Strategic Sunnah

I felt stuck until I learnt about frameworks

Jun — Wed, 02 Sep 2026 19:04:36 GMT

It was one big oxymoron, .

The image in front of me explained so much without needing any words.

The question of Muslim Betterment was hovering over me for more than twenty years. I joined groups, helped run events and raised money.

But in all those years I seldom heard a peep about how to prevent Muslim suffering. How to plan ahead. How to gain the advantage, be on top, be a step ahead of the enemy.

Everything was reactionary.

Then a time came, thanks to the internet, when I was exposed to more ideas.

One of those ideas was the concept of futuwwah.

Finally, something that clicked. A missing piece of the puzzle. Futuwwah is translated by many as “Islamic chivalry”. It’s about the qualities we should have as young men in particular.

I knew there had to be a practical understanding of planning, action, bravery and other characteristics of the first generation of Muslims. The best generation who achieved so much and would never find themselves in a tough spot without a plan and the skills and discipline to get it done.

And for someone who was searching for frameworks within our Tradition to guide us towards solutions, the concept of futuwwah felt like the first gasping breath of someone who was drowning in self-doubt.

Then I opened YouTube and typed “futuwwah” in the search box.

And the first video was of a discussion panel, and sitting at a table in front of a Muslim audience were three obese men lecturing them about masculinity.

What’s wrong with this picture?

The video summed it up for me.

It wasn’t the first time I had come across such an image. Sadly, it wouldn’t be the last.

But picture the scene. This was three seriously overweight individuals telling us how our problems could be solved if Muslim men got fit, trained and embodied the characteristics of Islamic chivalry.

And they weren’t some random guys.

They’re well known. They carry titles like “sheikh”, have massive followings and are very vocal in the Muslim Betterment space.

This is a big problem I’m talking about here. And I want us to have an honest conversation so we can figure this out together.

This isn’t about sheikhs. Or particular organisations. Or dawah celebrities, skinny or fat.

It’s about the detachment from reality when it comes to finding solutions for Muslim betterment.

No wonder we feel so lost and powerless…

The discourse is full of contradictions.

It’s bad enough to have to sit through unimaginative truisms like “we need to work on ourselves”. But it feels like a punch in the gut when the people we task to come up with solutions can’t live up to the ideas they preach.

Muslims don’t have adequate frameworks for building solutions, so we fall into one or more of the same coping mechanisms, including:

Identifying with groups
Apologetics masquerading as dawah
Blame shifting
Ignoring personal responsibility
No introspection

Please bear in mind this assumes Muslims want good for each other. Don’t get it twisted. The believer is fundamentally good and wants good.

My message isn’t that we don’t want solutions. It’s that we don’t have proven frameworks to build effective ones.

Just because the grass is growing rampantly, it doesn’t mean you have a garden. You need to cultivate. Which, ironically, is the point of futuwwah.

A framework is the method you use to reach a goal. A series of steps. It can have rules and guidelines to help you stay on track.

Frameworks are used in business to provide ways to analyse sales, improve services and build solutions to challenges.

We can have personal frameworks to steer us towards a goal. A diet is a type of framework. We have frameworks for studying, getting better sleep or disciplining a child.

So what are the widely known frameworks for Muslim Betterment?

Try answering that without stating a truism or platitude.

One of the most common traps

I’ve been doing this a long time.

I’ve lost count how many times we’ve had the same “solution” repackaged again and again. Like they just discovered gold while everyone else was dumb or asleep.

It always sounds something like this:

Muslims are suffering because of XYZ.
The reason is because we lack knowledge/practicing/unity.
But we have the solution…
Join our institution/group/sheikh.

In one sentence:

“Muslims are suffering because they aren’t doing what I say.”

And the solution always revolves around enrolling onto some course, or similar. This happened to me (yet again) recently when a fairly popular content creator contacted me to talk about their "solution”.

I very quickly learnt it was their sheikh’s solution. But let’s continue.

It’s important to note this is an individual who bears all the hallmarks of an internet Muslim. Blames Muslims, especially Muslim leaders. Early 2000s-style exposés on Islamophobia in the media. A mish mash of red pill and Islam.

You know the type.

