Note on transliteration and translation -- Prologue: inside madrasas -- Lived experience. A novice ; Wake, wash, pray ; Becoming scholars -- History and contexts. Birth of the contemporary madrasa ; Texts and authors ; From a republic of letters to a republic of piety -- Politics of knowledge. Preserving the prophet's legacy ; Believe, learn, know -- Madrasas in global context. Talking about madrasas ; The future of madrasas ; Letter to policy makers ; Letters to my teachers.