Trials and Triumphs: A Look at Black Religion & Spirituality

Course Description:

The Advanced Seminar will take an in-depth look at a variety of pertinent issues around the world today. The focus is on the Muslim’s and the da’iyas understanding of and role in issues affecting society and how we can be positive forces of change in various arenas.

“Trials and Triumphs: A Look at Black Religion & Spirituality” will take an in-depth look at Black American spirituality. Participants will examine Black spirituality, the Islamic spiritual tradition in Black Africa, the experiences of enslaved Black Americans, and the evolution of Black American Muslim movements. They will consider the contributions Black American Muslims have made to the greater Muslim community, while extrapolating lessons from the challenges and successes of Black Muslims.

Course Prerequisites:

Students should be women above the age of 17.

Course Requirements:

Live attendance is recommended whenever possible for the best learning experience. Recordings of the sessions will be made available for registered students who cannot attend live. Students will have access to course forums, recordings, and files until January 11th, 2026.

To be successful in this course, students need to attend the live class or watch the recordings and complete the coursework as defined in the course syllabus. This may include: weekly assignments or reflections, a term paper, project, or midterm, one or more quizzes, and/or a final exam.

Please note that daylight saving time will begin in the United States on Sunday, November 2, 2025. Depending on where you live, this may or may not affect your class timing. In countries where DST is not applied at all, class will be one hour later starting November 2.

This is an online course so students will need:

• Access to internet with an internet speed of at least 2 Mbps recommended for best performance.
• Headphones, camera and microphone may be required for in-class participation.
• To access the live class and recordings, students will need a computer, smartphone, or tablet/iPad with the Zoom app.

Text: 

1. Servants of Allah – Sylviane Diouf
2. Islam and the Black American – Sherman Jackson

Students are responsible for ordering their textbooks before the start of class. Ribaat textbooks are available to enrolled students at a discounted rate through Rabata Bookshop. Once enrolled, students will have access to the discount code through the course forum.

Registration:

Registration Fee: Non-refundable, non-transferable

• $150.00 (not including the cost of the course materials)
• $20.00 late registration fee on September 7th (if seats are available)
• Registration closes September 28th.
• Additional $5.00 auditing fee.

Before enrolling, please read the Registration Fees & Policies.

Contact: For inquiries, contact registration@rabata.org