Skills To Master as a Muslim in Your 20s and 30s

Long time no see. I know. I missed you! Let's just say business, brain fog, distraction, burnout, black magic, and travels. More on all those in another space. I just finished editing this letter and totally forgot how much I loved writing newsletters : )

To catch up since April:

• May - launched The Muslim Business Launchpad (hit 6-figures with no ads)

• June - whole family had surgery??? nothing life threatening alhamdulillah

• July - traveled to Istanbul

• August - still in Istanbul. dark spiritual influences. launched The Morning Qahwah islamic learn pdfs. Prophetic Medicine edition releases in 2 days.

• September - launched first Qur'an journaling system. Founder price ends Sep 30 (less than 24 hours)

Alhamdulillah.

Let's get back to it shall we?

________________________

Money isn't the only thing inflating right now.

Degrees, job titles, and institutional approval are all losing value.

What once used to be the currency of success no longer buys you freedom.

I graduated summa cum laude in Financial Mathematics. I got good jobs but the degree was not used. I still don't regret going to uni because it taught me the bigger lesson:

The system was never designed for freedom. It was designed for obedience to it.

Ribā (interest) is normalized. It feeds you debt as "opportunity" and obedience as "stability." The promise is 4 years of lectures and loans for a job that may not even exist by the time you graduate.

Allāh already warned us:

O you who have believed, fear Allāh and give up what remains [due to you] of interest, if you should be believers. And if you do not, then be informed of a war [against you] from Allāh and His Messenger. But if you repent, you may have your principal - [thus] you do no wrong, nor are you wronged 

[2:278-279]

Tell me, how can waging war against Allāh ever be "safe"?

If I was 18 and fresh out of school again, I wouldn't play their game. I'd do 3 things:

• Take my religion seriously.

• Take my health seriously.

• Learn high-income skills and build a personal brand seriously.

Simple.

It blows my mind that a lot of people still sign up for debt and fitnah-filled environments just because they were promised 10-hour work days (yes 10 not 8 because your commute takes 1 hour) for a "stable" paycheck.

Safe for who? Not for you. Safe for the system.

Imagine if one experimented for 1-2 years instead and in process built a mindset and a skill stack that allowed them to earn as much as they wanted?

I made my last job's annual salary in a single month. If you told me that was possible at 18 I would've laughed and ha ha at the delusion.

The world changed faster in the last 10 years than in the 100 before.

10 years ago, you used to need investors, an office, and 6 months of burn capital just to start anything. Not anymore:

• Product idea → mine pain points on Reddit, social media, and competitor reviews.

• Customers → build an audience and grow your email list.

• Design → Canva, Figma templates, or hire a freelancer.

• Payments → Stan Store, Shopify, or Gumroad.

• Distribution without your face → faceless brand or collab with niche creators. Their trust = your launchpad.

• Operations → Klaviyo + Zapier + AI agents. Automate before you hire.

• Office → dining table, Google Drive, and noise-canceling headphones.

• Advisors → Qur'ān, Seerah, smart podcasts, and real mentors.

• Momentum → post today, send one email, launch small, iterate live.

You can learn any skill faster than ever, build anything faster than ever, and reach people faster than ever with one click.

You don't need permission.

But building this freedom isn't by chance. It belongs to those who master a specific set of skills. And this is where being Muslim gives us an edge. We already have a blueprint. Revelation gives us the framework. Modern tools give us the leverage.

The only thing left is willpower.

I have many childhood friends who followed the degree pipeline, couldn't land jobs, and then ended up paying $10-20k for short-term bootcamps just to be placed in $100k jobs where they were locked right back into a 9–5.

Even they went into specialized self-learning.

I'm not demonizing the job life. I was introduced to corporate at 18. My first real job was at the J.P Morgan headquarters on 270 Park. I was the youngest person there and I 100% got that job because my interviewer spoke Spanish and liked my conversational Spanish that I busted out. Otherwise, I had no business being there. Had absolutely zero work experience. Goes to show its about your personality at the end of the day, and it's how I hire now.

But I wish I was 18 now because the opportunities we have are unlike anything to have ever existed. It's the hardest time ever in history to get rich, but it's also the easiest time ever in history to get rich.

You are not too old. I built whatever I have while still in my 20s. People go to med school at 30. People start brands at 40. My mom is starting a Youtube at 50. Why not reinvent yourself now? The time is going to pass anyway.

Stop outsourcing your future to institutions that were never built for your freedom.

The solution? Build for yourself what you do for others.

And use the internet to do it 100x faster.

Content creation.

It's not being an influencer. I would've used the word content creator here but I do not love the word "creator" for humans because Al-Khāliq (The Creator) is Allāh alone.

Making things is in your essence. Humans were designed to solve problems and build tools. Animals adapt to their niche. Humans create new niches.

Ever heard of become the niche?

Creation is a path to both purpose and profit. Solve problems you care about. Offer those solutions to others. That's how you grow and help others grow.

If you feel bored or lost, you have not practiced long enough to produce something meaningful. Passion follows skill. Skill follows repetition.

Tech will keep changing. But the creative mind will always be the most valuable asset.

