Introduction
The Tasheel Series is the dominant Islamic studies curriculum in New Zealand’s mosque maktabs — used at Madrasah Uthmaaniyah (Auckland Islamic Trust), Madrasahtul Islamiyah (Wellington), and several other institutions. Understanding what it is, what it teaches at each level, and how to manage it effectively is essential knowledge for any maktab administrator or Islamic education manager in New Zealand.
Origins of the Tasheel Series
The Tasheel Series was developed by South African ulama associated with the Deobandi tradition, primarily through institutions connected to the Jamiatul Ulama KwaZulu-Natal and the Ta’limi Board KZN. “Tasheel” means “ease” or “facilitation” in Arabic — the curriculum was designed to make Islamic education accessible and systematic for children growing up in English-speaking environments outside the traditional Islamic heartland.
The series was originally written in English to serve the South African Indian Muslim community, whose children spoke English as their primary language but came from a Gujarati/Urdu Islamic cultural heritage. This English-medium design made it easily exportable to other English-speaking Muslim diaspora communities — the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and parts of North America have all adopted it.
Madrasah Uthmaaniyah (Auckland) explicitly states on its website that “the Ulama of South Africa had initiated the Tasheel series… one of the best Islamic studies curricula in the English language.” This directness about the curriculum’s origins is unusual and valuable — most maktabs using Tasheel simply implement it without advertising its provenance.
The Tasheel Series Structure: Grade 1 to Grade 12
The Tasheel Series provides 12 grade levels of Islamic studies, intended to parallel the 13 years of regular schooling (beginning at approximately Year 1 equivalent). Each grade covers four main subject areas, with content building progressively from the most basic to the most nuanced.
Grade 1 — Foundational
Fiqh: Cleanliness (Taharah), Wudhu, Ghusl, Istinja, Tayammum, Salaah — the basic practical requirements of Islamic worship
Aqeedah: The six pillars of Iman (faith) — introductory level
History (Seerah/Sirah): The life of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ — Makkah period
Akhlaq: Basic Islamic manners, greetings, manners in the home
Grade 2
Fiqh: Continuation of Salaah — how to pray correctly, common mistakes; introduction to Fasting
Aqeedah: Allah’s attributes and names — beginner level
History: Continuation of the Makkah period Seerah
Akhlaq: Manners with parents, teachers, and elders
Grade 3
Fiqh: Fasting (Saum) — rules of Ramadan; Zakaat — introduction
Aqeedah: The Prophets and their attributes
History: Hijra and the Madinah period
Akhlaq: Manners in the mosque, in the street, with neighbours
Grade 4
Fiqh: Zakaat — detailed rules; Hajj — introduction and basic obligations
Aqeedah: Angels, Books, and Divine Decree (Qadar)
History: Major events of the Madinah period; the Battles
Akhlaq: Islamic character — honesty, patience, gratitude
Grade 5
Fiqh: Hajj — detailed rules and obligations; introduction to Marriage law
Aqeedah: The Day of Judgement, Heaven and Hell — foundational
History: The passing of the Prophet ﷺ; the Khulafa Rashidun (Four Rightly Guided Caliphs)
Akhlaq: Social ethics — dealing with the wider community
Grades 6–9 — Intermediate
These grades deepen and extend the earlier material. New topics introduced include:
- Business transactions (buying, selling, contracts) — Fiqh
- The rights of neighbours, orphans, and those in need — Akhlaq
- The Umayyad and Abbasid Caliphates — History
- More advanced Aqeedah discussions around kufr, shirk, and bid’ah
Grades 10–12 — Advanced
Fiqh: Detailed laws of inheritance (Mawrith/Faraid), detailed business law, advanced marriage and divorce law
Aqeedah: Contemporary challenges to Islamic belief; responses to modern theological questions
History: Islamic scholarship and the development of the madhabs; Islamic civilisation and its contributions
Akhlaq: Islamic social responsibilities; da’wah ethics; Islamic leadership
A student who completes all 12 grades of the Tasheel Series will have covered the practical requirements of Islamic law across all major life domains, a structured understanding of Islamic creed, a comprehensive knowledge of Islamic history through the first millennium of Islamic civilisation, and a systematic framework of Islamic character development.
