Reclaiming Muslim Identity in a Noisy World with Zahra Al Jabri

Feel like you’re stuck chasing someone else’s definition of success?

In this episode, Zahra Al Jabri breaks down how to wake up from the matrix of dunya-thinking and finally realign with your real purpose.

If you’ve ever felt like your 9-5, school, or even your spiritual routine feels empty—this is your reminder that there’s another way.

Hit play. Your ruh’s been waiting for this one.

Ready to break free from the matrix? Connect with Zahra at PracticalMuslim.com 

Or follow her on IG @practicalmuslim

to discover resources for spiritual growth and authentic living.

00:00 Intro & Hook

00:29 Guest Introduction and Background

02:10 Deserted Island Question

03:56 Personal Journey and Early Life

08:21 Unlearning Harsh Beliefs About Allah

14:56 Breaking Free from the Matrix

34:21 Materialism and Its Impact

35:07 The Value of Integrity

35:50 Consumerism and Social Awareness

44:17 The Sacredness of Life and Resources

53:01 The Importance of Self-Worth

57:49 Islamic Perspective on Life and Success

01:03:38 Final Thoughts and Reflections

Take Break ! Stretch and whatnot and check out our Qahwa Collective !! 

Chapters

• 0:00 Introduction to Zahra Jabri
• 5:29 Childhood Faith and Questioning
• 18:04 Breaking Free from the Matrix
• 32:28 The Dunya vs. Allah's Path
• 45:46 Sacred Living in a Material World
• 1:00:58 Finding True Identity and Purpose
• 1:09:50 Final Reflections and Resources

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

I know I've always been wanting to understand, wanting to understand how things work, what it means. What we're doing here, whatever you're working on, doesn't actually matter, right? What matters is who you're becoming. You're becoming the person that says no, boss, I'm not going to do that. No, I'm not going here. Do you worship the dunya and everything it's going to tell you to do? Or do you worship Allah? Because what happens is, when you worship Allah, you'll get worship the dunya and everything it's going to tell you to do. Or do you worship Allah? Because what happens is, when you worship Allah, you'll get all the dunya stuff.

Speaker 2: 0:37

Salaam everyone and welcome to Muslimism Motion Professional Pursuits. I'm Hawa, your host, and here we celebrate the achievements of Muslim women while exploring strategies to balance the life you dream of with the life you're living today. Today we have a guest whose journey is as multifaceted as it is inspiring. She's a spiritual coach, speaker, entrepreneur and former attorney, guiding high-achieving Muslims to break free from limiting beliefs and align their ambitions with a deeply rooted connection to Allah. As the CEO of Practical Muslim, she challenges us to move beyond fear-based faith and embrace a life of abundance and intentionality. But her impact doesn't stop there. She's also a former Bush fellow, the co-founder of multiple ventures, including Modesty and Muslim Buddy, and a thought leader in bringing spirituality with personal and professional success. With nearly a decade of experience coaching others to step into their fullest potential, she's here to help us unpack the mindset shifts necessary to expect more from ourselves and build lives of true purpose. Salaam Zahra, how are you today?

Speaker 1: 1:43

Walaikum Salaam. I'm so good. That was such a beautiful introduction.

Speaker 2: 1:48

Thank you so much. A beautiful introduction, for, honestly, it's an honor to speak to you. Alhamdulillah, mashallah, like, truly, I love your work, I love what you do. I'm literally so excited, so I feel like the intro was befitting of my guests. Alhamdulillah, alhamdulillah, thank you, no problem. So I'd like to get started with a couple of questions. I always ask my guests a little bit of pre-question to the questions, and that question is you're on a deserted island and you can only bring three things. What are the three things that you're bringing?

Speaker 1: 2:24

Oh, wow, okay, like taking me back to high school or something. What are the three things? I feel like the Quran, because then I'd like actually have time to read it properly and study it. No more excuses, three things. I mean it's kind of like my fantasy is to like run away into the woods. So when I think about it I'm like I don't want to bring anything. I want to wander the island, read the Quran, see if maybe I can learn to talk to the birds, communicate with the animals, enjoy the scenery. Like I don't know. What do I need from here? I don't know, you know what.

Speaker 2: 3:08

That's a great point, because simplicity sometimes is like the best thing, right? Sometimes the best thing you can do for yourself is just kind of see. You know, allah will provide. So yes, exactly, water. We can find a way to filter water a little bit. I'm sure there's like a spring somewhere, exactly.

Speaker 1: 3:25

Yeah, you observe the birds. Where are they getting fresh water, clean water? Follow them, figure out where the berries are, eat Like what am I? What? I'm going to bring a, you know, a tow truck with all. Bring a tow truck, a digger to no, I don't need anything else.

Speaker 2: 3:43

It seems like you've given this some thought, which is honestly really impressive, so love that. But yeah, so with that, let's get started. I'd like to ask you know, first things first, who is Sahar Al-Jabri, and can you share your personal journey, kind of like how you? What was the beginning for you, I guess, before all of the entrepreneurship, all of the spiritual life coaching, everything, who were you before all of?

Speaker 1: 4:11

that. I mean, that's also a really great question. I feel like that is what I'm trying to understand. Like, who am I? The conditioning of who I was raised to be, who other people saw me as, who I was expected to be, was so much, was so strong. And now I'm at the place where I'm like, yeah, who am I actually? Who am I truly? Who am I as Allah created to be me to be, not by my own or other people or the dunya perception? Dunya perception. So when I think of like who is Zahra as I am now, I'm just like, okay, I'm, I am, I'm a traveler, I'm a seeker, I'm just a human trying to figure it out. Right, just a messy, complicated human trying to figure it out. And then to your second point of like, okay, well, what started it all? Or how was I before?

Speaker 1: 5:02

I know I've always been wanting to understand, wanting to understand how things work, what it means, what we're doing here. Like you know, growing up going to Sunday school, my parents moved to this area in California. Where we moved to they were part of, like, this founding group of Muslims here, established the masjid here, so grew up in the small little Muslim community with people teaching us this religion, but surrounded in the white suburbs where you know no one else understood or knows what we're doing or talking about. And you know, now I have children. I think it's all those big questions that you ask when you're a child, like, but where is God? But then what does it mean? Where do you go after you die?

Speaker 1: 5:47

And Islam answers them to an extent, but then sometimes the way that we're taught it, it also doesn't answer them and you're just left like, but wait, but what? But I'm confused, but what does that mean? And what is destiny, and all of these things. And so I think, as in my child's mind, trying to get those answers and never being fully satisfied, but realizing like you've reached a limit with the adults that you're talking to, that's the answer is how we answered you like no, go go play. And basically then growing up to be an adult, like, wait a minute, I can try and figure out those answers. Still, for myself, be an adult, who'd be like, wait a minute, I can try and figure out those answers still for myself and that's what kind of led me on my journey.

