A Life Changing Experience
Spiritual, Authentic, & Local Retreats & Events made with Love & Excellence (Ihsan)
About Your Retreat leaders
Your Native Umrah Guide & Host
Dr. Naila Althagafi is a Saudi citizen, from Makkah. She comes from a long lineage of Mutawefeen (hosts of religious pilgrims). Her earliest exposure was her family’s work in Hajj and Umrah. Naila later worked extensively with retreat organizations in the United States and Europe such as Taleef Collective, Azahra international etc. She is also a certified tour guide In Saudi.
Naila is a filmmaker with an MFA in Film and Electronic Media from American University and a PhD in Communications from Purdue University.
While Naila was studying in the U.S., she worked with various Muslim communities, and traveled widely covering stories of Muslim women to represent them through film, photos, and research. She won awards in research and participated in multiple film festivals in Saudi Arabia and abroad. Naila is the founder of The Retreat, a Saudi-based company that aims to provide meaningful and authentic experiences to pilgrims. Naila speaks Arabic, English, French, and is working on her Norwegian skills.
Ustadah Fatma Alhawasawi
A motivated professional with over 20 years of unique experience in teaching, management, consulting, and life coaching. Offers a combination of teamwork skills that enhance organizational cohesiveness, strategic planning skills that ensure successful programs, and people-oriented guidance that yields productivity and high morale. Highly motivated and committed to a mission of facilitating constructive change in Education and in people’s lives.
As a Learning and Talent Development Expert:
Over 25 years in the field of education including teaching students, coaching teachers, consulting schools as well as managing learning & development departments. Having a track record of success in diverse organizations and industries ranging from private to public, new to well established, education to retail. Managed to build an Education Consulting business and led the launch of Madac Teachers Institute, its partnership with Arizona State University, and its daily operations.
As a Life Coach:
worked individually with hundreds of clients over the past 12 years, managed to positively enhance the quality of their lives by helping them set realistic life goals, evaluate them and gradually work towards achieving them. Authored Arabic personality type reports for children and couples. Continuously helping people look at themselves objectively and regain control of their lives no matter how bad the situation.
Ustadah Hazel Gómez
Hazel Gómez is a Puerto Rican and Mexican Muslim convert of over 20 years who graduated from Loyola University Chicago with double Bachelor’s degrees in Forensic Science and Biology.
Hazel’s passion for studying Islam was heightened while at Al-Azhar University with a delegation of Latino and Latin American Muslim students where they studied a myriad of the foundational Islamic sciences. Since 2012, she has been studying the Islamic sacred sciences with Rabata.org's Ribaat Academic Institute under the tutelage of Shaykha Dr. Tamara Gray and other Muslim women scholars. Additionally, she serves as a faith-rooted community organizer at a Detroit-based nonprofit focusing on housing justice. She dedicates her time as a convert mentor, nonprofit board member, and social justice trainer. Hazel also has an ijazah in the Forty Hadith of Imam an-Nawawi.
In 2021, she was named by the Center for American Progress as 1 of 21 faith leaders to watch.
What we offer
Customized itineraries for small groups ( jeddah, Makkah, Madina etc.)
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Retreats & spiritual journeys
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Tiwifah- accompanying you on your Umrah (English & Arabic)
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