Ma’rifa 2026: Garden in Bloom
Workshops
The Garden of Paradise
Speaker: Sayyid Sameer Ali
“He is Allah: the Creator, the Inventor, the Shaper. He ˹alone˺ has the Most Beautiful Names…” [59:24]
Take a deep dive into the scholarly commentary of the Qur’an (tafsir) to study the dimensions of beauty and garden as the Qur’an and ahadith define them.
Sayyid Sameer Ali
Rooted in Belonging
Speaker: Shaykh Trenton Carl
“Verily when God, the most Blessed and most High, wants a community to remain and thrive, He endows them with aspiration and good virtues.” -The Prophet (PBUH)
Learn about the care, training, and planning needed to nurture beautiful communities and the role each person plays in building belonging and collective growth.
Shaykh Trenton Carl
Transforming the Lens
Speaker: Sarah Mokh
“So have they not traveled through the earth and have hearts by which to reason and ears by which to hear? For indeed, it is not eyes that are blinded, but blinded are the hearts which are within the breasts.” [22:46]
Examine the processes of media consumption across film and television and reconsider our relationship with media as both consumers and producers.
Sarah Mokh
Narrative as Medicine
Speaker: Hedyeh Elahinia
“O humanity! Indeed, there has come to you a warning from your Lord, a cure for what is in the hearts, a guide, and a mercy for the believers.” [10:57]
Explore the intersection of Islam, medicine, and beauty, with the goal of envisioning the profession of medicine with a holistic lens rather than a corporate one.
Hedyeh Elahinia
Designing with Dignity
Speaker: Mohammad Khatami
“...do not contribute to your destruction with your own hands, but do good, for God loves those who do good.” [2:195]
Reimagine the field of big tech as one rooted in intention, human-centered design, and ethical practice, and explore alternative ways of pursuing success rooted in Shi’a theology.
Mohammad Khatami
Living the Story
Speakers: Narjis Sheikh, Sheza Tahir
“We narrate to you the best of stories that We have inspired in this Quran, though before this you were among the unaware.” [12:3]
Reflect on the traditions of storytelling in Islam through creative writing focused on lived experiences and self-expression.
Narjis Sheikh
Sheza Tahir
Fragments of the Divine
Speaker: Amna Mehdi (MadeByAmna)
“You see the mountains thinking they are motionless, but they will float away like the clouds. This is the Artistry of Allah, who perfects everything. Surely He is All-Aware of what you do.” [27:88]
Create Islamic geometric art as we explore the history and importance of art practices in the Islamic world.
Amna Mehdi
Envisioning Garden Futures
Speaker: Mohammad Zaidi
“He strategizes everything from the heavens to the earth, then it all ascends to Him on a Day whose length is a thousand years by your counting.” [32:5]
Explore and compare Western sci-fi and Islamic futures while learning to see and construct alternative models of tomorrow.
Mohammad Zaidi
“Speak, for the truth is still alive”
Speaker: Dua Zahra
“The Most Compassionate taught the Qur’an, created humanity, and taught them speech.” [55:1-4]
Learn the art of oration and speaking with clarity to authentically tell our personal and communal stories from the heart.
Dua Zahra
The Gardener’s Oasis
Speaker: Mohammad Cherri
“And We made them leaders guided by Our command. And We inspired them to do good deeds, establish prayer, and give of zakah; and they were worshippers of Us.” [22:73]
Explore community building and taking care of the world around us through practical leadership skills.
Mohammad Cherri