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.
While conducting a writing workshop at a school in London four years ago, Suhaiymah befriended the English teacher there. She learned about Ribaat through her and took her very first Arabic course with that same teacher, Anse Nishat Lal.
“My experience with Ribaat has been beautiful thus far Alhamdulillah,” shares Suhaiymah. “Seeing and hearing from a community of female scholars and students has really benefitted me [as has countering] the narratives we sometimes hear about the practice and presence of female scholarship in Islam and its history.”
Some other aspects of Ribaat that Suhaiymah appreciates are the sense of community, the learning that takes place in and out of the classroom, and the aspect of personal growth. She feels her relationship with Allah and His Messenger, peace be upon him, has deepened from this growth and learning.
“I have studied various things with Ribaat, and each has always brought me closer to Allah and to Islam,” Suhaiymah notes. “The course on the Companions [Allah be pleased with them], always sticks with me. Also, the tajwid course has radically transformed my relationship with the Quran, with my salah, and any other opportunity or time of recitation!”
With Allah’s Will, Suhaiymah aspires to complete her recitation of the Quran with tajwid and then begin her journey of memorizing the Quran. In her free time, Suhaiymah enjoys knitting, cycling, roller skating and nature. She also likes to spend time talking to elders, listening to people’s stories and reflecting on the beauty of the world.
