Zaytuna College

Zaytuna College Zaytuna College is a Muslim liberal arts college located in Berkeley, California.
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In 2009, Zaytuna College was founded in Berkeley, CA, with a mission that called for grounding students in the Islamic scholarly tradition as well as in the cultural currents and critical ideas shaping modern society. Today, we welcome students from across the world to both our BA and MA programs. Our BA program is in liberal arts and Islamic studies, providing students with a foundation in the in

tellectual heritage of two major world civilizations: the Islamic and the Western. For our MA program we offer two tracks in Islamic texts: Islamic theology and philosophy or Islamic law and legal theory. This program aims to provide students with higher-level access to the Islamic tradition through a guided course of study in Islam’s primary sources. At Zaytuna College, we have set out to do our best at restoring the broad-based, holistic tradition of what in the West was called the liberal arts and in the Muslim civilization was known as comprehensive studies. These civilizations share common aims: to think deeply and systematically about the world (creation), to ponder its ultimate source and purpose (Creator), and to live ethically in the course of our individual and collective lives (spirituality and politics). Ultimately, the purpose of education from an Islamic perspective—and for Zaytuna College—is to aid students in their own pursuit and discovery of the truth, inculcating the love of beauty, truth, and goodness in a human being.

Dr. Ali Ataie, Dean of Undergraduate Studies at Zaytuna College, made his first official visit to the Greater Toronto Ar...
06/23/2026

Dr. Ali Ataie, Dean of Undergraduate Studies at Zaytuna College, made his first official visit to the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) during the first weekend of June. He gave insightful talks and engaged with eager learners and community leaders in Toronto, Scarborough, Brampton, Vaughan, and Mississauga. He covered a wide range of topics including Prophets Ibrahim, Issa, and Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon them, through the lens of Abrahamic traditions; the importance of cultivating natural intelligence; and how to nurture faith and character in education.

Several community members expressed deep appreciation for Dr. Ataie’s knowledge and expertise in comparative theology and requested more future seminars. Parents and educators alike were very impressed by Zaytuna College’s unique approach to education which cultivates the timeless values of truth, goodness, and beauty.

Special thanks to the Islamic Institute of Toronto, ISNA Canada, Masjid Vaughan, Muslim Parents Association for Independent Schools, and our dedicated volunteers who co-hosted and organized a very impactful visit.

Learn more about academics at Zaytuna College: https://go.zaytuna.edu/3Spizlc

06/20/2026

This Muharram marks the beginning of the sixth year of the First Command Book Club.

This month, members will read two works that explore the promises and challenges of artificial intelligence, and what it means to preserve our humanity in an age of machine thinking:

The AI Mirror: How to Reclaim Our Humanity in an Age of Machine Thinking by Shannon Vallor

Magnifica Humanitas: On Safeguarding the Human Person in the Time of Artificial Intelligence

Together, these selections invite us to reflect on the intersection of AI, human dignity, and the moral questions of our time.

The First Command Book Club is available exclusively to members of 12000 Strong, Zaytuna College’s community of monthly supporters.

Become a monthly donor and join the conversation:
https://go.zaytuna.edu/43NHocT

06/17/2026

At Zaytuna College, education is sustained by community.

Students learn in small cohorts, pray together, and study in intimate classes that allow for meaningful engagement with faculty. These relationships are not incidental to the learning experience; they help shape it.

Our faculty take a genuine interest in students’ personal growth, and graduates leave not only with a diploma, but with mentors, colleagues, and friends.

Hear from recent graduate Othman Tomeh, BA Class of 2026, on how Zaytuna College prepared him for what comes next. https://go.zaytuna.edu/4vgOxOS

Applications for Fall 2027 open August 15, 2026, inshallah. Learn more here: https://go.zaytuna.edu/4fTrF3h

06/17/2026

In confusing times, clear thinking is a necessary discipline.

Zaytuna College’s new online course, Formal Logic II: Judgement and Reasoning, continues our study of formal logic with Dr. Phillbert Cheng. Students will explore how thought is structured, how claims are tested, and how arguments are formed in ordinary language.

Through lessons on judgement, propositions, reasoning, and syllogisms, this course offers a guided study of the architecture of thought and the language of reason.

The course is available to stream on demand and learn at your own pace.
Learn more and enroll: https://go.zaytuna.edu/4vU8QBO

“Calligraphy is visual dhikr,” says Ustadha Aishah Holland, Zaytuna’s summer resident scholar of calligraphy.This summer...
06/16/2026

“Calligraphy is visual dhikr,” says Ustadha Aishah Holland, Zaytuna’s summer resident scholar of calligraphy.

This summer, join us for Thuluth: Letter by Letter, a daylong workshop introducing students to one of the oldest and most well-known classical scripts.

Designed for beginning and intermediate-level students ages twelve and above, the workshop will review the tools of calligraphy and invite participants to slow down, practice patience, and experience the discipline of the pen.

Workshops will be offered on July 11 and July 18. Registration is limited, and only a few spots remain.

Register today to reserve your place: https://go.zaytuna.edu/4eGkWbT

We welcome our incoming students and rising sophomores to a summer of study at Zaytuna College.Over the coming weeks, st...
06/15/2026

We welcome our incoming students and rising sophomores to a summer of study at Zaytuna College.

Over the coming weeks, students will devote themselves to the Arabic language, deepening their encounter with the divine language of the Qur’an through focused study, disciplined routines, and campus life.

Ibn Ata Allah, may God have mercy on him, said, “Among the signs of success at the end is turning to God at the beginning.”

May this summer be a blessed beginning for our students, and may their intentions be purified, their studies made fruitful, and their paths illuminated, inshallah.

Learn More About Academics at Zaytuna: https://go.zaytuna.edu/4uWS7Nv

Address

2452 Virginia Street
Berkeley, CA
94709

Telephone

+15103564760

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