Speaker 2: 6:31

And yeah, it's funny you even said that because I also kind of had a similar experience growing up. Not necessarily the Muslim community wasn't as like together, like we were kind of spread, and then also for my parents, when they came here like to the United States, they kind of were the first generation of like the founders of like the Ivorian Muslim community, like in the Atlanta Metro, atlanta area. So it was very interesting kind of having that experience of like okay, that kind of dichotomy of like okay, here's my life and this is who I am, here's my life and this is who I am. Yes, but it's funny because everybody else around me kind of doesn't understand.

Speaker 2: 7:08

Why do I fast? Like what's my name, what does it mean, kind of thing. Like it's a very interesting experience, like kind of growing up and like, like you know, this is you and this is who you are, but like, like you said, like what does it all mean? And it doesn't help when, like, nobody else has like a shared experience around you. So it's like OK, like the only people I can ask, I pretty much like run out of run out of questions or run out of answers, right. So where do you go? And so it wasn't until like adulthood really where I kind of had that re I don't know like that reconnection with Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, and kind of not just acting, playing the part of a Muslim, praying and fasting and whatnot, but like understanding and diving into like what does it all truly mean? So I think it's like quite interesting. That was experience. Yeah, that was your experience.

Speaker 1: 7:58

I think there's many of us who are sharing this similar experience.

Speaker 2: 8:01

Yeah for sure, similar experience, yeah for sure. So, before you found like that clarity in your spiritual, like mindset and understanding, do you want to talk about like basically, like what was your hardest belief to kind of unlearn about yourself or Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, like as you were kind of diving into that and really learning about these things?

Speaker 1: 8:21

I think the main thing that I uncovered for myself was just that I felt like Allah was very harsh. I felt like Allah was very harsh, very punishing and in some ways unjust. Right that, you know, learning about Allah, and like no, allah is the most just, allah is the most generous, allah is the most merciful, allah is the most kind. But then, looking at my life, looking at other people's lives, looking at what's happening in the world, and being like it's not fair. I remember being I don't know, it must have been in elementary school and I had this journal and I wrote like ideas for the homeless or something. And it was just like all these, you know, like little kid ideas of like how homeless could get a job or work and like then they wouldn't be homeless anymore and they could contribute something. And it was like trying to be really simple, like even if they were sick or if they were injured, if they were hurt, like what could they do? Because it was like it's not fair, it's not fair that these people are homeless. These ideas of, and then even the fairness within myself of like, okay, well, you know, I did blah, blah, blah, I prayed or I fasted or I was nice to my mom or I did whatever, so I should get something like the justice in, like in worship or in prayer.

Speaker 1: 9:36

The way like my childlike mind was understanding it was like tit for tat. So the two hardest things for me to unlearn were believing that Allah was harsh and believing that Allah worked in a tit-for-tat manner. And letting go of that took a lot of unlearning. And there's some times where you know it still creeps in and I have to catch myself and being like it doesn't work like that because that's the way the dunya works, right, that's maybe the way sometimes your parents work, that's the way your boss works, but that is not the way Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala works. And so many times we substitute the authority figures in our life. We attribute those type of attributes to Allah, you know considering him as like the most senior authority figure. But Allah is not like any dunya based authority figure and that's actually funny.

Speaker 2: 10:26

You say that I was well for one, right, I found like a lot of people kind of have to unlearn that like I don't know if it's like maybe like all the cultures like we grew up in and that's just kind of how things are, where a lot of people have that experience, that awakening of like oh wait, like that's just not how it. I was reading a thread this morning and it kind of touched on that topic, talking about how, like we have to kind of re, we have to look at, like reevaluate our relationship with Allah and typically, like the relationships that we had like growing up and how maybe authority figures or adults have treated us when we were young, kind of like manifests into, like the same relationship that we think Allah has with us. So, for example, it was like the thread was like, oh, people pleasers and people who are always like overextending themselves for others, this is for you Basically thinking that like, if you just do this one thing, or if you just perform in a certain way or say the right things to these people in your life, you'll gain their favor, favor in some way, and you'll be the perfect person or the perfect daughter or the perfect whatever, but the truth is that's just not how allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala works, right. But the thing is, when we're growing up, that's kind of how we equate, we make these equivalencies right because it makes sense. Here's this like being in our life, all omnipotent being, authority figure, quote, unquote. And then here are these other authority figures in our lives.

Speaker 2: 11:55

But I think the hardest thing to unlearn is that truly, or not even unlearn, but just to grasp in itself, right, the, the sheer volume of allah's upon what's allala is like mercy and you know, rahma al-rahman, al-rahim, like I remember I was, I was listening to something and it said like rahman doesn't just mean like. When they say like all the like, gracious and merciful, like that doesn't just mean like, oh, like I'll, I'll be nice to you because you're just a small little human. Like it's like the love and the I mean he loves us 40 times more than our own mothers right, the love and compassion like we as humans can't even conceptualize that, right? So it's really easy for us to get stuck in that thinking, especially when we're exposed to like day-to-day as children. Like, okay, this is how life works, right, so if I do, then I get this. That's typically how it works, right, as a child, if you do a bad thing or say a bad word, you get punished or you get popped in the mouth. If you do the right thing, you get the good grades, you get a nice treat at the end of the semester.

Speaker 2: 12:56

It's really easy to kind of get into that line of thinking for everything right, naturally, if you do the right things, you complete the right projects, you make good with the right people in your company, you get promoted, you get this, you get that, you get a raise. I mean that is just how this thing works. But I mean, alhamdulillah, we're exposed to such a beautiful deen and religion, right, where Allah is like the one thing in this life. That's not how it works, that's not the system. Right, it's in spite of us, in spite of our faults and our shortcomings. He still loves us regardless and he still grants us these things.

Speaker 2: 13:33

And then also, not the negative things that do happen don't happen just to punish us, but to teach us something, for us to gain something from it. And the beautiful thing about it is like, even if you feel like you're not getting anything now, it'll definitely. What is it like? Advocate for you on Yama Kiyama when your time does come right. So it's just such a beautiful thing and I love that you said that, because it's such an experience that people don't really like touch into or really talk about, especially in the context of like growing up like touch into or really talk about, especially in the context of like growing up you're growing up muslim or maybe even not growing up muslim.

Speaker 1: 14:08

It's something that we all have to kind of unlearn, because this is just a system and the line of thinking that we grew up with yeah, absolutely, and just that is the kind of the concept in the christian narrative, and so for those of us muslims growing up in the west, it has seeped into our Islamic narrative. Right, the angry man in the sky. That's like a Christian kind of idea. But yeah, but living in amongst this society, we absorb that too.

Speaker 2: 16:06

That's true and you know it's alhamdulillah. I mean, we all, kind of a lot of us, are fortunate enough to kind of have that reawakening and be like, hey, like it's not that simple, right, we Allah loves us more than that and we just it's up to us to like really understand that and I think that's really beautiful. But yeah, so I know a lot of times in your work you talk about breaking free from the matrix. Do you want to talk about, like what that is? And maybe if there was a moment in your life where you realized you were trapped in it yourself?

