By Karim Serageldin

In the relationship work I do, I make sure we practice skills in session because I know change occurs through time and repetition. When couples go home with some new skills to practice, sometimes they come back to my office complaining that the growth did not take place. Sometimes they give up because it seems “too hard” or “forced.” I often ask myself, “Why is it so hard for people to change when they have the tools and just need to practice?” What is stopping us from being consistent? Over the years I have come to realize that there are mental blocks and natural fallbacks on the path to growth that we must be aware of in order to be empowered along the way. Here is my list to help guide us through the pulse of human growth!

1) Know the Keys to Growth.

Time + Repetition = Change

Time + Changes = Transformation

Time + Transformations = Mastery

Whether you want to learn how to play guitar, memorize Qur’an or instill a new relationship pattern, these keys will get you there. Know the keys and remember them often. Recall them when things get tough and you feel like giving up. Remember that nothing happens over night and every master was once a novice in their craft!

2) Know no one is perfect.

I often hear the following from couples that play the blame game, feel put down and give up easily.

“My husband tells me I am the problem and I need the counseling—not him.”

“She doesn’t want to do anything different, she thinks I can’t change.”

“He/she will never change, there is no point to this!”

Firstly, any human being that does not recognize that they can always learn and evolve as a person is ignorant and in even more need of growth! Both of you need to accept that each of you have potential for growth and sincere dedication is required to achieve anything. No one has the right to say, “I am fine and in no need to change,” or “I do not need new skills.”

This is a deadly delusion and will likely lead to many other failures in life.

3) Get comfortable with discomfort: The Pain Value System

Sometimes we know what we want but don’t know how to get it. I know I need to lose weight or improve my marriage but “I just can’t take that first step.” This lack of motivation is killed by the fear and anxiety of the discomfort of change. We like staying the same because it does not require any exertion. This is why we get stuck and before you know it, years go by and then you tell yourself, “It’s too late.”

We need to psychologically assess and accept the reality of discomfort with any change and get ready for it. Pain and hardship is inevitable in life. Get over it and stop expecting life to be a stream of undisturbed pleasure. No one is free from tests, trials and discomfort. This is the existential journey in which we grow and refine ourselves!

Since this is a fact, all of us must assess the pain between different paths of action as well as the gain of those paths. This is the pain value system.

For example: if I don’t like being overweight and recognize it gives me pain and discomfort, I may also see that having an exercise routine, eating better and sacrificing my midnight snack binges are also painful. Well, which one am I willing to be uncomfortable with? Both are paths that will be painful but which path will have greater gain and benefit for me in the long run? Stay fat or get fit? Hopefully this reasoning will help us break through that first step and realize “Enough is enough. I am going to suffer anyways so I might as well do what is best for me!”

In relationships, we must do what is best for “us.” Couples express how hard it will be to work on themselves or practice new skills. I tell them, “You are already suffering in this relational pattern so you might as well suffer in a path towards growth instead!” Push yourselves to practice skills and support one another! It is better to try changing with hard work, than stay stubborn and not work—both paths will be painful but one will end in pleasure and success!

4) Growth is incremental.

The keys to growth clearly show that things take time and happen in succession. We all know the saying, “Nothing happens over night.” Every step towards achievement is part of the achievement. To get to the top of the mountain where that epic view awaits, you have to take one step at a time. As we walk up the trail we may stop to rest, sit and reflect, hydrate or even fall down a few meters, but we have to keep going and move one foot at a time.

Growth has a pulse and it is not a direct line shooting up vertically or even at a smooth 45 degree angle. It usually has waves and crests much like the lifeline you see on a hospital monitor. As a Taoist proverb says, “It is better to move slowly than to stand still.” In Islam it is better to do a small good deed consistently than a huge deed once. Why? With time, those small deeds will become a mountain of goodness for you and change your character. In relationships the daily hug or smile you give your partner will result in a deeper intimate connection overtime. Research by Shaunti Feldhahn, a best selling author on relationships, has shown that it is the little things over time that make couples happier. For example saying, “I love you” to your wife or “Thank you” to your husband when he does something will take the edge off overtime and prevent conflict eruptions in the future besides increasing the connection and gratitude in your relationship.

5) Progress not Perfection.