So what do you do?

You return to the original curriculum: revelation. Study how Allāh structured life: patterns in nature, cycles in time, the discipline of prayer. Stop boxing yourself into one credential. Become a deep learner who adapts, thinks critically, and applies across fields.

You create with what you've been given as you can never create something from nothing. You learn, you teach, you earn, and you lead.

The real freedom is becoming a servant of Allāh who no longer bows to broken kuffar systems.

Muslims already carry the blueprint the world is scrambling to rediscover. Our tradition gave us the principles. Modern tools give us the leverage. What remains is whether you'll act or not.

I'm going to talk about 9 skills worth mastering.

The ones that free you in this life and profit you in the next:

I. Self-Discipline

The most enslaved person is the one who cannot restrain their own nafs. Every real freedom begins with restriction. If you cannot govern yourself, you cannot govern your time, wealth, or work.

The world sells you discipline as productivity systems: accountability apps, habit trackers, endless checklists. But these are external and collapse the moment no one's looking. Revelation gives a deeper discipline structure: fasting, prayer, modesty, guarding the tongue. Fasting teaches you to say no even when no one sees. Prayer trains consistency no matter your mood. Modesty and guarding the tongue show restraint in the most private spheres. These don't turn you into a machine for work.

They train you from the inside.

And as for those who were in awe of standing before their Lord and restrained themselves from [evil] desires

Paradise will certainly be [their] home

79:40-41

Imam al-Ghazali described the nafs as a wild horse. If you train it, it will take you far. If you leave it untamed, it will throw you into ruin.

Discipline is not repression.

Discipline is actually being able to align your life with what Allāh wants. When you deny the nafs, you're not losing out on something fun, you're choosing something better that lasts.

The soul and body are not separate. They are one reality and worship involves both. Sujood (prostration) purifies the heart through the body. Resurrection on the Day of Judgement is both physical and spiritual. We are not Cartesian dualists. We believe in a hyomorphic being: the body affects the soul, and the soul affects the body.

When you discipline the body (sleep, diet, movement), the soul follows. A clean diet, proper sleep, and movement clear the fog of the mind. They reduce distraction and lower temptation. A tired, overweight body drags the soul with it.

When you discipline the soul (pray, fast, dhikr), the body follows. Prayer on time trains attention and focus. Fasting teaches the stomach to obey. Dhikr calms the heart. What begins inside manifests outward.

Western psychology says discipline is "acting without emotion." But we say discipline is acting with intention. The difference between ordinary people and the awliyā (friends of Allāh) is not what they do, but why. One man sleeps from fatigue. Another sleeps to wake for tahajjud. Same act, different scales.

So where can you start?

1) Turn off your phone one hour before bed
Make wudhū. Sleep after 'Ishā. Wake for Fajr.

2) Resist one desire of the nafs today
Eliminate gossip, caffeine, smoking, sugar, or laziness.

3) Say this du'ā:

I recently boycotted caffeine + sugar (it's been 3.5 weeks). It was hard at first but now when someone offers me sugar I literally can't wait to say NO. It gives me this high. Iykyk.

Self-discipline is about loving yourself enough to do what you know is good for you. This love isn't rooted in ego but rather servanthood.

To me? Discipline is a form of gratitude. It's saying:

Ya Rabb!

You gave me time, health, and guidance and I will not waste it.

Problems start when you try to force discipline using shame and guilt. You are not weak for struggling. You are human, أنت إنسان. You will fail and it's all good. Each time you try again, you become harder to break. And you will start to feel untouchable every time you say no to the lower-self.

If you can discipline your soul, you can discipline anything.

Discipline is how you build a life that's pleasing to your Lord.

And that's the only life worth building.

II. The Divine Time-Block

People struggle with time because they think time is theirs to control. They treat the calendar like an empty page waiting for them to fill. But time is spoken for.

Allāh Almighty said: The son of Adam insults Me. He curses time, but I am [the Creator of] time, for in My hand are the night and day [Bukhari & Muslim]

The fact in reality is that we will never fully grasp the concept of time. Time itself is part of creation. It began when Allāh said "Be" and it will end when the trumpet is blown. In the next life, time as we know it dissolves. No more filter of space or sequence. Just eternity. Like what even is infinity? In mathematics, infinity is a symbol for the ungraspable, what the mind cannot contain (I could go down this rabbit hole forever)

The Qur'ān says:

A Day with your Lord is like a thousand years of what you count

[22:47]

Some scholars explained this to mean the Day of Judgment will be so intense it will feel like a thousand years. Others say Allāh is teaching us: the human mind cannot comprehend the reality of a timeless continuum so He gave us a number as a glimpse of what existence beyond time and space will feel like.

Time is a perception tied to motion and change. In Jannah, there is no decay, no entropy, no sun rising or setting. The very things that measure time here… vanish there. What remains is pure presence of the soul.

So how can we pretend to "own" time in this world when even the concept itself will vanish in the next?

People live in an illusion of ownership. They think they own their bodies, their money, their time. But none of it belongs to us. You can't tattoo your body just because you "own" it. You can't lend money and demand interest just because it's "yours." Sure, you have the free will to disobey but you don't have ultimate ownership.