Speaker 1: 16:41

Yeah, of course, grew up, watched the matrix when it came out. Blew my mind then, as a movie, the concept of it. And then, many years later, going on being on this spiritual journey and connecting the two. But essentially, right, allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has already told us right, I create, we were created in jannah. Right, adam alayhi salam was created in the heavens with allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. With allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, adam lived in in Jannah as his true home.

Speaker 1: 17:17

The fall from Jannah to be in dunya is a temporary one, right, he is to return back to Jannah after this. So it's just a temporary time that you're here on this earth, on this dunya. All of our souls were created up in the heavens and we come into this life whenever it's our time to be born. That's when our soul enters our mother's womb, into our body, and we're born into this world. At that time is our spirit right, and that is what is eternal. Right, that is what was created by Allah and that is what incarnates, animates this physical body. And we know that this physical body, when we pass away, it's going to decompose, it's going to return into the earth. It's made out of clay. Right, allah subhanahu wa ta'ala made it out of clay from all quarters of the earth. So we leave this body and our soul returns back up. So you can think of it, right, there's several movies that you can think of. You can think of it as Avatar, you can think of it as the Matrix, you can even think of it as the Truman Show with Jim Carrey. As that, the truth of who you are has come in and is animating this alien body. For a time being, and while your divineness is here, trapped on this dunya, you're operating in basically a virtual reality world, navigating it. But if you get caught up in this virtual reality world and you think everything is real, right, you see those videos online of people wearing the VR headsets and like, ah, screaming, and then like running through a window or like banging into something, and you're like, oh my God, like you're so caught up in the game that like you ruined your house or you hurt yourself. But that's the same thing here, right, like we're so caught in the game and like, oh no, people can really hurt me. I can really lose everything, my reputation can really be damaged.

Speaker 1: 19:13

And Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, throughout the Quran and throughout all of the revelation of all of the prophets. What is he telling us? Right, like there is no might or power besides me. Like there's nothing that people can do to you except by my permission. Like I am your provision. Right, I am the one who provides for you. It is you, I am your source and I am your provider.

Speaker 1: 19:33

All of these things that are essentially to tell you this is virtual reality. Don't believe that it's real. He says, point blank this dunya is like an illusion. It's not, you know, cryptic, and we're trying to decipher. He says this world is an illusion. Don't fall for the illusion.

Speaker 1: 19:51

So what all the prophets came to exemplify was here I am. You know each of the prophets. I am a person from amongst yourselves, but I am someone who sees this illusion for the truth of what it is, sees it for the illusion, and that's why I'm able to walk amongst you and be unbothered by these rude people or be unfazed by not unfazed, but like not have the fear grip my heart and be so traumatized and be so afraid when an army is attacking or these people are saying these bad things, or they still got sad, they still were afraid, but not to the extent that you know the rest of us like our lives crumble, we like sink into depression and all of these things that we have. They are able to hold it like okay, this thing is happening, but I am more powerful because this is an illusion and I'm connected to Allah. So they exemplified how to navigate this virtual reality so that you are holding the controls and maneuvering through the levels of this game.

Speaker 1: 20:59

Okay, now I want to create this business or buy this house or confront this person, and you are actually the one in control, because this is my video game and I can not be. It's just like when you're playing a video game, you know the boss, the big boss, when you reach that level, can't actually kill you. So you go and you fight and you smash all the buttons and you do all the things and whatever. And even if you do get defeated, you get back up and you maybe read some forums online how do I do this? And you figure it out, whereas here, right, your boss says you can't have a raise, you can't go to Jumma, you can't have eat off, you whatever. Oh, my God, I can't do it. If I do anything, I won't have health insurance, I'll lose my job, and then I want this, and then to the end, you don't smash any buttons, you don't like the game over and the boss hasn't even said anything yet. Just the thought of what he could do, you've already taken yourself out of the game.

Speaker 1: 21:49

So the matrix, this world is the matrix that you are operating in this world, and it is a dunya, it is a virtual reality, it is an illusion, and the only way that you won't get sucked into it right, how Allah talks about, like the dunya pulling you down, right, the gravity of the earth literally pressing you down, depressing you is by staying connected to that which is higher, allah, staying elevated, staying aware, staying present to the fact of your true divine nature.

Speaker 1: 22:28

And, right, we do that through these ritual practices.

Speaker 1: 22:31

But, like the way that I learned the ritual practices okay, pray fast, you know, give zakat, go to hajj was just like do these things.

Speaker 1: 22:38

But what Allah is providing us through these rituals is not just things to do, it is activities that link you to Allah, and so to be having the presence of mind and having the meditative state and having the consciousness of like, okay, I'm literally stopping five times out of my day to remember that God is greater and that this is a true reality and that whatever I'm working on, like God can help me through it and it's not as serious as I think. And I am more powerful and if I focus my mind, I'll learn how to navigate this better. I'll learn how to control this video game better and do the right series of moves that will get me to my goal with the least amount of effort. But if I don't take that time to connect right and that's why so many people are exhausted, burnt out they're just like running, running, running through this virtual, I have to get, I have to do this, I have to do this and to operate thinking that this world is real. It's an exhausting video game, right?

Speaker 2: 23:42

It, it. It's an exhausting video game. Right, it's an open oh what do they call it? Open rpgs, like the multi-member open world player or, anyways, open role player, exactly. The whole thing is like a long thing. That's why they call mmorpg, but like, rpg is like role-playing game, mmos, like multi-mode online, something I can't remember, but I get what you're saying. Long story short, yes, but yes, continue sorry.

Speaker 1: 24:06

Yeah, so I mean that's the main thing, if you can like it's so beautiful that we have these examples now of video games, of virtual reality, of a movie like the Matrix, because, like subhanAllah, it's so amazing that, like, the prophets were able to communicate this to people before that. Because, like it's, even having these references, it's still hard. It's still hard to understand that, remember that and operate like that. Because it does feel so real, it does feel like we're in like a terrible moment in history and the plague is coming with COVID and the wars are coming with what Israel is trying to do, and it feels so hopeless. And you have to know this is a virtual reality.

Speaker 1: 24:50

I can make moves, I can do things, I can stand up for myself, stand up for others, I can build something different. Even just the thought that we can build a different community. Right, if you think about the Prophet peace be upon him starting Medina, it is like okay, hey, they're operating it and playing it this way, but you know what, we can go to another area and we can operate and play it in a different way, and like we could do that right now. Right, but it's like so hard for well, I'll be outside of society, I'll have my own thing, or there's no place that current, you know, governments or societies don't reach. Where would I go? But it's like no, it's the loosening your mind around that you have to operate within the realms of what's already existed. And Allah is asking us, or telling us operate with me, don't worry about what has already been done or what other people are already doing or who might attack you. Just operate with me. I got you.