One couple I worked with wanted to make the dawn prayer every day together. Before this they did not pray at dawn at all and the wife requested the husband wake them up to have this new spiritual habit. The following week she came in feeling like they failed and I asked why? She said, “We only prayed three times this past week.” I pointed out to her, “So you did make progress?” She thought for a moment and said, “Yeah, I guess we did.” I helped her see that she was too focused on praying everyday, the end goal, such that she overlooked the actual growth: praying three times that week verses zero!

The progress is more important than perfection. In fact, perfection is practically impossible. For those of you thinking, “Well what about mastery?” Mastery is still not perfection. Perfection is only for the Divine. Michael Jordan still missed some shots and Thomas Edison failed a thousand experiments before the light bulb. Yet we recognize them as masters in their trade and remember the achievements and progress they made—not the failures. This is a major block we have in relationships. We focus on the let downs and disappointments rather than the effort and small progress that is happening. We can’t get there and be there at the same time. Patience is at the heart of progress and staying consistent requires will power. We can give up easily if we frame our actual progress as “failure” in light of it not being “perfect.”

6) Relapses may occur.

Yes, old habits can die hard. You may have not shouted at your wife for three months then slipped up again. You may have prayed everyday for two weeks then only a few times the following week. You may have been at the gym all year then took a month off.

People are wired in certain ways and have habits and behavioral patterns. Change is not easy and from time to time a pulse or trigger goes off and we may act out or lose steam. It is not the end of the world! Get back to it and use your previous progress as proof that you can do it again and keep that change pulse vibrant! Some people are really disciplined and can maintain a new practice no matter what; others have relapses from time to time. Don’t see it as a failure but a change in frequency. The important thing is to keep your pulse alive no matter what! Remember this the next time your partner seems to have “gone back to their old ways.”

7) Appreciation & Reminders!

I always tell my clients, “Appreciation of kind acts leads to motivation to act kindly.” As humans we feel valued and honored when we are shown gratitude. When we feel validated we naturally want to do more for others. This is why a child can do the same act over and over again if they get praised. It literally feels like a sparkling light went off in the soul! Showing gratitude is so important I start my couple’s sessions off with each partner first voicing their gratitude to one another. Part of showing appreciation is to reward each other and ourselves through small tokens of gratitude, whether material, verbal or emotional. The human being likes incentives and our society is all about rewards; even the hereafter has a set of rewards in place for those who believed and did good! Bottom line—treat yourselves and treat each other from time to time for your achievements. This helps us feel like we can keep going and set milestones to look forward to.  Part of appreciation is to remind one another of our good traits, praise the qualities and acts we want to see more of. This validates us and makes us feel that inner light beam which will motivate us to keep going and trying!

Karim Serageldin, founder of Noor, earned a BA in Psychology and Religion, obtained an MA in East-West Psychology and is a certified professional life coach. He worked in educational settings for several years and currently has a practice called Noor Human Consulting. His practical work and research includes developing a modern framework of Islamic psychology, relationship development, family dynamics and youth coaching. Visit noorhumanconsulting.com for more information.

When Religious Leaders Fail: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4

(This article was reviewed by a licensed therapist.)                    

The first level of disappointment is regarding the religious leader him/herself. Here are the aforementioned points that deal with this level:

• You may feel your trust was betrayed by their behavior because they did not practice what they preached. They not only did the opposite, but they did so in ways which are lower than you would ever expect in a friend, let alone a teacher and spokesperson for the religion. You may have trusted them, looked up to them, helped them, loved them, and/or obeyed them with devotion. The closer you were, the deeper the pain.
• Perhaps you feel the whole “Religious Preachers Industry” is corrupt to begin with. After all, you may have found out that others in the field were aware of this person’s ethical issues and did nothing to protect the public, or defend the rights of those abused. In fact, some continued to work with and promote their work as it was mutually advantageous to do so. Somehow, when religious leaders fail, they seem to be treated as above the law, above justice, and others in the field are part of the cover up using excuses of selective mercy that do not extend to the masses these people have harmed, or have the very real probability of harming, based on their issue reflecting an untreated pattern of such behavior.
• If you were specifically harmed by a religious leader, you may feel unsafe around religious leaders in general, particularly ones with the same physical profile or features as the person who harmed you.

