From the lead instructor
A Message from the Lead Instructor
Albany Buipe is a teacher and writer whose work includes Arabic grammar, Islamic studies, and the preparation of teaching materials. At Isnād, he develops lessons and supporting materials that connect clear explanation with memorisation, revision, and practical use.
At Isnād Institute, our approach to education rests on three closely connected principles: understanding, memorisation, and practice. These principles guide how we teach and what we ask of our students.
Understanding is the first essential step. Students need to grasp the meaning of what they study, recognise how its parts relate, and follow the explanations that support it. Our responsibility as teachers is to make that understanding possible through clear instruction, suitable examples, and opportunities to ask questions.
We also give memorisation a central place in learning. Although it is sometimes dismissed in contemporary discussions of education, we regard it as a foundational pillar. Students need to retain what they learn so that they can recall it, build upon it, and draw on it when needed.
This is particularly evident in language study. Progress in Arabic requires a growing store of vocabulary, expressions, sentence patterns, and forms of eloquent speech. By committing these to memory, learners acquire material with which to understand others and express themselves. Understanding gives that material meaning; memorisation keeps it available for use.
Practice strengthens both. Through revision, repeated exercises, conversation, reading, and writing, students return to what they have learned and use it in different settings. Familiar expressions become easier to recall, grammatical patterns become clearer, and difficulties emerge that further explanation can address. Regular practice helps turn an understood lesson into a lasting ability.
In Islamic studies, these same principles support careful engagement with the texts: understanding their meanings, retaining essential knowledge, and applying what is learned in worship and conduct.
My aim is to cultivate this steady approach to study at Isnād. I encourage students to seek clear understanding, take memorisation seriously, and make revision and practice part of their daily routine. Learning requires patience and sustained effort. Our task is to give that effort direction through lessons that students can understand, remember, and put into practice.