إنّا للّه وإنا إليه راجعون
Everything and everyone will return to Allāh.

Time is no different.

But people spend their hours like they control them. That illusion is why work consumes them. Meetings first. School first. Deadlines first. Then maybe a rushed prayer. They become servants of the clock.

But a believer does the opposite: builds life around prayer, not prayer around life. The calendar was never theirs. It was given by the One who created time itself.

Islām already mapped time for you: 5 daily prayers. Ramadan every year. Jumu'ah every week. 2.5% of wealth donated on a yearly lunar cycle. Hajj once in a lifetime. Each one tied into the fabric of time itself.

Revelation gave us the scaffolding: what to prioritize, when to pause, and how to live in cycles of remembrance. When you surrender to that divine calendar, time stops being random.

Indeed, the number of months with Allāh is 12 [lunar] months in the register of Allāh from the day He created the heavens and the earth; of these, 4 are sacred. That is the correct religion, so do not wrong yourselves during them... [9:36]

Indeed, prayer has been decreed upon the believers at specified times [4:103]

The Prophet ﷺ built his day around salāh. (We have a really cool poster on this in The Muslim Business Launchpad, last module). The Qur'ān doesn't say "pray when it's convenient". It commands you to show up, on time, regardless of your mood.

The world says success is "time freedom." Do whatever you want, whenever you want. But that time is not yours to waste. Time is an amānah, a trust.

Our crisis is that we lost nature's rhythm. We live in artificial light, artificial time, artificial rest. But the connections to Allāh throughout the day resets all of that.

Either you let the world dictate your schedule or you serve the One who created it.

So start with what is obligated. Then arrange the rest by your natural energy cycles. You have the most energy after Fajr? Great. Pray Fajr, then do your hardest work here.

Take advantage of five before five: your youth before your old age, your health before your illness, your wealth before your poverty, your free time before your busyness, and your life before your death [Shu ab al-Imān]

Where I would start?

1) Block your day with salāh
Treat the 5 prayers as non-negotiables. Everything else bends around them.

2) Use prayer as a start-stop switch
Begin a task right after salāh. End a task right before salāh. This creates natural work sprints.

3) Assign themes to prayer windows.

• Fajr to Dhuhr: Deep work / study.

• Dhuhr to Asr: Tasks + admin.

• 'Asr to Maghrib: Family, exercise, light work.

• Maghrib to 'Ishā: Reflection, planning, relationships.

• After 'Ishā: Rest or a pocket for Qur'ān / creative work if awake.

4) Perfect one prayer window.
Pick one block (e.g. Fajr to Dhuhr) and make it your strongest routine this week.

5) Do a weekly review on Jumu'ah.
Ask: did I use my blocks for dunyā only or did I give Allāh His share?

The real productivity system is in obedience.

When you give time to Allāh, He gives barakah to everything else.

III. Writing

Writing is not just for authors. It's for every Muslim who thinks. Clear writing is clear thinking. If you cannot write, you cannot truly know what you believe.

The system reduces writing to 5 paragraph essays, cover letters, a thesis, or paperwork. Dead words for dead ends. But writing has always been revelation, preservation, and transmission.

The Qur'ān began with a command to read & recite. Iqra.

Writing has been the vessel of truth.

And Allāh swears by the pen itself:

Nun. By the pen and what they inscribe. [68:1]

The Prophet ﷺ didn't write books but his words were preserved meticulously, by memory and by the pen. After the Battle of Yamāmah, when many of the Qur'ān's memorizers were martyred, the sahābah feared verses could be lost. Thus, the Qur'ān was compiled into a written mus'haf. Memory and writing preserved the message for every generation after.

Malcolm X found Islām in prison. But before he could preach, he had to write. He copied the entire English dictionary by hand, letter by letter, word by word. It was this process that taught him language, and through language, clarity, and through clarity, transformation.

Entire civilizations were built because Muslims wrote. Qur'ān, tafsīr, hadith, science, medicine, philosophy. Writing was civilization. That is why the early scholars said: "Bind knowledge by writing it."

And writing is not just putting words down. It is also a wrestle with thought.

It is how you debug your mind.

When you write, you expose hidden loops of the self. It can no longer hide behind vague feelings or quick reactions. The excuses you kept making suddenly look dumb on the page. What felt like a "good reason" is exposed as ego. What felt impossible takes shape in front of you.

Writing forces precision. And precision kills illusion. You realize how often your mind runs in circles, how the self repeats the same justifications with different words. On paper, that loop is obvious. You see the pattern. You see the self-deception. And once you see it, you cannot unsee it.

A single sentence can move hearts centuries later.

But the opposite is true too, so watch what you say.

Social media gurus tell you to write to build an audience. That is secondary. The real function of writing is purification. It is tazkiyah (purification) for the intellect.

The modern mind is cluttered because we replaced reflection with consumption.

