Fatima Barkatulla

Fatima Barkatulla is a British Islamic scholar ('alimah), author and podcaster, born in London. ^{1 2}

She specialised in fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence), founded and leads Muslim Womanhood, directed the Seeds of Change conference for Muslim women, and writes on women in early Islam. ³

She began her Arabic and Islamic studies in Egypt, learning at the Al Fajr Center, the Qortoba Institute and a college affiliated with Al-Azhar University. ³

She graduated from the AlSalam Institute's Advanced Licence in Islamic Scholarship and specialised in fiqh at Ebrahim College. ³ Her Islam21c author page describes two Alimiyyah degrees, one from Ebrahim College with the fiqh specialisation and one from the AlSalam Institute with distinction, awarded by Muhammad Akram Nadwi. ⁴

She earned a master's degree at the SOAS Law School, University of London, as an Aziz Foundation Scholar — "Middle East Law" in her academy biography, "Islamic Law" in her Islam21c page — and received the Doreen Hinchcliffe Memorial Prize in 2022 as the best overall master's student in Islamic Law. ^{3 4}

She is the founder and CEO of Muslim Womanhood, a platform for the education and support of Muslim women, and directed Seeds of Change, described by her academy biography as Europe's largest Muslim women's conference; she also serves as CEO of Raising Believers. ³

In 2014 she received the IKON UKHWAH International Award for young women in community service, at a ceremony in Kuala Lumpur. ³

Her first book, Khadijah, First Lady of Islam, was published in English as Khadijah: Mother of History's Greatest Nation, a life of Khadijah bint Khuwaylid. ^{3 1}

Her academy biography lists two further books, Women in the Qur'an and Aisha, the latter a life of Aisha bint Abi Bakr (may God be pleased with her) for younger readers. ³

She presents the IlmFeed podcast and broadcasts as a commentator on Muslim women's questions. ^{3 1}

This section presents what the sources report about her work and its themes; it is not the museum's verdict on her or on her opinions.

Her public work is centred on Muslim women in the West — their religious education, family life and confidence — which her biographies present as the purpose of Muslim Womanhood and of the Seeds of Change conference. ³

She has appeared as a commentator in BBC programmes and on Channel 4 and the Islam Channel, speaking on contemporary questions facing British Muslims. ³

• "Wikidata: Fatima Barkatulla (Q67007177)". ²
• "Al Balagh Academy: Ustadah Fatima Barkatulla", teacher biography. ³
• "Islam21c: Fatima Barkatulla", author page. ⁴
• "Atlantic Books: Khadijah — Mother of History's Greatest Nation", publisher page. ¹