Quran Classes for Reverts and New Muslims
Live Quran classes for reverts, one student and one teacher on a video call, starting from wherever you are today. Everything is explained in English, nobody assumes you grew up with any of it, and no question is too basic to ask. Plans start at $34 a month and the first lesson is free.
Book a free class on WhatsApp How the free class works
Format
Live and one to one, never a recorded course
Taught in
English, with the Arabic brought in a little at a time
Starting point
No Arabic and no Muslim family needed
Price
$9.50 an hour, down to $7.00. Plans from $34 a month
Female teacher
Available on request, at no extra cost
Questions
Ask anything, including the ones you feel you should already know
What Quran classes for reverts cover
A new Muslim usually needs three things at once: enough of the Quran to pray, the Arabic letters so that reading can start, and someone to answer the questions that come up in the first months. A class for reverts covers all three, in that order of urgency, rather than starting you on page one of a children’s syllabus.
- The prayer. What to say and do in each position, first from a card in English letters and then from memory.
- Al-Fatiha and the short surahs. The surahs said in every prayer, learned by ear with a teacher correcting each word.
- The Arabic letters. The alphabet and its sounds through the Noorani Qaida, at an adult pace.
- Reading the Quran. From joined letters to a full page of the mushaf, with the rules of recitation added as you go.
- The basics of Islam. The pillars, the articles of faith, wudu, fasting and the life of the Prophet, peace be upon him, taught alongside the Quran.
Your first year, month by month
This is a typical first year at two or three lessons a week. Your own pace sets the real dates, and the teacher adjusts the plan as soon as it stops fitting.
| When | What you learn | What you can do at the end |
|---|---|---|
| The first weeks | Wudu, the positions of the prayer, and al-Fatiha by ear, word by word | Pray the five prayers, reading the words from a card if you need to |
| Months 1 to 3 | Al-Fatiha by heart, three short surahs for the prayer, and the first letters of the alphabet | Pray from memory, and recognise the letters on a page |
| Months 3 to 6 | The rest of the Noorani Qaida: every letter, the vowel marks and joining letters into words | Sound out short Arabic words on your own |
| Months 6 to 12 | Reading from the mushaf, the first rules of Tajweed, and more short surahs | Read short passages of the Quran slowly, with the teacher correcting less each week |
Scholars have long held that a new Muslim who cannot yet recite al-Fatiha still prays, saying the words of remembrance they do know. Your teacher will show you what that looks like, so you never have to wait until you are “ready” to begin praying. How long reading takes after the first year is set out stage by stage on our online Quran classes page.
Al-Fatiha, the first surah you will learn
Al-Fatiha is recited in every unit of every prayer, so it is where almost every revert starts. Here it is verse by verse, with the Arabic, a transliteration and the meaning in the Sahih International translation, its brackets removed.
| Verse | Arabic | Say it | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ | Bismillahir-rahmanir-rahim | In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful. |
| 2 | الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ | Al-hamdu lillahi rabbil-‘alamin | All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds. |
| 3 | الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ | Ar-rahmanir-rahim | The Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful, |
| 4 | مَالِكِ يَوْمِ الدِّينِ | Maliki yawmid-din | Sovereign of the Day of Recompense. |
| 5 | إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وَإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ | Iyyaka na’budu wa iyyaka nasta’in | It is You we worship and You we ask for help. |
| 6 | اهْدِنَا الصِّرَاطَ الْمُسْتَقِيمَ | Ihdinas-siratal-mustaqim | Guide us to the straight path, |
| 7 | صِرَاطَ الَّذِينَ أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ غَيْرِ الْمَغْضُوبِ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا الضَّالِّينَ | Siratal-ladhina an’amta ‘alayhim, ghayril-maghdubi ‘alayhim wa lad-dallin | The path of those upon whom You have bestowed favour, not of those who have earned Your anger or of those who are astray. |
The transliteration is a bridge, not the destination. Several sounds in al-Fatiha do not exist in English, the ʿayn in na’budu and the heavy ṣad in sirat among them, and English letters cannot show them. That is the reason to learn it with a teacher listening, and to listen to a recitation of al-Fatiha between lessons. Once it is secure, the next surahs most reverts learn are in short surahs to memorise.
How the classes run for a new Muslim
You and the teacher are on a video call with the same page in front of you. You read or repeat, the teacher listens, and a mistake is corrected on the word where it happened. That part is what an app or a video course cannot do.
- Send one message. Say that you are a new Muslim, what you already know, if anything, and two or three times in your week that could work.
