Firm Foundations The Knowledge Residential

Firm Foundations · 14-day Islamic residential course

A fortnight of study, taught in English.

The Knowledge Residential is an educational course before it is anything else. This page sets out what is taught, who it suits, and what is expected of you.

One of the classrooms at Firm Foundations.
Qur’an memorisation takes the first and last sittings of every day.
01

Purpose

Knowledge first, then the life built on it.

The course brings together Qur’an memorisation, four foundational texts, the five daily prayers and the morning and evening adhkar, and holds them in one fixed daily rhythm for fourteen days. Nothing here is designed to be inspiring in the abstract: the intention is that a student leaves able to pray properly, having memorised more than he arrived with, and having kept a routine of worship in company long enough to know he can keep it.

The residential setting is the method rather than the marketing. Shared rooms, shared meals and a fixed timetable remove most of the friction that keeps study from happening at home, including the screen-centred distraction that fills the gaps.

02

Who it is for

For men and mature, responsible boys aged 12 and above. Fathers and sons are welcome.

It is open to adult men, to fathers attending with their sons, and to mature and responsible boys from the age of twelve. It suits students who already have some Islamic knowledge, and it suits complete beginners — including those who cannot yet read Arabic, and those who do not yet know how to perform wudu or the prayer.

If the student is under 18

Students under 18 must be accompanied by their father or a guardian for the whole course. Please speak to the Founder & Program Manager before booking so the arrangements can be confirmed.

A boy of twelve can get a great deal out of this fortnight. He cannot do it alone — the accompanying adult is part of the arrangement, not a formality.

The currently confirmed course is for males only.

03

The curriculum

The Qur’an at either end of the day, four texts in between.

Everything is taught in English. The Qur’an takes the long morning sitting and returns after Isha. The three classroom texts run consecutively through the late morning, and Hisnul Muslim is learned across the whole day in the situations its supplications belong to.

  1. 01

    The Noble Qur’an

    The Qur’an sits at the centre of the fourteen days. Memorisation is taken in two dedicated sittings each day — the long morning session after the first breakfast, and again in the evening after Isha — with recitation and correction throughout.

    Format
    Daily memorisation, recitation and correction
    Schedule
    Mornings 07:00–09:00 and evenings 19:30–22:00
    One of the classrooms at Firm Foundations.
  2. 02

    The Book of Monotheism

    Shaykh Muhammad ibn Abdul Wahaab

    Studied as a daily class on the foundation of belief — what it means to worship Allah alone, and how that understanding shapes everything else a Muslim does.

    Format
    Daily class, taught in English
    Schedule
    Weekdays 09:30–10:30
  3. 03

    The Three Fundamentals

    Shaykh Muhammad ibn Abdul Wahaab

    A short, foundational text covering the three questions every person is asked. Taken step by step so that students who are new to Islamic study can follow it comfortably.

    Format
    Daily class, taught in English
    Schedule
    Weekdays 10:45–11:45
  4. 04

    The Prophet’s Prayer Described

    Shaykh al Albani

    The prayer studied in detail and then practised five times a day in congregation — description in the morning, application from Dhuhr onwards.

    Format
    Daily class, taught in English
    Schedule
    Weekdays 12:00–13:00
  5. 05

    Hisnul Muslim

    Shaykh Saad al Qahtani

    The supplications of the Muslim, learned in the setting where they are actually used — waking, eating, entering and leaving, travelling, and the morning and evening adhkar kept together each day.

    Format
    Learned and practised through the daily routine
    Schedule
    Throughout the day; adhkar after Fajr and between Maghrib and Isha
  6. 06

    Morning and evening adhkar

    Kept in congregation after Fajr and again between Maghrib and Isha, so that the habit is built in company before it has to be kept alone.

    Format
    Daily, in congregation
    Schedule
    After Fajr, and between Maghrib and Isha
  7. 07

    The five daily prayers

    The whole timetable is built around the five prayers rather than fitted between them. Students who do not yet know how to perform wudu or salah are taught from the beginning.

    Format
    In congregation, five times daily
    Schedule
    Fajr, Dhuhr, Asr, Maghrib and Isha
  8. 08

    Evening lectures

    Pre-recorded, from Salafi Publications

    A recorded lecture in the later evening sitting, taken together after refreshments and alongside the second Qur’an session.

    Format
    Pre-recorded, listened to together
    Schedule
    Evenings, within 19:30–22:00
04

Books and materials

Course books, a notebook and stationery are on the recommended packing list. We have not published specific editions, publishers or translations here — if you want to know which copies to bring, ask Yasin Fox before you travel rather than guessing from this page.

A third classroom at Firm Foundations.
The course texts, a notebook and a pen — the whole kit.
Placeholder: A fourth classroom at Firm Foundations. Photograph to follow.
Notes are taken by hand.
05

If you are starting from the beginning

A good number of students arrive without Arabic, and some arrive without yet knowing how to pray. That is expected, and it is planned for.

  • You will be taught to read Arabic

    Students who cannot yet read Arabic are taught the foundations of Arabic reading from the beginning, alongside the rest of the programme.

  • You will be taught wudu

    Students who do not know how to perform wudu are taught it properly, in person, rather than being expected to have picked it up already.

  • You will be taught salah

    Students who do not know how to perform the prayer are taught it, and then pray it five times a day in congregation for a fortnight.

Islamic learning can begin at any stage in life. Nobody here should feel embarrassed about beginning with the foundations — that is precisely what this course is named for. Students who already have some Islamic knowledge will find the texts and the memorisation sessions demanding in their own right.

06

Course leadership

The Knowledge Residential is organised by Firm Foundations, held at the centre it rents in Ait Bookoo, Oasis Tighmert for the year.

  • Founder & Program Manager

    Abu Saffiyah Yasin Fox

    First point of contact for enquiries, arrival and attendance questions.

07

Knowledge in daily life

What is studied in the morning is practised the same day.

The prayer is described in the twelve o’clock class and prayed in congregation an hour later. The supplications learned from Hisnul Muslim are used at the table, on the road and at the door, and memorisation is heard and corrected rather than left to the student to assess himself. That is the whole design: not a fortnight of information, but a fortnight of practice with the reasons attached — which is what makes it portable once you go home.

See the full daily timetable

The mountains beyond the oasis, seen from a different angle.

The Knowledge Residential · 14-day Islamic residential course

Study begins with a date.

If the syllabus is what you were looking for, the next step is choosing a block and checking whether places remain.

Next block
Block One, 30 Nov – 13 Dec 2026
Fee
£580 (approx. $780 / €680)
Deposit
50% (£290) to book, balance on arrival
Choose a block and enquire Ask a question first

Sending an enquiry does not confirm a booking. Places are limited each block and must be confirmed by the organiser. Students under 18 must be accompanied by their father or a guardian for the whole course. Please speak to the Founder & Program Manager before booking so the arrangements can be confirmed.