The vanishing of pen and paper is such a frightening thought. In Orwell's 1984, books are erased because truth threatened control. I can totally see that happening today. The government and media can censor the internet but they cannot censor what is bound in ink. And the Prophet ﷺ told us one of the signs of the Hour: the Qur'ān will be lifted from pages and hearts. The very form that preserved it for us will one day disappear.

Can you imagine that moment?

Writing is how we turn life into insight. It's how we slow down our thinking enough to witness it. In a society obsessed with now, now, now, writing teaches you to sit with yourself. It is a discipline of solitude.

So what can you do?

1) Write every day
Just 5-10 min when you wake up is a great start.

2) Start a Qur'ān journal
Pick one ayah daily. Write what it means to you, what scholars said, and how you can live it.

3) When overwhelmed, brain dump
Put everything on paper. List every task, worry, or thought.

4) Reread what you wrote at the end of the week.
You'll notice repeated loops, excuses, and truths you couldn't see in the moment.

Do this weekly and your self-awareness will multiply.

Writing is how you leave a trace. Without it, your thoughts die with you. With it, they can become sadaqah that benefits you and others in the grave. Allāh began revelation with reading and swore by the pen. The message is clear: knowledge survives through words.

Writing is not optional. Even if you never publish a book or post online, write for your soul. Because writing is how you create meaning for yourself, and for others.

P.S. If you're going to keep a private diary where you admit your raw unfiltered intrusive thoughts, burn it every month. It will be a release for you but more so protection from anyone else every stumbling across it.

P.P.S. If you want to learn how I write newsletters, join The Muslim Creative community.

IV. Delayed Gratification

The ability to restrain is what separates the human from the animal.

An animal eats when it sees food. It mates when it feels desire. It walks unclothed with no thought of shame. But a believer fasts even when food is in front of him. Holds back from intimate desires until marriage. Clothes themselves out of shame and modesty. That gap between impulse and obedience is where faith lives.

In a world built on instant gratification, the ability to wait is a spiritual superpower.

Do not destroy the future for the sake of the present.

Paradise is surrounded by hardships and Hell is surrounded by desires [Muslim]

That hadīth captures the entire psychology of waiting. Every hardship you go through with patience is a gate closer to Jannah. Every desire you indulge in without any restraint is a gate closer to Hell.

This whole life is just a game of delayed gratification. Can you give up your lowly desires for the promised reward? It's the same concept with worldly tasks. Can you give up the scroll to work on your dreams?

We are in a global crisis of overindulgence. Everything is built for instant dopamine: scrolls, likes, one-tap orders, sugar, credit cards. Pleasure now, pain later. The nafs is short-sighted and obsessed with immediate sweetness.

But Islām trains you the opposite way. Every command from Allāh is a reprogramming of desire: fast now for forgiveness later, pray now for tranquility later, restrain now for reward later.

Allāh says:

O you who believe, seek help through patience and prayer. Indeed, Allāh is with the patient [2:153]

And again:

So be patient. Indeed, the promise of Allāh is truth [30:60]

Look to the Prophets:

• Prophet Yusuf عليه السلام resisted seduction in private. He chose prison over sin. That restraint elevated him to a throne years later.

• Prophet Ibrahim عليه السلام was given a son at an age when it was biologically impossible. Decades of patience and Allāh made him the father of nations.

• Prophet Musa عليه السلام and his people wandered for 40 years before entering the promised land.

The pattern is always the same: Restraint before reward. Hardship before ease. Delay before elevation. The delay is not wasted time. It is the process itself.

Western culture glorifies speed: fast money, fast fame, fast fixes. But what comes fast usually goes faster. Don't tell anyone but I once made $600 playing poker (may Allāh forgive me I didn't realize it was real money until the end). The very next week I got into a car accident and spent exactly $600 on repairs. That was my warning: what comes through sin does not last.

Either you chase short-term dopamine or you build eternal returns.

Where to start?

1) Stop for 7 days
Pick one thing: coffee, phone, sugar, smoking, the gaze, immodest clothing. Idk.

2) Eliminate temptation
The easiest way to resist something is not to face it at all. If you are trying to cut back on sweets, don't keep any in the house.

3) Automate your decisions
Systems > willpower. Relying on willpower alone can lead to decision fatigue. If you want to dress more modestly, donate or throw out clothes that don't fit that narrative.

4) Visualize your future self
If it gets hard, picture how you will feel later today or tomorrow or in Jannah after you put in the hard work.

5) Reward yourself wisely. 
Delayed gratification doesn't have to mean no rewards at all. A smaller or delayed reward can reinforce good behavior without derailing your goal. For example, after my hifdh sessions I reward myself with breakfast.

Delayed gratification is proof that you believe in the unseen.

If you trade future gains for temporary ease, you've sold your future for pennies.

V. Decision Making

Most indecision doesn't come from ignorance.

It comes from fear, ego, and attachment to outcomes.

Fear says: what if.

Ego says: wait until it's perfect.

But Allāh says: do your part and leave it to to Me.

And when you have decided, then rely upon Allāh. Indeed, Allāh loves those who rely [upon Him] 3:159

Reliance does not mean inaction. The Prophet ﷺ said:

If you relied on Allāh as He deserves, He would provide for you as He provides for the birds. They leave in the morning hungry and return in the evening full [Ibn Majah 4164]

Birds don't sit in their nests waiting. They move. Then Allāh provides.