Speaker 2: 25:46

You definitely said a word like I'm not like chills, because everything you were saying I was like man, like are you talking to me right now? Because I mean, where do I even begin? Like first of all. First of all, yes to what you said.

Speaker 2: 26:00

It's like and not just like personally, but I've heard it from so many people it's like you're operating under this fear because you're afraid of the consequences of like what this world quote, unquote will do, or how people will treat you, or this, for example, the, the biggest example right now. I feel like, especially in this like hyper capitalist society, not to use buzzwords. But it is like you're at work, you want to ask for juma, and I actually talk about this at like an earlier episode. It's like the iman framework, and one of the pillars of the iman framework is advocacy advocating for yourself, even when it is hard, and advocating for other people. I mean, let's say, yeah, you want to go to Juma, you're fasting and you have to ask your boss. Hey, like I might not, I want to work from this time to this time because you know, this is where my brain's at and also I have cooking to do whatever. But Juma, right, we go, we ask our boss, we're afraid, that're afraid that oh sorry, bro, you can't go to Juma. You better be careful, because if you have, if I asked for Juma and he just said no again, and I really pushed for this what bearing or how will that affect my career at this place? But we're ultimately forgetting who gave us the career in the first place and who even gave us the opportunity to even ask for these types of things. Right, we didn't do it on our own, we did it through the power and mercy of Allah. So we start.

Speaker 2: 27:32

It's like when people say you worship in the creation but not to create it. Right, you looking at the wrong things, prioritizing the wrong thing or forgetting at the source. Where does this all come from? Where does our risk come from? Where does our provision come from? It's from Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala. If you advocate for yourself and you really push for that, you can never lose, because at the end of the day, allah will provide you with that 10 times greater what you've lost. Let's say, something does happen, unfortunately, and maybe you're put on PIP because of quote unquote bad cultural fit or bad performance quote unquote that you and you get, you find yourself out of luck. You don't have a job, but on a surface right to most people, they'd be like oh well, you just lost your job and you lost this opportunity just because you wanted to push for this thing. You should have just stayed in line. You don't have the right to ask for these things. Blah, blah, blah. You're operating in their society, but that's not what we should be thinking.

Speaker 1: 28:32

Like we have a creator.

Speaker 2: 28:34

That literally, we can ask for anything ever. There's no limit to what we can ask for, as long as we do right by him. And you're telling me I should bend my will to some person that we're all going to be standing on yom kiyomah, no matter who. You are right, we're all going to be trembling so yeah and he's not going to.

Speaker 2: 28:55

Or allah, he's going to be like oh, oh well, I told her to quit, or whatever. Or blah, blah, blah. I told her to fall in line. He's going to be like no, you should have pushed harder. Everybody's going to be advocating for themselves. Yeah, it's like oh, we can't.

Speaker 1: 29:09

I think what you're bringing up is makes me think of another way to put it right Is that the world, the dunya, wants you to obey it. You can go there. You can't do that, you can't dress like this. You, who you know you can't start a business like that, you have to go to school wants you to obey it, and Allah wants you to obey him. And so, if you think about the, what's the object of the game? Right, allah already told us the object of the game, of this virtual reality, is to worship Allah. Right, the object of the game is not to get a degree, is not not to get a job, is not to get a house, is not to get a spouse. But the dunya, the world, tells you no, no, no. That's the object of the game. You've got to do all of these things, obey me, otherwise you won't have friends, you won't have money, you won't have stuff, you won't have a car, you won't have a reputation, you won't have prestige. And so, when you think of it that way, like, oh my God, you're bringing me so much clarity. When you think of it that way, whatever you're working on doesn't actually matter, right, what matters is who you're becoming. You're becoming the person that says no, boss, I'm not going to do that. No, I'm not going here. No, you know, or yes, I am doing this, or I'm creating that, or I don't care. If you said you know, people are not allowed to go in this area, I'm going to go in that area, I'm going to pray there, and you're becoming a person who worships Allah, and that is upsetting for the dunya that wants you to worship it, and so the whole dunya is getting mad at you. Hey, stop doing that. Why are you going there? You're not supposed to do that. Fall back in line. Come back over here. Right, it's like we're in a moment right now where who knows how many years later, this podcast will be listened to inshallah. But the current moment that we're in right now is a very political unrest and a lot of people talking about, you know, revolution and resisting and all of these things, and you can see that from the powers that be that they are doing everything in their power to keep you back in line. You guys want to strike, you guys want to do a general strike, you guys want to boycott this, like no, fall back in line.

Speaker 1: 31:08

And when you become someone who's like, well, I don't really care about what you're saying, or even, well, I did listen to you. I listened to you for decades and I didn't get anything from it. Now you're telling me to listen to you for more, and while you're ruining the earth and poisoning the environment and poisoning the lands, like, I'm not going to listen to you anymore, I'm going to do something else. That you become a person who is powerful. Right, like when you learn to play the game, you become powerful. That is why all prophets were, because you were accumulating true power. If you know that this is a video game and you don't have to listen to the tech, billionaires and the politicians, then crap, like, what can I do with you? Right, and during the well, they were not really during our lifetime, but thinking of, like Muhammad Ali, right, he was powerful because he's like, no, I'm not going to fight in Vietnam, I don't care, you strip my title, do this, whatever, right, when you become a person like I'm not going to fight in Vietnam, I'm not going to do this, I'm not going to say that Like wait, okay, well, we'll give you money, we'll give you women, will give you title, will give you this, and you're not swayed by that right and they're trying to discredit you. What happens? He became the goat because of that. He became the goat because he is remembered. Because of that. He is immortalized because he, like I'm not going to follow the how many who, like I, don't watch boxing? Most people I know don't watch boxing. How many boxers do you know? Muhammad Ali, that's it. That's the only one I know. You made him famous to people who don't care about the sport, who are actually repulsed by the sport. Oh, this is scary. I don't like watching it, but no, I know that one. Why? Because of that?

Speaker 1: 32:57

Do you worship the dunya and everything it's going to tell you to do, or do you worship Allah? Because what happens is, when you worship Allah, you'll get all the dunya stuff. You'll eventually get all the dunya stuff. When you worship the dunya, you're running around trying to get the house, the car, the money, the job, the prestige. You're running around, running around, and you might get some of it, but you also might not. But you're stuck there. And you might get some of it, but you also might not, but you're stuck there. You'll have neither Allah neither the dunya. You worship Allah. Okay, you might have your title stripped. You might have whatever, but you end up.

Speaker 1: 33:28

You end up being a person who knows, who understands, who feels in their bones who they are and what they have, and they're like oh, this is an illusion, like what, I can't take it with me, I'm going to die, I'm going to be asked about it. Do I want to be like you know? I mean, we've seen it right now play out with Palestine. We've seen people who have spoken out about Palestine and then been offered, you know, do this brand sponsorship, do this deal deleting, deleting all their posts about it? And yes, okay. So now you got some money from McDonald's or you got some whatever. What are you going to do with that?

