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Ribāṭ Insights

Why Is It Important to Learn Arabic? A New Answer to an Old Question

Over the past two decades, I have inhabited many roles in relation to Arabic—learner, teacher, researcher, and curriculum developer. The question “Why is it important to study Arabic?” has been a recurrent one during my journey. The simple response is that the answer depends on the questioner. For some, the value lies in religious goals; for others, it lies in heritage, academic ambitions, or even politicized motivations. In reality, there is an answer—and an Arabic—for everyone.

Student of the Month – September

Born in Bangladesh and now a longtime resident of Florida, Panjeton Noor has built a life centered on learning, teaching, and family. She completed her bachelor’s in psychology from UCF, graduating summa cum laude, and went on to earn her master’s in education from USF. During her graduate studies, she worked for four years at the Department of Children and Families, and after graduating, she taught at Universal Academy of Florida until her retirement.

Under the White Tent: A Spiritual Retreat to Remember

In the heart of the lush English countryside, where rolling green hills stretch under skies that often kissed the earth with mist and sunshine in equal measure, a gathering of over one hundred Muslim women from across Europe—mostly from the United Kingdom—came together for something rare and extraordinary: a spiritual retreat grounded in tradition, knowledge, and sisterhood.

Student of the Month—August

Born in Iraq and raised in the United States, Intidar Aljabery has lived nearly three decades in her adopted homeland. Her journey brought her from Detroit, Michigan, where she first learned American Sign Language (ASL) in elementary school, to her current home in Minnesota. Deaf since childhood, ASL has been her primary language and a key to her flourishing life of service and learning.

Where Faiths Meet: Connection, Compassion, and Shared Humanity

Alhamdulilah, I had the privilege of attending an interfaith intensive through Ribaat this summer—an experience that was both humbling and transformative. The retreat brought together three different cohorts, representing all the Abrahamic faiths, for four days of learning, teaching, and genuine connection. We navigated challenging topics, but we also found joy in the small, everyday details of our lives, discovering common ground in unexpected places.

Pilgrims Fi Sabilillah: From Mecca to Minnesota

I attended Rabata’s retreat for the first time, and I returned home transformed into a different version of myself. The experience reminded me profoundly of my journey to Hajj, both in its challenges and its revelations.

Like Hajj, this retreat demanded sacrifice. Being away from my young children for five days, forgoing the comfort of familiar sleep and the solace of home, every aspect of my routine was tested. Yet in this testing, I found something sacred.