can meet our Quran teachers and pick a male or female teacher. For the cost, see our fees page. Your first class is a free 30-minute trial.