Mantle of Mercy

Muhammad A. Ali graduated from Bayan Islamic Graduate School with an MDiv in Islamic Chaplaincy and an MA in Islamic Education. He chaplains in university and prison settings and previously served as vice president of corrections chaplains for the Association of Muslim Chaplains. Omer Bajwa holds a GC in Islamic Chaplaincy from Hartford Seminary and an MA in Near Eastern Studies with Islamic Studies concentration from Cornell University. He serves as a chaplain at Yale University and was a founding board member of the Association of Muslim Chaplains.  Sondos Kholaki completed her MDiv in Islamic Chaplaincy at Bayan Islamic Graduate School and serves as a board certified healthcare and community chaplain and is vice president of healthcare chaplains for the Association of Muslim Chaplains. Jaye Starr is a graduate of Hartford Seminary’s Islamic Chaplaincy Program, an aspiring healthcare chaplain, and membership chair of the Association of Muslim Chaplains.

Table of Contents and Contributors:
Foreword
Ingrid Mattson
 
Introduction
Muhammad A. Ali,Omer Bajwa, Sondos Kholaki, and Jaye Starr
 
A Source of Strength
A CPE student finds his place in a medical team.
Ibrahim J. Long
 
The Jihad of Self-Realization and Human Growth in Clinical Pastoral Education
A CPE educator shares how Islam informs his pedagogy and theory of personality.
Jawad A. Bayat
 
Finding My Path
A university chaplain shares his discernment process. 
Kaiser Aslam
 
Pastoral Care as an Islamic Tradition & Practice
The director of a chaplaincy degree program shares his journey and educational philosophy.
Bilal W. Ansari
 
 A Theology of Spiritual Care Inspired by Allah’s Attributes 
A pastoral theology informed by God as The Compassionate, the Merciful, and the Kind.
Ali R. Candir
 
Bridging the Interfaith Divide
A corrections chaplain shares experiences navigating the challenges of sectarianism and explores the role of chaplains in building informed and inclusive communities.
Muhammad A. Ali
 
Navigating Identity Politics and Recentering in the Divine
Campus chaplains share their efforts to redirect students from identity politics toward knowing oneself.
Amira Quraishi & Ailya Vajid
 
From Banana Leaves
A healthcare chaplain shares her journey as a female Muslim chaplain.
Samsiah Abdul-Majid
 
Mapping the Landscape of Education Chaplaincy
A campus chaplain presents a framework for understanding the different functions of the role.
Khalil Abdur-Rashid

Open Door, Open Heart
A college chaplain reflects on his various roles through the theme of the days of the week.
Omer Bajwa

Islam at ‘Alcatraz of the Rockies’
A corrections chaplain shares his experience serving in an American supermax security facility.
Fiazuddin Shuayb
 
Creating Space
Drawing from his own journey and work, an imam addresses spiritual care for queer Muslims.
El-Farouk Khaki

A Call for Pastoral Care in The Mosque
A chaplain describes the potential for chaplaincy and a pastoral care mindset in mosques.
Joshua Salaam
 
“Hurt People Hurt People”
A third-space director shares the development of a restorative justice model for community violations.
Lauren Schreiber
 
An Immigrant’s Journey to Chaplaincy
A Turkish-trained imam shares his path confronting his own racism in a corrections setting. 
Mustafa Boz
 
Chaplains: A Voice for the Alienated
A military chaplain explains microaggressions and their impact and the need for chaplains to be proactive in addressing them.
Ryan Carter
 
Chaplaincy and Black Muslim Students
A college chaplain presents research about Black Muslim students’ experiences and her recommendations for support.
Nisa Muhammad
 
And Then We Were One Before The One
An oncology chaplain explores use of self as a ministry tool relating to her practice of Islam.
Taqwa Surapati
 
Drawing from the Five Pillars
A healthcare chaplain explores how the fundamental practices of Islam inform her caregiving.
Sondos Kholaki
 
Dua: The Heart of Chaplaincy
A chaplain shares his approach to crafting prayer as an act of pastoral care.
Khalid Latif

Sister Padres
Canada’s first female Muslim military chaplains share their journey to chaplaincy and what they bring to the profession.
Barbara Lois Helms & Serap Bulsen
 
Paradise Beneath Her Feet: Chaplaincy in Birthing Spaces
A healthcare chaplain shares how her faith informs her care amidst birthing hardship.
Jaye Starr
 
Thank You For Your Service
A military chaplain speaks to the isolation he has experienced as a Muslim service member.
Jamal Bey

The Kinder Garden: Circles of Remembrance
A healthcare chaplain shares the words of meditation from programs he leads in hospital.
Kamau M. Ayubbi

Mercy to Self: Preserving the Gift of Empathy in Life's Winters
A corrections chaplain shares her recovery journey following professional burnout.
Tricia Pethic

What I Learn From the Prophet
A dying chaplain reflects on the guidance his faith provides for the journey. 
Sohaib N. Sultan
 
Lasting Grief
A hospice chaplain looks to how Shiʿa teachings inform his understanding of grief.
Sameer Ali
 
An Islamic Theology of Pastoral Care
A pastoral caregiver examines her theology of suffering and the work necessary to uncover one’s inner Light.
Rabia Terri Harris
 
Skipping Stones
A hospital chaplain wrestles with conflicting medical advice while accompanying a young international patient.
Azleena Salleh Azhar
 
Ziyara Spiritual Care
Healthcare chaplains share how they are taking palliative care education to Muslims around the world.
Kamal Abu-Shamsieh
 
Afterword
A farewell letter to colleagues.
Sohaib N. Sultan