As for the first point, your trust was in fact betrayed. You have a right to feel wronged. This feeling though, thankfully, does not mean you have to remain a victim to the mountainous pain of disappointment. When a religious leader fails, it has nothing to do with you, even if you were the one they directly harmed. It is a reflection of themselves, their own weaknesses, and internal states. There is no benefit that you can gain from holding onto the mountain of pain. Sometimes, a person might think by reliving the pain regularly, by carrying the mountain, they are protecting themselves from becoming desensitized to corruption, as the person who ‘doesn’t care’ is part of the problem. One can care very much, and be fully sensitive without having to carry the burden of pain with them. Integrity does not require self-imposed suffering. Just as you have a right to feel wronged and disappointed, you also have a right to let go of this pain while retaining the lessons.

The second point can become a dangerous slippery slope. There are hundreds of religious leaders in America. Even 30 Failed Leaders should not make us think the rest are in the same boat. At the same time, there is also no need to be naïve and assume everyone else is a saint. Everyone is human and capable of great good and great evil. To have the best opinion, do not assume more than what you see, in either direction. If someone does a clearly wrong action in front of you, “making 70 excuses” does not mean you say the action was right or justified. It means you might think, “Perhaps they are having a bad day, maybe they didn’t realize it was wrong, etc.” You also don’t extend it beyond that by thinking, “They probably do this all the time, this is how they *really* are, etc.” This would be having the worst assumption, and it’s not something allowed in Islam. To have balance means you don’t assume in any direction where their heart is as only Allah subhanahu wa ta`ala (exalted is He) knows the hearts, and you only judge through actions, their observable behavior whether or not they are someone you’d like to take as a teacher. No one should be idolized. The religious leader is not the religion. I repeat, the religious leader is not the religion, no matter what claim to authority they might make. Even the most honorable ustaadh or ustaadha (teacher) is still human and makes mistakes. In Islam, we put following principles above following people.

Umar radi allahu `anhu (may God be pleased with him) once asked his people when he was amir al-mu’mineen (the Leader of the Believers) what they would do if he bowed down to corruption. He asked three times, until one of the people responded and said they would fight him. He congratulated the man who responded for having the appropriate response. If Umar (ra) as the khalifah (Caliph) was not above the law, no one else should be. If people have been wronged, they have the right to have their claims addressed even if they have to go to court. Sometimes people don’t want the stories to get out because they feel like such stories hurt the community’s faith. That might be true when it comes to smaller claims that can be negotiated between intermediaries. But for situations where a person is a clear danger, allowing a dangerous religious leader to continue harming people causes a much bigger crisis to faith and trust in religious leaders and institutions in the long run. Seeking justice is a means of having mercy on the community and even on the offending personality. Having once been involved in helping out with an intervention in which therapy was one of the requirements placed on the offender, the community leader who compliantly left their position, after some time, thanked those who intervened saying, “For the first time I felt like my problem can be, and will be, solved.” Alhamdulilah (all praise be to God), it was.

That being said, the entire field is not corrupt. The entire field is not pristine and pure either. Look for people of solid character, sound credentials in their learning, and people who work with others to build institutions that are about a cause bigger than their specific persona. Avoid taking people who display regularly narcissistic behavior as personal guides. You might be able to benefit in knowledge, but over time the behavior becomes normalized to you, and you would unknowingly adopt it yourself. The sincere teacher connects you to your mission, and calls you to God, not to himself or herself. Sound credentials are also important. Don’t take anyone as a teacher in religion who does not have the educational background that gives them ijaza (credential) to teach others. A beard, accent, and long robe are not indications of an educational background nor good character. Be wary of online degrees where the person has not also studied directly from scholars. Peer acknowledgment of requisite knowledge, character, and training by those who are credentialed and of exemplary character is another form of legitimacy. Our religious understanding is a living tradition, and it is inherited through people and institutions.

As for the last point, you may need therapy to fully recover from your experience. This is not something to fear or dread. Does anyone fear taking medicine when they feel physically ill? Medicine does not contradict prayer and tawakkul (trust in God), it completes it. If you don’t get treatment, you may find yourself turning away from anything and everything that reminds you even remotely of religion. After being harmed by a religious symbol, it becomes tempting to turn away from all religious symbols. If one was fake, there may be an urge to paint it all as fake. This is a trap of shaytan (the devil). When we are tested, we are in even more need of turning to Allah and holding onto His rope for our survival, guidance, and healing. If you feel like turning away, then allow yourself to stop the downward spiral by getting up, and turning back to Allah. Call on Him to guide you, help you, strengthen you, and liberate you from your pain.

