About Ṣila Studies
Having grown from seed by the grace of Allah, Ṣila Studies grew its first set of true leaves in 2018 with the establishment of weekly connection sessions between a group of precious children and a mentor, Ṣila Studies founder Jamie Snyder. Through mutual sharing of theme-linked knowledge, projects, and wonderings, a community took root and has since grown runners, with additional mentor-facilitated groups budding each year. Founded in Abu Dhabi, UAE, our community groups have gone global, with offshoots in Pakistan and Singapore.
What is Ṣila?
In name and in function, Ṣila Studies involves the Arabic word صلة (ṣila), transliterated with a dot below the letter S to signify the Arabic letter saad. Ṣila refers to connection or junction of two or more things. Words stemming from the root of this word (وصل) appear 12 times in the Quran and hold meanings of joining, conveying or reaching.
Ṣila Studies recognizes that ayaat-Allah are all around us and are all inherently connected, owing to their common source, the Creator and Lord of all existence. Working to identify and celebrate these connections is an act of gratitude, while ignoring or blurring these connections is a severe disservice to ourselves, our communities and the various ecosystems in which we operate.
Ṣila Studies Spiral Framework
The framework comprises five themes designed to be explored in order, twice around, such that the elementary level and secondary level loops align thematically, representing an upward spiral of learning.
By design, the loop alignment of inquiry levels functions as concept reinforcement as well as an opportunity for impactful interaction between younger and elder learners as brothers and sisters in Islam. This shepherding (or junior mentoring) feature offers great potential towards building the whole child with respect to depth of character and strength of community bonds, which is, by the Ṣila Studies approach, a critical part of individual growth.
