At more than a thousand years old, Fes is considered the spiritual heartland of Morocco. It is known as the 'City of Saints' because several ascetics and learned figures are buried there, including the 12th-century Amazigh scholar Sidi Ali ibn Harzihim . UNESCO and Guinness World Records cite it as the home of the world's oldest university, the University of Al Quaraouiyine, which was founded by scholar and philanthropist Fatima Al-Fihri in 859 CE. It is also home to the world's largest medina, known for its handmade carpet and rug bazaars and the Chouara Tannery .
The initiative Barakah's Womb has also become a space where Muslim women from abroad come to explore their feminine power.
Launched in 2018, it offers retreats, workshops and courses designed to foster deep connections with both the physical and spiritual aspects of womanhood, with a particular focus on the womb.
I decided to attend its first retreat in November 2022, where I gathered with more than a dozen women of different ages and backgrounds at a beautiful riad.
Here, we prayed in the latter part of the night, learnt how to make our own tasbih beads and massage oils, sang nasheeds, played the daf drum and learnt about the art of womb steaming.
It was there that I met the founder and doula, Shakirah Sabira. We had been connected on Facebook for years, but this was the first time we had met in person.
Shakirah witnessed her first traditional birth at the age of 18 and went on to complete her doula studies with Amani Birth and Midwifery at the world-renowned midwifery school Indie Birth.
She also received ijazah in several Islamic sciences, is a graduate of the Al Fajar Institute in Cairo and is the author of The Womb's Tale: The Sanctity of the Womb and Her Cycle .
The womb in Arabic, or rahm , is often understood in light of kinship and mercy from Allah, given that both words are derived from the same Arabic root letters: ra, ha and meem. They carry a richness that connects the idea of the womb to mercy, compassion and divine care.
This is linked to a hadith reported by Aisha bint Abi Bakr , in which the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "Kinship ( rahm ) is derived from Allah. If anyone maintains ties of kinship, Allah maintains ties with him. If anyone cuts them off, Allah cuts him off (Al Adab Al Mufrad)."
Reflecting on the significance of womb health in Islam, Shakirah tells The New Arab : "The womb in Arabic is not simply an organ. It is the site of Divine naming and sacred connection. It is linguistically and spiritually tied to Ar-Rahman, one of the names or attributes of Allah. This clearly shows us that care for the womb is not separate from our deen but is deeply embedded within it.
"Prioritising the physical health of the womb is therefore an act of worship when done with intention. It is about honouring a part of the body that Allah Himself has elevated, not only as the vessel that brings forth life, but as a locus of mercy, rhythm and cyclical intelligence within a woman," she adds. "At a practical level, womb health impacts hormones, emotional regulation, fertility and overall wellbeing. But beyond that, neglecting it often leads to a disconnection from the body, from cycles and from the deeper spiritual awareness that those cycles cultivate."
I spoke to Shakirah again following her group's latest retreat in Fes, titled The Garden of Fes: Companionship with the Rose, Zhar and the Divine Fragrance , which was described as a women's spring retreat centred on rose and zhar (orange blossom), alongside a journey of medicine-making.
Reflecting on why conversations around the womb and femininity remain limited in many Muslim communities, she says: "In Western Muslim communities, the topic is still under-discussed, not because we lack the framework, but because we have inherited discomfort around speaking about women's bodies, full stop. At the same time, wider Western conversations are beginning to normalise these discussions, though without the spiritual grounding.
"So Muslim women are caught between silence within their own spaces and secular conversations that do not fully reflect their values. What is needed is a reclamation: spaces where we can speak about the womb with both knowledge and spiritual etiquette, rooted in our own tradition."
The other half of the Barakah's Womb team is 34-year-old Aamirah Patel, who has spent several years supporting Muslim women's personal and professional development through initiatives such as co-launching the UK-based charity Muslim Women Connect and working for TRT World's philanthropic arm, TRT World Citizen , in Istanbul.
When I speak to her, she has just arrived in Fes, which is now home.
"Fes feels like a mirror. There are not many outward places to look at. I am learning about the slowness of life and a community that is inward and quiet. There is a quiet deepening of the self. In Morocco, you spend a lot of time at home; it is a place of sanctity, even though I am close to the Qarawiyyin. It has been a quiet chapter," Aamirah explains to The New Arab .