The Prophet ﷺ modeled a clear framework: He ﷺ would consult his companions. He ﷺ would pray istikhārah. He ﷺ would weigh benefits and harms through what was revealed to him.

The 5 Pillars of Prophetic Decision Making

1. Shūrā: consult people of integrity [42:38]

2. Istikhārah: seek Allāh's guidance [Bukhari 1166]

3. Weigh benefits and harms: through revelation [Muwatta Malik 1435]

4. Resolve ('azm): decide with courage [3:159]

5. Tawakkul: detach your heart from outcomes and trust Allāh [65:3]

Most people avoid pain… as they should. If you purposely seek out pain, you probably need help. But pain is also the compass that points to where your growth is required. If you avoid decisions to avoid problems, you avoid correction. And without correction, there is no progress.

Intelligence isn't the greatest predictor of success. Agency is. The ability to act, to take responsibility, to try even when you might fail. That's the difference between being stuck and being free.

At its root? Every decision is a choice: love of Allāh vs. fear of dunyā.

Endless hesitation on a matter is the diseased need for certainty and control. Certainty belongs to Allāh alone. You will never have all the information. Make your niyyah (intention) sincere, act, and let Allāh carry the result. You are rewarded for your intention even if the outcome looks like failure.

Tbh, modern life only makes hesitation worse. We have wayyyyy too many options. The result? Paralysis.

But as the Prophet ﷺ said:

Leave what makes you in doubt for what does not make you in doubt [Tirmidhi 2518]

Sometimes the decision is knowing what to walk away from.

If you can't get yourself to decide:

1) Build knowledge
Read Qur'ān, tafsīr, books, podcasts. A baseline of knowledge speeds up clarity.

2) The 3-option rule:
When stuck, list 3 choices. Eliminate the one that brings the most anxiety or stress. Choose between the 2 that remain.

3) Daily istikhārah
Istikhārah isn't about dreams. It's about freeing your heart from attachment to results. Don't just save it for big events.

4) Taqwā filter
Ask: Which option helps me obey Allāh more? That's where the barakah is.

5) Deadlines
Set a time to decide. Lingering too long invites the devil.

6) Feedback loop: Act, sense, adjust
Cybernetics calls it "the art of getting what you want."

When you don't know what to do, stop asking: "What will work?" 

Start asking: "What does Allāh want from me here?" 

Decision-making is tawakkul (trust in Allāh) in motion. Every choice is proof of your faith that you trust Allāh more than you trust your fears.

Fix your destination and the path will start to reveal itself.

VI. Communication

The Prophet ﷺ was the most effective communicator in human history.

Not because he ﷺ spoke the most but because he ﷺ spoke with purpose. He ﷺ knew when to speak, when to pause, and when to remain silent.

There are some people who fail not because they lack talent but because they can't communicate. They mumble. They overshare. They confuse the other person.

Poor communication is self-sabotage.

When Allāh raised Prophet Musa عليه السلام to confront Pharaoh, Musa's first concern wasn't miracles or power. It was speech:

My Lord, expand for me my chest, and ease for me my task, and untie the knot from my tongue so they may understand my speech 

[20:25-28]

Communication is not optional. It is how you move hearts, lead people, and reflect truth.

Communication of the Tongue

Let whoever believes in Allāh and the Last Day speak good or remain silent [Bukhari 6136]

I like to think of this hadith as a spiritual filter. Every word is a transaction: either written for you or against you.

The tongue reveals the state of the heart. If your words are sharp, arrogant, or careless… they're exposing diseases inside. And vice versa.

The Prophet ﷺ changed lives with simple phrases:

• "Feed the hungry and greet those you know and don't know."

• "Be in the world as if you are a stranger or traveler."

His ﷺ words were جوامع الكام

Short but vast in meaning.

It was a God-given gift that he ﷺ was able to express comprehensive ideas, principles, and guidance in just a few words.

The tongue is small but it carries the weight of your destiny.

We are told most people are ruined not by their hands but because of gossip, slander, lying, zina of the tongue… these are spiritual poisons.

A slave of Allāh may utter a word without thinking whether it is right or wrong, he may slip down in the Fire as far away a distance equal to that between the east [Bukhari 6477]

Your tongue can undo your prayers, your fasting, even your sadaqah. That's why some scholars considered silence an act of worship when speech had no benefit.

Maryam عليها السلام was told to remain silent when accused, letting her newborn 'Isāعليه السلام speak instead.

Not every message needs a reply. Not every accusation needs defense.

Discernment is half of eloquence.

1. Pause before speaking. Give yourself 3 seconds. This breaks impulsivity.

2. Filter with 3 questions: Is it true? Is it beneficial? Is it the right time?

3. Practice brevity. Trim extra words. Learn from the speech of the Prophet ﷺ.

4. Guard against "tongue traps": backbiting, sarcasm, exaggeration, endless complaining. Replace them with du'ā, dhikr, or silence.

