About Zaytuna College
Our Mission
Zaytuna College aims to educate and prepare morally committed professional, intellectual, and spiritual leaders who are grounded in the Islamic scholarly tradition and conversant with the cultural currents and critical ideas shaping modern society.
In 2009, Zaytuna College was established in Berkeley, California, on the foundation of a thriving community committed to studying the Muslim classics. Combining this vigor of learning with the best practices in academia, the College opened its doors with a mission to produce God-conscious learners who are conversant in both past and present, through a traditional liberal arts education.
Liberal arts, in its original sense, meant a
rigorous study of learning skills (trivium) and specific subjects (quadrivium). The same structure
characterizes the traditional Muslim education, liberal arts education came to Christendom from Islam, as the late George Makdisi demonstrated in his seminal work, The Rise of Colleges. By understanding grammar, rhetoric, and logic, a student is equipped with the tools to approach any discipline.
Zaytuna
College seeks to recapture this tradition through both the BA and MA programs, with a
curriculum that draws both on the Muslim classics and on the Euro-American classical
tradition that grew from and alongside it. Its aim is to cultivate young men and women committed to truth,
goodness, and beauty, in obedience to our Creator and service to His creation.
The Zaytuna College Campus
In summer 2015, Zaytuna completed its move to the neighborhood of Holy Hill, a multi-faith academic community in Berkeley, California, where the College owns three buildings, collectively known as the lower campus.
Zaytuna’s lower campus is adjacent to one of the premier research universities in the world, the University of California, Berkeley. Holy Hill is also home to the Graduate Theological Union (GTU), the largest consortium of seminaries and academic centers for the study of religion in the nation.
This community gives Zaytuna students and faculty an unparalleled opportunity to engage inside and outside the classroom with educational communities from different faith traditions.
In 2017, Zaytuna acquired its upper campus, a stunning nine-acre property in the Berkeley Hills whose serene natural environment is conducive to serious study and contemplation. Upper campus consists of eight buildings including a women’s dormitory, classrooms, a permaculture garden, administrative offices, and a musalla, the heart of our intellectual and spiritual community.
"The greatest, truest, and only permanent good bestowed upon humanity is that of true knowledge. From such knowledge, all other goods flow, even faith. And this is why, at Zaytuna College, we have adorned our seal with the prayer Qul Rabbi zidnī ‘ilman (“Say: O Lord, increase me in knowledge”).
For it is our knowledge of the world alone that enables us to discern a creator; hence true knowledge will always lead to true faith. The greatest Qur’ānic commandment is “Know that there is no god but the One True God.” It is knowledge alone—and most importantly, knowledge of God—that differentiates us from beasts, making us unique among God’s glorious creation."
– The Qur’anic quotation is from sūrah Tā Hā, verse 114.
What Our Supporters Say
“For anyone who yearns to nourish their intellect and revive their spirit; this is your opportunity. I have benefited immensely from belonging to 12000 Strong. The members-only book club with President Hamza Yusuf has expanded my heart and mind and awakened in me a love for critical thought anchored in spiritual depth.
The Prophet ﷺ said that the most beloved deeds to Allah are the most consistent ones, even if they are small. As members of 12000 Strong, consistent giving is our investment in a legacy of sacred knowledge, a sadaqa jariyah (ongoing charity) that will outlive us all.
May Allah make our monthly support a means of light in this world and the next. Ameen."
— Sara Baig
“A Zaytuna education addresses how to become a better citizen and human being. This distinguishes Zaytuna College from other North American colleges and universities: students learn that the blessings we are given come with a responsibility to give back. This essential aspect is entirely missing from higher education. Not once in any of the three universities I attended, including law school, did my professors address the responsibility of giving back to community.”
— Hussein Hamdani
“Supporting Zaytuna College becomes more important with each passing day. The work of connecting young Muslims to our rich history and living tradition, and teaching them to think critically and communicate persuasively, has never been more important.
As recipients of revelation and prophetic guidance, Muslims have a heavy responsibility in these challenging times. Humanity needs us to be good stewards of the guidance we have been given. We must become better leaders and followers and deliver to others what has been passed on to us . In every arena — as parents, neighbors, employees, and citizens — it is upon us to model a better way.”
— Zakaria Shaikh
Create a Legacy with an Endowment Gift
"Those who give, out of their own possessions, by night and by day, in private and in public, will have their reward with their Lord: no fear for them, nor will they grieve."
(Qur'an 2:274)