Miftahul Jannah Akbar, an Indonesian Quran memorization boarding school, has a motto of four principles, namely 'The Quran in my heart; Science in my mind; Strength in my body; and Nationality in my spirit'.

Bogor, W Java (Indonesia Window) – An Indonesian Quran memorization boarding school, Miftahul Jannah Akbar (MJA), located in Cisarua sub district, Bogor district, West Java province, applies a unique method for memorizing the Noble Quran.

In a special interview with Indonesia Window in Cisarua, Bogor, recently, the mudir (principal) of Miftahul Jannah Akbar's memorization boarding school, Sheikh Dhiahulhaq, explained that the system and method of memorizing the Quran at the school is different from others.

"Miftahul Jannah Akbar's flagship program is tahfizhul Quran (memorizing the Quran) with students required to be able to memorize 30 chapters," he said.

However, in the initial stages, "we actually prohibited the students from memorizing the Quran, and submitting their memorization to the teachers".

"In the first semester, we ask the students to focus on taking part in the tahsin program or improving their reading of the Quran and deepening ‘tajweed’ or recitation knowledge," Sheikh Dhiahulhaq explained, adding that around the next three semesters the students are then ‘allowed’ to submit their memorization to the teachers.

"With this system and method, we estimate that in about a year and a half the students would have memorized 30 chapters," he added.

Furthermore, the Miftahul Jannah Akbar’s principal pointed out that in addition to memorizing the Quran, the high school level of boarding school, which was founded in 2018, also conducts a number of educational programs, which are in line with their basic motto.

"This basic motto is first, 'Al-Quran in my heart'. This is the foundation of all. We expect the students to instill the Quran in their hearts so that they can be good individuals as exemplified by the Prophet ﷺ," he said.

"The second principle is 'Science in my mind'. This means that religion should not be separated from science which should be in the minds of the students. With this motto, the students are expected to be able to choose their further educational paths, either studying religious knowledge or general science," he described.

Sheikh Dhiahulhaq continued, the third MJA’s motto is ‘Strength in my body’. "We train our students to be able to have fit bodies, strong bodies, because the essence of a good Muslim is a strong Muslim, and this is more beloved by Allah than a weak Muslim".

The next principle, and no less important is ‘Nationality in my spirit’. "We instill in our students a love for the nation, and must be able to play a role in protecting the country well," he stressed.

By implementing these four basic principles of the motto, the Quran memorization boarding school Miftahul Jannah Akbar has graduated students of four classes at the level of high school, who are now continuing their studies in a number of domestic and foreign universities, including the Institute of Islamic and Arabic Sciences (LIPIA) in capital Jakarta, the state university of Gadjah Mada in Yogyakarta province, the Veteran National Development University, as well as high learning institutions in Yemen and Egypt.

MJA alumni also take various educational fields, both religious and general majors, including those on international relations, medical school, and even the military.

Reporting by Indonesia Window