Speaker 1: 34:08

Nobody, you have no integrity, nobody likes you. You know that you feel bad about yourself, right, even, no matter what you may present on the outside, for sure, someone who has switched like that internally is in conflict. So what have you gained? And so the thing that you know, the work that I do as a coach and the work that I'm working on for myself, is just guiding us to make the choice to choose a lot easier, to reduce the pull of the world, so that we're not as afraid, so that the choice to choose a law feels lighter, feels easier, feels that like, yes, we know it's the right thing to do, it's the good thing to do, but you can feel, even in the hard moments, even when you, man, I didn't get that job or I got passed for a promotion because you know I'm taking jamaahs off or whatever that you feel like you're still winning, because when you can understand the truth of what you're winning and the truth of what you're gaining, it's easier to make that choice right.

Speaker 1: 35:07

That's what the prophets were, all of them were trying to convey to us. Like, you are right, even in the call to prayer, you are choosing something better. Come to success, come to truth. Come to success. Come to what is better. Come to success. Come to truth. Come to success, come to what is better. Don't be fooled by what these people are going to promise you, these trinkets which, even even even if you are like, okay, well, you know it is really beautiful, it is those things, these trinkets we are watching them right now in real time become worthless. Right, I live in California. I live five miles away from where there was the Palisades fires in 2025 that destroyed, like the most luxury homes in California, in Malibu, and so you're watching right like luxury cars burn up, luxury homes burn up. You're watching also, just in general, that how people are shifting away from materialism.

Speaker 1: 36:02

Just seeing how much garbage there is in the ocean on the planet, like, what am I going to do with? Another thing Our houses are full, storage units are full. Like what are you going to do with all of this stuff? So why am I choosing this stuff that truly is meaningless. Truly, it's meaning.

Speaker 1: 36:20

Degrees now are almost worthless. Like, just do the thing and post it on YouTube. Like you don't need to, you don't need the degree. If you can do it, just do it, write the book. You don't need to go to school. Engineer the whatever and put the project up and you'll get a job as an engineer. You don't. Degree is worthless, the stuff is worthless.

Speaker 1: 36:37

Like, so where are people? Where, like the only people I respect right now is any person with integrity, any person talking about the truth of what's going on in our current climate in the world. I'm like, ok, I respect you and I don't care what you have or don't have. It's any person right now who's still trying to sell me crap or pretend that nothing is happening in the world. Ok, I completely don't respect you and you're clearly like, not present to your own life. If you were even just present to your own life, you wouldn't be still trying to, you know, present your outfit of the day or the new kitchen appliance Like. What are you talking about? Who wants this crap? Who can afford this crap?

Speaker 2: 37:16

It's true and you're so valid because I was even seeing, I saw something about this online where a lot of people are gravitating towards less of the like luxury lifestyle type influencer content and even more towards literally everyday people. It's almost like a mindset shift. There was the controversial was it? Was it poppy that had the? Or it Olipop? I know they have very similar names but, to make a long story short, they revealed that they had sent their influencers I think it was over $10,000 worth of vending machine and Poppy sodas in there and I guess maybe in 2012 that would have worked.

Speaker 2: 38:00

But there was a huge amount of backlash. People are like there are literally people you could have done so much with that money and you, instead you decided to send it to a bunch of people who are probably going to use the vending machine for a couple months and then probably it'll go in the garbage or something you know. Like why. What was the point? Like the hyper-capitalist, like super-consumer type stuff doesn't work anymore, because the truth is, like you said, the what is the saying? Go. The world is on fire. Like there's a lot happening right now and it's not enough to just ignore it, as much as some people they like to say like oh well, you know, you gotta people. They like to say like oh well, you know, you got to take a break, and true for a lot of people, especially those who are oppressed and those who are minorities. Sometimes, for your own sake, you kind of do have to take a break from what's happening, it's true. At the same time, though, you still have to remain conscious and aware, because it's not enough to just passively do this stuff anymore. Right, because that's exactly what people want. They want you to be passive, they want you to just be like oh yeah, that's. That's really sad that's happening, but as long as it really doesn't directly affect me, shrug. That's not how we should be operating as a society. No, society that operates like that, it can't last that long. It's the saying. The society that succeeds is the society where, or the institution where, a man plants a tree, a seed for a tree, that does not expect to sit in its shade, which, effectively, all that's saying is we're not us as humans, we're not meant to just do stuff for to get ultimate personal gain. Sometimes you have to do things, even if it's hard for others who come after you, or maybe it might not even affect you, but that's okay.

Speaker 2: 39:48

I feel like we're in a time now where people are just kind of like operating in this like self-preservationist type of like oh, it works for me, so who cares if it doesn't? I mean, we're seeing that right now, like you said, with boycotting, with what's happening in Palestine, like people all the time they're like, ah well, I could boycott, but you know, I really like this drink, like I really love this, this shade of this specific foundation I've been using for like 20 years, like this specific brand. I cannot use any other brand. So, sorry guys, like I don't know, yeah, it's very, it's very odd, to say the least, and it's very sad to see. But, alhamdulillah, people are kind of waking up, you know, and kind of seeing that this, we can't stand for this.

Speaker 2: 40:33

Like you said for yourself, right, you tend to gravitate towards people who have integrity, have respect for that artist who did what he did for the whole mcdonald's collaboration. After directly protesting and doing that, there's so many people who literally were like, yeah, we can't, we can't accept this. I'm sorry, it's yeah to even if somebody was passive about it to see your artist say one thing about a critical issue and then all of a sudden do a complete 360 in the opposite direction. It doesn't matter if you were for the cause or not. If you see that like, what are you gonna do? Like, you're gonna probably think, hey, because why would you want to? Even we have to think. I know people say, separate the artist, the art from the artist, or whatever, but why would you want to consume something from somebody who has no integrity, no morals and is just not good? You know what I'm saying.

Speaker 1: 41:25

I don't know.

Speaker 2: 41:26

You have to ask yourself what are you really consuming then?

Speaker 1: 41:28

Mm-hmm, mm-hmm. I mean it's the place that we're in right now really is a tipping point, because we've reached the height of consumerism. We've reached the height of consumerism, we've reached the height of capitalism, and so there are many of us who were already kind of reaching like it's just too much stuff, right? Like I have four kids and their birthdays, the gifts they get, even just any gifts, eid birthday, whatever. Like so much stuff, right. And just like trying to figure out ways to limit it. Like no, don't get them toys. Just, you know, let's take them out, let's go to an amusement park, let's do something. Trying to figure out ways to limit the stuff because it's so much stuff. And trying also to, for my own self, when I'm even planning their parties, to figure out ways to not figure out ways just to keep it simple, to not get caught up in. Oh my God. And we need this decor and that decoration and just whatever. Right. Like my kids are, the youngest is five to 14. So had a whole range of different birthday themes and styles and ages over the last 14 years and attended so many birthday parties and seeing how easy it is to just get caught up in stuff that's literally you're going to use it for two hours and it's going to be thrown away. It's like it's too much, it's the waste, especially. You know, before we were aware. We knew right. We knew Nikes were being made in sweatshops. We knew our clothes were being made by children in China. We knew right. But the place that we are now is that we've seen it's not that we know We've seen our clothes, our products, our toys, our cha-chis being made by people, children, women, kids, men being killed, being murdered, being the Bangladeshi garment fire right, like being burned in the factories, like we've seen, like the kids in Congo making the cobalt for our phones, like now. We've seen how they are treated. We've seen how they are dying. We've seen how they are being starved. We've seen so like to be at this point still purchasing them.

