The Zaytuna Community Garden

Zaytuna produced its first batch of honey this fall.

With the Zaytuna orchard and garden planted and growing, the College’s Center for Ethical Living and Learning intends to cultivate more acreage in the upper campus for an agro-ecological landscape design highlighted by a sustainable community garden. Rhamis Kent, the trained expert in permaculture and regenerative system designs who advises the Center, believes Zaytuna can serve as a catalyst for developing an ecological spirit in the broader Muslim community. “Zaytuna is teaching not only the tools of learning for acquiring sound knowledge,” said Kent, “but it also aims to operationalize this knowledge into action that aligns with a key divine principle: serve the Creator through serving His creation.” In the early history of our tradition, the Prophets spread peace by establishing a center for prayer and education as well as a marketplace for fair trade to feed and nourish the community. This mandate fostered a harmonious relationship between knowledge and practice. Later Muslims, such as those in Andalucía, emulated these practices and developed elaborate gardens that were not only a source of sustenance for the community but also a visual delight for residents and visitors. As Imam Dawood Yasin has pointed out, Andalucía and Zaytuna College share a latitude, which brings the blessing of cultivating some of those very same plants. In the coming five years and under the guidance of Rhamis Kent, Zaytuna hopes to have five or more acres invested in ecological landscape designs that will sustain the College’s own produce needs, allow for income generation through community sales, and support underserved areas with the philanthropic distribution of the harvest. This community garden can facilitate partnerships with like-minded organizations that will encourage local food production in a cost-friendly manner. Many of our neighbors already visit the Zaytuna campus for the orchard and garden, but with the expansion of this project, the College hopes to establish a sought-after visitation site for both locals and out-of-state travelers.