Ijtihad Network Being Wise and Faithful Muslim in the Contemporary World
The Ahlul Bayt Fellowship will be awarded each year by Mohsena Memorial Foundation (MMF) in the memory of our Founder, Syed-Mohsin Naquvi, to a student pursuing graduate studies with the intent to earn a doctoral degree in an Islam-related field in an academic institution in North America.
In our first year, we are open to considering applicants from the humanities and social sciences, especially Islamic arts, ethics, philosophy, metaphysics, theology, law, and history, as well as Urdu language and literature, whose graduate work intersects with the teachings and elevates the influence of the Prophet Muhammad and his family, the Ahlul Bayt (peace be upon them). The Fellowship will be awarded beginning from the 2022 – 2023 Academic Year and each academic year thereafter.
About the Ahlul Bayt Fellowship Award
Monetary award: $2,000
Mentorship: Access to the MMF network of scholars in Islam-related fields
Referrals: Speaking opportunities at academic institutions and community events
Publicity: Fellows will be featured on the new MMF website (coming soon) with bio
Preference of award will be given to women & underrepresented minorities but is open to all applicants.
Eligibility
Acceptance or current enrollment in a graduate doctoral program in North America.
Each of 3 finalists will be interviewed by the Ahlul Bayt Fellowship Selection Committee virtually.
Attendance at the Annual Syed-Mohsin Naquvi Lecture, which will include the Ahlul Bayt Fellowship Award Ceremony in Fall 2022, is required for the winner. Transportation and one-night accommodation will be covered by the Foundation.
Application Information
A complete Ahlul Bayt Fellowship application consists of these required components:
• _Statement of Purpose explaining your professional path to pursuing a doctorate and specific areas of academic interest. Candidates must include an explanation of how the Ahlul Bayt (pbut) will be part of their future doctoral work (max: 750 words)
• _Short essay describing a personal experience, your spiritual philosophy, and/or a community project you led, which reflects the spirit and legacy of Syed-Mohsin Naquvi (max: 250 words)
• _Doctoral program acceptance letter
• _All college transcripts (unofficial)
• _All graduate level transcripts, including current program, if applicable (unofficial)
• _Curriculum vitae, including community work and projects
• _2 recommendation letters: 1 academic and 1 community reference sent directly to email below
Important Data
Please collate all items into one PDF and submit to info@mohsena.org
Deadline: Please submit completed application by June 20th, 2022 at 11:59pm EST. Finalists will be notified by July 9th, 2022. Winner will be announced on Eid-e-Ghadeer, July 18th, 2022.
Ahlul Bayt Fellowship Selection Committee
The Fellowship Selection Committee is comprised of highly qualified professionals, academics, authors, and friends of Syed-Mohsin Naquvi who are proponents of his legacy and the mission of Mohsena Memorial Foundation.
About Syed-Mohsin Naquvi
During his life, Syed-Mohsin Naquvi was a humanitarian, reformer, talented orator, and self-taught scholar committed to educating the public, both Muslims and non-Muslims, about the Prophet Muhammad and his Holy Family, referred to collectively as the Ahlul Bayt (pbut). Mr. Naquvi lectured in Urdu and English, in which he was a pioneer in Europe and North America, where he spent most of his adult life. He wrote hundreds of articles and booklets on numerous topics from religion to history to politics and social issues, as well as the following nine books during his lifetime:
The Tragedy of Karbala (1986, 1992, 2015)
Understanding Karbala (2006)
The House of Love: The Importance of Love for the Prophet and his Holy Family (2007)
Defending the Shi’a Faith Without Being Defensive (2008)
Nawa Ha-e-Raaz, an Urdu commentary on poet Mirza Ghalib (2017)
An Anthology of Shi’a Intellectual History [expected late 2022]
The Effect of Karbala on the Urdu Language (Urdu) [expected 2023]
The Qur’an and Our Way of Life [unpublished]
The Life and Times of Ali Ibn Abi Talib [unpublished]
Mr. Naquvi spoke often of the need for young Muslims to pursue graduate study, especially terminal PhDs, in Islamic Studies and other fields to elevate the intellectual status and academic prowess of the American Muslim community. And leading by example, at the age of 63 he completed his Master’s Degree in Islamic Studies from the Graduate School of Islamic and Social Sciences (GSISS) at Córdoba University in Virginia in 2006. And although he had produced enough original material related to Islam in English for an academic’s lifetime, he was unable to gain admission to a PhD program in his later life, citing ageism and anti-Shi’ism.
Mr. Naquvi was a father of 3 daughters and a son, a grandfather to 3 boys and 1 girl, a devoted and loving husband and brother, and admired by all the members of his extended family and a mentor to many in the Muslim community from India and Pakistan to Europe and the United States. Mr. Naquvi founded Mohsena Memorial Foundation to honor his mother, a poet and zakira, who instilled in him and his 5 younger siblings the love of the Ahlul Bayt (pbut) from a very early age, and tragically passed away at the age of 54 as she prepared to recite a majalis in their honor.
