How it started…

When I was thirteen years old, I sat my mother down and tried to convince her to let me drop out of middle school to go study Islam at al-Azhar University in Cairo.

She humored me. “Once you have exhausted all the teachers available here in Ottawa, you can go”, she promised. I took her at her word and dove head first into my studies. I joined Quran memorization classes after fajr before I went to school, committed my evenings to classes in Arabic grammar three nights a week, and enrolled in courses in the Islamic sciences online. I read everything I could get my hands on, and attended retreats and knowledge intensives during school breaks. I devoted all my free time during my high school and college years to advancing my studies, part-time during the school year, and more intensely over the summer months and during several gap years.

Although I never made it to al-Azhar, over the next two decades, I would study the Islamic sciences to an advanced level with leading scholars from North America, Jordan, Syria, Turkey, and West Africa. My enduring interests have been in the fields of Islamic law and legal theory (fiqh and usul al-fiqh), hadith sciences, Quranic sciences, and the theory and practice of Sufism and ethical formation.

Parallel to my formation in these religious sciences, I also trained in top academic programs in Islamic studies, earning an MA in Legal Studies, a second MA and PhD in Islamic Thought from the University of Chicago, and completing my postdoctoral training at Harvard Law School. This rigorous academic training provided the critical historical context and comparative vantage point that deepened my understanding of the religious sciences I had studied. It also broadened my horizons to encompass the vast array of cultural diversity, literary expressions, and socio-political customs of Muslims across time and space. Finally, it enabled me to master the skills of research and writing and to receive extensive pedagogical training to hone the art of synthesizing and conveying the knowledge I had acquired to diverse audiences.

How it’s going…

While continuing my academic work as an intellectual historian and a professor at Brandeis University, I am equally passionate about public education and training Muslim leaders, practitioners, and service-providers. I collaborate with Muslim organizations and communities, and offer courses and trainings through my website.

My courses bring together the best of academic and historical approaches to contemporary challenges, combined with a nuanced and sophisticated understanding of Islamic tradition, and delivered through an engaging, application-oriented, and discussion-based approach. I am committed to  making complex concepts accessible and equipping believers and practitioners with frameworks and tools for critical thinking, real-world application, and spiritual practice.

My seminars are a fusion of timeless values, historical learnings, modern insights, and pedagogical innovation. Blending the best of the old and the new, I’m dedicated to educating and empowering individuals and communities, especially women.

Core Values

I am committed to the following values for purpose-driven moral leadership, impactful education and training, and community-building:

  • I believe in the transformative meanings of God’s final revelation to humanity through the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him. We live in a time when faith in the Prophetic message has been shattered because of the failings of many to uphold this trust and to convey it coherently and faithfully. My work is spiritually grounded, an expression of devotion to God, and rooted in a trusting optimism and reliance on God as we build a better future.

    I begin with me: my service is grounded in faith and my personal commitment to intentional devotion and character refinement. I contribute to removing the impediments on the path of the believers to the goal of attaining intimate knowledge of God and becoming embodied vessels of Prophetic love who cooperate and sacrifice to build wholesome communities and a better world.

  • The educational spaces I facilitate are communities of connection that enable participants to connect with and integrate their inner world and lived experiences, to connect with their Lord, and to connect with other believers in brave communal spaces.

    These spaces of belonging thrive to be without ego: disagreements and diverse modes of being are a source of strength rather not discord. Our spaces are for collective exploration and co-construction of solutions to shared and emerging challenges.

  • I thrive to model a Prophetic ethic and women’s leadership, scholarship, and spiritual embodiment that is uplifting and inspires others to realize their potential. I am committed to ethical standards of personal and institutional engagement, transparency, and accountability.

    I am engaged in an evolving exploration of alternatives to the dominant models of Muslim leadership and celebrity scholars. I believe that knowledge is mere data if it is not correctly embodied; knowledge is a means, not an end in itself. I thrive to be a reliable, compassionate, and accessible scholarly resource in service of the Muslim community, with a focus on serving women.

What students have to say

  • “Professor Sheibani is a gifted instructor who surpassed my expectations of a professor. She is clearly passionate and knowledgeable about her work and it's contagious to students.”

    - Graduate student at Harvard Divinity School, Seminar on Islamic Ethics

  • “This course really showed the complexity and breadth of Sufism. The scope of what was covered in a relatively short time was incredible. The delivery was excellent and easy to follow – a good systematic and chronological treatment without being rigid. I learnt so many new things and the course really shifted my thinking. Explanations of contentious issues were very even handed and dispassionate. This was a refreshing approach because of how antagonistic discussions of these topics are in Muslim communities today.”

    -Student in What Is Sufism?, an on-demand course at Cambridge Muslim College

  • “I see this course as a defining moment in my studies at Harvard Divinity School. Professor Sheibani is an excellent instructor who utilizes a variety of pedagogical strategies to provide a holistic learning experience.”

    - Graduate student at Harvard Divinity School, Seminar on al-Ghazālī’s Thought

  • “I thoroughly benefited from the course What is Sufism? taught by Dr. Mariam Sheibani. She taught the course in a very systematic and engaging way. She connected the dots for me about Sufism through an intellectual historical perspective. The course was easy to follow and the content was very well organized. As a Learning Experience Designer by profession, I really appreciated how the content was divided appropriately into smaller segments that flowed logically. I also appreciate that it was self-paced which allowed working professionals like me to go through it at their own pace.”

    - Ateka, student in What Is Sufism?

  • “I loved how Dr. Sheibani explored specific Islamic laws and presented the differences between the rules and the spirit or purpose of the law. There was so much compassion in law the way she taught it, even on the toughest questions. I also liked how she transitioned into therapeutic applications and made room for classroom discussions. It was always clear that things are not black and white and listening to different experiences from fellow practitioners enriched the discussion.”

    - Practitioner-student in the Cambridge Muslim College, Islamic Psychology Diploma

  • “Professor Sheibani was a great professor. She made sure we discussed the course concepts thoroughly, shared our own opinions, and raised questions on the course material. She made all the students feel comfortable and connected to one another and ensured they respected each other's opinions. I also loved how she combined both western academic sources and traditional Muslim sources to broaden our understanding with different perspectives.”

    - Student at the University of Toronto, Early Islamic History Seminar

  • “The class was immensely informative largely because Professor Sheibani has such a strong command in the expansive fields of Islamic history, Islamic law, and Islamic theology. No question was left unanswered or without a nuanced explanation from her. Excellent course.”

    - Graduate student at Harvard Divinity School, Seminar on Islamic Ethics

  • “Professor Sheibani is a gem! She should be nominated for teaching awards (and I am sure she will be!). She did a stellar job with every aspect of teaching and inspired each of her students - in a very diverse class - to learn more than they thought they could. I wish I had the opportunity to take more classes from her.”

    - Graduate student at Harvard Divinity School, Seminar on Islamic Ethics

  • “Dr. Mariam is an expert in Hadith sciences. But more than that she deeply cares about her students and connecting them to this science. She is a skilled educator who breaks down complex concepts and makes them digestible and applicable for all. I loved learning from her and with her. She is an incredible teacher who models sincerity, accessibility, and humility, which is beautiful to witness. She is a clear communicator, and she engages difficult subjects with grace and frankness.”

    - Rahile, student in Hadith seminar in Cairo

  • “If you want to understand Hadith, Sunnah, and Fiqh, the four sessions called ‘Holding Fast’ by Dr. Mariam Sheibani are the best video resource available online. She’s a phenomenal teacher, and I highly recommend learning from her.”

    - Abdullah Saleh