A Muslim liberal arts college pursuing the best of the Islamic & Western traditions. We offer a BA in Liberal Arts & Islamic Studies & an MA in Islamic Texts.
Moments of Joy and Gratitude 🎓️
Nida Ahmed, BA Class of 2019, has just graduated from University of Texas Southwestern Medical School. Congratulations to Nida, her family, and to our community of supporters who made this day possible.
Fusing the distinct arts of the Arabic and Chinese calligraphic traditions, Haji Noor Deen Mi Guang Jiang has created a calligraphic style of his own. He's honored us by visiting on many occasions to exhibit his art, give talks, and workshops. His mastery and integrity inspires.
This image captures the birth of the Ramadan moon. It was sighted last night by Zaytuna faculty member, Youssef Ismail, in the Santa Cruz Mountains in California. He has thirty years of experience sighting the moon year round.
Enjoy!
Photo credit: Youssef Ismail
Shaykh Murabit al-Hajj is a master of the sciences of Islam, but perhaps more wondrous than that, he has mastered his own soul. As the Arabs says, “the one who hears is not as the one who has seen.” May Allah grant him the highest level of paradise. Ameen.
#MurabitAlHajj
Are we like Chicken Little or is the sky really falling? President Hamza Yusuf shares insights into what determines our reality. Watch, like, and share!
Zaytuna students visited Harvard and presented their thesis research in March, impressing Harvard peers and faculty. This is a testament to the institution-building that you have played a critical role in. Please help us build a legacy of learning: .
"May God bring peace and security to our brothers and sisters and the children of Gaza." - President Hamza Yusuf
Read the 2023 President's Report online: .
#11
Luminaries Series | Imam Al-Shafi'i teaches us that knowledge is not about winning debates, accolades or prestige; rather, the purpose of knowledge is to uncover truth and follow it.
Prophet Ibrahim, peace be upon him, was a young man when he stood up for truth and faced the wrath of his people. Youth shines brightest when it’s vibrancy is matched with authenticity and righteousness. Let’s celebrate all of Ibrahim’s legacy this Dhul Hijja no matter our age.
Traditionally, Muslims excelled in science because they believed that nature, too, was a revelation from God. Thus, their desire to understand the natural world was second only to their thirst to understand the Quran & Sunnah. Let's restore our legacy:
Assistant Professor Dr. Youssef Ismail teaches Astronomy, History of Science, and Mathematics. He has also taught Maliki Fiqh in previous semesters. One of the things he has brought to Zaytuna is his love for photography, moon sighting, and astronomy.
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was the most eloquent and rhetorically effective of his people. He attributed the beauty of his speech to spending his early years around the most well-spoken of the Arabs. This is a lesson for us: eloquence can be learned under the right conditions.
This week, President Hamza Yusuf participated in the Global Philosophy of Religion Conference. Watch his keynote interview with Closer to Truth series creator & host, Dr. Robert Lawrence Kuhn, on God, existence, & spirituality from the Islamic perspective:
“When Allah tests you it is never to destroy you. When HE removes something in your possession it is only in order to empty your hands for an even greater gift.” - Ibn Qayyim Al-Jawziyya
#LightingTheWay
Imagine a classical liberal arts education reflecting two intellectual traditions. Our students read Aristotle and al-Ghazali, study constitutional law along with Islamic jurisprudence, and analyze both timeless and modern ideas. Visit to apply today.
The importance of adab has been eloquently expressed by the contemporary Muslim philosopher Syed Muhammad Naquib al-Attas: “The fundamental element inherent in the concept of education in Islam is the inculcation of adab (ta’dīb).”
As we prepare for the blessed months of Sha'ban and Ramadan, the Zaytuna College community gathers to uphold the prophetic practice of moonsighting with astronomy expert Dr. Youssef Ismail.
"Grammar is concerned with the thing as-it-is-symbolized. Logic is concerned with the thing as-it-is-known.
Rhetoric is concerned with the thing as-it-is-communicated."
-Sister Miriam Joseph, "The Trivium: The Liberal Arts of Logic, Grammar, and Rhetoric"
Assistant Professor Dr. Youssef Ismail teaches Astronomy, History of Science, and Mathematics. He has also taught Maliki Fiqh in previous semesters. One of the things he has brought to Zaytuna is his love for photography, moon sighting, and astronomy.
