Órgiva, september 2023 – Rabi’ al-awwal 1445
Welcome to Kutubía
Allahumma salli ‘ala Sayyidina Muhammadin
wa ‘ala ali Sayyidina Muhammad wa sallim
Bismillahi r-Rahmani r-Rahim
As-salamu alaikum wa rahmatulllah wa barakatuhu
As some of you know Kutubía was founded, as an association, at Calle Libertad in the center of Órgiva in 2016, as an apolitical association that embraces people of all backgrounds with an interest in the culture of traditional Islam, one based on knowledge, compassion, tolerance, love and beauty.
Founded by a group of people from many different backgrounds, we hope to foster a better understanding of the multifaceted and compassionate nature of traditional Islam, bringing together people of many paths in the spirit of deep learning, mutual understanding and the search for beauty.
Kutubía is administered entirely by volunteers, working fi-sabilillah, to bring to fruition these excellent goals.
Our aim has been to stimulate and facilitate the educational and cultural aspirations of the local muslim community while also providing a venue for its creative output in the areas of art, crafts, music and literature. Kutubía has also become a very well loved local hub for broader inter community activities, meetings and concerts.
As Kutubía approaches its 7th birthday we wish to present the vision for the next 7 years of the project: Our intention is now to clarify how Kutubía works and for whom. With this in mind we wish to offer and define three clear streams of activities, based on the foundational ethos laid out above, with specific guidelines for each one based on a hadith of the Holy Prophet s.a.w.s.
(1) Kutubía Institute
طَلَبُ الْعِلْمِ فَرِيضَةٌ عَلَى كُلِّ مُسْلِمٍ
Talabul-‘ilmi faridatun ‘ala kulli Muslim
Seeking knowledge is an obligation upon every Muslim.
Kutubía Institute is based around a curriculum of classical Islamic studies. The local muslim community has grown in the last 7 years and it has become clear that there is a need to nurture and formalize local Islamic learning and aspiration in a dedicated way.
Starting from simple foundational knowledge in three key areas:
- Fard ul ayn: covering the classical program of the basic tenets of Faith, Devotions, Spirituality and History. We aim at starting with regular ‘aqida and fiqh classes, with the knowledge that should be acquired by all Muslim for a clear belief and in order to fulfill their personal obligations and devotions and to behave soundly in their family and social relations.
- An Arabic and Qur’an curriculum, articulated in different levels, objectives (Qur’an reading, pronunciation, Arabic conversation) and sciences (morphology, grammar, tajwid).
- Adab : foundation and fruit of all useful knowledge, adab should permeate all classes and may have dedicated courses or reading on classical texts.
We also anticipate ongoing lectures and presentations from local and visiting lecturers, scholars and teachers.
(2) KUTUBÍA SPACE
إن الله جميل يحب الجمال
Inna Allah Jamil Yuhibbu Al Jamal
Verily, God is Beautiful and He loves beauty.
Kutubía Space refers to the wide and diverse range of activities that take place at Kutubía beyond the core curriculum of the Institute: book and film presentations, concerts, art, geometry classes, martial arts, dance, lectures, music classes, craft fairs, practical activities, weekly courses, kids activities and charitable events that take place on a regular basis in the space.
All of these activities are vetted and agreed upon by a group of 13 volunteers who administrate Kutubía. It is important to note that while many of these activities are facilitated by muslims, some are not. Kutubia as a community space is available for hire by members of the general population here in the Alpujarra, as long as these events do not contradict our deen (Most hall hire requests are granted while some, occasionally, are not).
Some of us may not wish to personally participate in all of these classes and events, but it is important to remember that in the wider town community, Kutubía is clearly known as a muslim directed initiative. The fact that it is so widely used and appreciated speaks volumes about the successful and dynamic community relations the project has fostered.
This has always been a part of our founding ethos.
(3) KUTUBÍA PRODUCTIONS
إن الله يحب إذا عمل أحدكم عملا أن يتقنه
Inna Allah yuhibbu idha ‘amilu ahadukum ‘amalan an yuthqinan.
Allah loves someone who when works, he performs it in perfect manner (itqan).
Kutubía Productions is an initiative, already under way, that in the long run will help the project become sustainable by bringing a focus to the technical production of artifacts related to our founding ethos. This God-willing will include a wide range of in-house digital and physical productions including booklets, graphics, printed material, videos, geometric art and calligraphy.
This initiative will also be a means for the development of vocational courses that can help local people learn new technical skills with guidance from professionals. The Alpujarra is an economically depressed region that needs investment and expertise.
We also envisage an apprenticeship scheme for young adults a little further down the line.
Some of these artifacts can be found at Kutubiá or on the website at:
The Kutubía youtube channel also has 35 video collaborations and almost 500 subscribers, a modest amount in relative terms, but all good things start from humble origins. Please share this content widely:
https://www.youtube.com/@kutubiaorgiva1413
In sha Allah we pray that this letter brings inspiration, vitality and a renewed sense of purpose for this wonderful project and wish to express gratitude, alhamdulillah, to all the Friends of Kutubía who have supported it in a myriad of ways, seen and unseen, over the years.
Also, in the spirit of truth, we wish to let our Friends know, in an honest and sincere way, that Kutubía is quickly running out of funds…
We project that by January 2024 we may have to close without further financial support. The rental of the space through activities and regular donations covers between half and two thirds of the monthly running costs of the space and the association. The shortfall, up until now, has been covered by some incredibly generous donations which are now running out.
Do you feel inspired by the new vision for Kutubía, enjoy the warm friendly atmosphere, feel enriched by the classes, presentations or online productions or some of the amazing concerts? Or simply just feel that it has an important place in this community? If so, please take a moment to reflect…
If you, or anyone you know, is able to become a Patron of Kutubía and support us with a monthly donation, this will go a long way to helping us stay open and more importantly plan for the future and implement this beautiful vision, insha’Allah.
Please let people know about the value of this project!
Also, if you have inspired ideas for events, classes or fundraising we wish to hear from you! There is space in the weekly timetable for new classes, events and happenings.
Donations can be made via PayPal or by direct debit to the association bank account. All of the details can be found at the donate section of the website:
We can also accept cash donations, alhamdulillah.
We are also encouraging patrons to interact with us, proposing new ideas and advising which stream or activity they would like to see potentiated.
We are delighted to say that all of the financial side of the project is run in an entirely transparent and rigorous way. Our accounting is available on request should anyone be interested to learn more.
Thank you very much for taking the time to read this letter.
For direct communication about Kutubía please contact us!
May Allah bless all of you and open all of our hearts to the real love of the most Beloved One in the Divine Presence, Sayyidina Muhammad s.a.w.s
Wa min Allah tawfiq. – And from Allah alone is success.
