Assalamu alaykum.

I visited Markaz Takwin al-Ulama in Nouakchott, Mauritania, and filmed a documentary there, Where Scholars Are Made. The Markaz was founded in 2007 with one aim: to produce scholars. Every student who joins has already memorised the whole Quran. Over three levels, secondary, preparatory and university, they memorise and study the Islamic sciences in depth: the ten qira'at, fiqh up to Mukhtasar Khalil, hadith up to Bulugh al-Maram, the sira, Usul al-Fiqh and classical Arabic poetry. Students come from Mauritania, Palestine, Algeria, Morocco and beyond.

Everything is free for the students: housing, food and tuition. As Shaykh Salah explains in the film, a student of knowledge has to be free to study, and that is only possible when the Ummah looks after his needs. The Markaz runs entirely on the donations of Muslims inside and outside Mauritania.

This campaign raises money for the Markaz. I'm running it as an individual, and I have donated to the Markaz directly before, so I know how to get the money to them. When the campaign ends, every dollar raised goes to the Markaz, and I'll post the transfer receipt here as an update.

The Prophet ﷺ said, “Whoever follows a path in pursuit of knowledge, Allah makes easy for him a path to Paradise” (Muslim). May Allah make it easy for these students, and for everyone who helps them.

Please note: I'm collecting personally, not as a registered charity, so donations don't come with a tax receipt.