"Women here live their femininity in a way that many women in other places are cut off from, and women of all ages surround you. There is something reflective in that when someone is in their childbearing years versus someone who is in their 'advice' or 'sage' years."
It is said that women have cycles or seasons that symbolise the natural progression of beauty and fulfilment.
According to the blog Escape the Busy , these are split into four stages: Spring, the Maiden, which represents growth, innocence and curiosity, taking a woman from childhood to early adulthood; Summer, the Mother, which represents nurture and abundance, and can be understood through raising children, relationships or creative projects that require devotion; Autumn, the Wild Woman, which indicates empowerment and transformation and a letting go of what no longer serves; and Winter, the Wise Woman, a reflective period when wisdom is shared.
What ties these periods together is the honouring of the feminine, represented by the womb.
"If the power of the womb were understood, life would be very different for Muslim women. I think societies are guided by the circadian rhythm, guided by masculine principles – the 24-hour cycle. There is a notion that is already deeply embedded in Islam through Surah Nisa, Surah Maryam and Surah Rahman," Aamirah explains.
"We have references to Rahm multiple times throughout the Quran, but unfortunately, we live in societies that do not recognise the strength of that. Colonisation has destroyed that in a lot of ways," she adds. Her comments remind me of a drink from my ancestral country, Sierra Leone, known as bangba , which my mother tirelessly promoted to my sisters and me.
It is a traditional bitter herbal medicine made from forest tree roots that are boiled or soaked, and it was used to treat illnesses, including those related to women's health.
But I wonder how many of my countrymen in the diaspora still teach their children how to make it.
In Morocco, however, this conversation is still being had. Dr Ellen Amster is a leading expert in the history of medicine and how colonialism shaped modern global narratives.
In her recent talk, Rethinking the Histories of Global Health: From Midwife to Sorceress to MIH, the Politics of Birth and Reproduction in Morocco , she argued that medicine was used as a tool of 'civilising' under French colonial rule, and that traditional healing practices were often disregarded.
French medical authorities viewed local midwives as medical rivals and "sorceresses" and attempted to replace these historically significant practitioners with a more formalised system, leading to the creation of the muwaldia , a Moroccan birth attendant trained under French authority to assist doctors.
Conversations on the womb today also extend to concerns around uterine health and maternal care, particularly in Black and Brown communities, which tend to face greater disparities.
In an Instagram post , actress Lupita Nyong'o revealed that she had suffered from uterine fibroids, which often appear during the years women are typically able to conceive and give birth, and can result in heavy menstrual bleeding, painful periods and urinary incontinence.
Studies indicate that Black women are two to three times more likely to develop uterine fibroids than white women.
By age 35, about 60% of Black women have fibroids, compared with an estimated 40% of white women of the same age.
These disparities extend into broader reproductive health outcomes, including pregnancy-related complications.
There are several steps, Shakirah says, that can help women begin to reconnect with their femininity and care for their womb health.
"The first step is to make a conscious intention to slow down. Modernity is structured to expect women to function in a constant state of masculine output, which runs counter to the cyclical nature of the female body. Reconnecting with femininity begins with recognising and honouring those rhythms rather than overriding them," she explains. "Practically, I would suggest three gentle entry points. Firstly, begin tracking your cycle and observe the emotional and energetic waves. This allows you to build a relationship with your body and respond to it with more care and precision," she adds. "Secondly, introduce simple practices of womb care. This could be as simple as keeping your feet warm during your period or as gentle as a womb massage. These are small acts, but they establish a connection.
"Thirdly, reconnect spiritually. This means seeing your body not as separate from your worship but as a deeply important part of it. Even in times when you are not praying or fasting, there are forms of remembrance, reflection and presence that deepen your connection to Allah through whichever state you are in," Shakirah continues. "Ultimately, femininity is not something to perform. It is something that is embodied. And the womb, when tended to, becomes the gateway back to your most embodied and centred feminine self." Adama Juldeh Munu is an award-winning journalist who's worked with TRT World, Al Jazeera, The Huffington Post, Middle East Eye and Black Ballad. She writes about race, Black heritage and issues connecting Islam and the African diaspora Follow her on X: @adamajmunu