Ma’rifa is a national organization committed to the spiritual and intellectual growth of Shi’i students. By curating resources, crafting content, and building a community network, we provide students with a framework for critical leadership, grounded in culturally relevant, Islamic perspectives. Our goal is to invest in and enrich the Shi’i student journey in order to discover our individual and collective ma’rifa.
We held our first conference in 2020 at Harvard University. It was the first step towards this goal, spurred by the need for a forum of exploring God-centric knowledge for students, scholars, and community leaders. Four conferences later, we are happy to invite you for our fifth anniversary conference, Ma’rifa 2024: Under One Sun.
Celebrate 5 years of Ma’rifa with us at our annual conference in Philadelphia from February 16-18! Join us for Ma’rifa 2024: Under One Sun to connect our understandings and experiences of community. In the midst of collective grief and struggle, what shared purpose and values link us to each other? Drawing across diverse traditions of mercy and justice, how should we cultivate care and accountability towards one another, our communities, and all others under the sun?
The theme is inspired by the following Quran verse: 'So endure what they say, and celebrate by praising your Lord before the rising of the sun and its setting.' [50:39]
We pray that Ma’rifa 2024 will illuminate our hearts and inspire us to pave the way for Prophetic community.
Ma’rifa 2024: Under One Sun will be held from February 16th to 18th. Unlike previous years, Ma’rifa 2024 will continue across three days. The conference will take place in Philadelphia.
Navigate to the Speakers tab under Schedule to learn more about our speakers before the conference.
It is! It will be held in Philadelphia on February 16th-18th. We will provide a virtual option for those who are not able to join us in person.
You can register for the in-person conference if you meet the following criteria:
A Shi'a individual between 18 and 25 years old (including undergraduates, graduate students and recent graduates). Please note that high school students are NOT eligible to attend Ma'rifa 2024.
You can register for the virtual conference if you meet the following criteria:
Due to increased demand and requests, Ma’rifa is extending this year’s virtual conference to high school students and individuals ages 25-30 (including undergraduates, graduate students and recent graduates).
Please note that we are accommodating of any special circumstances for admission to the virtual conference. If you do not meet the above eligibility criteria, but are still interested in attending, reach out to us at conference@marifaprograms.com.
To complete your registration, please purchase a ticket AND fill out the relevant registration form.
Registration is open until January 15th 2024 at 11:59 PST.
You can purchase the tickets at the same links as registration.
Tickets are made available via Eventbrite. The link to both in-person and virtual conference tickets can be found under the Register tab.
Our in-person conference tickets will be limited to 300 people to ensure the integrity of the content.
Registration is open until January 15th 2024 at 11:59 PST.
You must complete your registration, arrange travel and transportation to Philadelphia, PA, and confirm your lodging.
You can book your hotel room by navigating to Lodging under the Logistics tab. There is a limited number of rooms and options available, so be sure to book as soon as possible.
The deadline to book the hotel is January 26th 2024.
Rooms will cost $129.00, without taxes, per night for 1-4 individuals in a double queen room or a single king room (cap: 4).
You can book your rooms by navigating to Lodging under the Logistics tab.
Sign up to get matched with a roommate by navigating to Lodging under the Logistics tab!
For in-person tickets, early bird tickets will be $30 and regular tickets will be $40. All virtual tickets will be $10.
Ma’rifa Inc. is a registered 501c3 non-profit organization. Our programs are sponsored primarily by academic grants through universities, Muslim organizations, and public donations from community donors, masjids, centers and other religious organizations. If you are interested in supporting our work, please reach out to us at conference@marifaprograms.com.
We have limited funding available for transportation and lodging on a need-basis. Once you have registered and if you anticipate needing financial-aid, please fill out the financial-aid form. Please note that we strive to make all Ma'rifa programming financially accessible for everyone. Our financial-aid is based on mutual trust and proceeds from the conference will go towards future student programming.
We understand that life happens and will try our best to work with you to process a refund if applicable.
The conference will not be recorded for external use. You must be present in-person or tune in virtually to access the content.
Before the conference, we ask that you respond to our Call for Responses prompt. We are a content driven conference so the most important factor in making Ma’rifa 2024 successful will be engagement from our attendees. We ask that you please come ready to participate, meet, organize, and learn with your peers.
Feel free to DM us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook at @marifaprograms or email us at conference@marifaprograms.com!