Cash
Still the most common method in UK maktabs. No fees, no tech, no problem — except for the Friday evening when $508 in coins needs counting, the records that go missing, and the parent who insists they "definitely paid last month".
Best for: very small maktabs (under 30 students) where the treasurer is hands-on every week.
Bank transfer
Parents send standing orders to the masjid account. Cheaper than card fees, no chasing cash. Downside: reconciliation. Matching "JOHN SMITH ref: AHMED" against your student list is its own part-time job.
Best for: medium maktabs with a treasurer who's good with spreadsheets.
Stripe (card or direct debit)
Parents pay through a portal. Stripe handles the card or Bacs Direct Debit, and modern madrasah software auto-reconciles each payment against the student. Fees start at around 2.9% + 30¢ per card transaction; Direct Debit is cheaper.
The big win is operational: parents pay automatically each month, late fees are flagged the day they happen, and the treasurer's job becomes reviewing rather than chasing.
Best for: any maktab where chasing fees is taking real volunteer time.
The honest answer
Cash is fine if you're small. Bank transfer is fine if your treasurer enjoys spreadsheets. Stripe pays for itself the moment chasing fees costs more volunteer hours than the card fee saves.