Submissions received now will not be considered for the Atlanta exhibit but may be considered for future exhibits. We welcome your submissions!
In this journey called life, my compass is clear
Guided by Qur’an and Sunnah, I revere
Emulating the Prophetic model to share all I can give
Making space for my Muslim sisters to purposely live
My deen is the wellspring from which generosity flows
Nourishing spirits, helping my ummah grow
Planting seeds of knowledge in fertile minds
So Muslim women leaders of all kinds
Can blossom into their fullest, most radiant selves
Overflowing with confidence from rippling wellsprings
I offer a circle, a sanctuary for sisterhood to learn
The arts of uplifting, of helping others soar in turn
Coaching, mentoring, trainings that refine their skills
I hope to equip them to better fulfill
The callings they heed, the visions they chase
Massaging open more room for Islam to embrace
All those whose lives they’ll go on to grace
With open hands, a listening ear, a smiling face
In each act of grassroots generosity
Lies the catalyst for communities to thrive and be free
This is the path I joyfully tread
Compelled by the Prophet’s words echoing: “The generous one is near to Allah, near to Paradise, near to the people, and far from the Hellfire.” (Sunan al-Tirmidhī 1961)
So I’ll continue nurturing networks of care
Lifting as I climb, offering helping hands where
Muslim women leaders can soar like falcons
Embodying Islam through giving that awakens.
Nausheena Hussain
A social justice activist by heart, Nausheena Hussain is the principal of Nissa Consulting, providing capacity building services to Muslim women-led nonprofits and organizing Muslim generosity. She has been a nonprofit practitioner for the past 20 years serving in various roles as founder, board member, and development staff. Previously, Nausheena was the founder and executive director of Reviving the Islamic Sisterhood for Empowerment (RISE). As a former start-up founder of several nonprofits, Nausheena has a proven track record of taking an idea and creating a movement.
Nausheena currently serves as a board member on the St. Paul and Minnesota Foundation. Nausheena Hussain is a Research Fellow for the Muslim Philanthropy Initiative at Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. She is currently pursuing a doctorate in philanthropic leadership at IU LFSOP. Nausheena’s research focuses on Muslim Women’s generosity behaviors and the nonprofits they lead. She holds a M.A. in Philanthropic Studies from Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, and M.B.A. in Healthcare and Marketing from the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management, and a B.S. in Health Sciences from Benedictine University. In 2019, she received a Certificate in Fund Raising Management (CFRM) from LFSOP. In 2020, she was an inaugural Fellow with the Zakat Foundation Institute.
Married, with two children and a beautiful cat, she lives in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota and loves to garden, read and travel.