- Take the free first lesson. The teacher finds out where you are and what you most want first. For most reverts that is the prayer.
- Keep the same teacher and the same slot. Lessons are set in your own time zone, in the US, the UK, Canada or Australia, and can be moved with two hours notice.
- Ask as you go. Questions about belief, family, food or the prayer are part of the lesson, not an interruption to it.
Nothing is recorded unless you agree to it first. Lessons are one to one unless you ask for a small group, so you never recite in front of others before you are ready. The rest is on how lessons work.
Learning about Islam alongside the Quran
Reading comes with questions, and many reverts book Islamic Studies next to the Quran from the start. The Islamic Studies classes cover belief (aqeedah), how to pray, fast and give (fiqh), and the life of the Prophet (seerah), taught in English at the same rates.
For sisters
A woman can ask for a female teacher for the Quran, Arabic or Islamic Studies, at the same price. Sister Nouran, for example, has memorised the whole Quran and holds Ijazah in two narrations, and she teaches Tajweed, the Qaida and Islamic Studies. Other sisters on the faculty are listed on the female Quran teacher page.
What the classes cost
The hourly rate falls as you book more hours in a month. Every plan is four weeks of lessons, paid in advance, and unused lessons are refundable.
| Schedule | Hours a month | Rate | Monthly |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 lessons a week, 30 minutes | 4 | $8.50 an hour | $34 |
| 3 lessons a week, 30 minutes | 6 | $8.00 an hour | $48 |
| 2 lessons a week, 60 minutes | 8 | $7.50 an hour | $60 |
| 3 lessons a week, 60 minutes | 12 | $7.00 an hour | $84 |
Brothers and sisters learning together take 10% off the family bill, each with their own teacher and timetable. Every plan is on the pricing page.
Who teaches the classes
You are matched with one named teacher, who stays with you. These three suit new Muslims especially well, and the rest of the faculty is on the about page.
Mohamed Nayel
Quran, Arabic, Islamic Studies
Teaches entirely in English, which suits a student who does not speak Arabic. Four years teaching Quran, Arabic and Islamic Studies to English speakers.
Ahmed Abdullah
Quran, Arabic, Islamic Studies
Ijazah in the Quran in the Hafs narration, with a connected chain. A graduate of Al-Azhar University, with a diploma in comparative religions.
Sister Nouran
Quran, Tajweed, Islamic Studies
Has memorised the whole Quran, with Ijazah in the Hafs and Shu’bah narrations. More than ten years teaching children, teenagers and adults.
Free help worth knowing about
Paid classes are not the only way in, and a new Muslim should know the free options too. New Muslim Academy runs free video classes and mentoring for reverts, and many local mosques hold a weekly new Muslims circle, which is the best place to meet people who started where you are. What those rarely give you is one teacher listening to your recitation every week. If that is what you need, it is what we do.
Book a free class on WhatsApp Use the contact form
Cost, self-study and prayer for new Muslims
How much do Quran classes for reverts cost?
From $34 a month for two 30-minute lessons a week, which is $8.50 an hour. The rate falls to $7.00 an hour as monthly hours rise, and the first lesson is free.
Can I learn the Quran by myself as a new Muslim?
You can learn a great deal alone, and listening to recitation every day helps. Recitation itself needs someone listening, because several Arabic sounds do not exist in English and you cannot hear your own mistakes in them.
Where can I find free Quran classes for reverts?
New Muslim Academy offers free classes and mentoring online, and many mosques run a free new Muslims circle. Our first lesson is free, and later lessons are paid.
Do I need to learn Arabic before I can pray?
No. You can pray from the first week, reading the words from a card in English letters, while you learn al-Fatiha and the short surahs properly with your teacher.
How long does it take a revert to read the Quran?
At two or three lessons a week, most adults starting from nothing read any page of the Quran correctly in 12 to 18 months. Al-Fatiha and the prayer come much sooner, in the first weeks and months. The stages after that, and how long Tajweed takes at different lesson counts, have a page of their own.
Can I have a female teacher?
Yes. Female teachers are available on request for the Quran, Arabic and Islamic Studies, at the same price. Give two or three possible times, since availability depends on the hour.
Is it all right to ask very basic questions?
Yes, and they are expected. The teachers work with adults who are new to Islam, and a question you feel you should already know the answer to is usually the one worth asking.
Beginner courses and a free trial lesson
If reading the Quran is the main goal, online Quran courses for beginners sets out what a good beginner course teaches and what to check before paying for one. Anyone ready to book can start with a free trial lesson.