Ribaat Blog

This article was published as part of Masjid Rabata’s Annual Maryam (as) Seminar, Might and Light: Maryam’s Single Motherhood, December 2022.

Maryam (as) didn’t sign up for a birthing plan. And for those of us who suddenly, or gradually, find ourselves in the role of single motherhood know the pain that comes with shattered dreams of the home we envisioned for our young ones.

This article was published as part of Masjid Rabata’s Annual Maryam (as) Seminar, Might and Light: Maryam’s Single Motherhood, December 2022.

As I look back at my son’s formative years as a single mother, I have to admit I don’t know how I did it but it got done, wa lillahil hamd! One thing is for certain though, is that Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى is Most Sublime and All Aware. The hadith of the Prophet ﷺ comes to mind in which he states,

Across centuries, cultures, and continents, the world’s major faith traditions have at least one thing in common: the use of water for purification. Purification rituals using water are seen in Islam in a number of ways, as well as in Judaism, Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, Baha’ism, and others. Purification rituals are commonly required before worship or after performing certain actions, particularly human acts such as eating, defecating, or having sexual relations. Certain body parts and bodily excretions, as well as sins, are also seen as needing purification.

Uripah Samikun, raised in Indonesia and currently residing in Durham, NC, started Ribaat classes with the support and encouragement of her husband during the Spring 2022 semester. She registered in hopes of attaining a better understanding of Allah’s Words for herself and her teaching efforts, with the intention of pursuing a Tajwid certificate. Now, she cannot help but find her eyes glancing toward the Teacher certificate, as well.

An icy freeze can be quite harsh. Many living things are not able to survive it. Others die a little bit, holding on to just enough life to regrow again once the freeze is over. A freeze can also be a beautiful thing to behold, at once somber and silent, foretelling a chance for a stronger, brighter future.  

Aida Azlin is a Singaporean residing in Morocco, who runs an online global community called AA Plus for Muslim women. For the last eight years, she has been writing a weekly newsletter called Tuesday Love Letters. Aida is a proud ‘cat mom’ and loves to host guests in her home.

This is an acrylic painting that I made for my final project of my Ribaat Academic Institute Tajwid class that I was enrolled in this semester with Anse Dr. Saadia Mian.

Born and raised in Wisconsin, USA, Maryam Marie LaConte is a mother and grandmother who has lived in many different places over the course of her 72 years. She attributes her most important experiences to her twelve years in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from 1986 to 1998, where she worked and embraced Islam. She was able to study tajweed and Arabic while there, and is now returning to traditional studies after retirement through the Ribaat Academic Institute. 

It’s that time of term again. Registration has quieted down, questions and calls asking for information about courses have trickled to just a few here and there, and the work of scholarship is in full swing. As we in the administrative offices plan for next term, next year, and beyond, this term’s classes are ongoing in the background, and as I stroll through the virtual halls of Ribaat, I can hear the buzzing of teachers teaching, students learning, and keyboards clicking. 

Suhaiymah Manzoor-Khan is from Leeds in the north of England. This full-time writer, poet and community educator enjoys facilitating creative writing for young people and providing spaces for people to ask questions about the world and how to improve it. She has been a student with the Ribaat Academic Institute since 2018.