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.
The theme is inspired by the following Quran verse: “Say: I seek sanctuary in the Lord of the Dawn.” [113:1]
Join us in Chicago 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?
We pray that Ma’rifa 2023 will lead us all to cultivate our hearts, homes, and community spaces to be Divine Sanctuaries.
Ma’rifa 2023 “Seeking Sanctuary” will be held from March 3rd to March 5th with our Friday program commencing at 7PM CST and Saturday program ending by 9PM CST. The conference will take place at Ida Noyes Hall at the University of Chicago in Chicago, IL.
We are still confirming our speakers and schedule and will release everything on our website and social media as we get closer to the conference.
It is! It will be held in Ida Noyes Hall at the University of Chicago in Chicago, IL on March 3rd-5th. We will provide a virtual option for those who are not able to join us in person.
You can register for the in-person 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 2023.
You can register for the virtual 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 2023.
To complete your registration, please purchase a ticket AND fill out the relevant registration form.
You can purchase the tickets at the same links as registration.
Our in-person conference tickets will be limited to 250 people to ensure Covid safety and the integrity of the content.
You must complete your registration, arrange travel and transportation to Chicago, IL, and confirm your lodging.
Ma’rifa’s designated hotel walking distance to the venue is Hyatt Place Chicago-South/University Medical Center. The address for the hotel is in the Hyde Park area at 5225 S Harper Ave, Chicago, IL 60615.
The deadline for booking will be February 3rd. Be sure to book for Friday (3/3) and Saturday (3/4) with checkout on Sunday (3/5).
A Single King room for 2 people costs $129 per night while a Double Queen room for 4 people costs $139 per night.
You can book your rooms at bit.ly/marifa2023-hotel with the code G-MRBL.
Sign up to get matched with a roommate at bit.ly/marifa2023-roommates!
For in-person tickets, early bird tickets will be $30 and regular tickets will be $40. All virtual tickets will be $10.
Ma’rifa Inc. is a registered 501c3 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 info@marifaprograms.com.
We have limited funding available for transportation and lodging on a need-basis. Once you have registered and if you anticipate needing financial-aid, please fill out the financial-aid form. Please note that we strive to make all Ma'rifa programming financially accessible for everyone. Our financial-aid is based on mutual trust and proceeds from the conference will go towards future student programming.
We understand that life happens and will try our best to work with you to process a refund if applicable.
Yes! In order to ensure the safety of all in-person attendees, Ma’rifa will be requiring up to date vaccination from all attendees, including the two primary shots and a booster. To provide proof of your vaccination, please upload a picture of your vaccination card during online registration.
Our definition of “up to date” vaccination is in accordance with the CDC's guidelines: You are up to date with your COVID-19 vaccines when you have completed a COVID-19 vaccine primary series and got the most recent booster dose recommended for you by CDC.
Please join us virtually by registering at bit.ly/marifa-virtual.
Masks will be highly encouraged, though not required, for Ma’rifa 2023 for the duration of the conference.
In the case that Ma'rifa cancels the conference due to Covid-19 restrictions, we will refund the full ticket amount. However, Ma'rifa is not responsible for any travel or lodging expenses incurred.
The conference will not be recorded for external use. You must be present in-person or tune in virtually to benefit from the content.
Before the conference, we ask that you respond to our Call for Responses prompt. We are a content driven conference so the most important factor in making Ma’rifa 2023 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, Twitter, and Facebook at @marifaprograms or email us at conference@marifaprograms.com!