بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ

In the name of God, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful

--Announcement from Imam Fode Drame--

On the Launch of the Zawiyah Foundation of the DMV

As Salam u Alaykum,

I pray this message finds you and your families safe and well in this blessed month.  We have so much to be grateful for as we begin our journey as a formalized part of the DMV community.  We are grateful for God’s unending and countless blessings upon all of us, and we are equally grateful for the challenges He has ordained to bring us closer to Him. 

Indeed the past few years, have been some of tremendous challenges for people of all faiths.  The children of Adam are suffering around the world.  Muslim communities throughout the United States have invested millions of dollars toward the construction of beautiful and lofty mosques, many of which grace the greater District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia (“DMV”) area.  Our mosques serve a vital role and are a cherished blessing from God.  Yet, by God’s Command, during this past difficult year, our beautiful mosques were closed and empty.  With nowhere else to go, we retreated into the Cave of our hearts, and what did we find?  Many found loneliness, isolation and a deep reservoir of fear and grief.  Many realized that true spiritual healing and the nourishment that endures does not emerge from this fleeting material world, its lofty beautiful structures, or its empty forms. 

True spiritual healing requires more than that.  It requires an intimacy with God and the Words of God.  It requires the support of qualified mentors and teachers who cultivate the best in each of us through compassion and mercy.  It requires an environment that is open and comforting, nourishing and accommodating to our own unique God-given strengths and weaknesses.  True spiritual healing involves a three-dimensional relationship between the individual and his/her Creator, between the individual and his/herself, and between the individual and the entire creation.  This three-dimensional relationship consists of remembrance (dhikr), “Remember me and I will remember you” (The Quran, 2:152), love “He loves them and they love Him” (The Quran, 3:31), and happiness, “He is happy with them, and they are happy with Him” (The Quran, 58:22). 

In 2005, I started the Zawiyah Foundation in Vancouver, Canada to help foster an intimacy with God that transcends the fleeting material world and that allows us to fulfill our greatest potential to engage with our modern world in a modern manner.  The Zawiyah Foundation in Vancouver encourages each of us to be true to the balanced and healthy path that God Himself intended for us, and that our beloved Prophet (May God’s peace and blessings be upon him) exemplified throughout his life.  Together, and by God’s Mercy, the Zawiyah Foundation in Vancouver has helped countless people transform their hearts to live in greater harmony with our primordial fitrah and our divine purpose.  To build upon and continue this sacred work, it is with great hope and joy that I announce the establishment of the Zawiyah Foundation of the DMV on the first Jummah of Ramadan 1442. 

The Zawiyah Foundation of the DMV is a separate and parallel U.S.-based organization that will serve the spiritual needs of those who live in the United States, and in particular, the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia area.  Our work in the DMV will focus on renewing the connection of our hearts to the Divine.  Through this renewal, we aim to empower all of us to defeat loneliness, isolation, fear, and grief.  We will work to help one another restore our commitment to God, to heal our hearts, to love one another with Mercy and Compassion, nourish the communities of the faithful, and build upon this sturdy foundation a fierce and untamed pursuit of knowledge.

The Zawiyah Foundation of the DMV will offer books of sacred knowledge, hold weekly remembrance (dhikr) circles and prayers, inshaAllah.  We will offer an open space for individuals of all walks of like to come and feel at home, to seek and obtain spiritual healing, inshaAllah.  We will work hard to feed and clothe the underprivileged in the finest traditions of our faith.  Through a collaboration with the Masina Quran Institute, we will offer live online Quran courses that will connect the hearts of students and teachers across oceans and continents.  We will overcome the ailments of the heart together through opportunities to expand knowledge and fellowship both in the DMV area and through intentional journeys abroad.  Once conditions permit, we will embark upon travels to destinations of ancient wisdom and learning, like Senegal and Morocco, and will perform our scared duties of Umrah and Hajj, inshaAllah.

The Quran and the Prophet (may peace and blessings be upon him) were sent as a Healing and Mercy for all the worlds. Likewise, the Zawiyah Foundation of the DMV serves as a place of healing and mercy for all.  As we enter into this new phase of growth, we invite you to pre-register and join us for in-person dhikrs and reflections, iftaars and magrib prayers in keeping with strict COVID-19 precautions.  We invite you to contribute whatever you can in time as volunteers and in funding as donors to help us secure a permanent location in the DMV area. 

Barakallah Fik,

Imam Fode Drame

Executive Director and President

Zawiyah Foundation of the DMV

To register to volunteer or attend our programs, please visit our Events Page and our Facebook Page.

Zawiyah Foundation of the DMV is a non-profit corporation that operates exclusively for religious, educational and charitable purposes within the meaning of Section 501 (c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Contributions to Zawiyah Foundation of the DMV (EIN 86-2761049) are tax deductible under U.S. tax laws.