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In this deeply moving episode, Rose speaks with Ustadha Zaynab Ansari about her spiritual awakening as a young American Muslim woman studying in Damascus in the 1990s, her journey through traditional scholarship, and the personal trials that reshaped her faith, including widowhood and becoming a single mother overnight. Zaynab explores how Islam’s spiritual core can offer healing in times of grief, the role of women scholars, and the need for honest community accountability in the face of abuse. Zaynab’s voice is one of fierce rahma-compassion, honesty, and grace as she reflects on her life’s path and shares hard-won wisdom for navigating faith, loss, motherhood, and the complexities of being a Muslim woman scholar in the U.S. today.

Ustadha Zaynab Mansour Ansari spent her formative years studying traditional Islam in Damascus, Syria, and has been active in Islamic education for over 20 years as a teacher, writer, and mentor. She teaches with the Ribaat Academic Institute and Jannah Institute and is currently a full-time instructor at Tayseer Seminary in Tennessee. Her work centers on deep scholarship, pastoral care, and creating sacred space for Muslim women’s voices and growth.

Find Ustadha Zaynab online at these places: https://tayseerseminary.org/, https://ribaat.rabata.org/, https://www.jannahinstitute.org/, IG handle: @ustadhazaynab, FB name: Zaynab Mansour Ansari

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Music credits: Vocals: Zeynep Dilara Aslan; Ney/drum: Elif Önal; Tanbur: Katherine Hreib; Rebap: Hatice Gülbahar Hepsev