5. Recite the du'ā:

   Allāhumma hassanta khalqi fa hassin khuluqi

   اللَّهُمَّ حَسَّنْتَ خَلْقِي فَحَسِّنْ خُلُقِي

   O Allāh, improve my character as You perfected my form [Ibn Hibban 959]

Most conflicts don't come from what was said but from how it was delivered. A husband can say to his wife: "You still haven't cooked the fish I bought 5 days ago?" Or he can say: "You make the best fish I’ve ever had, I can’t wait to have it again." 

He didn't even have to ask in the latter but know that the forgotten fish will be cooked.

Communication of the Body

Not all speech is verbal. Your body speaks before your tongue does. Your posture, your eyes, your timing all come into play.

Presence over words. The Prophet ﷺ was known to face people fully when they spoke to him. He ﷺ gave his undivided attention.

Gestures. He ﷺ would use his hand to point upward when affirming tawhīd. He ﷺ would draw lines in the sand to explain lessons.

Facial expression. Abdullah ibn al-Harith reported: I have not seen anyone smile more often than the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ. A smile is sunnah and sadaqah. Anger on the face warns before anger in the tongue. Expressions are part of truth-telling.

People trust body language more than words. If your tone says one thing but your posture says another, their subconscious will pick up on it and believe your posture.

Think about how often people betray themselves without realizing it:

• Crossed arms when defensive

• Nervous eyes when lying

• Slouched shoulders when insecure

• Restless movements when anxious

Language should be visible before it is audible.

1. Face people fully when they talk to you.

2. Smile often.

3. Pause before replying. Stillness signals presence.

4. Keep your gaze balanced neither staring harshly nor avoiding out of arrogance.

5. Walk with humility neither dragging nor strutting. The Qur'ān says: "And do not walk upon the earth arrogantly. Indeed, you will never tear the earth [apart], and you will never reach the mountains in height." (17:37)

Your body is always communicating.

The question is: what is it really saying?

Communication of the Soul

Not all communication happens through words or gestures.

The soul speaks in ways deeper than language.

Did you ever feel instantly calm when you sat in a gathering of remembrance or in the presence of someone whose heart is alive with knowledge of Allāh?

Your inner state is a broadcast. If your heart is restless, people will feel it. If your heart is at peace, people will feel it.

...their sign is in their faces from the effect of prostration [i.e., prayer]... [48:29]

This ayah refers to the light and brightness that is reflected naturally on the faces of the devout as a result of humility, meekness and gentleness of disposition. Particularly this is one of the effects that follow from offering tahajjud salah regularly [Tafsir ibn Kathir]

The Qur'ān is telling you soul-language is visible.

If your inner state is diseased, no amount of polish can cover it. If your heart is purified, your words and actions naturally gain weight.

Think of how you feel when you're in the presence of someone deeply connected to Allāh. Their gaze has this gravity that you just can't explain. That is communication of the soul: an energy that bypasses intellect and touches fitrah directly.

What can you do?

1. Increase dhikr. The tongue polishes the heart, the heart polishes the presence.

2. Pray with khushū'

3. Guard the gaze. Eyes are antennas of the soul. What you consume affects what you transmit.

4. Serve without being seen. Hidden acts of service give invisible strength.

5. Make du'ā before speaking. Not just for eloquence but for the person about to receive your words.

We need this skill more than ever.

In business. In da'wah. In marriage. In public discourse. In parenting. In friendships.

The most leverage in life comes from writing and speaking well.

Build influence through language.

Learn the art of communication.

VII. Habit Design

Without design, your life defaults to chaos.

Most people are on auto-pilot. They wake when the phone buzzes. They eat whatever is nearby. They work only when pressured. We've replaced sacred rituals with secular repetition. Their lives are a reaction, not a design. And when you leave gaps, Shaytān fills them.

Indeed, prayer has been decreed upon the believers at specified times [4:103]

Notice: it is specified times. Not "when you feel like it."

The most beloved deeds to Allāh are those done consistently, even if they are few [Bukhari & Muslim]

That is the blueprint of habit design: repeatable, sustainable, compounding.

Habits aren't just self-optimization. It is identity formation. Every small act you repeat writes your soul's software. Pray on time long enough and you become someone who prays on time. Guard your tongue often enough and you become someone who cannot lie.

The world sells habits as hacks: stack this, track that, bullet journal your way to success.

But Islām already gave us the most powerful system. It scripts every sphere of life.

How you wake, eat, and sleep.
How you spend, save, and give.
How you pray, work, and rest.
How you speak, dress, and treat people.
How you marry, raise children, and even use the bathroom.

Worship, wealth, health, family… nothing is left to random.

And inside that system are the tools of habit-building:

• System: worship itself. dhikr, salāh, fasting acts are designed to be repeated

• Trigger: the adhān. a call that cues you to move

• Reward: the pleasure of Allāh, which compounds far beyond dopamine

That's the divine habit framework. But what about your personal habits?

• Tie every habit to a cue you already do

  • e.g. exercise after work, use siwak when entering house, one page of Qur'ān after every prayer.

• Audit your triggers

  • Replace sinful cues (phone at night, gossip groups) with spiritual ones.

