Education & Training

Maʿruf Commons is a research and education organization that offers education and training programs and resources to advance intentional learning, spiritual formation, and ethical practice.

Education

Maʿruf Commons offers learning experiences that help Muslims and Muslim communities to deepen their connection with God, engage their inner worlds and lived realities, and learn alongside others in reflective and courageous spaces of faith and belonging.

Training

Maʿruf Commons equips Muslim practitioners and service-providers with the frameworks, tools, and skills to integrate Islamic principles into their work. Recognizing that these professionals are on the frontlines of addressing the community’s most pressing needs, our training cultivates forward-thinking and compassionate leaders who can frame complex issues and apply Islamic teachings in grounded, creative, and relevant ways to meet the challenges of their professional settings.

Our Approach

At Maʿruf Commons, we advance new ways of thinking and understanding Islamic tradition, engaging scholars, practitioners, and communities in articulating principles and tools to integrate lived experience with religious teaching. Through collaborative research and collective inquiry, we co-construct knowledge and approaches that address contemporary ethical and spiritual challenges.
ABOUT US

Our Learning Commitments

Engaging and Relevant

We approach difficult questions with curiosity and a critical, exploratory spirit. We are honest about our limitations and our ongoing engagement with critical issues, inviting others to humility and to sit with the discomfort of not having all the answers.

Between the extremes of cancel culture and loss of faith on the one hand, and complacency, apologetics, and turning a blind eye on the other, we forge a middle path. This path acknowledges the dysfunctions within our community and the historical contingencies of our tradition, while retaining trust in God, His Prophet ﷺ, and optimism about the possibility of realizing and institutionalizing moral excellence and a flourishing communal life.

We offer access to the richness of the Islamic tradition in new ways that empower critical thinkers and confident believers. Rather than relying on rhetoric to persuade, we provide principle-based frameworks grounded in rigorous knowledge traditions, demonstrated through case studies and examples that invite participants to form their own conclusions.

We break new ground in innovative pedagogical practices and clarifying frameworks that make knowledge accessible and applicable to the ethical dilemmas of daily life. We equip individuals with the tools, frameworks, and personal capacities to address emerging questions and to lead God-centered lives within their families, communities, and professional domains.

We believe knowledge is never pursued alone. Our work builds on the Islamic tradition’s rich history of debate and critique, alongside the peer-review practices of the modern academy. Collaboration is both a method and a value, ensuring that our learning is tested, refined, and strengthened through exchange with others.

Collaborations

We often partner with subject-matter experts, practitioners, and educators who bring diverse insights and lived experience to our learning design. Together, we develop courses, workshops, and training programs that are grounded in tradition, practically relevant, and spiritually enriching.

Safeguarding Children from Abuse: Fulfilling our Islamic Responsibility

A collaboration between Angelica Lindsey-Ali, Sameera Qureshi, and Dr. Mariam Sheibani, providing Islamically aligned and actionable strategies for fostering safer environments in homes, communities, and institutions, and promoting a community-wide culture of safeguarding and prevention.

Learning Circle on Spiritual Abuse and Sexual Violence

A collaboration with Hurma Project, Maristan, and The Rahmah Foundation to provide a deeper understanding of how spiritual abuse and sexual violence occur, and how each of us can contribute to creating safer communities.

Islamic School League of America (ISLA) Sexual Abuse Prevention Toolkit

A collaboration between ISLA, Hurma Project, and Ma’ruf Commons to develop the first Framework of Islamic Principles articulating core Islamic principles for addressing child sexual abuse, included in ISLA’s Toolkit. This resource guides Muslim educators, parents, and community leaders in recognizing, preventing, and responding to harm with compassion, theological clarity, and accountability.

Available Courses

Our courses offer nuanced and scholarly understandings of the past, present, and future of Islamic tradition that are accessible and application-oriented.

Get in touch.

We welcome collaboration, conversation, and connection.

Whether you’re interested in our research, educational programs, or partnership opportunities, we’d love to hear from you.

You can also use the contact form below to reach us directly.

CONTACT FORM
General Inquiries
contact@marufcommons.org
Education & Training
education@marufcommons.org
Research
research@marufcommons.org
Book Dr. Mariam Sheibani for an event
bookings@marufcommons.org