ABOUT KARIMA
Serving High Wycombe since 1998
A community development charity in High Wycombe, named for the scholar the world called the mother of the generous, and run, mostly, by volunteers.
1998
Founded in High Wycombe
70+
Volunteers run everything
350+
Children in our schools
4
Supplementary schools
THE NAME
Named for the mother of the generous
Karima al‑Marwaziyya was a tenth-century scholar of Makkah, one of the most trusted narrators of Ṣaḥīḥ al‑Bukhārī, sought out by students who travelled from across the Muslim world to learn from her. They called her the mother of the generous.
In 1998, a small community in High Wycombe took her name for a project of their own: a place that would teach, serve and welcome, and give without counting the cost. More than twenty-five years later, that is still what we try to be.
WHAT WE ARE
Under one roof
Karima is a community development charity, registered in England and Wales (No. 1121257). We are, mostly, volunteers, more than seventy of them, running everything at Castlefield Community Centre.
PRAYER SPACE
A prayer space, open for the two daily prayers (Fajr & Isha), two Jummah jamā’ahs, Taraweeh and Eid.
FOUR SCHOOLS
Four supplementary schools, teaching over 350 children from their first Qaida to the Alimiyyah programme.
PUBLIC LIBRARY
A public library, free and open to everyone in High Wycombe, run with Bucks Library Service.
YOUTH & SPORT
Youth clubs, scouts, sport, wellbeing and employability support.
A YEAR OF EVENTS
A year of events, from family days to the community dinner.
WHAT WE BELIEVE
A place to belong
We believe a place of worship is not only somewhere to pray, but somewhere to belong: where a child learns to read the Qur’an, a new arrival finds a friend, an elder is honoured, and a whole community is fed, taught and cared for.
We believe in serving everyone. Much of what we do at Castlefield, the library, the events, the sport, is open to the whole of High Wycombe. And through what we teach online, Karima reaches students far beyond it. Karima al‑Marwaziyya gave her knowledge to whoever came to learn; we try to keep that door as wide.
WHERE WE’RE GOING
The next chapter
We have outgrown the space we started in. By Allah’s grace, we have secured a new home, Ribaat al Muhammadiyah, and the work to make it ready has begun. It is the next chapter of the same story that started in 1998.
Learn about the new Centre →
VISIT
Come and see us
The best way to understand Karima is to visit. Come for a prayer, a class, or just a cup of tea. You’ll find us at Castlefield Community Centre, Rutland Avenue, High Wycombe.
The Karima Foundation Team
CASTLEFIELD COMMUNITY CENTRE