“ Do not allow your heart to take pleasure with the praises of people, nor be saddened by their condemnation.” - Imam Abu Hamid Al-Ghazzali
#LightingTheWay
After another busy month at Zaytuna, February leaves our campus full of blossoming life and activity. Learn about our campus beautification projects and upcoming events in this month’s newsletter:
Thank you for being a part of the Zaytuna community. As students and faculty prepare for finals during this blessed month, please support our efforts by making a Ramadan gift to Zaytuna today:
Recently, Harvard students attended Zaytuna’s senior BA and MA class on apologetics. The course is designed to equip students to address contemporary challenges in understanding and presenting Islam. This session was led by President Hamza Yusuf.
“If a person does not avoid false talk and false conduct during fasting, then Allah does not care if he abstains from food and drink.” - Prophet Muhammad, upon him be peace (Bukhari)
#LightingTheWay
What Does It Mean to Be a Dignified Human Being?
Through what endeavor do human beings achieve supreme dignity? Greeks, Jews, and Christians define human dignity in disparate ways. Where does the Muslim definition fall?
Watch the full video->
Thank you to all the organizers and participants of this weekend’s thesis symposium at Harvard University. We look forward to more collaborations and building a brighter future for Muslims in higher education together, in sha Allah.
“Patience is not sitting and waiting, it is foreseeing. It is looking at the thorn and seeing the rose, looking at the night and seeing the day.” - Jalāl ad-Dīn Muhammad Rūmī
#LightingTheWay
“The weak are dominated by their ego, the wise dominate their ego, and the intelligent are in a constant struggle against their ego.” - Hamza Yusuf
#LightingTheWay
For centuries, from Senegal and Mauritania to Albania and Bosnia, Muslims have conducted lessons and gatherings on the simple and intimate setting of the floor. Something about all that space that is freed up by lack of furniture seems to leave more room for the spirit to soar.
No one reflects divine beauty more than the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, and by his command, we must strive to be that beauty mark amongst humanity: a vessel of truth, goodness, and beauty. -President Hamza Yusuf
Held in the College prayer space, President Hamza Yusuf's Ramadan lessons cover selections from Ibn Abi Jamrah’s Mukhtasar Sahih al-Bukhari.
Subscribe to the Zaytuna College YouTube channel so you never miss a live program or new video release!
Delighted to meet new and old friends alike, President Hamza Yusuf returned to the ISNA convention this year. On Saturday night, he delivered a lecture for the diamond jubilee award ceremony.
#ISNA
#ZaytunaCollege
On September 28, join Zaytuna College President
@sh_hamzayusuf
for an introduction to Islamic Home Financing with
@GuidanceRes
. He will address some of your most pressing questions at this live digital event. RSVP today:
Watch this clip from session one of The Jewels of the Qur'an with President
@sh_hamzayusuf
. We will release the video for this session on YouTube tomorrow, God willing. Stay tuned, and be sure to join us for session two tomorrow at 5:30 PM PDT/8:30 ET/1:30 AM BST (Monday).
We're proud to conclude our series with Aisha bint Abi Bakr, the mother of the believers, beloved of the Prophet, and jurist par excellence. She is one of the very first luminaries in our tradition and she remains an example of scholarship for others to follow.
Classically trained in the Islamic Sciences while studying in Damascus, Syria, as well as a Stanford trained physician. Dr. Rania lights the way and is, Ma sha Allah, a shero for Muslims in Academics globally
#LightingTheWay
In this Illuminating Month, Zaytuna College President
@sh_hamzayusuf
will take us on a journey that explores the endless wonders of the Qur'an through a dynamic series of live sessions on YouTube at 5:30 pm PDT: April 4, April 7 , April 14 , April 21, April 28.
“Just as our bodies, in a sense, become what we eat, our souls become what we look at, listen to, read, and think about. When the Islamic arts are rare, unrecognized, and underappreciated, what then happens to our souls?”⠀
-Professor Oludamini Ogunnaike⠀
Alhamdulillah, as our state-of-the-art studio nears completion, in sha Allah, we’re preparing an online learning platform for seekers of knowledge around the globe. Learn more and support our work:
The Creed of Imam Al-Tahawi, translated by President Hamza Yusuf, is now back in stock! Visit the Zaytuna College Bookstore to learn more and get your copy today: .
As students and faculty complete their last week of the spring semester, please keep Zaytuna College in your prayers. With your support, we will be graduating our 10th BA cohort and our 4th MA cohort this month, God willing.
As Imam Dawood Yasin transitions to a new chapter in life, students, faculty, and staff gathered for a fond farewell in appreciation of his long standing service to the Zaytuna community. Please join us in sending Imam Dawood gratitude and well-wishes for his journey ahead.
