University in South Africa
Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa
University profile
Madina Institute South Africa is a private Islamic higher education institution in Cape Town, part of the international Madina Institute founded by Shaykh Dr Muhammad bin Yahya Al Ninowy, with campuses and outreach in South Africa, the United Kingdom, Norway, Sudan, Malaysia and elsewhere. Its motto is Compassion, Education, Illumination. Teaching follows the Qur'an and authentic Sunnah, with Maturidi, Ash'ari and Ahl al-Hadith approaches in creed, the four Sunni schools in legal theory, and the paths of Imam al-Junayd and Imam al-Ghazali in spiritual purification.
The main campus is on the 3rd floor of the Icon Building, Lower Long Street, in the Cape Town city centre, close to MyCiTi, taxi and train services. The Madina Belgravia campus in Athlone, in the former Heatherdale Children's Home at 12 Veld Road, is the satellite site, with a dormitory for males and females, classrooms, an auditorium and sports facilities on about 10,000 square metres.
Programmes sit in the Faculty of Usul al Din, whose Dean is Prof. Khadija Moloi. Offerings are the one-year Usul al Din programme, the three-year Bachelor of Arts in Islamic Studies (Usul al Din), the Honours in Islamic Studies (NQF 8, 126 credits) and the Master of Islamic Studies (NQF 9, 180 credits, contact and remote learning). Foundation in Islamic Studies, Hifz, part-time courses, Imamat and Mualima courses run at Belgravia and online. Curricula are built on five streams: Arabic language studies, Imaniyat (creed, spiritual purification and logic), Hadith sciences, Quranic sciences and Shariah studies.
Student life includes weekly student dhikr, Jumuah with student speakers, a student-elected SRC, debates, seminars, themed events, and 60 to 80 hours of community service (khidma). Students and staff belong to the Academia Library under an agreement, with a small on-campus library, and Madina Belgravia houses afternoon tuition, youth programmes and a feeding scheme. Foreign students may apply to the BA programme, and classes are taught in English. The Institute reports that almost 80% of students benefit from its bursary fund.
Madina Institute NPC holds registration certificate no. 2018/HE08/001 as a private higher education institution; the BA is CHE-accredited and registered on the SAQA register, and the Master of Islamic Studies was introduced in 2024 as the first postgraduate programme.
The Institute runs a bursary fund; almost 80% of its students are beneficiaries. Applicants who need financial aid complete section 4B of the student application form, disclose household financial details (sources of income, household income and expenses) and attach certified documents including recent household pay slips. Where a full scholarship is not approved, the applicant states the amount they can contribute towards fees, and a 5% discount applies to that portion if paid before 31 March.
Apply: Madina Institute application form. The Institute also holds an annual live bursary pledge fundraiser.
Madina Institute Student Bursary →
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View scholarships for Madina Institute NPC →Matric certificate pass and English proficiency; age exemption may apply for applicants without a National Senior Certificate. Suitable for ages 16 and older, male and female. About 11 months in two semesters, mid-January to November; classes 07:30 to 15:30 Monday to Thursday and until Jumuah (12:00) on Fridays, with some Saturdays. Graduates receive a completion certificate and an ijaza from Shaykh Muhammad Al Ninowy.
National Senior Certificate with Bachelor's Pass (Matric Exemption); RPL or age exemption may apply; English proficiency; ability to read Arabic (Qur'an). No prior Islamic studies background required. Minimum three years (36 months), maximum five. On-site study; foreign students may apply.
An appropriate bachelor's degree or Advanced Diploma. Applicants for Advanced Arabic or Translation Theory of Selected Arabic Texts need a bachelor's degree with at least two years of Arabic or intermediate Arabic competency, and write an Arabic competency test. Full time one year; part time two years.
BA Honours or BSc Honours in Islamic Studies or a related field; or an appropriate postgraduate diploma (NQF 8); or a 480-credit bachelor's degree with at least 96 credits at NQF 8 in Islamic Studies or a related field. RPL is accepted. Two years full time or four years part time. Application is through the online form at my-madina.web.app/master-islamic-studies.
A registration fee of R1,000 is payable at registration. A 10% discount applies to full course fees paid before 31 March of the study year; payment can be spread over up to 10 months. Foreign applicants complete the foreign-student section of the form.
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