• Design your environment

  • Prophet Ibrahim عليه السلام destroyed the idols before calling to tawhīd [21:63]. Clean your digital and physical space before expecting better habits.

• Start microscopic

  • One ayah daily. One page of writing. One pushup. The point is small enough to get you to start.

And remember, the journey to real habit change isn't linear. It spirals. You'll fall, then return. The most intelligent souls aren't the most consistent. They're the ones who see the patterns, feedback, and adjust to keep moving. Missing one day doesn't mean you're lost for life.

The 6 Islamic Habit Designs

1) Worship System

• Schedule your days to salāh

• Add micro-habits: Qur'ān after Fajr, dhikr on commute, istighfār before sleep, charity on Jumu'ah)

• Let the adhan be your timer

2) Work System

• Block focus hours between Fajr and Dhuhr

• Automate repetitive tasks with tools (Manychat, Klaviyo, Zapier)

• Delegate what drains your attention

3) Health System

• Sleep after 'Ishā & wake up at Fajr

• Eat with moderation (⅓ food, ⅓ water, ⅓ breath)

• Eat only halāl & tayyib

• Fast Mondays and Thursdays

• Move your body every day

4) Wealth System

• Automate sadaqah (even $1 daily)

• Fix zakāt reviews yearly

• Block time monthly or weekly to review your finances so money serves you, not the other way around

5) Learning System

• Keep a Qur'ān journal or knowledge journal. Write in it every day

• Review notes weekly

• Pair reading with writing and writing with doing

6) Family System

• Fix mealtimes together

• Block one night a week for family shūrā and connection

• Spend generously on them where you're able

Habit design is life design.

The believer is someone who makes good automatic and bad difficult. They design systems patterned after the Prophet ﷺ and systems that pulls them closer Allāh. Your job is to extend that divine structure into every corner of life until everything health, wealth, work, relationships becomes worship.

VIII. Persuasion

Companies spend billions into algorithms designed not just to know what you like but to shape what you like. Your watch hours tracked. Your clicks recorded. Your conversations transcribed and turned into ads. What you save today becomes tomorrow's "recommended". What your friend mentions at lunch appears in your shopping feed by evening.

It's an intricate system dangerously engineered to capture your mind.

Every skill has a shadow and persuasion without ikhlās (sincerity) becomes manipulation. It is how cult leaders rise and how corporations addict you and it is how Shaytān deceived Adam عليه السلام with words:

He swore to them, "I am truly your sincere advisor." So he misled them with deception.. [7:21–22]

If you want to persuade, the sequence matters:

Call to the way of your Lord with wisdom and good instruction, and argue with them in a way that is best [16:125]

Wisdom first (framing and timing), then instruction (clear teaching), then debate (only if necessary, and always with excellence).

The Qur'ān mapped this out 1,400+ years ago:

• Start with relatability - meet people where they are. (Wisdom).

• Educate clearly - teach in a way they can't unsee. (Instruction).

• Handle objections - address doubts without aggression. (Best debate).

The Qur'ān itself is the highest form of persuasion. It convinces without manipulation, it terrifies without exaggeration, and it softens without flattery. Its strategy is timeless:

• Truth. The Qur'ān presents reality as it is: reward and punishment, hope and fear."We do not send the messengers except as bringers of good tidings and warners." (6:48)

• Repetition. "So which of the favors of your Lord will you deny?" (55:13) This ayah is repeated 31 times until denial feels absurd.

• Rhythm. Verses that mirror human breath. Short when urgent, long when reflective. You can feel this when reciting and understanding the meanings.

• Story. Prophet Yusuf عليه السلام's life called "the best of stories" (12:3). I dissected this more in the Qur'ānic Writing Principles in The Muslim Creative Community.

When the Prophet ﷺ called the Quraysh to the mountain and asked: "If I told you an army was behind this hill, would you believe me?" They said yes, because his character had already persuaded them before his words did.

Admonition penetrates only when it comes from a purified heart.

If your words don't move you, they won't move others.

Modern persuasion obsesses over control. But you are not responsible for people accepting your message. You are only responsible for delivering it with ihsān.

Every Muslim needs to learn persuasion not just to sell a product, but to sell truth back into a world drowning in falsehood.

You persuade when you:

• Get your girl to wear the hijāb or niqāb.

• Convince a friend to come to the masjid.

• Raise your kids with prophetic values.

• Explain the religion to someone with doubts.

• Market a halāl product in a market of harām.

The human heart inclines toward beauty.

So use beauty. In your words. Your tone. Your writing. Your design.

Allāh paired the Qur'ān with the most beautiful Arabic.

The 7 Laws of Persuasion

1) Sincerity (Ikhlās) Speech must be free of ego. If your goal is to "win," you've already lost. People buy from those they believe in. Manipulation kills long-term persuasion.

2) Clarity (Bayān) The Qur'ān is mubīn (clear). The Prophet ﷺ's words were jawāmi' al-kalim (concise but vast.) Cut the fluff. Speak so plainly even a 5th grader can understand the point. The clearest message wins.

