How to Choose an Islamic Studies Teacher for Your School

Why Credentials Are Not Enough

A degree in Islamic studies from a Western university certifies that a teacher has read widely, written papers, and passed examinations. It does not certify that they have received the knowledge directly from someone who received it from someone who received it from the Prophet ﷺ. These are fundamentally different things, and confusing them is one of the most consequential mistakes a Muslim school can make.

The classical Islamic tradition developed a sophisticated system precisely to address this problem. It is called the isnād — the chain of transmission. Every authenticated piece of Islamic knowledge was attached to a chain of named individuals, each of whom personally received the material from the one before them. The chain was not a formality. It was the knowledge.

A teacher without a sound chain is teaching their own interpretation of texts they read privately. A teacher with a sound chain is transmitting what was transmitted to them. The student who receives from the first is getting an opinion. The student who receives from the second is entering a tradition.

The Three Questions Every Administrator Should Ask

Before hiring any Islamic studies teacher, ask three questions. The first: who are your teachers? A teacher trained in the classical tradition should be able to name their teachers immediately and without hesitation. If a teacher is vague about their teachers, treat this as a warning sign.

The second: what did you study with them? Classical Islamic education proceeds through specific texts in a specific sequence. A teacher who received ʿaqīdah should have read a specific matn with a specific shaykh. The same applies to fiqh, ḥadīth, and the other disciplines. Ask about the texts, not just the subject areas.

The third: do you have permission to teach? In the classical tradition, a student is not qualified to teach until their teacher grants them ijāzah — permission to transmit the material. An ijāzah is not a certificate of completion. It is a certification by a qualified person that this student has understood the material sufficiently to transmit it faithfully. Ask whether the teacher has received ijāzah, and in what subjects.

What Formal Teacher Training Adds

Classical transmission and modern pedagogical training address different things. A teacher who received knowledge through a sound isnād knows the material. A teacher with formal training in education knows how to sequence and present that material to students at different developmental stages.

Both matter. A teacher who knows fiqh but cannot explain it to a ten-year-old is limited. A teacher who is excellent with children but learned fiqh from YouTube videos is transmitting noise, however clearly presented.

The ideal is a teacher who received classical transmission and then developed pedagogical skills — either through formal training or through sustained practice under supervision. The FISLI curriculum was built with this combination in mind, and the Teacher Formation Program was designed to help classically-trained scholars develop the pedagogical skills to deliver it effectively in North American school contexts.

Red Flags When Evaluating Candidates

There are several warning signs that should give any administrator pause. The first is self-citation. A candidate who says "I have done a lot of research" or "I have studied extensively" without naming teachers is describing private study, not transmission. Private study has value, but it is not the same as received knowledge.

The second is vagueness about methodology. When asked how they approach teaching ʿaqīdah to young students, a qualified teacher should be able to describe the text they would use, the sequence they would follow, and the markers of mastery they would look for. Vague answers like "I would make it relevant and engaging" are not answers to the question.

The third is overemphasis on credentials at the expense of chains. A candidate who leads with their degree and does not mention their teachers has been formed by a system that does not value transmission. This does not mean they cannot teach well. It means you need to probe more carefully before trusting them with your students' ʿaqīdah.

The Long-Term Investment in Teacher Quality

Muslim schools in North America face a structural shortage of classically-trained teachers who also have pedagogical skill in the North American context. This shortage will not be solved by lowering standards. It will be solved by investing in the development of the teachers you have.

The FISLI Teacher Certification Program was built to address this exact gap. It works with teachers who have foundational classical training and builds their capacity to deliver a sequenced curriculum effectively. It does not replace classical transmission. It builds on it.

A school that invests in teacher development today is building an asset that compounds. A teacher who is trained well trains the next generation of teachers well. The tradition sustains itself not through institutions alone but through individuals who were shaped by other individuals who cared about the quality of transmission.