IQRA' International Educational Foundation was officially
registered in the State of Illinois as a
non-profit organization
in 1983.
Still, the concept of a comprehensive program
of Islamic education for children was conceived during
Dr. Abidullah and Tasneema Ghazi's involvement with the
Sunday school of the Harvard Islamic Society, Cambridge,
Massachusetts in the late 1960's.
A formal outline for a comprehensive program
of Islamic Studies was developed over the next decade.
The Sirah program's elementary level textbooks and workbooks
Our Prophet Muhammad (s): His Life in Makkah and His Life in Madinah
served as the pilot project of the IQRA' Program.
IQRA' began in the Ghazis' living room, moved to the
basement of Mr. Mazhar Husseini, and continued to grow.
In August 1988, a one-room office was established
in the American Islamic College, Chicago, Illinois.
This office later moved to a modest building on
Laflin Avenue in the Little Italy' neighborhood of Chicago.
Rapidly expanding, IQRA' quickly outgrew this space,
and in 1996 a new building was purchased in the northern
Chicago suburb of Skokie. Offices as well as storage
facilities were moved to this new location at
7450, Skokie Blvd, Skokie, Il. 60077 in January 1997.
Alongside meeting IQRA's own
administrative needs, in order to serve the community more effectively,
IQRA' opened the first full service Islamic Book Store
on Campbell Street, Chicago in 1989.
The space on the Campbell Street location soon became
too small for the growing needs of the community and
the Book Store was moved to a new, more spacious location
on Devon Street.
As the community grew and the demand for Islamic Books
increased, the Book Store was moved to its current, more
spacious, central location at 2749 50 W. Devon Street
in Chicago. The Book Store carries books in Arabic, Bosnian,
English, Persian, Spanish, and Urdu languages. It also has a complete
selection of audios, videos, and beautiful gift items imported
from around the world.