Among the reasons they insisted we needed this solution was, expectedly, Gaza. The solution was to enrol with this new institute. Also expectedly.

“OK great”, I thought, the courses must be on how to build solutions. How to manage projects. You know, frameworks.

They were not.

Learn Arabic. Basic Islamic history. Things like that.

I rechecked their website when writing this article. It seems Arabic is no longer offered. Which is strange because it was supposed to be part of the solution just a under a year ago.

But maybe that’s not as significant as what you find when you look into the founder’s background and realise this is most likely a front for Hizb ut Tahrir.

Also potentially relevant is the fact the founder was one of the fat sheikh’s lecturing Muslims in that YouTube video.

But I digress.

I’m trying to explain why I think so many of the so-called solutions look the same. It’s because the people offering them only know what they know.

And a lot of the time it’s people who studied Islam. So all they know to offer is to do just that: study Islam.

You see?

The problem is your lack of sameness.

You need to be more like them. Follow them. Take their instruction.

It’s a trap.

We fall into these traps because:

We don’t know any better.
We trust people who know as much as we do.

Because they find themselves in this position (or choose to be in it), there’s an unspoken pressure to come up with answers.

And students of knowledge (I use this term broadly) aren’t always trained in other areas. Many are isolated during their studies, often intentionally so.

They see what their teachers did and present that as the way forward, regardless of the objective.

So whether it’s building men or businesses or networks… it’s always institute > courses > lectures, or a combination of them.

Why their solutions aren’t enough

I mentioned earlier a few of the reasons they give for why Muslims are suffering:

Lack of knowledge
Lack of practicing
Lack of unity.

Notice how it’s always a lack of something. Because they want you to be like them and follow their understanding. So the cause of our suffering is our lack of sameness and conformity to their outlook.

It’s kind of cultish, don’t you think?

Muslims do not lack.

We are brimming with potential.

Don’t become the Ummah of low self-esteem.

We are the Ummah of the Greatest of Creation.

Another giveaway: if these are the reasons why Muslims are suffering, it shouldn’t matter who gets the credit for fixing them. These new institutes wouldn’t need to exist because we already have plenty of teachers who need to get the word out. Help them instead!

I want to help you see past these tropes. Because they sound logical. And striving for each of them is virtuous in and of itself. So it’s easy to accept them as solutions without further analysis.

Lack of knowledge

The Prophet’s mission spanned 23 years. The revelation of the Quran was completed near the end of his life on this worldly plane.

Think about what that means.

The things they went through in those early years. The actions they took to spread Islam. The Migration. The treaties. The battles. The incredible achievements.

They didn’t have the completed Deen as we know it today, yet they got so much done.

Seeking knowledge isn’t a means to an end. It’s a lifelong obligation. We must seek knowledge in good times and bad times.

And we take action no matter how much or how little we know.

That’s why we end up with very knowledgeable people with little action. And droves of Muslims yearning for solutions but no frameworks to guide them.

Lack of practicing

The same goes for the idea that we are suffering because we are not practicing the Deen.

First of all, I don’t buy that.

Muslims by and large do practice Islam. There’s always room for improvement, but this idea that our lack of practicing is causing suffering is, frankly, dumb.

What they really mean is you are not following them or their sheikh, their group or their understanding of Islam.

It’s because they can’t come up with a proper explanation. Easier to point the finger.

We call this blame shifting.

Again, the noble Companions did not have every practice of Islam ticked off before they built markets, grew wealth, fought in battles, negotiated with nations, and so on.

Lack of unity

This is the worst offender in my opinion.

It rests on the idea that Muslims don’t want the same things. Like we think there are Muslims out there who don’t want to see a free and prosperous Palestine?

Even you manage to find one:

You need to find better ways to spend your time.
How are they stopping you from uniting with those who do?

Unity is always there. It’s our failure to get on with practical actions that’s the problem.

And I don’t buy the idea that Muslim countries aren’t united. How is any country in the world united? Unity isn’t a concept that works on such a scale.

How united are you with your siblings? And with what purpose? But we want entire countries to be united? It’s laughable.

So now we take an unjustified idea like cross-country unity as a reason why we are suffering?

