Money is the hidden oasis in the dry desert.

Everyone seeks its presence. Whether they take the journey or dream from afar.

It’s why you see people get sucked into the “get rich quick” schemes online.

Last week a sister reached out to me about how she bought an MRR digital marketing course and she feels like it was a little deceptive.

But turns out it wasn’t exactly deceptive... it required effort.

Yep, effort. That one detail most promoters gloss over.

That’s when Sister M realized that she wanted to focus her energy instead on building her own empire instead of promoting something she’s not passionate about.

Point being — everyone wants to make money. A lot of it. Quick.

Money impacts:

• The place we live in

• The food we eat

• The time we have for studying religion

• The people we can reach out to

• The level of stress a situation will cause

But why is making money tougher than solving a Rubik’s cube blindfolded?

The answer is simple, yet complex.

It’s you.

Yeah you heard me. I didn’t want to believe it either when I was first told that.

Because if you don’t believe you can make $10k/month from home, you never will.

The problem is you.

You see, your thoughts are the architects of your reality.

Think about it.

Du’a is the verbal articulation of our thoughts. And du’a changes destiny.

If you don’t believe it nor ask Allah that you want to make a million dollars, will you ever make a million dollars?

When you start believing it, your subconscious will be wired to spot those million dollar opportunities when it comes by you.

The Cacti of Stress

Stress is like a pop-up ad that appears just as you're getting to the good part of a video.

The more you focus on it, the worse it gets.

Stress comes from where we put our attention. It could be from endless scattered thoughts or from being fixated on things beyond our immediate control.

The concept of self, as we understand it, is shaped over time through our interactions and relationships with the world around us.

Our every action, consciously or not, is driven by the underlying instinct of survival.

I’m not talking the physical survival of food, water, or sleep — rather it’s the psychological survival.

The “you” that you built about yourself in your mind.

It’s who you are in your head.

When deeply held beliefs or perceptions are challenged, this triggers a stress response that aims to protect these aspects of our self-identity.

This includes beliefs about money.

Many people are quick to dismiss opportunities to improve their financial situation due to preconceived notions or skepticism, often labeling them as scams or unattainable.

But to truly grasp the money-making opportunities in the digital souk — you need to pause, take a breath, and look beyond the “impossible” label your conscious is quick to assign.

How does it make you feel when we discuss money? Do you feel uncomfortable? Is your body heating up? Does it make you think about a bill you have to pay?

Is talking about money making you squirm? Good. That means we’re digging in the right places.

Dive deeper. What within you is being threatened?

Financial freedom allows you to do what you want with your time.

This in turn gives you the freedom to do things that bring inner peace and happiness.

It allows you to let your creative energy flow.

Start being more mindful about your thoughts, especially about money. This will help you recognize when a negative or limiting belief surfaces in your consciousness.

Action Steps to Find the Money Oasis:

1. Mindful Awareness: Keep your eyes open and your mind clear. Notice how you feel about money without judging yourself. It's like mindfulness, but for your bank account.

• Indeed, in the creation of the heavens and the earth and the alternation of the night and the day are signs for those of understanding. (Quran 3:190)

Allah encourages us throughout the Qur’an to be mindful and reflect on the world around us. Apply a similar approach to your thoughts and feelings about money

2. Question Your Reactions: When you notice negative or anxious reactions when thinking about money, pause and ask yourself why you feel this way.

• And those who, when they are reminded of the verses of their Lord, do not fall upon them deaf and blind. (Quran 25:73)

Allah advises us to be introspective and heedful to divine guidance. Do not close off your mind and label opportunities as scams or impossible to quickly. Reflect on your feelings about money with an open mind

3. Challenge Those Beliefs: Identify and confront the deep beliefs that hold you back from achieving financial success. It’s time to question if they’re really true.

• And He provides for him from (sources) he never could imagine. And whoever puts his trust in Allah, then He will suffice him. (Quran 65:3)

Allah reassures us that with trust and faith in Him, we can overcome limiting beliefs about our financial capabilities, as He is the provider of all things, often from unexpected sources

4. Reframe Your Perspective: Start seeing the world as a place filled with opportunities, not obstacles. It's like switching from a black and white TV to full HD color.

• Say: 'Who has forbidden the adornment of Allah which He has produced for His servants and the good [lawful] things of provision?' (Quran 7:32)

Shift from a scarcity mindset to one of abundance and gratitude for Allah's blessings

5. Gratitude and Generosity: Focus on what you've got and what you can give, not what you're missing. It opens doors, trust me.

• And whatever you spend of good - it will be fully repaid to you, and you will not be wronged. (Quran 2:272)

Allah promises that acts of goodness and giving will be rewarded

6. Reflect and Adjust: Make it a routine to evaluate your money habits and mindset, adapting to better align with your goals and values.

• Indeed, Allah will not change the condition of a people until they change what is in themselves. (Quran 13:11)

To see change outside, we must first change inside

Finding Your Oasis: 6 Lessons Beyond The Mirage To Unlock Infinite Wealth

To unlock your potential, start with reflection. We are building the muscle of focused awareness. And we will be spending a lot of time here because without this muscle, you will not be able to make as much money as you want.

As you delve into the lessons, stay alert to any negative thoughts or emotions that arise. Question them.

1) Enter The Digital Souk

Making money is a skill anyone can finesse.

Just like through practice, your photography skills can get better.

It’s the same with making money. So how do you practice it?

You need to enter the digital souk

(The digital souk is my phrase for social media. if you don’t already know, souk means marketplace in arabic)

The digital souk consists of people who will buy from you.