Female Students Learning Quranic Recitation | We don’t lose sight of the things that make our tradition unique and strong like the preservation of revelation. All Muslims recite from the same Quran b/c of a tenacious effort over almost 1,500 yrs to protect our text.
#Quran
Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings upon him, said “The similitude of the religious scholars on earth is that of the stars in the sky, by which [people] are guided through the darkness of the land and sea. If the stars are extinguished, even the guides might stray.”
"Love always attaches itself to beauty of one kind or another. When mosques and places of learning are beautiful, we are drawn to them. When speech is beautiful, we are drawn to it. Beauty inspires love, and love moves our souls." -Oludamini Ogunnaike
"Lack of rule of law is the reason why we haven't achieved our potential"
Prime Minister
@ImranKhanPTI
, in conversation with Shaykh Hamza Yusuf- the co-founder of
@zaytunacollege
An Appeal from Medina from Hamza Yusuf:
Support Zaytuna which aims to carry on the Prophet's legacy of placing knowledge at the center of human pursuit. Give the gift of knowledge and carry on this prophetic legacy:
#give
#zaytuna
#Medina
#hamzayusuf
“All men make mistakes, but a good man yields when he knows his course is wrong, and repairs the evil. The only crime is pride.” - Sophocles
#LightingTheWay
At the heart of a liberal arts education is nurturing a reflective mind and the development of character. In a presentation for Zaytuna staff, President Hamza Yusuf shared passages from a number of treatises from the Muslim scholarly tradition that discuss these higher aims.
"While the Qur’an commands us to work toward social justice, we are not responsible for the outcome of our efforts; in opposing injustice, we are accountable only for the struggle itself."
-Hamza Yusuf
Over the past two weeks we have been heartbroken by the news from Syria and Turkiye. In this week's khutbah, President Hamza Yusuf discusses these recent events and how the sunnah calls for us to respond to them.
'Definition’ seems like a word you wouldn’t have to define, but this is Zaytuna College. Here Shaykh Hamza goes into the definition of a definition (al-hadd). It must be comprehensive, adequately covering the scope of the word being defined. But it must also be...
Food for thought: “In short, racism was neither necessary nor sufficient for slavery, whose origins antedated racism by centuries. Racism was a result, not a cause, of slavery...
"The result of one who has attained a liberal education rooted in devotion should be a person who never intentionally hurts another. The Prophet ﷺ said, 'A believer is the one from whom others are safe from his hand and his tongue.'"
Read The Zaytuna College Ramadan Reader, a compilation of six essays by Zaytuna scholars—on mercy, forgiveness, and emancipation—that we hope will enhance your experience this month.
We are delighted to announce that the Western Association of Schools and Colleges has accredited Zaytuna College's ambitious new M.A. program in Islamic Texts. Our inaugural class begins this month. Please join us for our convocation.
Zaytuna College students resumed in-person classes this week at our two beautiful campuses in Berkeley, California. Please keep the College in your prayers.
Communication between two people breaks down when they have different definitions for the same word. In order for discussions to truly advance beyond bickering, we must define our terms.
#zaytunacollege
“Mu’adh ibn Jabal cried as his death drew near and said ‘I weep at how I will miss feeling thirst from the midday heat [from fasting], standing in prayer during the long winter nights, and the crowds of students kneeling around the scholars in the circles of knowledge.’"
The liberal arts, rightly considered, are the foundational skills that remain at the core of all the great world civilizations: a type of learning that that allows one to effectively communicate, reason, and persuade.
People don’t know this, but
@zaytunacollege
has committed to graduating their students debt-free. Like most of their students, my tuition was 100% covered for four years, and received a stipend every month.
On behalf of the faculty, staff, and students at Zaytuna College, we wish you and your family a blessed Eid al-Adha. May Allah accept your prayers and worship.
Zaytuna College President Hamza Yusuf said, “Education without devotion is like a body without a soul.” That’s why we seek students who want to cultivate their devotional lives so that their study of the religion will be both intellectually and spiritually fulfilling.
Alhamdulillah, this weekend, we will be graduating our 10th BA and 4th MA classes. Join us online on Sunday, May 21st at 11 am PDT as we celebrate the classes of 2023 and their accomplishments. Link to attend:
Right from the get go Muslims developed dictionary science, establishing what words meant teaches Sh. Hamza. Unlike linguists who argue that language itself is based on meaninglessness, Muslims argued that even Arabic letters have meaning. Through this lens we read the Qur’an.