All thanks to the Almighty that in 1972, he gave the opportunity to my father Qari Mohammad Ismail Zafar, a well-known religious and scholarly figure of the city of Kolkata (then Calcutta), that he founded a madrasah in a mosque in the heart of the city, Moula Ali crossing. It differed from the traditional ‘madrasahs’ where only basic Urdu and theology books were taught, along with memorization of the Quran. From the early days of its establishment, Babul Uloom has considered the combination of religious and contemporary education at its integral component. Here, children are taught Quran and theology along with contemporary subjects while at the same time they get adequate functional knowledge of Urdu, English, Hindi and Bengali languages.

In addition to the dynamic Academic Department at Babul Uloom, other departments like the Department of Hifz, Department of Qirat, Department of Computer Studies, Sports Department, Health and Hygiene Department, Department for Research and Publishing and Broadcast Department have been a part of the management structure that has helped in providing holistic learning environment to shape individuals with rational views.  This is the reason, students passing out from Babul Uloom not only make their way to key madrasahs, but also to schools and contemporary educational institutions and finally see themselves as excellent teachers, business owners, doctors, engineers, scientists and religious and social leaders.

However,Babul Uloom is neither a school nor just a madrasah but an educational mission aligned with the ‘straight path’ that the Quran talks about. ‘Babul Uloom’ is a gateway to knowledge that can spread the light and dispel the darkness of ignorance and establish peace and harmony around. That is why the education of Quran and theology is given a priority here and every effort is made towards ensuring that the child brought under its care is blessed with the memorisation of the Holy Quran and enlightened life who in turn may contribute to the society towards enlightening people at large in the light of the Quran. May Allah accept our hard-work and acknowledge our efforts with success.

Dr N. Sabah Ismail Nadvi, Principal

Babul Uloom