Mission & Vision
“Indeed, they were the young people who believed in their Lord, and We increased them in guidance.”
(Qur’an 18:13)
Our Mission
Ma’rifa is a national organization committed to the spiritual and intellectual growth of Shi’i students. By curating resources, crafting content, and building community networks, we provide students with a framework for critical leadership, grounded in culturally relevant, Islamic perspectives. Our goal is to invest in and enrich the Shi’i student journey in order to discover our individual and collective ma’rifa.
Who We Are
Built for community, by community
At Ma’rifa, we are a collective of students and young professionals hailing from colleges and communities all over North America who are deeply invested in reimagining religious programming that takes all facets of our lives into account.
What We Do
Invest in and enrich the Shi’i student journey
We work with religious scholars, community leaders, and young people to develop meaningful programs and initiatives that address the needs of Shi’i students and young professionals. Our current offerings include:
The Conference: Bringing over 300 students together, the conference is a yearly gathering of community building, knowledge seeking, and creative learning.
Seekers & Scholars: Advising service with one-on-one mentorship and group workshops for prospective Shi’i high school students applying to colleges.
Memory & Martyrdom: Annual Muharram program with an aim to uplift artists and hold communal spaces of memory and grief.
Building Shared Futures: A community accelerator and fellowship for graduates and young professionals focused on equitable, sustainable, and impactful community innovation.
Ma’rifa Elsewhere: We create and curate all of our programming and workshops with deep care and intention and bring our work to local and national communities everywhere.
Our Story
A community built across friendships
Founded in 2019, Ma’rifa emerged from a need to have programming that centers young people, both as the intended audience and also as community leaders. Our first program, Ma’rifa 2020: Self-Discovery and Imagination was held in Cambridge, MA in February 2020. It brought together over 250 students for a weekend of connections and learning. Since then, we have held 5 conferences, 5 series of Seekers & Scholars, 3 Muharram programs, 1 fellowship, and countless partnerships and presentations across the country. From the beginning, Ma’rifa has been dedicated to amplifying youth voices, leadership, and organization as essential priorities for the North American Shi’i community.
Our Values
“Wherever you turn there is the Face of God.” (Qur’an 2:115).
We center education, capacity building, and community organizing in our work to cultivate a critical spirit and an urgency amongst young people to become active participants in their practice of faith in order to discover ma’rifa, the knowledge and thus recognition of the self and God.
Education
We cultivate a critical and intellectual spirit in Shi’i students through our annual Ma’rifa Conference and Muharram program, where we explore, reflect, and teach the intersections of Shi’i tradition and student experience.
Capacity Building
We envision an Islamically-oriented journey from high school to early career path, where students receive training, resources, and support to center Shi’ism in their personal and professional growth. Programs include Seekers & Scholars and the Building Shared Futures Fellowship.
Community Organizing
We use Islamic frameworks to support Shi’i students by investing in inter-generational organizing at local and national scales. We are committed to community care and accessibility for all and seek to provide students with financial, professional, and spiritual resources.