Money won’t appear out of thin air, you need to generate it by entering the digital souk.

Once you have your stand in the digital souk, you then need to be able to tell people why they should come to you instead of the stand next door.

You need to build your stall, and sell.

Step into this digital souk with full trust in Allah.

"And when you have decided, then rely upon Allah. Indeed, Allah loves those who rely [upon Him]." (Quran 3:159)

2) Expand Your Mind

Limiting beliefs are like quicksand.

The more you struggle against them, the deeper you sink.

This is often the biggest barrier to making more money.

Recognize the unlimited potential in the universe.

All He needs to say is ‘Be’ and it is.

I used to think making $1,000 a day was impossible from home.

“Scam” was the first thing that popped into my mind.

And that’s why I was not able to get there.

I thought affiliate marketing was a scam until I actually tried it and hit $1,000 a day.

That’s when I knew I needed to open up my mind.

(I have a screenshot somewhere but that means I have to dig through years of photos which I’m not trying to do right now. I’ll get to it at some point)

After this shift in mindset, making money seemed as effortless as turning on a faucet.

I’ve noticed a lot of people will live in this “broke” reality and tell themselves they can’t make more so they get stuck there.

“Lol you think she really made $50k this month? She’s definitely selling you a course to make that… scam!”

"Starting a business requires a lot of money and connections I don't have.”

"Earning more than what's necessary is greed. Shouldn't I just be content with what I have and focus on my spiritual journey?" (I have a lot to say about this one, but we’ll leave that for another letter)

If you do this, you won’t see the opportunities when they come by.

3) Create Value

It’s not just about selling. It’s about making someone’s life a little bit better.

You need two things in any successful business:

• Value: A product or service that promises an improvement in someone’s life

• People: Someone to buy the product from you

In the digital souk, you will need to first grab peoples attention to your stall.

How do you do this?

Through media. It’s clear to me that the next evolution of creators are becoming their own media companies.

Graphic design, writing, speaking, videos, audio.

I prefer the combination of design and writing as design helps get eyeballs on your work and writing tells the story that will help you connect with your audience.

Media will attract the right people to your stall but how do you persuade them to buy?

Learn marketing, sales, and persuasion.

4) Dream Big, Start Small

My friend, after you open your mind to the possibility of being rich, you are well on your way there.

That is one of the biggest hurdle people have trouble with.

Now the question is where to start.

When you’re unsure, experiment and find what clicks.

When you’re overwhelmed, let go and find what clicks.

Once you find what sticks, do the small consistent actions that will take you to where you need to be.

“...and that the most beloved deed to Allah is the most regular and constant even if it were little." (Bukhari)

5) Your New Normal

In the journey of entrepreneurship, nothing is predictable.

Imagine going on a rollercoaster ride blindfolded. You never know when the next twist, turn, or sudden drop is coming.

In a 9-5, you know you have a paycheck of $3000 hitting next week.

But with your stall in the digital souk, you don’t know what your provisions will be for that day.

It could be high or it could be low.

Or it could be zero.

I actually hit my first $20k month very recently. Surreal.

But will that be sustainable this month? Maybe, maybe not. It depends on my output levels. Truth be told, I’m in need of rest.

Rest is a necessity. Particularly for women. Our biological cycles inherently demand periods of recharge.

Rest aside, hitting $20k months is my new normal. My brain won’t accept anything lower now.

This forces me to launch a new product or service because I need to meet my new normal.

However, increasing your income should not necessarily lead to an increase in lifestyle.

You’re going to want to put any profits back into the business otherwise things can go downhill very fast.

6) Monetize Your Mind, Not Your Time

We are humans at the end of the day and we have physical limits.

You only have 24 hours in a day of which you sleep 6-8 hours (hopefully).

That leaves you with 16-18 hours. Now take away time for eating, working, studying, relationships, attending to basic needs… what’s left? Perhaps a mere few hours if we’re lucky.

You can only use these handful of hours to its extent. After that you run out of time to leverage.

So your earnings are seemingly capped.

Unless… you take advantage of the digital souk where the stand can sustain itself without you being there.

You need automations and social media to do the heavy lifting for you.

You’re going to have to spend time getting people to notice and come to your digital souk.

Once you do that and have results… that’s where the real fun begins.

I’m in that phase now and its absolutely exhilarating allahumma barik.

Sometimes I can take it for granted but I have to remind myself it took me 2+ years to get to the point of scaling. But that was because I had to figure it all out on my own.

For you it can be less.

If you want true wealth, which is having time (not money)

Then you need to figure out how to leverage the digital souk and be able to sell without you being there.

Attract an audience. Nurture an email list. Create buyers.

Leverage the digital souk.

That’s all I have for this letter.

Until next time.

مع حبي (with love)

— Saufiyah ♡

What’s Happening This Week

We are entering the month of Sha’ban (that means there’s less than 30 days until Ramadan!!) I cannot stress enough how Ramadan is the month of peak productivity.

I’ve managed to do things during this blessed month that are unparalleled at any other time of the year.

There’s an undeniable sense of barakah that permeates everything... if you seek it.

I created a Ramadan Planner three years ago, and since then it’s been a MUST for me every year.

It’s helped me balance worldly and spiritual tasks to make sure I’m not slacking in either. I’m able to finish the Qur’an every month because of it.

It also includes time-boxing for each day — optimized for suhoor sleep schedules — so you can be more intentional with your time & energy.

You don’t need to get a planner. But if you want a companion this Ramadan to help maximize your blessings and support my work, check it out below:

2024 Productive Ramadan Planner