Zeinab Vessal is a PhD student in Art and Religion and Presidential Scholar at the GTU. She is a member of the International Quranic Studies Association, where she explores the societal implications of the Quran and enhances public understanding of Quranic inscriptions on Islamic objects and sacred spaces in the Middle East, as well as Shi’a-inscribed iconography in early modern manuscripts. As Vice President of the Shia Muslim Association at Northwestern University, she co-designed and facilitated numerous workshops and webinars on Islamic studies since 2019.
Zeinab Vessal, a Presidential Scholar in the PhD program at the Graduate Theological Union (GTU), has been awarded the Ahlul Bayt Fellowship for Graduate Studies by the Mohsena Memorial Foundation (MMF). Funding from this fellowship will support her field research on the Shi’a finial of ‘Alam in Karbala, Iraq. “I aim to create a photo documentary of the sacred objects within the museum and collection of the shrine of Husayn ibn Ali in Karbala,” she says. “I am particularly interested in the finials and ‘alams that have been housed there for centuries as votive objects.”
In her studies at GTU, Zeinab’s research focuses on the intersection of iconography, sacred texts, history, and theology within the material culture of Shi’a Muslim societies, with particular emphasis on the role of Muharram objects in shaping Shi’a identity. With a background in Islamic manuscripts and professional calligraphy, Zeinab has conducted Islamic calligraphy workshops at various institutions, including the University of Wisconsin and UC Berkeley. In this regard, as part of the GTU’s Madrasa-Midrasha program, she explores and helps to cataloging the rare Islamic manuscripts from the Father John Capistran Boreley Islamic Manuscript collection at the Flora Lamson Hewlett Library.
Cultural preservation is driving Zeinab’s research under the Ahlul Bayt Fellowship. She is dedicated to bridging traditional scholarship with contemporary issues, offering insights into the role of art and material culture in shaping Shia religious and cultural identity. “Many mosques or community centers in the Middle East, especially in Iraq and Iran, hold sacred objects that have been passed down for generations for hundreds of years, but there is not much documentation of those objects,” she says. “With ongoing geopolitical conflicts and the constant threat of destruction, I feel an urgency to create a high-resolution photo archive of these objects before they are lost forever. Through photography, I hope to preserve these artifacts and illustrate their use in ceremonies and rituals as part of Shi’a cultural heritage.”
The Ahlul Bayt Fellowship for Graduate Studies was established in the name of the Holy Family of the Prophet of Islam, Muhammad, to honor the Founder of Mohsena Memorial Foundation, Syed-Mohsin Naquvi, who dedicated his life to elevating their principles and example. Starting in 2022, the Fellowship has been awarded annually to a doctoral candidate in an Islam-related field in an academic institution in North America.