Were the noble Companions united on everything? No!

Did every Companion participate in every event? Of course not!

An easy way to practically apply unity is work on your individual goals, find others who share the same goals, and work with your small but effective group.

What we can do instead

Individual responsibility is the missing key.

Imagine for a moment 10,000 Muslims who don’t earn, don’t build, don’t get their hands dirty… but are united on whatever people say (but never explain) they should be united on.

And compare them to 10,000 Muslims who quietly earn, build, get stuck into projects and network and make things happen.

Aren’t they united by their actions?

Prioritising action will force you to seek knowledge.

It makes you practice your Deen.

It unites you in purpose.

I want to be united with people who achieve, so I need to become an achiever myself.

And I believe every Muslim has the potential to do just that if we allow ourselves to take an action first approach.

Reject viewing Muslims with the labels we put on them and even the labels they put on themselves.

View Muslims with the potential every believer holds.

Actions come from solutions.

solutions come from frameworks.

Frameworks we can use for Muslim Betterment

I’m working on building frameworks we can use to find practical solutions. It’s kind of the whole point of this publication.

Here are some I’ve written so far:

A quick example to drive the point home

Remember I mentioned there being plenty of teachers?

Think about it. There are a lot of highly qualified teachers in Muslim countries who could use our help with improving their incomes.

Instead of starting new institutions, we can find students for them from countries with stronger currencies.

If it’s about increasing knowledge then it shouldn’t matter who the teacher is. It just matters if they are qualified for the job.

If it’s about practicing then helping Muslims learn how to recite the Quran, pray and understand the Sunnah is a good thing, right?

If it’s about unity then here’s the perfect opportunity to connect Muslims through a very noble endeavour.

An effort like this would bring more benefits than just income. It takes money from the enemy’s economies and circulates it amongst the Muslims. It creates connections between Muslims across continents. Earning a better living means more opportunities, access to better healthcare and education, and so much more.

That’s thinking strategically. We took the cookie-cutter solution and ran it through sound frameworks.

That’s mission, goals, planning, networking and action all in one solution.

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How to use networking as a tool for Muslim Betterment

Jun — Sun, 30 Aug 2026 12:47:01 GMT

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, this is probably one of my biggest weaknesses.

But becoming world-class at this skill could save years—if not decades—towards achieving my goals.

It’s one of the foundational skills in the toolboxes of highly successful people.

And I’m going to study anything I can on the subject and share what I learn with you.

The skill:

Networking.

And to give you a better idea of what it entails… here’s a bit of background on where I’m coming from:

Spend enough time viewing Muslim content online and you’ll inevitably come across at least some (if not all) of the following ideas:

Muslims must unite.
We have corrupt leadership.
We are discriminated against in practically every sphere of society.
X is not helping Palestine.
Y is working with the enemy.
Z is a deviant.

But no one ever seems to provide a practical solution.

Just a whole lot of blame shifting.

Yes, I know some do claim to have solutions. But read between the lines and you’ll find it’s just the same old complaints with a different wording. It’s all circular.

They sound a lot like this:

X is not helping Palestine!
Why?
Because they are working with the enemy!
OK, what should we do?
We should unite!
On what?
Helping Palestine!
I think that’s the point, but OK, how?
By uniting!

Let me ask you…

Is there a single sane soul in the world who doesn’t want justice for the Palestinians? Muslim or not, it should be a given by this point.

So are you telling me there are Muslims out there who don’t want the same thing as you?

And even if there are…

Why waste energy worrying about them?

I’ll tell you why:

It’s called blame shifting.

We avoid personal responsibility. Multiply this by millions of Muslims online, blame shifting and responsibility dodging, then call it solidarity or activism?

Before I really go off on a tangent, let me bring the point home…

Dictators among us

Bill Mollison, the late founder of Permaculture, said in any endeavour you will always find “yes dictators” and “no dictators”.

Yes dictators are people who always tell you what you should do but never do it themselves or offer any practical steps for how to do it.
No dictators are people who are ever ready to tell you why you shouldn’t do something but never offer you a viable alternative.

If you have spent any time talking with Muslims—especially online—you will have undoubtedly come across a few yes dictators and no dictators.

