Tarbiya Ta'leem Center will use the authentic Islamic educational tradition of the “Suhba” mentor-mentee learning model to enhance the students academically, intellectually, spiritually, physically, and emotionally to lead a divinely inspired life. This will prepare the students for placement into prestigious colleges and to achieve a prosperous career that will enable them to serve the Deen, their community, and society. 

Most Muslim parents use the following criteria to define the efficacy of their children’s school: excellence in academics, Islamic values, extra-curricular activities.

The reality, however, is that Muslim parents struggle to find a school that comes close to fulfilling these ideals. Parental dissatisfaction in public and private schooling has reached an all-time high, especially in the last two decades. Many parents have been trying public schools and private schools to no avail. Unfortunately, even Islamic schools are fraught with nearly all the problems and challenges of public schools.

The Tarbiya Institute leadership believes that it is mandated by its mission and vision to produce a full-time educational experience for the children of our Muslim community, to ensure the strength of their identity and the excellence of their academic competence. To this end, we assembled a team to research and identify some of the best schooling models in North America. The results of our year-long research were not what we expected or hoped for. We were looking for a model within Muslim or non-Muslim schools that was actually effective. We found that, aside from the non-traditional models such as Montessori and Waldorf, no school model stood out or offered a complete solution to our problems and met our goals.

And then it dawned on us: All along, we had been looking for school models. But what if the problem is not in the particular “school model” but in the “school concept” itself? The modern school was designed during the rise of the European nation-state to achieve the dissemination of the state agenda to the masses and manage the citizens into loyalty and conformity. In other words, what the modern school does mainly is indoctrination. It is a place where some education takes place, but certainly not comprehensive growth. The modern school is not designed for learning, but rather, to help in job placement.

This compelled us to look into pre-modern Islamic educational models.

Most learning in the Muslim world before the era of Imperialism was achieved through the concept of “Suhba” or companionship, where a trusted mentor with well-rounded knowledge was endowed with the affairs of “mentees.” Through a comprehensive tarbiya, or consistent personal and spiritual development process, the mentor oversaw the growth of his or her mentees by being with them regularly. In those regular meetings, the mentees studied Islamic sciences, spirituality, language and liberal arts, secular sciences, and physical fitness.

Additionally, they learned from the morals of their mentor and took him or her as a friend for life. This is essentially inspired by how the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was with his companions. We usually don’t characterize the Messenger (PBUH) as a teacher, and his companions as “students.” It is more fitting to think of him as a mentor and them as mentees, who forged incredible relationships through Suhba, hence the word Sahaba or companions.

It is precisely to revive these lofty goals that the Tarbiya Institute embarked with Allah’s grace upon the creation of Tarbiya Ta'leem Center, which will be the platform through which all effort will be exerted to achieve the aforementioned goals. 

Children who join the program are divided into cohorts based on gender and are assigned to a mentor of the same gender. Cohorts are divided into Phase 1 (students join at age 5 and continue for the next 5 years) and Phase 2 (students participate at age 10 after completing Phase 1 and continue for the next 5 years).

Phase 1 focuses on developing prophetic character, building a foundation in Islamic creed, classical Arabic, and core subjects like English, Math, Science, and History. The mentor oversees their education as they complete their coursework, progressing to subsequent levels at their individual pace. Phase 2 cohorts enter a more rigorous academic curriculum of advanced studies in Arabic and Islamic sciences, at which point, the cohort will assume a new mentor. Formal tutors will be employed to aid students in progressing through all core subjects. There will be opportunities for internships, traveling, long-term projects, skill-building, and leadership, among other enrichment opportunities.

Mentees would have two track options: the California Proficiency Program (CCP) track or the GED track. The California Proficiency Program (CCP) is an exit exam (California's High School proficiency exam that can be taken earliest at the age of 16 and is equivalent to a high school diploma recognized by California colleges, universities- and some out-of-state schools). College-bound students could then go on to take community college classes and transfer to a 4-year university thereafter.