Here are some tools that help alleviate overwhelming emotional distress:

1. Journaling in the third person: By expressing, you release the tension and come to realize the situation is not so big that it has to overwhelm you. It’s small enough to put into words and make sense of. By using third person you are able to dissociate from the heavy emotions while acknowledging what happened, and gaining lessons as well.
2. Channel your energy into a helpful hobby: exercise, painting, etc..
3. Releasing: A technique that is taught in the Whims-I-Kill program at ipersonalenrichment.com.
4. Speaking to local trained Muslim counselors and therapists.
5. Surround yourself with support. Fight the tendency to isolate. Spend time with worthy friends who would be like perfume sellers not blacksmiths. [i]
6. Increased worship and du`a’ (prayer). Every time you feel a whisper telling you to turn away from Allah, rebel and rebel hard. The shaytan wants you to despair in Allah, so you can feel utterly alone and without support. When you call on Allah, do so with hope in Him and His infinite abilities and wisdom. Believe in Who you don’t see much more than what you do see.

In the next piece, we will deal with the second and third levels of disappointment insha’ Allah. Until then, I pray this is of benefit for those affected and a conversation starter for all. Please feel free to add comments or reflections to this. You never know whom your shared thoughts are going to help.

Your website gives a lot of info on domestic violence, defined as abuse between couples, but what about child abuse? Do you have any articles or resources on that? I really need them. I suffer from PTSD, ADD, depression, and anxiety because of intense physical abuse and emotional neglect. Can you please help me? I have a therapist who is very good and also spiritual, but he cannot provide for the Islamic component.

Answer: 

Child abuse can be a form of domestic violence. According to the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA), child maltreatment is defined as:

“Any recent act or failure to act on the part of parent or caretaker which results in death, serious physical or emotional harm, sexual abuse or exploitation; or an act or failure to act which presents an imminent risk of serious harm.”

Child abuse includes non-accidental physical injury, neglect, sexual abuse, and emotional abuse. Although any of the forms of child abuse may occur separately, they often occur in combination. ((Prevent Child Abuse: http://www.preventchildabuse.org/about_us/faqs.shtml))

In the United States, each year more than one million children are confirmed by child protective services to be victims of child abuse and neglect, and every day, a minimum of three children die as a result. Violence in the home is a major factor that contributes to child abuse and neglect. ((Lung, C. T. and D. Daro. 1996. Current trends in child abuse reporting and fatalities: The results of the 1995 annual fifty state survey. Chicago, IL: National Committee to Prevent Child Abuse.))

Islam is very clear about the importance of establishing peaceful and healthy family relationships. The Prophet ﷺ (peace be upon him) taught us to be gentle with children, and there are numerous examples from his life that demonstrate his love and compassion for young people. For example, we know that he would greet his children affectionately, play with them, and listen to them.

Unfortunately, child abuse and neglect can lead to a variety of mental health problems, as you’ve shared with us. The good news is that you are seeking therapy. A therapist does not have to be Muslim to help you heal, but it may help to provide your therapist with information about your faith and share resources about Islam and mental health.

You may find some of the following articles/websites helpful for yourself and your therapist:

Child Abuse and the Muslim Community:

http://mentalhealth4muslims.com/2010/06/27/child-abuse-the-muslim-community/

Forgiving Your Parents & Learning to Move On:

http://mentalhealth4muslims.com/2012/04/29/forgiving-your-parents-learning-to-move-on/

Project Sakinah: http://www.projectsakinah.org/

Peaceful Families Project: http://www.peacefulfamilies.org/index.php

FaithTrust Institute: http://www.faithtrustinstitute.org/resources/articles/Advocating-for-Muslim-Child.pdf

Counseling Muslims: http://www.routledgementalhealth.com/counseling-muslims-9780415988605

VMCounselors was a collaborative advice column produced by two previous website authors, Amal Killawi, a Clinical Social Worker with a specialization in mental health and marriage education, and Munira Lekovic Ezzeldine, a Marriage and Family Therapist, specializing in premarital counseling. Please note that our counselors are not religious scholars and will not issue religious rulings. 