And I hope it’s already becoming clear how this relates to the subject of Muslim Betterment1.

But I want to take an even wider view on this:

We aren’t ready to talk about effective methods for Muslim Betterment… because we barely know each other.

And I mean that in the broadest sense: we don’t really know each other as Muslims.

Think about it.

How many individual Muslims do you know?

And I don’t mean following them on social media. Or Muslims you’ve met on holiday for example.

Outside of your family and friends:

How many Muslims do you know on a personal level?
Professionally?
Their financial situation?
The projects they directly work on?
Do you share ideas or have needs in common?
Do you visit them in person?
Can you rely on them to visit you?
How often do you speak face to face?
Or on the phone?
Text or email?
How many can depend on you?
How many trust you?
How many are using your products and services?
Are you sending them business?
Are you helping improve their lives?
Is knowing you useful or valuable to them?

If I asked myself this question my honest number might not require both hands to count.

Yet here I am talking about helping the Muslims when evidently I don’t even love them enough to know them.

So how will I randomly call for a notion like unity when I haven’t served the Muslims yet?

A question you must answer honestly

What are the Muslim countries you have strong negative opinions about;

But know very little about the ins and outs of said country;

And know few or none of the Muslims living there?

We need to think about where we get these opinions from.

We need to consider who these opinions benefit. Because it’s not serving us.

Looking beyond the screen

Two people can know about the same issue and want the same outcome. But their ability to find solutions and take action can differ massively because of how they came to know about it.

I want you to think about the following objectively…

A lot of our “intellectual” reasoning behind solidarity is based on news, statistics, social media, WhatsApp forwards… even propaganda and subversion.

Which is fine.

But it’s not even the source that’s the problem. Ask yourself which of the following statements is stronger:

About 49% of households in Egypt face challenges with sufficient access to food or moderate food insecurity.
Um Emad, 60, is a widow providing for her family on a very low income2.

Both are true. But one is personal.

I think a lot of the obstacles in the way of Muslim betterment is the impersonal approach we take.

Networking comes before unity

Networking is the skill of making effective connections in order to serve others.

And it should be to serve them FIRST.

Not ask or demand of them first.

I realised this after stumbling upon the work of Dr. George C Fraser, arguably the world’s leading expert on networking.

He defines networking as:

“The identification and building of relationships for the purpose of sharing information, opportunities and resources.”

The emphasis being on building relationships and sharing.

So before we can talk about building unity…

We need to work on building relationships.

We should be sharing information, opportunities and resources even before there is a formal recognition of unity (whatever that looks like for you).

Because the Muslims who are building relationships will find solutions sooner than those who are simply demanding solutions and expecting them to appear out of thin air.

And they will be years ahead in terms of progress, opportunities and resources because of their genuine relationship-building approach.

Networking is your circle of influence

We’ve talked in previous articles about the difference between your circle of influence and your circle of concern.

Your circle of concern is always bigger than your circle of influence.

To be effective, you must have the discipline to set aside your broader concerns so you can focus on what you can influence.

Trust in the fact that working on what is within your influence will eventually start to affect what is outside of it.

And one of the ways this happens is when your circle of influence overlaps with the circles of influence of others.

For example:

You are concerned about food prices.

You can choose between moaning about it in a chat group of armchair revolutionaries or you can buy some seeds and soil and pots…etc.

You decide to be proactive, so you start putting seeds in soil. Maybe all you can grow are beans, so you feel like it won’t make a difference, and often find yourself peeking at the chat group again.

But you stick with it and before you know it you have a sizeable harvest of beans.

Sure, it’s not enough to make your food bills disappear… but it’s something.

Now one of your neighbours decides to grow potatoes in bags because he saw it on YouTube. Your cousin has an apple tree but doesn’t have time to pick them. You have an uncle with a sizeable garden he isn’t utilising.

Everyone is working to various degrees within their circles of influence. You can all spend time in chat groups talking about the impending doom—that’s the circle of concern.

Or, you realise your circles of influence overlap… and now you need to figure out how to share your beans and apples and potatoes so everyone thrives TOGETHER.

Once you combine your efforts you have a real-life solution to the food crisis within your network.

