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Frequently Asked Questions

What is hurma?
Hurma is an Islamic legal term that refers to the divinely-granted inviolability, or protection, of a person from harm. The pre-Islamic Arabs had a deep respect for sacred times and places, but what they did not recognize was the sanctity of each person created by God.

The Qur’an and the Sunnah are clear: every person matters. Their body matters. Their life matters. The Prophet ﷺ taught that the hurma of a person is akin to the sanctity of sacred months and places; even a deceased person has hurma, reflected in the respectful and caring treatment of the bodies of our departed brothers and sisters. Throughout Islamic history, beginning with the Rightly Guided Caliphs, the Muslim Umma has consistently worked to live up to this message, by placing limits on the exercise of power, by supervising those holding the public trust, and by holding those who misuse their authority and influence accountable.

Spiritual harm is pain or wounding to an individual’s spiritual wellbeing, iman or connection with Allah, Islam, and or the Muslim community
Spiritual abuse is the misuse of religious authority, status or knowledge in a way that harms other people. The term can encompass financial misappropriation, sexual misconduct, harassment, and bullying, among other things harmful actions.
Spiritual harm is damage caused to a person’s religious identity or spiritual life. It is often a negative consequence of the misuse of religious authority or knowledge
No. Spiritual harm happens in multiple faith communities. You can find some examples of this from the Faith Institue Trust.
No. Power imbalances will always emerge in relationships and may to some extent be necessary in certain settings. When such imbalances are extreme, they can be harmful in themselves. But most of the time, power imbalances are only harmful when the person holding more power uses it to benefit themselves (and their group) at the expense of others.
Health boundaries are limitations in relationships and help people stay safe through mutual respect and recognition of their roles and expectations.
The Islamic command to conceal sin doesn’t absolve people of their communal or institutional responsibilities, especially if the sinner has position of religious/public authority.

Protecting the right of the people, religion and law of property is prioritized over concealing the sin of a public figure/person in authority. There is an obligation to expose the sin and potential character fault that will interfere with their leadership/responsible role. You can read more about this from Mairaj U. Syed’s research paper on On Concealing the Sins of Religious Leaders

You can learn more about spiritual harm and abuse from: The Hurma Project Research; Research by Dr Rania Awad. Work by Faith Institute Trust. Community voices from In Shaykh’s Clothing.
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What is hurma?

Hurma (حرمة) is an Islamic legal term signifying the divinely-granted right of protection of the human person from abuse, assault, and exploitation.

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Henna Khawja

Mental Health Advisor

Henna Khawja is a Registered Social Worker with a special focus on the spectrum of gender based violence in Muslim communities. With over twelve years in the field, Henna currently works in sexual violence prevention and education with the University of Toronto, and is a Psychotherapist in private practice. Henna has worked with children, youth and adults in community, legal, child protection, corporate and university settings. Henna has also acted as the first Clinical Director for the Islamic Family and Social Services Association (IFSSA) in Edmonton, Alberta. Over the years, she has focused her work on supporting Survivors of trauma and violence along their healing journeys (including but not limited to gender based, spiritual, domestic, intimate partner, sexual, family, intergenerational, community violence). Henna has extensive experience working with Muslim & racialized communities in both Canada and the USA, as well as Pakistan and Zanzibar.

If you would like to connect with Henna for support and/or questions, please click here.