As you’ve taken the time to join us for our Graduate & Alumni Formal, we wanted to share a brief snapshot of what we’ve been up to this year. This isn’t a full list, there’s far more happening, but here are the main focuses and initiatives we’re working on right now!
Our Main Aims and Projects
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A Community That Feels Like Home
Each year, we welcome hundreds of students into the ISoc family. This year alone:
Around 130 new undergraduate brothers and sisters joined our freshers’ events
Another 120 graduates connected through Grad socials, book clubs, and discussion circles
These aren’t just numbers ,they represent students who arrived at Oxford often knowing no one, and who now have regular companionship at Fajr breakfasts, Friday football, games nights, Qur’an circles, and dinners after talks. We’ve seen friendships formed in Freshers’ Week that continue well after graduation.
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Holistic Development: In Faith, Character, and Mindset
Our approach is simple: give every student multiple, authentic pathways to grow in their dīn, character, and understanding of the world. We connect students directly to grounded scholars and a living chain of knowledge, because learning through people far more transformative than learning from books alone.
Each programme below reaches a different audience and offers a different learning experience, ensuring that students can develop in ways that suit them best.
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A Commitment to Service
We want every student to graduate with a mindset of service, seeing their skills, privileges, and opportunities as gifts from Allah to be used for the good of others.
These experiences shape a generation of Muslims who understand that serving others, with time, wealth, skills, or compassion, is central to their mission in life.
These projects only happen with the support of people who believe in their impact.
If you’ve benefited from ISoc, or simply want to help build a strong Muslim community at Oxford, please consider donating.
Even small monthly contributions make a big difference to what we can offer.
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Roots: Weekly Beginner-Friendly Islamic Studies
Roots welcomes 40–50 students every week, many of whom are learning Islam formally for the first time.
Sessions are interactive and discussion-based, mirroring the Oxford tutorial style rather than traditional lectures. This creates a comfortable, intellectually engaging space where students can explore their dīn confidently and at their own pace.
https://rootsacademy.co.uk/ -
Foundations of Faith
Our three-year syllabus offers a termly half-day deep dive into essential Islamic knowledge — from how to pray, to Islamic history, to core beliefs.
These sessions draw 50–60 attendees, typically those who want a more structured and comprehensive introduction to the fundamentals. -
Weekly Sessions with Shaykh Riyad Nadwi
A consistent space that connects students to a senior scholar deeply rooted in the classical tradition.
Here, students engage with timeless texts, receive spiritual guidance, and experience the character and wisdom that comes from a living chain of scholarship. -
Student-Led Qur’an Circles
Small, intimate groups focused on recitation, reflection, and companionship. The weekly Qur’an circles attract students who grow best in peer-led environments where they can learn and reflect at their own pace.
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Charity Week
This year we backed Human Aid & Advocacy, a standout charity that doesn’t just deliver aid, but fights for those on the ground through bold, uncompromising advocacy. It’s relief and justice, side by side.
Our Snowdon Hike set the tone, raising £16,000 through grit, teamwork, and a shared cause.
A powerful highlight was hearing from a young journalist who recently escaped Gaza to study in Ireland, a raw, first-hand insight that grounded everything we were fundraising for.
We closed with our Auction Dinner, where the community showed up in force, raising over £40,000 in one evening.
One week. One community. Real impact.
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Access Work
Access: Opening Doors, Raising Aspirations
Our Access work is now one of the strongest parts of our society, fully integrated with university projects like Be UniQ, OppOx, and other widening participation programmes.
We run Open Days, personal statement support, mock interviews, and tailored mentoring, helping dozens of students across the UK navigate every stage of the application process.
We also hosted our annual OMAC (Oxford Muslim Access Conference) during the Easter vacation, bringing students and mentors together to inspire the next generation.
Our Access work keeps growing and so does its impact.
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Sports/Activities
Our sports scene has been thriving this year. Weekly football continues to go strong, with around 30 regular players turning up rain or shine. Our sisters’ sports sessions have also grown into a solid weekly fixture, offering a welcoming space to stay active and build community.
We’ve also built a great relationship with local organisations like Ansar, where many of our members now train in BJJ and archery, adding a new dimension to our sports offering and strengthening ties beyond campus.
It’s been a year of staying active, showing up, and building community through sport.
The above projects are a snapshot of what we do. They only happen with the support of people who believe in their impact.
If you’ve benefited from ISoc, or simply want to help build a strong Muslim community at Oxford, please consider donating.
Even small monthly contributions make a big difference to what we can offer.
