Frequently Asked Questions

FAQs

About Ma’rifa 2026

  • Ma’rifa is a national organization committed to the spiritual and intellectual growth of Shi’i students. By curating resources, crafting content, and building a community network, 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.


    We held our first conference in 2020 at Harvard University. It was the first step towards this goal, spurred by the need for a forum of exploring God-centric knowledge for students, scholars, and community leaders. Six conferences later, we are happy to invite you to our seventh annual conference now, Ma’rifa 2026: Garden in Bloom.

  • Ma’rifa 2026: Garden in Bloom seeks to offer a renewed understanding of how our individual actions and aspirations blossom into the Garden of Paradise. Drawing from a plethora of God’s names, how must we align our hearts and our communities to mirror His Beauty?.

    The theme is inspired by the following Quran verse: “He who perfected everything that He created and began man’s creation from clay.” [32:7]

    We pray that Ma’rifa 2026: Garden in Bloom will help us seek, produce, and cultivate beauty in our lives. May the conference serve as a reminder of God, in all His Names. And may we work to make the Garden here, now.

  • Ma’rifa 2026: Garden in Bloom will be held from March 27-29 in Ann Arbor, MI, with the Friday program commencing at 6 pm EST and the Sunday program ending by 12 pm EST.

  • Stay tuned for updates!

Registration

  • Registration is open! It will remain open until February 1st, 2026, or until tickets sell out!

  • You can register for the conference if you meet the following criteria:

    • A Shi'a individual between 18 and 25 years old (including undergraduates, graduate students, and recent graduates).

    • Please note that high school students are NOT eligible to attend Ma'rifa 2026.

  • To complete your registration, please fill out the registration form by navigating to the “Register” tab.

  • You can purchase the tickets through the registration form by navigating to the “Register” tab.

  • Tickets will be limited to 250 individuals to ensure the integrity of the content and the capacity of the venue.

Attendance

  • You must complete your registration, arrange transportation to Ann Arbor, and confirm your lodging.

  • Ma’rifa will have a designated hotel near the venue for attendees to book at a discounted price! You are also welcome to stay with family/friends. For more information on the venue, hotel booking, and roommate pairing, check out the Lodging tab under Logistics.

  • Self-parking is available at $1.66/hr at the self-parking lot which is around the corner from the hotel. Valet is also available at $38/day including all in/outs.

Financial

  • Early bird tickets will be $40, reserved for the first fifty tickets only, and regular tickets will be $50.

  • Ma’rifa Inc. is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Our programs are sponsored primarily by academic grants through universities, Muslim organizations, and public donations from community donors, masjids, centers, and other religious organizations. If you are interested in supporting our work, please reach out to us at conference@marifaprograms.com.

  • There will be limited financial aid available for eligible first- and second-time attendees. More information on that is forthcoming on the conference website.

  • We understand that life happens, and we will try our best to work with you to process a refund if applicable. No refunds will be issued after March 1st, 2026.

Miscellaneous

  • The conference will not be recorded for external use. You must be present in person.

  • We are a content-driven conference, so the most important factor in making Ma’rifa 2026 successful will be engagement from our attendees. We ask that you please come ready to participate, meet, organize, and learn with your peers.

  • Feel free to DM us on Instagram at @marifaprograms or email us at conference@marifaprograms.com!