The Tasheel Series and Quran Education
The Tasheel Series covers Islamic Studies (Fiqh, Aqeedah, History, Akhlaq) but does not include Quran recitation or memorisation — these are taught separately.
In a New Zealand maktab using the Tasheel Series, the typical structure is:
- Quran class (Qaidah → Tajweed → Nazirah → Hifdh) — separate teacher and track
- Islamic Studies class (Tasheel Series) — grade-appropriate level
The Ta’limi Board KZN provides additional materials that New Zealand maktabs often use alongside the Tasheel Series:
- Du’a memorisation curriculum — specific du’as by grade, from basic daily du’as (before eating, entering the home, etc.) at Grade 1 to longer du’as of protection and travel at higher grades
- Hadith memorisation curriculum — selected hadith with explanations, grade by grade
Darul Hikmah Australia (which previously used Tasheel before switching to An-Nasihah) still uses the Ta’limi Board KZN materials for Du’a and Hadith memorisation — illustrating how these supplementary materials have standalone value even when the main curriculum changes.
Managing the Tasheel Series: Grade Allocation and Progression
One of the most common administrative challenges in Tasheel-based maktabs is grade allocation — matching each student to the appropriate Tasheel grade.
Students do not automatically progress through Tasheel grades at the same rate as secular school grades. A 10-year-old who has never attended maktab may be at Grade 1 Tasheel level despite being in school Year 5. A student who attended a well-run maktab for three years may be ahead of their grade in some subjects and behind in others.
Best practice for grade allocation:
- Initial assessment — test new students in each Tasheel subject area to determine actual knowledge level
- Subject-specific placement — a student may be at Grade 3 Fiqh but Grade 5 History; place them appropriately in each subject rather than forcing one grade level for all subjects
- Annual progression assessment — at end of year, assess whether each student has mastered the grade’s content before promoting them to the next grade
- Remediation track — for students who are significantly behind, a structured catch-up programme rather than simply repeating the current grade year after year
Managing this complexity for 50+ students with multiple teachers requires a system that tracks each student’s subject-specific Tasheel grade, not just their overall “Year” in the madrasah.
Moving Beyond or Alongside Tasheel: Alternatives and Supplements
Darul Hikmah’s switch from Tasheel to An-Nasihah (a UK-developed Islamic studies curriculum) illustrates that the Tasheel Series is not the only option. The An-Nasihah curriculum, produced by the An-Nasihah Academy in the UK, was designed for British Muslim children and incorporates contemporary pedagogical approaches alongside traditional Islamic content. Like Tasheel, it covers Fiqh, Aqeedah, Sirah, and Akhlaq — but with updated examples, British (and transferable Western) context, and more recent scholarship.
For New Zealand maktabs, the choice between Tasheel and An-Nasihah is genuinely difficult:
- Tasheel has 30+ years of use in NZ, established teacher familiarity, and complete grade-level materials
- An-Nasihah has updated content, better pedagogical design, and growing use in the UK and some Australian institutions
- Some institutions use Safar Publications materials (a third UK-based curriculum option) for younger years
The key administrative implication of any curriculum choice is record-keeping: whichever curriculum the madrasah uses, student progression needs to be tracked within that curriculum’s grade framework. A management system that simply says “Grade 3” is useful only if there’s clarity about Grade 3 of which curriculum.
Implementing Tasheel Effectively: Management Checklist
For a maktab manager implementing or reviewing the Tasheel Series:
Curriculum materials:
- Complete set of Tasheel Series books (Grades 1–12) obtained
- Ta’limi Board KZN Du’a and Hadith memorisation booklets obtained
- Grade-level syllabus documents prepared for teacher planning
Student records:
- Each student’s current Tasheel grade recorded per subject (Fiqh, Aqeedah, History, Akhlaq)
- Annual assessment results recorded
- Progression decisions documented with dates
Teacher management:
- Each teacher assigned to specific Tasheel grades
- Teacher training/awareness of Tasheel methodology ensured
- Curriculum coverage tracked — is each teacher covering all topics in the grade?
Assessment:
- End-of-term assessments designed for each grade
- Assessment results recorded per student per subject
- Reports prepared for parents showing grade level and assessment results
Parent communication:
- Parents informed of child’s current Tasheel grade at enrolment
- Term reports showing subject-specific grades and progress
- Clear explanation of what each Tasheel grade covers