Speaker 1: 43:41

Whether, however level of conscious you are, there's an element of it that's on your psyche that knows for me to have. You know this little candle my kids likes. Oh, I'm holding up things, like you guys can see me. This is an audio Lego set. We know what it costs. We know what it costs to get this thing for $5. It costs someone their life. Right To me find this thing on sale oh my God, it's only 10 bucks. Yeah, because it literally costs someone their life, or their friend's life, or their sister's limb or their home or like. So now it hurts. It hurts to buy things, it hurts to waste things, it hurts.

Speaker 1: 44:47

No-transcript guilty. That's just a side note, but I talk a lot about this because guilt is also weaponized against us to keep us complacent and keep us trapped in the dunya. Right, if you feel guilty, you take your hands off the control. Oh my God, you retreat, you sit down, you start crying instead of continuing to play the game to make it more fair, more just and adjust things. So do not fall into the despair of guilt or the wallow of like oh my gosh, is Allah going to punish me? Allah is most forgiving and what matters is what you do now. What matters is how you move now. What matters is where you are consciously now. Right, because there is a difference between consuming things unconsciously and consuming things consciously, and this is the other point too. Right.

Speaker 1: 45:45

In the West, the basically everything has, the sacredness of everything has been stripped away. Right, we know that from all indigenous cultures across every continent, across all time, there's always been a made for the rain, for the animal before you slaughtered, before you raised a temple right, and the direction that we hear we see it in Indiana Jones or hear about it in our history books of like how much attention to detail was placed in this or where the tomb was placed, and all of these things because there was an understanding of the sacredness of individuals, of human life, and of the land, and of our food, and of the plants and the entire ecosystem. In modern day, in Western thought, man is the peak, you know, the peak being, and everything here, everything else is here to serve us and we have no regard for its sacredness. No, it's just, that's just a treat. Cut it down if you want to bail the house, or cut it down if you need to make a roadway through who cares, right? Who cares Whatever? And so that stripping away of the sacredness is what feeds into the ability to have so much materialism and have so much capitalism Before people.

Speaker 1: 47:11

If we just think about clothes, for example, clothing, there was just a few garments and each garment had special significance and people would pass down their garments. You had your garment that was for Jummah, for Friday prayer or for, you know, for, in different cultures right for their church day or religious day. You had that garment, you had your everyday garment. You had your garment for women when they were on their period, and there were just specific garments, not too many, but they were well-made, they were lovingly made with reverence for the materials that they were used and harvested, and you wore them and they lasted and they were kept and they were passed down, and that was its significance. Now, no care, no thought wear this outfit for this. What's the next outfit? Can't repeat the same two outfits again.

Speaker 1: 48:01

So we don't appreciate how much de-sacralizing I don't know, taking away the sacredness I'm making up words, taking away the sacredness from things is also impacting us, because we of'm making up words. Taking away the sacredness from things is also impacting us because we, of course, as Muslims, we eat halal or we know about the halal way to slaughter meat. And now the studies oh my gosh, cows that are injected with hormones or animals when they're slaughtered and they're scared. We are consuming the fear, literally the fear that's in their flesh that when they're relaxed and at peace and the way that Islamically they're supposed to be slaughtered, not basically unaware, so they're not afraid how that impacts them, that the quality of life that they have impacts the meat that it is that impacts, then that we're eating that. Not understanding Again, so just going into different things, but just the appreciation of the truth, of who you are right.

Speaker 1: 48:54

You started that like who? Who am I right? Who is zahra? And it's like the who am I right? Is this divine being created by allah, placed on a divine plane, this dunya plane, where, if I treat myself with honor and dignity and everything that I come in contact with with honor and dignity, and remember the truth that I can't take it with me and that none of these things define me, I can operate in this world.

Speaker 1: 49:22

Like I can master this video game. Basically, I can master this video game, but if you think that every, if you think you're defined by your outfits oh my God, I can never like wear a different outfit. Or my valley girl is coming out Like, oh my God, what are you talking about? Like I can't wear the same outfit twice, I can't do whatever. I'm defined by my clothes. Or I'm defined by my job oh no, I'm an engineer and I'm so smart and I'm da, da, da. I'm defined by my family. Is this? Oh, our family doesn't do that. You're everything you're defined by. Oh, I only, like you said, the girl only wears this blush. I only wear this type of blush. This is the only makeup I use.

Speaker 1: 49:53

Right, everything becomes attached to your identity, attached to your personality, is a statement about who you are. And, oh my gosh, if I do that, people will think I'm that type of person and I'm not. But none of that is you. That's just all stuff you're wearing or using or interacting with. That's not you. But again, things have been swayed and twisted. They want you to have everything identify with you. That is how they can sell you things.

Speaker 1: 50:19

Right, you have to drive this car to be seen this way. Right, are you a goth? Are you emo? Are you punk? Are you valley girl? Are you preppy? Are you what? Is it? Subtle luxury? Right, you have to pick a genre, do a thing and then consume everything in that lane so that it can define you. When you could just be you and dip from all of them or none of them, or come up with your own thing, you could just be you. But you, knowing who you are, is you can't exploit you and they can't market to you. So it's bad business. No-transcript. No, now it's clean girl aesthetic. Now I have to be like that. Now it's just okay. What's the next thing? And I have to do it. No, boo, you don't have to engage in any of that.

Speaker 2: 51:24

Oh my God, that's oh man. I just first again, like you just said, so many powerful things in that, in that answer, I can't even, I don't even know where to begin. First of all, yes, I was having a conversation with a sister about this the other day, about how like, especially as a woman, like not to make it like a whole gender thing, but even it said that for us, one of our biggest tests is like our beauty and displaying it. Sometimes, you know, and as Muslims I mean, that's why we've been prescribed hijab, because also because Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. But there's so many reasons. I feel like a hijab is not just one reason why we wear it, but I feel like that's also another thing to kind of keep us in check when it comes to this.

