Finding ways to make sense of Islam
IZWAYZ is an interactive education site, written to help muslims of all ages understand their deen in ways that apply across all the various cultural and traditional approaches to Islam that often divide the community. Shaped around an original curriculum agreed upon and accepted by all the Glasgow mosques, the content approaches Islamic knowledge through eight different realms, each spanning five levels and stretching from material suitable for the very youngest of muslims through to material intended for young adults, or indeed adults of any age.
Designed to shape itself to personal choice and individual preference with regard to the direction of approach to the content, the material encourages discussion and critical thought, having originally been intended for implementation in Scottish schools. It is equally suited for use in a family setting however, providing a useful framework for parents and children to find a deep and satisfying shared understanding of their deen.
The centre from which IZWAYZ springs
Heartscore
At the centre of IZWAYZ lies the Heartscore, a place from which all the various realms and their ascending levels spring. From the Heartscore any direction of travel can be chosen, and from wherever that direction leads it is always possible to return directly to the Heartscore to choose a different way. It is the launch pad, the starting point, the hub and heart of IZWAYZ.
A newly translated impression of the Qur’an
IZQ
IZQ is a newly translated impression of the Qur’an, integrated into IZWAYZ with a focus, as far as possible, on simple language, easy reading for the very young, and as a bonus also useful for those with English as a second language. Each Surah is also accompanied by a voice recording by Michael Malik for those who prefer to hear the text, either as an addition to, or independent of, reading the text.
Within the difficult constraints of the English language, the translation is also gender neutral, making it suitable for use in schools, and is designed with an extensive choice of visual formats that can be shaped to satisfy a wide range of individual preferences, with a particular suitability for use in portrait mode on phone and tablet. IZQ can be seen as part of IZWAYZ or used completely independently, and was made not just with the intention of translating the meaning, but also in an attempt to capture at least a shade of the poetic beauty of the Revelation.
About the author and other works
Backstory and Biography
IZWAYZ and IZQ are the work of Michael Malik, stratching over a period of more than forty years, though still not long enough for him to finish all the realms of IZWAYZ.
This section is like a filing cabinet of material he also wrote and presented over those years, some of which he hoped might be useful to those working through the upper levels of IZWAYZ, either simply providing alternative ways to explore Islamic understanding, or providing much deeper consideration of topics needing a lot more words than appropriate for the short page structure of IZWAYZ.
But certainly for those who complete the upper levels of IZWAYZ, this section provides a whole new and different world to explore.
Copyright
All material in IZWAYZ, IZQ and the Biography and Backstory are registered under a
Creative Commons license of form CC BY-NC-ND.
Please feel free to copy and share, but not to use any of the content as part of a financial
transaction withoug permission from IZWAYZ. In other words, you can use it as long as
you don’t make any changes or make money from it. Pluse it would be nice if you
mentioned where it came from.
Apart from that, think of it as Da’awah.
Displaying your appreciation
Merchandise
Coming soon — Let others see that you are part of the IZWAYZ community.
A closer conection to IZWAYZ
Patreon
Get to know more about IZWAYZ and IZQ on our Patreon site, where you can find additional information about their development, why there were/are gaps in the original IZWAYZ and how it all came together over the years, and discussion of the felt need for IZQ, its differences from the many other translations available, and the difficulties involved in attempting an alternative approach to translation.
On our Patreon site you can also find a number of video files of Michael Malik browsing his bookshelves and commenting on various aspects of Islam, occasionally quite provocatively, prompted by some of the books that he finds there.
And of course, if you would like to help IZWAYZ sustain itself and continue to build its community around the world, on our Patreon site you can contribute financially, as much or as little as you feel you can and want to afford.
