The Rihla Fellow
Chosen for character, curiosity, and service
The fellowship is not a reward for having figured everything out. It is an invitation to go further.
Madinah · 2024
A group of fellows pauses together while exploring the landscape around Mount Uhud.
Who this is for
Muslim American undergraduates
The initial fellowship is intended for Muslim American undergraduate students enrolled at the eight Ivy League universities. The first cohort is expected to include approximately thirty fellows.
Eligibility for future cycles may broaden. Current language applies to the first cohort only.
Applications are not currently open
- Brown University
- Columbia University
- Cornell University
- Dartmouth College
- Harvard University
- University of Pennsylvania
- Princeton University
- Yale University
Not defined by
- GPA
- University
- Major
- Family income
- Internship history
- Professional polish
- Access to elite networks
Defined by
Defined by a particular hunger
- Hunger for knowledge beyond the syllabus
- A desire to understand Islam beyond passive inheritance
- Curiosity about the Muslim world
- Willingness to engage complexity
- Commitment to community
- Seriousness of purpose and humility
- Readiness to leave comfort
- A desire to return with greater responsibility
The Rihla Fellow may be succeeding by conventional measures while privately wondering whether those measures are enough. They may be accomplished without feeling complete, and rooted in Islam while still carrying unresolved questions. They are not expected to have arrived at certainty. They are expected to be honest, serious, curious, humble, and ready to go further.
Selection
Five qualities the committee looks for
01
Academic excellence and seriousness of purpose
Intellectual ability, discipline, self-directed learning, initiative, integrity, and the capacity to engage difficult ideas. This is not only about perfect grades; academic information provides context rather than a ranking.
02
Rooted faith, examined and chosen
A living relationship with Islam. Visible piety is not the measure. The programme values sincerity, thoughtful engagement, intellectual and spiritual honesty, and an understanding of why Umrah would matter personally.
03
Community leadership
Consistent service to others, formal or informal: mentorship, campus leadership, organising, family responsibility, institution building. The strongest evidence is not a title; it is sustained responsibility.
04
Curiosity over comfort
Pursuing knowledge and experience beyond what is required. Global thinking, openness to unfamiliar perspectives, cultural humility, and a willingness to be challenged.
05
Character over status
Leadership understood as moral responsibility: honesty, trustworthiness, humility, generosity, accountability, and respect across disagreement. The programme seeks people whose communities trust them.
Candour
What a Rihla Fellow is not
- Résumé collectors
- Applicants interested mainly in prestige
- Applicants treating Umrah as content or tourism
- Applicants performing faith for a selection committee
- Applicants unable to live respectfully within a diverse cohort
- Applicants who equate leadership with visibility
- Applicants who believe they have nothing left to learn
- Applicants who view the fellowship only as free international travel
The fellowship is not a reward for having figured everything out. It is an invitation to go further.
Application preview