The columns and other materials included on VirtualMosque.com are presented on an “as is” basis, for information purposes only, in the areas of relationships and social commentary (collectively, the “Content”), and are not intended to replace or substitute for any professional medical, legal, financial or other advice. Please note, however, that the Content has not been regularly reviewed by any qualified psychiatrist, psychotherapist or other medical or legal professional in your jurisdiction and is therefore not intended to be relied upon, or to replace, professional medical advice, diagnosis, counseling, therapy or other treatment. If you have any questions regarding the Content posted on this website, you are advised to seek the advice of your physician, mental health provider, or other qualified health provider. Reliance on the Content or this website is solely at your own risk. VirtualMosque.com and the individual authors make no representations or warranties and expressly disclaim any and all liability concerning any treatment or action by any person following the information offered or provided within or through the website. In no event shall VirtualMosque.com or the authors be liable for any loss or damage including without limitation, indirect or consequential loss or damage, or any loss or damage whatsoever arising from loss of data or profits arising out of, or in connection with, the use of this website.

1. When did you start learning about therapy and why? What does this work mean to you?

I’ve always been fascinated by how humans work. It fascinated me how so much miscommunication happens and I wanted to know what motivates people and what makes some better at certain things than others. I knew that conventional psychology didn’t teach that and I was good at math and the sciences, so I decided to study engineering.

In 2000, two years into studying Electronic and Software Engineering, I took a year out to explore courses on alternative therapies and psychology. I was fascinated by what I found. Some of my life long questions were beginning to get answered. The year came to an end and I had learned so much. But do I return to university for my final year or do I continue on this new course?

I didn’t know of anyone in the Muslim community that was pursuing what I had just found so I realized that it was a fard kifayah (communal responsibilities) for me to drop engineering and pursue this instead.

2. You were featured in the local papers in the UK repeatedly about some of your success stories. Can you share something about those stories and why you think it attracted so much interest?

One of the stories was about a woman that had been agoraphobic for 15 years. She hadn’t left her home for that long – not even when her mother passed away. She was a Caucasian woman in her late thirties… What really caught the attention of the media was that she was married to her postman. Otherwise, she had no contact with the outside world. Also the fact that, alhamdulilah (All praise is to Allah), within 2 hours of us working together she left her house for the first time and went to the supermarket.

One of the other stories was about a young girl that had fallen off her trampoline 3 years previous to me seeing her. She developed a phobia of walking as a result. Her knees would rub against each other because her muscles would seize out of terror as she walked. Within two sessions her phobia was gone, but I needed to spend more time with her to ‘re-program’ her muscles, and to re-teach her to walk. I think the media latched onto this story because she was so young and her phobia was so debilitating.

3. Have you ever had a case that was particularly challenging? What did you do to overcome that challenge?

I only really ever work with challenging cases; if I know someone else that can deal with a situation I’ll usually refer the client on.

One of the most challenging cases I ever had was of a girl that had intense chronic pain in her toes. Two doctors had referred her to me, one a General Practitioner (GP) and the other a pain Consultant. The GP gave me the wrong diagnosis. He said her problem was psychosomatic (her mind was creating the pain) but it wasn’t. It was a problem with her energy. Alhamdulilah, when I figured that out, the pain was gone in 2 hours. She had lived with that pain for 3 years and she had literally travelled the world to find a solution. The saddest thing was that she was only 18 at the time. I remember the GP telling me, in front of her, that her problem was psychosomatic and was caused due to a dysfunctional family. It was not and his words were very cruel.

Alhamdulilah, in situations like that I am very grateful to Allah for the knowledge that I’ve acquired and the ability to identify the root of major ‘terminal’ issues. The Pain Consultant was far more humble and even commented positively when this story was published in the papers.

4. You’re starting a new program called i-Personal Enrichment that will be starting this Ramadan. Can you explain why you chose to shift your attention from formal therapy to both non-Muslims and Muslims, to providing a specialized service to the entire Muslim community? 

I started to get a lot of calls from Muslims though most of my publicity was aimed at the larger community. I just thought that they must be coming to me because I was a therapist through word of mouth.

It turns out though that this is normal with community leaders and imams (religious leaders) as well, except that they’re not trained to deal with these cases. Actually, some of the advice that my clients report having received from imams and community leaders is down right shocking to say the least. Due to this and because I had chosen this whole line of work to fulfill the fard kifayah, it only made sense to focus my work on the Muslim community and to make them my first priority.

