Al Eslah School, meaning a school of reformation, was founded in 1935 by Sheikh Mohammad bin Ali al Mahmood, a religious and intellectual pioneer who was also its principal until 1948. Al Eslah School was the first formal educational institute to be opened in Sharjah, welcoming pupils from all over the Gulf region.

Teachers from other Arab states were brought in to broaden the school’s curriculum beyond religion to include mathematics, history, geography, astronomy, literature, even some English classes.