What we do
At Bristol Islamic Society we know how challenging it can be to find an environment that is both comfortable and welcoming for us to practice our faith. Moving away from home, friends, and family can be a really tough time and this can easily be yet another anxiety-inducing hurdle. This is where the BRISOC steps in. Our awesome team works tirelessly to put together events from the more educational to the more social and everything in between so that we cater for everyone.
Sadaqah - Charity
Raising money for charity plays an important part in BRISOC's philosophy. We take part in Charity Week, a national campaign by Islamic Relief to raise money for those in poverty. Last year was our record year, raising over £16000, Alhamdullilah! Also, last Ramadan, we collaborated with other universities' Islamic Societies to build a mosque in Sierra Leone as part of The Mosque Project.
Once when the Prophet ﷺ was asked what the best part of Islam was, he replied with:
“Feeding people and greeting those you know and those you do not know” - Al-Adab Al-Mufrad 1013
With this in mind, Brisoc regularly works with Feed The Homeless, a local charity distributing food and clothes to Bristol's poor and needy. We are also doing our best this year to provide volunteering opportunities at elderly homes, hospices and regular trips to local blood banks.
Our vision for our charity work is only possible with volunteers! If you are interested and want to get involved, be sure to join us!
Islamic Education
As an Islamic Society, one of the core aims is to educate the student population on our beautiful way of life. In the past years, we ran several very successful educational events. These ranged from Roots Classes with Sheikh Afdal Feroz to Lectures with Ustadh Yahya Raaby
The annual Discover Islam Week is another opportunity for students to develop their understanding of Islam. This includes a week of Dawah stalls, Lectures and more!
Our work doesn’t just aim to educate, but also help students to manage their life and their spiritual journey through finding closeness to our Creator. In the past years, Inspirited Minds, a Muslim mental-health organisation, delivered a workshop advising our students on how to cope with the stress of student life through both the teachings of our faith and psychological evidence-based grounds.
Unity
We aim to facilitate a communal space for all Muslim students to cultivate our shared values as firm believers in God and His Messenger ﷺ, by focusing on soul-nurturing programmes, personal development, and mentorship scheme.
Unity is one of the core principles of Islam, as an Islamic society, this is our guiding principle for everything that we do.