Conference
“Gather us under the wings of your preservation.”
The Whispered Prayer of those who Hold Fast
Ma’rifa Conference
The Ma'rifa conference is the culmination of a longstanding legacy of Shi'i community and tradition in North America and signifies the next step: a wave of revived and critical engagement by the youth. We aim to build a world where Shi’i students approach their spiritual and intellectual growth through Islamic frameworks, where the community organizes together, and where religion is not a concept but an activated lens to approach all issues.
Ma’rifa 2025:
Justice At Hand
February 21st - 23rd, 2025 | Los Angeles, CA
We are grateful to announce our 6th annual conference, Ma’rifa 2025: Justice at Hand. Join us on February 21-23 in Los Angeles, CA to envision the world through ‘Adl, the Islamic conception of justice. Living amidst human tragedies and injustices, what is our communal responsibility in upholding justice? How do we learn from our history and traditions to connect individual instances of injustice to larger systems of power? In light of our duty as humans, how must we put forth just futures by our own hands?
Our theme this year is inspired by the following verse from the Quran:
“This is the result of what your hands have put forth. Indeed, God is never unjust to His servants” [3:182].
Due to the ongoing and preventable tragedies across the globe today, both locally and internationally, it was imperative for our team at Ma’rifa to reexamine our programming for 2024-2025. The theme for this year’s conference, “Justice at Hand” is central to our mission of providing students with culturally relevant and Islamic perspectives through our programs. We are inspired by our student community’s calls for justice, and grateful for the imagination they carry in their hearts and actions for a better world.
We pray that Ma’rifa 2025: Justice at Hand will honor past, present, and future struggles and renew our commitment to the worldview of our Prophet and Imams. Indeed, by God, only justice will prevail.
Ma’rifa 2024:
Under One Sun
February 16th - 18th, 2024 | Philadelphia, PA
On February 16 - 18, 2024, we gathered in Philadelphia for our fifth annual conference, “Ma’rifa 2024: Under One Sun”. We celebrated five years of Ma’rifa by connecting our understandings and experiences of community through reflecting on the following themes: In the midst of collective grief and struggle, what shared purpose and values link us to each other? Drawing across diverse traditions of mercy and justice, how should we cultivate care and accountability towards one another, our communities, and all others under the sun?
The theme was inspired by the following Quran verse:
"So endure what they say, and celebrate by praising your Lord before the rising of the sun and its setting” [50:39].
Speakers: Sayyid Mohammad Baqir Kashmiri, Shaykh Trenton Carl, Sheikh Dr. Mehdi Hazari, Dr. Su’ad Abdul Khabeer, Dr. Mohammad Sagha, Dr. Masoud Movahed, Farwa Zaidi, Laila Tauqeer and the Philly Muslim Freedom Fund
Photography by: Suroor Abbas
Ma’rifa 2023:
Seeking Sanctuary
March 3rd - 5th, 2023 | Chicago, IL
On March 3 - 5, 2024, we convened in Chicago for our fourth annual conference, “Ma’rifa 2023: Seeking Sanctuary”, to pause and reflect on resilience and authenticity within an ever-moving, ever-producing world: How can seeking—and creating—moments and spaces of sanctuary for ourselves and our communities make us more intentional in our journey towards God and fulfillment?
The theme was inspired by the following Quran verse:
“Say: I seek sanctuary in the Lord of the Dawn” [113:1].
Speakers: Sheikh Trenton Carl, Syed Hadi Rizvi, Dr. Rasul Miller, Narjis Nichole Burruss, Samaah Jaffer, Motahareh Nabavi, Asad Ali Jafri, Zainab Haider
Photography: Faezeh Fathnezhad
Ma’rifa 2022:
Heart and Revival
March 16th - 18th, 2022 | Washington, DC
On March 16 - 18, 2024, we gathered in Washington DC for our third annual conference, “Ma’rifa 2022: Heart & Revival” for a weekend full of reflections and conversations about our individual and communal hearts.
Our theme was inspired by the following Hadith Qudsi, as translated by Sheikh Mohammad Ali Shomali:
“Neither My earth nor My heaven can contain Me. I am contained only in the heart of My believer.”
Speakers: Shaykh Jafar Muhibullah, Sheikh Dr. Mehdi Hazari, Shaykh Dr. Faiyaz Jaffer, Sheikh Mahdi Mohammadpour, Chaplain Ailya Vajid, Dr. Zachary Markwith, Sarah Mokh, Iman Masmoudi, Abdul-Rehman Malik, Alleh Naqvi, Philly Muslim Freedom Fund
Photography: Faezeh Fathnezhad
Ma’rifa 2021:
Self-Reflection & Becoming
February 26th - 28th, 2021 | Virtual
On February 26 - 28, 2021, we gathered together virtually in the midst of a global pandemic, navigating a difficult year filled with injustice and struggle, but also solidarity and hope. Ma’rifa 2021: Self-Reflection and Becoming explored our process of transformation and revitalized our purpose through explorations of the meanings of the word “ma’rifa” and individual self-reflections.
The theme was inspired by the following Quran verse:
“And there are signs on the earth for those who are certain. And in your own souls (too), will you not then see?” [51:20-21].
Speakers: Ustadha Fatemah Meghji, Sayed Ali Abbas Razawi, Hajj Jalal Moughania, Dr. Nicholas Boylston, Latifa Barnett, Motahareh Nabavi, Sara Salima, Zamina Mithani, Mohammad Sagha, Mustafa Raza
Ma’rifa 2020:
Self-Discovery & Imagination
February 28th - 29th, 2020 | Cambridge, MA
On February 28 - 29, 2020, we converged for our very first gathering in Cambridge, MA for Ma’rifa 2020: Self-Discovery and Imagination. This inaugural conference was the first forum of its kind organized by Shi’i students for Shi’i students to provide a platform to explore identity, spirituality, activism, and community.
Speakers: Sayyid M. B. Kashmiri, Sayyid Sulayman Hassan, Sheikh Mahdi Mohammadpour, Dr. Nicholas Boylston, Dr. Payam Mohseni, Hoda Katebi, Shereen Yousuf, Hidaya Nawee, Mohammad Sagha, Irtaza Haider
Photography by: Kazim Ali
