Short answer:
You can learn the Quran online with a female teacher at Dini Ilm, in live one-on-one classes on Zoom or Microsoft Teams. Our female teachers are Hafizat and Dars-e-Nizami graduates who teach reading, Tajweed, Hifz and Arabic. Plans start at $30 a month for two 30-minute classes a week, and you can begin with a 3-day free trial.
At a glance
- Who it's for: adult women: sisters, reverts and mothers. (For girls, see our kids classes.)
- Format: live, one-on-one, only you and your teacher.
- Female teacher: choose one when you book.
- Camera: Your teacher needs to hear you, not see you.
- Price: the same price as our male teachers. Reading and Tajweed: $30–$50 a month. Hifz, Translation and Tafseer: $50–$80 a month.
- Trial: 3-day free trial, no commitment.
1. Why many sisters prefer a female teacher
Learning to recite means reading aloud, making mistakes and repeating sounds many times. Many women find that easier with another woman. Some prefer it for reasons of modesty. Others simply feel more at ease asking questions, including questions about purity and prayer that they would not ask a man.
This is not new. The women of Madinah asked the Prophet ﷺ for a day of lessons just for them, "as the men were taking all his time", and he gave them one (Sahih al-Bukhari 101 — sunnah.com). 'A'isha praised the women of the Ansar because "their shyness does not prevent them from learning religion" (Sahih Muslim 332c — sunnah.com).
A female teacher is a choice. It is not a requirement for learning well. What matters most is that your teacher recites correctly and corrects you carefully. The rest of this guide shows you how to check that.
2. Our female teachers
Every female teacher at Dini Ilm holds an Ijazah in Quran recitation. We only hire teachers who already have one. Many are also Hafiza (they have memorised the whole Quran) and have completed formal Islamic studies. They teach in English and Urdu, and some in Arabic.
Tell us what you want to learn, and we match you with a female teacher who suits it: Quran reading for beginners, Tajweed, Hifz, or Arabic alongside the Quran. If you ask for a female teacher, she is guaranteed for the whole course.
You can see our teachers and their qualifications on the teacher page.
Every teacher passes our 4-step check before teaching:
- Credentials confirmed with the issuing institution.
- A live recitation test with a senior Qari.
- A teaching demo in English.
- Ongoing mentoring after hiring.
3. Privacy, camera and recording: our rules
Most academies just say "private". Here are our actual rules.
| Question | Our rule |
|---|---|
| Do I have to turn my camera on? | No. Your camera can stay off for the whole course. Your teacher shares her screen and listens to you recite. |
| Does the teacher turn her camera on? | On request. If you would like to see your teacher, just ask and she will turn her camera on. |
| Are classes recorded? | Voice only. We record the audio of each class so we can check that your teacher is teaching properly and with full focus. |
| Who can join my class? | Only you and your teacher, so you can keep your full focus. If a family member has a question about the teaching or wants to discuss something, they are welcome to ask. |
| Who can listen to the recordings? | Only our female quality checker has access to the voice recordings of women's classes. |
| What if my teacher is away? | Another female teacher covers your class. |
| How will my teacher contact me? | Each teacher has her own Zoom or Microsoft Teams account, given to her by Dini Ilm. We add your Zoom or Teams to it, and at class time she calls you there. |
| Who sees my details? | Only our management. Your teacher does not have your personal details. See our privacy policy. |
4. Courses and prices
All of these courses are available with a female teacher, at the same prices as our male teachers. Prices are per month, in US dollars, from our pricing page.
Reading (Noorani Qaida and Nazra) and Tajweed: 30-minute classes
| Plan | Classes per month | Price per month | Price per class |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 days a week | 8 | $30 | $3.75 |
| 3 days a week | 12 | $40 | $3.33 |
| 5 days a week | 20 | $50 | $2.50 |
| Weekend special (2 a week) | 8 | $40 | $5.00 |
Memorization (Hifz), Translation and Tafsir: 45–60-minute classes
| Plan | Classes per month | Price per month | Price per class |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 days a week | 8 | $50 | $6.25 |
| 3 days a week | 12 | $65 | $5.42 |
| 5 days a week | 20 | $80 | $4.00 |
| Weekend special (2 a week) | 8 | $65 | $8.13 |
Course pages: Tajweed · Hifz · Online Quran reading classes
Does a female teacher cost more? Not at Dini Ilm. Other academies that publish prices also charge the same for female and male teachers (EQuranSchool, Quran Mentors).
Time zones: classes are available 24/7, so the time is up to you, wherever you live.
5. Who these classes are for?
Sisters starting from zero, or fixing old mistakes
Many women grew up reading without Tajweed, or stopped as children. Your teacher starts at your level. That might be the Arabic letters (Noorani Qaida), or correcting the recitation you already have. There is no class to keep up with and no one else listening.
Reverts
If you are new to Islam, you do not need any Arabic to start. Your teacher begins with the letters and their sounds, goes at your pace, and can explain the meaning of what you read in English. The Prophet ﷺ said: "One who is proficient in the Qur'an is associated with the noble, upright, recording angels; and he who falters in it, and finds it difficult for him, will have two rewards." (Sahih Muslim 798 — sunnah.com)
Mothers
Book your classes around school runs and naps, with 30-minute lessons 2, 3 or 5 days a week. Many mothers learn at the same time as their children, in separate classes.
Looking for your daughter?
Our online Quran classes for kids offer a female teacher on request for girls, with short lessons that parents can sit in on. This guide is for adult women.
