About Us

The Garden of Iman was launched in Sept. 2025 as a Friday school modeled on the teachings and vision of Imam Fode Drame, founder of the Zawiyah Foundation International and Qawsain Knowledge House, a fully licensed Islamic school in Vancouver, B.C. Our humble Friday school aims to immerse its students in well-rounded Islamic curriculum centered on Islamic character development.

Educational Philosophy

“He [Muhammad] is keen about you and he is full of tenderness and mercy to the believers.”

[The Holy Qurʾan, 9:128]

At the Garden of Iman school, we derive our educational philosophy from Qurʾanic teachings, based on an awareness of God, the pursuit of knowledge, and righteous deeds. The role of the educator is to nurture and guide a child based on his or her unique qualities and to embody Prophetic qualities of mercy.

At the Garden of Iman, we define the Path of Learning in three milestones:

1. Awareness

“When the angels said, “O Mary! Truly Allah gives you glad tidings of a word from Him. His name is the Messiah Jesus son of Mary a leader in this world and in the hereafter and is of those who are drawn near [to Allah].”

[The Holy Qurʿan, 3:45]

This first station lies in the children understanding the purpose of the subject that they are about to learn. They must be able to understand what the subject can do for them and why they should learn it. For example, why do we study the Sirah of the Prophet, peace be upon him, and why is it so important? In this station, motivation builds and the teacher awakens in the student his or her ability to learn and excel. Such a foundation of strong motivation results from striving to cultivate the love of God and His Messenger within their hearts, hence the name of our school.

2. Acquiring Knowledge with Mercy

And He will teach him the book and the wisdom and the Torah and the Gospel.

[The Holy Qurʾan, 3:48]

The student is then introduced into an education of wisdom and knowledge — the purpose of which is to build his or her inner balance to synchronize with the universal balance and order of God’ s creation. Gaining wisdom translates into learning the manners conducive to the acquisition of knowledge. This happens by integrating various methods of instruction from both the outer cosmic phenomena and written works.

The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him said, “I have been sent to perfect noble character.” [Muwaṭṭaʾ of Imam Malik].

As such, at the Garden of Iman, our educational philosophy is centered on Islamic character development, where our students are taught to cultivate the seven noble Prophetic character traits (ummahat al-akhlaq) that are beloved to Allah in the Qurʾan, which are namely:

• Repentace (Tawba)
• Candour (Tahara)
• Reverence (Taqwa)
• Excellence (Ihsan)
• Patience (Sabr)
• Trust (Tawakkul)
• Equity (Qist)

These character trait are encouraged and cultivated from a close study of the Prophet’s example in the Sira and in implementing his Sunna.

3. Action

“And a messenger [He will appoint him] to the children of Israel.” [saying that], “I indeed have come to you with a sign from your Lord. I indeed fashion for you from the clay the likeness of the bird then I breathe into it and lo! It is a bird by the leave of Allah and I heal the born blind and the lepers and I revive the dead by the leave of Allah and I inform you about all that you eat and all that you store in your houses” – Truly in that surely is a sign for you if you are indeed believers.”

[The Holy Quran, 3:49]

Students are then taught to implement their learning techniques and knowledge into the real world. In practical terms, this translates into actions that benefit humankind, which, for children, can be translated into benefiting their surroundings or community. Their success will depend on balancing knowledge with mercy. With this in mind, our school’s aim is to produce grounded Muslims who carry the passion to implement their knowledge to make the world a better place.

Questions? You can reach us at:

Email: qawsainottawa@gmail.com

Tel.: 613-762-2597