Message from the Director

Head of the Institute Welcome,
May the peace, mercy, and blessings of Allah be with you. All praise is due to Allah; may He be glorified and exalted.  
 
Welcome to the website of the Imam AlKisai Institute of America.  We are an educational institution that specializes in facilitating the memorization and comprehension of the Quran.  We also offer comprehensive courses in Islamic Studies and the Arabic language.  We are a non-profit 501-3C tax exempt organization, and we believe in transparency.  The fees, tuition, and donations are used to operate the school, purchase supplies, and pay staff salaries. The remainder is invested into the school.
 
Without doubt, Allah is the most Merciful.  He has given us (i.e., humanity) the Quran, and the Prophet Muhammad – may Allah’s peace and blessings be on him -- as the ultimate guide to success in this life and the next.   We thank Allah for allowing us to partake in the sacred enterprise of transmitting the Quran. Thank you for your interest in us. We pray that your experience with the Imam AlKisai Institute will be a source of enlightenment and fulfillment. May Allah keep all our intentions sincere, guide us all to the right path, and bless us with that which is good in this life and the next.
 
Sincerely,

Adam Hilow
Director

Who We are
We are an educational institution dedicated to sharing the treasures of the Quran and supporting our students in being people of faith and character, as well as responsible members of society. With over 270 students currrently enrolled, our student body is made up of both children and adults.

Mission
The Imam AlKisai Institute of America is dedicated to providing educational, religious, social, and recreational services.  The overarching aim of our services is to support people in identifying their gifts, and talents, and in making a contribution to society by living purposeful lives.  Our programing is rooted in Islamic values.

History
In his Mercy, Benevolence, and Wisdom Allah has given the Quran to humanity.  The Quran is truly the ultimate source of guidance. Internalizing Allah’s message through reflection, memorization, and action, optimizes the journey through this life, and paves the way to paradise in the Hereafter. We have been given the Quran so we can engage in an ongoing dialogue with Allah, correctly contextualize our sense experiences, be inspired to share the words of Allah with others, cure disease, and bring Allah’s guidance to bear in our daily lives by continually seeking Allah’s guidance and forgiveness.
 
 In the year 610 CE the Angel Jibreel recited the first five verses of the Quran to the Prophet Muhammad, may Allah’s peace and blessings be on him.  Over the course of the following 23 years, Allah revealed the remainder of the Quran to His Messenger by way of Jibreel.  Each time the words of Allah were revealed to him, he conveyed them to his companions.
The words of Allah were recited to the Messenger in a particular fashion. He conveyed the Quran to his companions in the same way, and he made some of them write it.  That is, he recited the words of Allah to them.  They wrote these words, and read them back to him.  He gave his approval, and then the companions internalized the words of Allah. The companions conveyed the Quran in the same manner to the next generation.  The Quran continued to be passed along this way (i.e., reciting and writing in the original language) through successive generations.  Allah has promised that this chain will continue until the end of time -- without the loss of one letter.
The Imam AlKisai Institute of America is a link in this chain.  It was founded in 2003.  We begin with 18 students under the supervision of Sheikh Adam Hilow, a scholar of the Quran, who is known among other scholars around the world.  In the course of a few weeks, the number of students doubled.  Shortly thereafter, our enrollment doubled again.  We continued to grow, and we now have over 270 students.  Our student body is made up of children and adults, men and women, and a variety of professionals. Our students have represented the United States in global Quran recitation competitions.  Our institute is continuing to expand, and we are now an internationally recognized institute.

Who is Imam Alkisai
Our institute is named after Imam AlKisai.  Imam Al-Kisai was a scholar of the Quran and Arabic Language.  He was born 119 years after the Hijrah, which corresponds to the year 737 CE.   Traditionally, there are ten different ways of reciting the Quran.  Imam AlKisai represents one of these ways.   He wrote many books on the Quran and Arabic Grammar.  He is still well known throughout the world to this day.