Dini Ilm may not suit you if you want a native Arab teacher, a group class with other sisters, or an in-person circle at a mosque.
6. What your first class looks like
- Book. Fill in the free-trial form and ask for a female teacher in the information box.
- Confirm a time. We contact you on WhatsApp to agree a time that suits you.
- Join. Click the Zoom or Microsoft Teams link. Your camera can stay off.
- Get to know each other. Your teacher asks about your goals: reading, Tajweed, Hifz or meaning.
- Level check. You read a few lines, or the letters if you are a beginner, from her shared screen.
- Your plan. She suggests where to start and how many classes a week suit you.
- Decide. The 3-day free trial gives you 3 classes, one each day. During those 3 classes you can ask for any change, such as a different female teacher, a different time or a different pace.
PRO TIP
Consistency beats intensity. 15–20 minutes of practice every day builds your recitation faster than one long session at the weekend.
7. How to check a teacher's qualifications
This is practical advice, not a religious ruling.
An Ijazah is a licence from a qualified teacher confirming that you have recited the Quran to her or him to a standard fit to teach. It carries a sanad, the named chain of teachers going back to the Prophet ﷺ. A Hifz certificate, a Tajweed course or a Dars-e-Nizami degree shows real study, but on its own it is not an Ijazah with a sanad. Women have held and granted Quran Ijazahs for centuries. In the 20th century, Umm al-Sa'd of Alexandria received an Ijazah in the ten qira'at from Shaykha Nafisa bint Abi al-'Ala and went on to grant hundreds of Ijazahs with connected chains (Islamweb).
To check any teacher, at Dini Ilm or elsewhere:
- Ask what qualification she holds: Ijazah, Hifz, Tajweed course or degree.
- If she has an Ijazah, ask to see it (a photo is fine).
- Check that it names her, the teacher who granted it, and the riwayah (usually Hafs 'an 'Asim).
- Check that it includes the written sanad (chain).
- Ask whether it covers the whole Quran, and whether it is from memory or from the mushaf.
- Listen in the trial. Does she catch and correct your small mistakes straight away?
At Dini Ilm you can ask to see your teacher's certificates during the free trial. For a full checklist of what to look for in any academy, see how to choose an online Quran academy.
8. Is it okay to learn from a male teacher?
Scholars generally say a female teacher is the better and more cautious choice where one is available. Most also say learning from a qualified male teacher is not forbidden, provided certain conditions are met.
- IslamQA (answer 112709) calls learning from a woman "best and safest". If a man teaches, it sets conditions: no private seclusion, women speak only as much as the lesson needs and not in a soft voice, and the teacher must be known for good character (IslamQA 112709).
- Darul Ifta Birmingham (Hanafi) says it is "best and more precautious" for a woman to find a female teacher. If a man must teach, it should be from behind a screen, meaning without video. It adds that "what is permitted due to its necessity must be restricted to the level of necessity" (Darul Ifta Birmingham).
The Quran's guidance not to be "soft in speech" (33:32) is the verse these answers rely on. If you have a question about your own situation, ask a scholar you trust.
8. Is it okay to learn from a male teacher?
Scholars differ on this. Both views are long-standing:
- The majority view (Hanafi, Shafi'i and Hanbali schools): a woman on her period does not recite the Quran aloud or touch the mushaf. She may listen, look at the text without touching it, and go over it in her mind (Dar al-Ifta al-Misriyyah 7815, Hanafi fatwa via IslamQA.org).
- The Maliki school, and scholars such as Ibn Taymiyyah, allow her to recite. Maliki scholars also allow a woman who is learning or teaching to touch the mushaf (Dar al-Ifta 7815, IslamQA 2564).
On every view, you may look at the verses on a screen and follow along without reciting them aloud (Dar al-Ifta 7815).
In practice: you do not need to miss a week. Tell your teacher, and she can switch the lesson to listening, Tajweed rules, meaning and tafsir, or silent follow-along. If you follow the view that allows recitation, you can keep revising as normal. Follow your madhhab, and ask your teacher or a scholar if you are unsure.
9. Women have always taught the Quran
- Ash-Shifa' bint 'Abdullah taught Hafsah, a wife of the Prophet ﷺ, to write, and he asked her to teach Hafsah more (Sunan Abi Dawud 3887, graded Sahih by al-Albani — sunnah.com).
- 'A'isha was the one the Companions went to when a hadith was unclear: "we found some knowledge concerning it with her" (Jami' at-Tirmidhi 3883, graded Hasan — sunnah.com).
- Umm al-Darda' al-Sughra taught in the mosques of Damascus and Jerusalem in the 7th century. The Caliph 'Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan attended her classes (overview).
- Karima al-Marwaziyya (d. 1069) taught Sahih al-Bukhari in Makkah. Leading scholars such as al-Khatib al-Baghdadi narrated from her (overview).
The Prophet ﷺ said: "Seeking knowledge is an obligation upon every Muslim." (Sunan Ibn Majah 224 — sunnah.com. Only this first part is authentic: al-Albani graded it sahih because it is reported through many routes. The rest of that narration is very weak.)
Allah says: "…and recite the Qur'ān with measured recitation." (Quran 73:4, Saheeh International — quran.com) and "Those to whom We have given the Book recite it with its true recital." (Quran 2:121 — quran.com). Those who recite the Book of Allah "[can] expect a transaction [i.e., profit] that will never perish – That He may give them in full their rewards and increase for them of His bounty." (Quran 35:29–30 — quran.com)
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