3) Wisdom (Hikmah) Timing + tone. Prophet Musa عليه السلام was told to speak to Pharaoh with gentle words (20:44). If Pharaoh deserved gentleness, what about your spouse, your child, your team? You need the right message, right person & right time.

4) Story (Qasas) The Qur'ān persuades through narrative. Stories bypass the defenses of the mind and land directly in the heart. Use stories of prophets, sahābah, or your own lived experiences.

5) Repetition Truth is not absorbed in one sitting. The Qur'ān repeats its messages over and over again. Retarget, follow-up, send email sequences.

6) Rhythm There is an art to writing sentences and it persuades just as much as content. Short sentences create urgency. Long ones give space to reflect. Medium ones tie them together. Master cadence and people will actually feel your words.

7) Action (Amal) The Prophet ﷺ didn't just say "be truthful" he ﷺ was al-Sādiq al-Amīn. Hypocrisy kills persuasion faster than weak speech. How many reverts guided their own families not through debates but through the undeniable transformation in their character and behavior? Social proof, testimonials, integrity. People believe what they see more than what they're told.

Bonus: Always anchor persuasion in benefit. Ask yourself: How does this help them obey Allāh more?

And that makes it one of the most powerful skills a Muslim can learn.

9. Content Creation

This single skill made me over $1M since I started by businesses. Almost half a million was last year alone. I didn't even realize until my accountant flagged it.

So let's talk: content creation.

Social media is full of disease and it needs to be purified through Muslim content creators.

Every da'wah effort today is now also a content effort.

And whether or not you have a following, you're already creating content:

• What you say to your friends is content.

• What you post online is content.

• What you like and share… is content (people can see your like activity)

The Prophet ﷺ said: Convey from me, even if it is one verse

[Bukhari 3461]

Every Muslim is commanded to share what they know, no matter how small.

Muslims need to treat it like responsibility. If we're not creating content rooted in the truth, someone else is creating content rooted in falsehood.

The Prophet ﷺ didn't post on Instagram but he ﷺ delivered the message in every medium of his time: public speech, private counsel, handwritten letters, and strategic presence. The Companions would travel days to deliver a single message of Islām.

Now you can deliver it in seconds.

Content is not just for influencers showing off their purchases or dancing to trends. Content is and should be a form of da'wah. It's knowledge distribution. It's problem-solving at scale. It's digital sadaqah jāriyah. If you want ongoing good deeds written for you, start sharing content that calls to the path of Allāh. There has never been a time where it's been easier.

The system wants you to stay a consumer: scroll, react, waste, forget.

The religion calls you to be a contributor: act, build, remember, give.

It is better for anyone of you to take a rope and cut the wood (from the forest) and carry it over his back and sell it (as a means of earning his living) rather than to ask a person for something and that person may give him or not [Bukhari 1470]

Either you consume mindlessly or you create meaning that multiplies beyond you.

Or you just nuke it all. If you can, kudos to you. I'm jealous.

The Qur'ān itself is structured like content for the soul: parables, stories, warnings, proofs, repetition and signs. It repeats truths in different formats for different minds.

Falsehood spreads on social media because it is packaged well. Harām industries thrive because they tell stories better than we do. If Muslims do not create content, the void will be filled by others.

And in the end, content is testimony.

On that Day, their tongues, hands, and feet will testify against them as to what they used to do [24:24]

So make the testimony in your favor.

"I don't know what to post."

Ok that's because you think content means invention. You think you need a brand-new idea every time. But content is transmission. You learn, you write, you share. That's the cycle.

How to start:

1) Identify 5–10 of your favorite people online.

2) Study their top-performing work. What topics and words went viral?

3) Notice the patterns. Is it a story, a list, a harsh truth, a paradox, or a lesson?

4) Respin the structure into your niche. For example (parenting):

• If Saufiyah posts about barakah in business, you post about barakah in home.

• If a productivity guru breaks down discipline, you break down discipline with kids (routines around salah, hygiene, or chores)

• If a law of attraction influencer explain vision boards and manifesting, you explain how to teach du'ā + tawakkul to kids.

Get it?

5) Do not copy their words. Copy the skeleton. Then show it in your perspective.

That way, you never "run out" of content.

You're just putting timeless truths into new containers.

I have a beginner Youtube video coming out this week on content creation, subscribe here.

The Islamic Content Filter:

• Is it true?

• Is it beautiful?

• Is it beneficial?

• Does it reflect the religion?

• Would I be okay if this post met me on the Day of Judgment?

Your feed is your portfolio of values.

What are you teaching others without realizing it?

Being in the content creation business is not about a niche or aesthetic. It's about stepping into the human role: of solving meaningful problems and guiding others through transformation.

"If happiness is a mix of progress and contribution, then both come from solving problems creatively."

Content is leverage. True, but for Muslims, it's also a trust.

Build once, earn forever. True, but we ask, earn what? Dunyā or ākhirah?

These are the 9 skills I got for ya.

Master even 2-3 and you'll feel it in: your mindset, your business, your state, your health, your barakah.

Thank you for reading through this and being here.

مع حبي (with love)

Saufiyah ♡