It’s pickup time. A father catches the ustadh at the door and asks how his son is getting on. “Good, masha’Allah,” comes the answer, and it’s true. But neither of them could say exactly where the boy is, what he struggled with this month, or what he should practise at home.
Nobody is at fault. A teacher with twenty students can’t hold every child’s progress in their head, and a parent can’t hear a lesson they weren’t in. Over the years a child spends learning the Qur’an, that gap adds up. A clear record closes it.
The journey, stage by stage
Most maktabs follow the same broad path, though the books and the pace vary. What’s worth recording changes at each stage.
Qa’idah
Letters, joining, harakat, then the rules that prepare a child to read. Record the book the class uses and the level or page each child has reached. Common books include Safar, Noorani Qa’idah and Iqra’, and each one is structured differently, so the record should follow the book rather than a generic scale.
Reading the Qur’an
Once a child is reading from the mushaf, record the juz and surah they’ve reached. It’s simple, and it tells a parent more than any grade.
Tajweed
Tajweed runs alongside reading rather than after it. Tracking it separately shows when a child is reading fluently but still needs work on makharij or the rules of noon sakinah, which is exactly what a parent needs to know to help at home.
Hifz
Memorisation needs a daily record, because it’s built one portion at a time and it’s only as strong as the revision behind it. That’s where Sabaq, Sabqi and Manzil come in.
Sabaq, Sabqi and Manzil
Almost every Hifz class works on three tracks at once. The names differ between madrasahs and traditions, but the idea is the same everywhere: new, recent and old.
| Track | Also called | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Sabaq | Sabak | Today’s new portion, heard by the teacher. |
| Sabqi | Sabak Para | Revision of recent lessons, the portion that’s still settling. (“Para” is the Urdu word for a juz.) |
| Manzil | Daur, Dhor | Revision of everything memorised before that, on a rotation. |
A student who races ahead with Sabaq but neglects Manzil will lose what they learned last year. That’s why good Hifz teachers watch all three, and why a record that only shows how far a student has got tells half the story.
For each track, it’s worth recording the portion covered, how many mistakes were made and where, and the quality of the recitation. Over a few weeks, patterns appear that no one would spot day to day: a surah that keeps slipping, a student whose Sabaq has stalled, a Manzil rotation that never reaches the earlier juz.
Keep it short and daily
The best record is one that actually gets kept. If logging a lesson takes five minutes per student, it won’t survive a full class. Aim for something a teacher can do in seconds, straight after hearing the student, while it’s fresh. Whether that’s a paper sabaq book or software, the guide to Hifz tracking on paper vs software weighs up both honestly.
Tell parents what it means
Parents want to help, and most don’t know how. “Juz 12, surah Yusuf” means little on its own. “Strong on new lessons, needs more Manzil on juz 3 and 4, please listen to him recite them at the weekend” is something a parent can act on tonight.
A monthly snapshot with a short teacher note is enough for most families. It turns the pickup-time conversation from “good, masha’Allah” into something both sides can build on. The guide to madrasah parent portals covers how to share it without adding work for teachers.
How Labbaik does it
After taking attendance, teachers are prompted to log progress, so the record builds as part of the lesson rather than as homework for the ustadh.
- Qa’idah: choose Safar, Noorani Qa’idah or Iqra’ when you set up a class, and the tracker follows that book’s levels.
- Qur’an: monthly snapshots record the juz and surah each student has reached, with Tajweed milestones tracked alongside.
- Hifz: log Sabak, Sabak Para and Daur every day: the portion, lines or quarters, mistakes, and the quality of each tajweed ruling. A live juz map shows what’s complete and what’s under revision, and the head teacher sees every Hifz student in one place.
Parents are notified when their child moves forward, and see the same picture in the parent portal. See progress tracking and Hifz tracking for more.
A trust passed hand to hand
The Qur’an has always been carried from teacher to student, one generation after another. Every child who sits in front of an ustadh is part of that chain. Keeping a careful record of their journey is a small way of honouring it: making sure no child quietly falls behind, that parents can play their part, and that the next teacher knows exactly where to pick up. That’s how a community keeps the Qur’an alive in its children, and how the ummah stays connected to it.
Common questions
What is the difference between Sabaq, Sabqi and Manzil?
Sabaq is the new portion a Hifz student memorises today. Sabqi is revision of recent lessons, usually the portion the student is still settling. Manzil is revision of everything memorised before that, on a rotation. Many madrasahs use other names for the same three tracks, such as Sabak, Sabak Para and Daur or Dhor.
How much should a student revise for Manzil each day?
It depends on how much the student has memorised and on the teacher’s method, so there’s no single right amount. What matters is that the rotation reaches all of the student’s memorisation regularly, and that weak portions come round more often. Recording Manzil daily is what makes that visible.
What should a madrasah record for students who aren’t doing Hifz?
For Qa’idah, the book and the level or page reached. For Qur’an reading, the juz and surah, plus Tajweed progress alongside it. A short teacher note each month explains the numbers to parents better than any score.
Which Qa’idah books does Labbaik support?
Safar, Noorani Qa’idah and Iqra’. When you set up a class you choose the book your students use, and the progress tracker adapts to it.
How often should parents hear about progress?
A clear monthly snapshot works well for most families, with a note whenever a student moves up a stage. In Labbaik, teachers are prompted to log progress after taking attendance, monthly snapshots are built automatically, and parents are notified when their child moves forward.