5. What is i-Personal Enrichment, how does it work, and what do you hope to achieve through it?

It’s a monthly program where I will guide people through practical tazkiyah (purification of the soul). Tazkiyah consists of purification and growth. Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala (Glorified is He) in Surah al Shams, verse 9 says: “Indeed, successful is the one that purifies and grows it” (Qur’an, 91:9) – referring to the self.

In my experience, everyone is talking about what needs to be changed; they are citing verses and ahadeeth (sayings of the Prophet ﷺ) to prove their point. Their point is valid, but no one is teaching people HOW. I want to give the Muslim community the HOW.

I called the program iPersonalEnrichment because “enrichment” assumes that you are already good, already worthy and you’re just tweaking. This distinction might be subtle, but it’s critical. The program consists of videos and posts that I will be publishing, as well as the walk through exercises that you download as mp3s and worksheets. I’m designing it to be quick, easy and effective insha’Allah (God-willingly), so that people can even do tazkiyah whilst driving or walking.

Click here for more details: http://ipersonalenrichment.com/pro/

6. What are some of the most common issues you plan to address that you feel are really plaguing the well-being of the Muslim community today? 

In summary, people take their whims and desires as false gods. I think that all whims and desires can be categorized under four titles, the first three being: the whim for control, approval and security. So I will be teaching people how to notice these whims and how these whims are impairing them.

Then I will be tackling specific issues, some of which are:

• Having wealth in your hands and not in your heart; without loving it or hating it.
• Escaping the ‘rat race’
• Letting go of negative feelings towards others – such as jealousy or envy
• Overcoming addictions and cravings
• Building harmony with others
• Team work dynamics and choosing the right people
• Enhanced family relations
• Effective activism
• Detaching from dunya (worldly life)
• Obedience and submission to Allah
• Stopping worry and anxieties
• Hypno-slimming
• Cleansing the following states: Apathy, Grief, Fear, Lust, Anger and Pride
• Building positive routines and energy management
• Mind formats and optimum communication
• Goals and achievement

7. Why did you choose Ramadan to start this program considering how busy everyone usually is?

Ramadan is the best time to kick start this process because the devils are chained and so it’s much easier to purify oneself without that added distraction. Also, if you do something for 30 days it becomes a habit and it’s easier to build good habits if the devils aren’t holding us back, so Ramadan is the time to really program and condition yourself for the years to come.

As an added benefit of the devils being chained, it means that you get a more accurate picture of yourself. Your procrastination, your ill thoughts, any envy, wanting power over others, control issues, family and domestic issues – all of them will be as a result of the people involved – without the noise of the devils whispering to them. So you really do know what needs to be changed AND changing those things is easier because the devils aren’t trying to trip you up. If you give Ramadan your all, you will be a completely new person.

Yes people are busy in Ramadan, but busy doing what? Their first aim is to save themselves from hellfire and to work towards elevation in jannah (Paradise),  all through the Mercy of Allah. Listening to the program won’t take up a lot of time and the implementation can be done anywhere and at anytime. Ramadan is too important a time for me not to launch this program then.

8. You also completed a bachelor’s in Shari’ah, while being heavily involved in community activism. How does this background affect the classes you are providing? 

The degree showed me horizons of Islam that are just not available until you study. Islam is truly revolutionary. Fiqh is so practical and the rulings are so wise; how could they not be when this has descended from the All Wise! The community activism has taught me a lot also. Firstly, knowledge is not power. It is only potential power. As such, the exposure I’ve had has served to give power to what I learnt in my degree as well as my professional pursuits. There is good practice within our communities and there is also malpractice.

The program will therefore be very REAL and Practical, coming from someone that’s in the ‘grind’ – so to speak. Everything will be two thronged: internal enrichment and external enrichment.

9. How have you personally benefited from your studies and experiences as a therapist in your own life and as a community leader? 

These lessons have helped me in my own iman (faith) and my relationship with Allah, in my family life, as a husband and father. In my professional life hundreds of clients have benefited, alhamdulilah, and with the community, it’s been extremely useful also. I want to share what I have learnt with others. Personal growth affects everything, and the Prophet ﷺ said: “A strong believer is better than a weak believer.”

Of course I still make mistakes, but I think that these lessons have helped me to overcome my mistakes and learn far quicker.

10. Do you have any last thoughts you would like to share with the readers?

Just everyone’s dua’s (supplications). I’m investing a lot in this program and I really want it to revolutionize our communities insha’Allah (if Allah wills). I’d love as many people to join me as possible.