Dear students and friends:

Al-salam ‘alaykum. As you may know, the Oxford Traditional Knowledge Foundation is a Muslim educational foundation that serves as a source of authentic Islamic knowledge in Oxford and South England. We run courses in Arabic, Qur’an, sunnah, and traditional crafts, attended by both Muslims and non-Muslims, that demonstrate the connection between knowledge and the art of living by the prophetic model (sunnah) in the contemporary world.

By God’s grace, our flagship programme, the Weekly Madrasa, has been running continuously since 2008, and has benefitted hundreds of people, including Oxford locals, students from the University of Oxford and Oxford Brookes, and attendees from cities as far as London and Birmingham. Each year, we offer thirty weeks of classes in Arabic, Prophetic traditions (hadith), Qur’anic exegesis (tafsir), and other subjects, as well as occasional lectures and programmes introducing the local community, and especially Muslim youth, to knowledge and practice of traditional crafts.

In all of this, we have never charged a penny: we are adamant that money should never be a barrier to knowledge. But in order to continue these classes and activities, we rely upon the financial support of individuals who are concerned with the availability of authentic Islamic education in their local communities. And this is where we need your help.

This year’s “100/50/10 fundraising campaign” is simple. We are looking for pledges of the following amounts, which may be given as a lump sum or in installments, over the course of 2015:

• 100 people to pledge £100;
  
• 50 people to pledge £500;
  
• and 10 people to pledge £1000.

The goal of this campaign is twofold. The first is to secure the costs of this year’s Weekly Madrasa. The second is to sow the seeds of an endowment fund that, over time, will allow OTKF to expand its activities while becoming self-supporting. Donations can easily be arranged on OTKF's website at http://otkf.org.uk/donate/, or by emailing us directly at info@otkf.org.uk.

This coming year promises to be very exciting for OTKF. In addition to continuing the well-received Madrasa classes, we have planned educational projects with Willowbrook Farm, a local family-run farm built upon natural and Islamically ethical farming methods, and a course in the craft of traditional bookbinding with a world-renowned English Muslim bookbinder. With your help, our educational programmes—which cultivate communities of beauty and of responsibility to God, nature, and society—will continue to thrive.

Sincerely yours,

The Oxford Traditional Knowledge Foundation

p.s. If you would like to speak by phone or in person about other ways of donating to OTKF, to discuss arranging a charitable loan (qard hasana) for the endowment fund, or for any other enquiry, please email info@otkf.org.uk with your name and phone number to arrange an appointment.