Elymu: The Mission to Revive ‘ilm.
Heal; Build; Elevate

Aside from being artistic and architectural marvels, Mosques always were the central schools.
That is a powerful signifier of a religious tradition in which worship and knowledge are intertwined. In fact, Islam’s core message is the establishment of a vicegerency of excellence on earth through the attainment of knowledge. This places on each one of us the responsibility to pursue and grow into virtuous individual leadership. In doing so, Islam awakens us to the reality of true and beneficial knowledge, #عِلْمُ #elymu, and champions us to undertake the journey of Personal Education by all means necessary and possible.
How is that relevant to us today?
In the 17th century, the European enlightenment was the people’s revolt against the oppression of minds, and consequently the framework of modern (empirical) sciences was established. The post-modern era is a tainted image of that enlightenment in which the oppression of minds has been replaced with the oppression of souls through the empowerment of cultural monopoly, system over wisdom, interest over morals, numbers over intellect, and form over essence. The individual’s otherwise natural tendency to connect and align with the Divine order has been compromised. Our internal worlds have been forced out of balance. Education has long ceased to be a tool for human growth; it has become a tool for the empowerment of the system. We witness the impact of this humanitarian regress today in the high rates of suicide, breakdown of the family structure, increasing illnesses, compromised childhoods, the reign of meaninglessness, and socio-economic restlessness.
Oppression indeed has multiple forms. The most widely recognised might be political oppression but the most dangerous is the oppression of humanity itself. Humanity is the ensemble of faculties that we possess that make us human beside all other creatures, namely our ability to reason, realise, grow, and spiritually connect with the metaphysical realm and The Creator of all things. It is at its best when body, mind, heart and soul are in alignment with the Divine order. In contradistinction, the imbalance in our inner world brings about the oppression of our most endearing gifts and potentials. It is continuously manifest in decisions and behaviours that are lacking in morality, wisdom, and insight, and a collective sailing away from Truth. Justice, then, is to realign our inner world to achieve an existence that is in harmony with the natural order.
Civilisational enlightenment cannot be brought about by individuals who have not been enlightened themselves. What we bring into the world is always a reflection of what we hold inside.
The Path to True Enlightenment..
Elymu is the African Swahili word for knowledge and education. Taking root in its Arabic equivalent ‘ilmu’ (عِلمُ), it stands as a stubborn remnant of the successful Islamic spread in Africa; a symbol of the intertwining of civilisations and the impact of the latter on the development of beneficial sciences. The Muslims brought knowledge, and proof of impact was the word’s longstanding adoption into the local culture and language.
In the Islamic tradition, acquiring, internalising, and transforming through beneficial knowledge is known as “’ilmu” (عِلمُ). It is the first of three stages of growth towards enlightenment, followed by work or “‘amal” (عمل), and eventually excellence or “lame’” (لمع).
Elymu at your service
Heal; Build; Elevate
We believe that one cannot feed their soul unless they learn to migrate back to themselves.
We are spearheading paradigmatic work in Islamic Personal Education and Leadership through research, development, and consultancy. We view the art of Personal Education as an intimate journey of Healing, Building, and Elevating our selves so that our humanity can be manifest.
Imam Ali radiya Allah anhu said: “Your illness is from you, but you do not perceive it, and your remedy is within you, but you do not sense it. You presume you are a small entity, but within you is enfolded the entire universe. You are indeed the Clear Book, by whose signs the hidden becomes manifest. Therefore you have no need to look beyond yourself. What you seek is within you, if only you reflect.”
We are your trusted Fait Coach, Trauma Counsellor, and Personal Educator on your journey of self-manifestation. Our work is informed by a mix of traditional and contemporary principles that emanate from the natural law and align with islamic ontology. Our framework is holistic, encompassing all faculties and layers of the human constitution, from the cognitive to the spiritual, through the psycho-emotional and the physiological. We give equal weight to healing and character building, challenging your personality to emerge at its best.
We offer consulting services to institutions, and have served clients across the globe, including Australia, Europe, UK, Canada, USA, and the Middle East.
Contact us for further inquiries.
Via Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pg/ElymuChannel/about/
Via Linkedin: https://lb.linkedin.com/in/laylaelzein
Meet the Founder
Educator by nature, Layla is a practicing coach and counsellor. Spearheading paradigmatic work in Islamic Personal Education and Leadership, she founded Elymu in 2014 and has since been focusing on research, development, and consultancy.
Before shifting careers, her journey was no less challenging and diverse. Layla has earned multiple awards as engineer, strategist, and entrepreneur. Tech Consultant and three times co-founder, her experience spans the worlds of big corporate, local and international NGOs, and start-ups in Lebanon and Europe, including Ericsson, UNICEF, and Oxfam. She has been featured on The New York Times, Al-Jazeera Media Channel and other portals.
She is an avid reader, a horseback rider and scuba diver, a published photographer with an international record, and a wildlife enthusiast. A challenger by nature, she has camped on the barren steppes of Mongolia and hiked Mount Kilimanjaro to Uhuru Peak. She is a committed rescue volunteer, lives with her family and her three dogs.
To learn more about her:
https://facebook.com/layla.zein
https://lb.linkedin.com/in/laylaelzein
https://medium.com/@laylaelzein
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