Review: The 2018 Muslimah Today Conference

Muslimah Today is a yearly conference put together by a branch of ILM South Africa called ILM for Women. It’s described as a conference for women, about women, by women. This year’s Muslimah Today conference played host to ten speakers who spoke on a variety of topics centred around the main theme – Revisiting the Concept of Family in Islam.

Much wisdom was imparted during this event, the aim of which continues to be to unpack all the issues that women face. Every topic discussed by the respective speakers had them imparting a great deal of wisdom and thought-provoking information.

Some of the speeches which had the audience particularly spell-bound:

The concept of family in Islam – Quraysha Ismail Sooliman

Preserving the Muslim family: A convert’s journey – Amina Ngubane

The importance of how family shapes your character – Tshepang Mamogale

One of the best little inclusions in the programme was designated time for audience interaction and questions directly following each speaker. Also appreciated was the accommodation for ladies who were shy and wished to ask their questions anonymously.

Below are some of the gems of wisdom shared by Saturday’s speakers:

The concept of family in Islam by Quraysha Ismail Sooliman

“If there is corruption in the family, it spills over to society.”

“The crisis of the ummah is a crisis of character.”

“Conversation is education.”

Preserving the Muslim Family: A Convert’s Journey by Amina Ngubane

“When you try to keep things that are toxic to you, they start eating at your spirit.”

“As we doing what we are doing, remember full submission to Allah. And that to me means let go.”

Building Family Legacies in this World & the Next Through Waqf by Zafar Ahmed

“Waqaf in the term of Islamic charity means to stop ownership or benefit from a material thing.”

“It becomes the seed to grow an investment.”

“You can count the seeds in an apple BUT you cannot count the apples in a seed.”

The Importance of Family in Shaping One’s Character – Tshepang Mamogale

“We should always be grateful to the fact that we’ve got life.”

“You’re oppressing yourself. Yes, you’re being oppressed but by staying, you’re oppressing yourself. And that’s haram. You’re not allowed to oppress yourself.”

Factors Leading to the Breakdown of Muslim Marriages by Haafidh Fuzail Soofie

“There’s a difference between resilience and hard.”

“A+B=C-D

Affection + Benevolence = Commitment – Divorce”

Raising a Powerful Family in the 21^st Century by Junaid Bayat

“A lot of parents and schools are fighting the technology. Here’s a notification for you – this technology is not going away.”

Issues Facing Our Elderly by Suhaima Hoosen

“Integrate the elderly as another child in the family.”

“The three things we need:

Warmth, empathy and genuineness.”

Outstanding Female Scholars in the field of Qur’an by Ustaadhah Ayesha Abrahams

(An explanation of Qiraa’ah) “Qiraa’at – Different modes of recitation. In layman’s terms, different dialects.”

The two day conference does have a fee that may be steep for some – R400 for the weekend. However, there have always been and will continue to be sponsorships available for ladies who are unable to afford the entrance fee as the organizers wish to ensure that Muslimah Today is “non-elitist and accessible to all,” Fatima Asmal is quoted as saying.

This year’s conference may be over but you now have ample time to be on the lookout for when tickets go on sale to next year’s. In the meantime, head over to Instagram and explore the tag #MuslimahToday2018 for video and audio clips of this year’s conference.