Speaker 2: 52:10

And people might think, oh, you guys are oppressed because you guys have to cover yourself and maybe you shouldn't wear makeup all the time and you're not really getting to express yourself. But what does that really mean? Why does expressing ourself equal wearing certain clothes like that? Like you said, we have to keep up with the trends and buy things and just consume, consume, consume, and that's expressing ourselves. Why can't expressing ourselves look like the things that we do, the impact that we have on others, the way we make people laugh, the way we make we can ride and do all these things Like why is our expressing ourselves reduced to our visual appeal to others? Like what does that have to do with you, right? So I just think it's like very interesting. How I think as a society yeah, we need to and honestly, as Muslims too, because it's again like part of the reason why I even started this like endeavor in doing this podcast is because, personally, I noticed and I know people can say like oh, maybe it's your algorithm, whatever, but not just mine, but other sisters that I've talked to where a lot of the stuff that's out there is centered around the news and the trend or this cute cafe moment and marriage and all of these things. But like, where's the intellectualism, where's the critical thinking? Where's the hard thinking? Where's the hard conversations, like the intellectual conversations?

Speaker 2: 53:34

This is not to say those who consume that kind of content are not capable of these things. That's not what I'm saying at all. But you have to ask yourself when you start this is all you're consuming. What's the newest thing on tiktok shop? What's the cute drink or whatever to consume pretty soon. That's all. That's going to be all you know, right? So we have to be intentional a about what we're consuming and what we're putting in ourselves and in our minds, and then also realizing that, like none of this, really none of this really matters. Like, yes, nobody's saying you can't look cute when it's eid and on special occasions, that's your prerogative, but we can't let it go too far. And right now, just as you said earlier, we've just gone too far. Like we're at a point now where we've truly reached the peak of all of it. It's a lot, truly.

Speaker 1: 54:24

Yeah, it really is a lot, and I just want to echo your point. Like, no one is saying don't be cute, don't be pretty, don't be beautiful. No one is saying that. What we're saying is or what I'm saying at least is make sure you are being cute, you are being beautiful, because what is actually happening for most of us and this is for men and women alike is that they are making us feel ugly and inadequate and not enough. That's what they're making you feel, and so they're telling you well, buy this thing, have this look, so that you can substitute because you're actually you're not that cute, you're actually not that, but you're not that. You're not that buff. That guy is not that buff, that guy doesn't have enough of that. His beard is a little thin, his you know whatever right, like that's what they're actually doing is. They're telling you you're not enough, but if you, truly if you know that you're beautiful.

Speaker 1: 55:19

The girl of the moment right now is Zendaya, and that's one of the things that I've noticed about her and I like about her. I mean, I don't know anything about her, but I love that there's so much paparazzi pictures of her, just like in her sweats or just hanging out with her boyfriend, which is Tom Tom Holland, and they're just like in their sweats or not wearing makeup or whatever. Why? Because she knows she's beautiful. She truly knows she's beautiful. So it doesn't matter what I'm wearing. It doesn't matter when I'm not wearing makeup and not wearing whatever, and when I'm on the red carpet totally glammed up, because I am beautiful in any setting. When you know that, then you get to choose how you move. Right, I am beautiful. So, yeah, today I'm in my sweats because I'm, you know, working in my garden, and tomorrow I'm going for an Eid party and so I'm dressed up to the nines.

Speaker 1: 56:08

And that's the difference. It's when you're trying to be in that state or when you don't have that inner confidence which the world is trying to take away, your inner confidence, the world does not want you. Again, right? If we're thinking of the two sides, the dunya wants you to obey it and Allah wants you to obey Allah. And the dunya, to get you to obey it, has to point out all of your flaws and all of your shortcomings and all of your problems, and not even point them out, has to invent some Like oh yeah, actually the baby hair is on your neck, that's something, and you got to get some special product to address that and like also just will invent things for you to be concerned about, when Allah is constantly telling you I made you in the perfect mold, you are my highest esteemed creation, you are my divine representative. Allah is trying to tell you you are good, you're good, I forgive you. I have so much mercy towards you. Allah is literally trying to Allah is your hype man. Allah is your hype man. You're champion, you're good, you got this, I got you. We're here, we're doing it, let's go, and the world's like you ain't nothing, you ain't crap. I don't care what you did. That sucks. Who did it? Someone already did it better.

Speaker 1: 57:15

You're ugly. You're not tall enough, you're not smart enough, you're not pretty enough, you're not cute enough. You came from the wrong country. You look in the wrong place, you're living in the wrong house oh my God, that's from down. And everything you do. Allah will tell you there's some benefit in it and some good in it. Even your greatest sin, even Musa, alayhi salam, killed a man. It's okay, turn back to me. I got you, you're a prophet.

Speaker 1: 57:39

Now Boom, like what? So you have to understand what you're operating within and what you're dealing with, because when you do, then you get to play the game by your rules, right Again, we can go back to Muhammad Ali. What did he say? I'm so pretty. I'm so pretty why? Because, as a Black man, especially in that time, that was not what you would hear coming from them and that was not what you would hear about them. Like, you're not going to define my beauty, I am so pretty.

Speaker 1: 58:09

So this understanding, right like the again, what I do for myself, for my clients, is like hold, essentially hold the line on your belief that you're good. You are good and this doesn't. This is not a I'm good in the sense that it makes you complacent. It's a good in the sense that it inspires you to go after what actually is within your heart. Allah has placed things in your heart of things to create, to do, to build, of how you want to engage with people, of the friendships you want to have. Allah has placed that within your heart and you are more energized, more inspired, more useful, enjoying life more when you know you're good and you're free to do those things.

Speaker 1: 58:54

When you're on the other side, with the dunya, that is like, yeah, maybe you're good, but we're not really sure. Prove it to us, then you might be creating and doing the same things, but it's coming from a very different place. It's coming from franticness. It's coming from inadequacy. It's coming from imposter syndrome. It's coming from inadequacy. It's coming from imposter syndrome. It's coming from all of the places that everyone is needing therapy for Because it's never enough, you're not sure, and the world is trying to beat you down.

Speaker 1: 59:23

Allah is trying to rise you up and it's a shift in mentality. Right, I talk a lot about a mindset shift. I'm helping you make a mindset shift, helping you make a spiritual shift, because the shift think about it this way the prophet peace be upon him receives the revelation and begins to preach it. The first people who accept it are the poor, the women, the people of lower tribe status in Mecca, the oppressed, these people who are downtrodden in Meccan society. Who do they go on to be? They go on to be the leaders of the Muslim community who then go on to spread Islam across, you know, the Arab peninsula and into Africa the leaders of armies, the political leaders, the going into other areas and being the religious leaders.

Speaker 1: 1:00:09

So it's an internal mental shift of how you see yourself. They were the same people, the same people that were there. They were the lowly, they were the servants they were you know, some of them slaves, this and that they were the same people. What happened to inspire them to be like? No, no, allah is trying to rise you up.

Speaker 1: 1:00:27

Don't see yourself as the way these people see you. Don't see yourself defined by their terms, that, oh, you didn't come from the right tribe or your parents are too poor or whatever. All the same things. See yourself how I see you. You will rise up and you can do anything. And that's exactly what they did. That's exactly what Islam is trying to do for us. But we think, following the West, getting the big job with the big title, with the driving, the luxury car and that house, that's what's going to rise me up. They don't know that that's just enslaving you. That's the golden handcuffs. You're just enslaved in a different way. Or even when there's that book of right for the basketball players, right, the multimillion dollar slaves, right. Essentially, allah is setting you free and rising you up. This dunya is trapping you and holding you down.

Speaker 2: 1:01:14

Thank you so much. I mean this conversation has been nothing short of powerful. I mean, if I could even add to that, truly, I feel like I learned so much from this conversation. I'm just sitting here like listening, quite literally the edge of my seat, because I'm just sitting here like listening, like on the quite literally the edge of my seat, cause I'm like this is I don't even want this to stop, and you just kept.

Speaker 2: 1:01:39

Man like the golden handcuffs is actually a very it's ironic cause. It's a very common, a common term, especially like in the tech industry, because people that get these big tech jobs, they get $300,000 jobs, but the problem is they have these lifestyles, they have lifestyle creep and they're miserable. They literally hate their lives, but they feel like they have to stay because otherwise you're going to be on the street. They don't have any money saved, they don't have nothing, and so think about it. Would you rather have that or would you rather have the man who's probably making a quarter of what he's making, but he doesn't have to worry about? Oh, I'm going to be on the street because he's living in a modest life, and modest doesn't equal a bad life. It means he's living a life where he doesn't have to stress about the things that some people with a whole lot of wealth are stressing about. You might have the what is it? It's actually not even wealth. You're just rich, right, because you're not even putting any of the money aside, you're not saving anything, it's just in and out, in and out, in and out, paycheck to paycheck. But people who have separated themselves from all of that, this is not their concern. Their concern is the akhira. Their concern has nothing to do with the dunya, and so when that happens, like you said, the dunya will come naturally. When you think of life modestly, you're not chasing things you're not supposed to be chasing. You're going to go after the things that actually matter and by virtue of that, by that nature, you're just going to feel more content. That's why it's no coincidence that all these people in these big wig industries and whatnot, there's a lot of twisted stuff that happens and people are not truly happy. This is not a coincidence and, the end of the day, alhamdulillah for islam, for, like, I guess, allowing us to kind of just being a way and means out of that right.

Speaker 2: 1:03:25

I am saying that truly, truly it's, it's a blessing to just kind of have literally the instruction manual. I mean a lot. The quran, the holy quran, is an instruction manual of like how to live this life in the best way possible, and sometimes we just need a reminder of that. And truly, what you said today was a much needed refresher on that. I think we all kind of need that sometimes.

Speaker 2: 1:03:52

Sometimes we get myself included it gets stuck in the noise, gets stuck in the hustle, the bustle, but you forget, like why are you doing all of this?

Speaker 2: 1:04:01

And it's funny, whenever I feel like very downtrodden, burnt out in these things, it's because I've lost perspective, it's because I've lost the true reason why I'm doing all of this.

Speaker 2: 1:04:11

But whenever I have these types of conversations or just these reminders, it just reminds me okay, I feel refreshed, like I'm like okay, I feel energized, I feel recharged, because it's like okay, this is why I'm doing this, it's not for all the other, you know this things, even if it means like, yes, you want money so you can help your family out, but like that's why there's a, there's a way to do things, there's a way to conduct business Islamically, there's a way to not get into certain things because you want the barakah and you want the blessings in what you're doing and, by virtue of that, when you have the barakah and the blessings of what you're doing, you're not feeling tight, you're not feeling you're living paycheck to paycheck, you're not feeling like you're always on the edge, things like that, and that's essentially like what all this is about, right, trying to disconnect from all of it and just live in our life in a way that has true meaning.

Speaker 2: 1:05:02

It's not all fun and games with like all these things that really mean nothing, right, but anyways, I mean thank you so much for this. It was amazing, it was an honor getting to speak with you and talk to you. I mean, I have one last closing question which I ask all my guests, and it is what is your favorite AYA from the Quran and how does it inspire and influence your approach to your career, your journey and your life?

Speaker 1: 1:05:34

My favorite AYA is Verily With Hardship Comes Ease, and I love that AYA because, well, I have two favorites. That AYA and also I Will Not Change the Condition of a People Until they Change what Is Within Themselves and they're very much linked. So, verily With Hardship Comes Ease reminds me that, like, when you do the hard thing, it's going to lead to the ease. When you have integrity that's hard to have integrity it'll lead to ease. Like ease of feeling at peace with yourself or have do the hard thing of having the difficult conversation or working out every day or eating healthy, it's going to lead to the ease of, you know, health, better relationships, all of those things.

Speaker 1: 1:06:17

And then, linked with the ayah Allah, will not change the condition of a people until he changes what is within themselves, like it's like, okay, well, if I change what's within myself, change my mindset, my spiritual setting, my heart set, my conditions are going to change. The result of me doing these difficult things is going to be ease and a change in conditions, and I try to remind myself of those and they have always proven to be true of all, as we're just true. So, of course, it's proven to be a promise that is true as we're just true. So of course it's proven to be a promise that is true, and when it is especially hard to do it, just taking time to reflect on it and working up my courage or talking to my own coach so I can get in the space to change myself and do what's hard and what's required.

Speaker 2: 1:07:06

To that point. This is what I also love about Islam is that Allah also allows us to take accountability for our actions. He said I'm willing to help you, but you got to do the work as well, which is super important. Right, like to the point you were saying earlier, we can't just sit around and allow life to happen to us. We have to do something about it, and when we take those steps and when we take those actions, we will be rewarded for that. But yeah, thank you so much.

Speaker 1: 1:07:31

I mean this has been an amazing conversation. It's also brought new thoughts to my mind and clarified things, and you had such great questions and such great feedback. You're a wonderful host.

Speaker 2: 1:07:44

Thank you so much. I mean thank you, thank you Truly truly, and you're a wonderful guest. Lastly, where can people find you, connect with you, learn more about your work and just take the next step in their spiritual and personal growth with you?

Speaker 1: 1:07:59

My name is Zahra Jabri. You can Google that. My Instagram handle is Practical Muslim, which is also the name of my coaching business, practical Muslim. So you can email me, zahra, at practicalmuslimcom. You can find me online at Practical Muslim. You can visit my website and see all my coaching resources. I have on-demand classes that you can just take and will help you shift your mindset so you believe more in Allah and less in the dunya, or you can work with me directly and have weekly coaching sessions that will help you do that as well.

Speaker 2: 1:08:31

Awesome. Thank you so much. I hope you have a well. First of all, ramadan Mubarak. I hope you have a wonderful Ramadan. I want to thank you so much, truly, I have. I was just so excited for this and honestly, it was amazing. I had so many. I was like I don't want to ask her, keep asking her stuff because I was just I gained so much from it. But, honestly, truly Thank you. Thank you and Salaam Walaikum.

Speaker 1: 1:09:00

Walaikum Salaam, you're so welcome. Thank you for having me.