And it happened because you focused on what was inside your influence: growing food.

Not wasting time on things you can’t control… like complaining about elites and the Great Reset.

The key factor will be your ability to connect with others who are also working within their circle of influence.

The problem with mass communication is we tend to see issues on a global scale. But all solutions start with the individual… then small groups.

And may never have to look beyond that to be effective3.

This also means you can work effectively with others who are also focused on their circle of influence.

And will be less effective if you rely on people who are focused on their circle of concern.

That’s where networking comes in.

In this guide:

The types of networks you didn’t know you had.
How to network for influence rather than concern.
The power of serving others first.
Why you should be interested, not interesting.
The leverage you get from building relationships.
How networking is the perpetual gap in the market.
Easy actions you can take every day to improve your network.

Let’s begin!

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You have 3 networks

Dr. Fraser explains we all have 3 networks:

Personal Network. These are you closest friends and family and the people you care about the most.
Operational Network. These are the people you need to get things done. It could be your employer, customers, services you use, etc. It’s also people you work with or need on a project.
Strategic Network. These are the people who

Why your goals seem impossible to achieve

Jun — Wed, 26 Aug 2026 18:46:21 GMT

, here’s a strange thing that happens when you set an ambitious goal.

At first, you feel motivated.

You can see the future version of yourself clearly. You know what you want. Maybe you can even imagine what your life will look like once you’ve achieved it.

And then reality sets in.

You sit down to work on the goal and suddenly you’re not sure what to do.

So you do something else.

You check your phone.
You answer some emails.
You tidy your desk.

These may feel productive. But it’s not actually moving you any closer to the thing you said you wanted.

Before you know it, days have passed and you’re frustrated with yourself.

You tell yourself you need more discipline.

More motivation.

A better productivity system.

But often, that’s not the problem.

The problem is that the goal is too far away

“Start a business.”

“Get in shape.”

“Write a book.”

“Move to another country.”

“Make more money.”

These are goals.

They tell you where you want to end up.

But they don’t tell you what to do at 9:17 on Tuesday morning.

And that’s where things fall apart.

The gap between where you are and where you want to be can seem enormous. When you look at the entire gap at once, it’s overwhelming.

You don’t know which of the hundreds of possible things you could do will actually matter.

So you hesitate.

And when you don’t know what to do, you gift procrastination with an enormous advantage.

The answer isn’t to plan everything

There’s another trap here.

Once we realise we don’t have a clear path, we often try to create one.

We make enormous plans.

Detailed to-do lists.

Complex project-management systems.

Spreadsheets with dozens of tasks.

We try to predict every step we’ll need to take between today and the achievement of the goal.

But you can’t predict everything.

As soon as you start taking action, you’ll realise things you didn’t know when you set the goal.

You’ll encounter obstacles.

You’ll discover that some assumptions were wrong.

You’ll find opportunities you couldn’t have anticipated.

So the solution isn’t to create a perfect map of the entire journey.

It’s to create enough clarity so you can keep moving.

Think in terms of a path

Imagine you’re driving somewhere you’ve never been before.

You know your destination. You don’t need to memorise every single road you’ll drive on before you leave.

You just need to know the direction you’re heading and have enough information to make the next turn.

Then you reassess.

And make the next turn. And then the next.

Goals work the same way:

You need a clear destination.
You need some meaningful markers along the way that tell you whether you’re making progress.
And, most importantly, you need to consistently identify the next action that moves you towards the next marker.

That’s the difference between having a goal and having a system for achieving it.

This changes the procrastination problem

Consider the difference between these two thoughts:

“I need to build my business.”

and:

“I know exactly what I need to do next.”

The first creates a huge psychological burden.

The second creates an opportunity to act.

You don’t have to feel motivated to take one obvious action. You don’t need to be inspired. You don’t need to have your entire life figured out.

You just need to know what comes next.

And once you’ve taken that action, the next action often becomes clearer:

Action creates information.
Information creates clarity.
Clarity makes the next action easier.
And that creates momentum.

Small actions can produce enormous results

This is why consistency is so much more powerful than it appears.

Constantly trying to find the perfect plan rarely changes your life.

But one useful action, repeated day after day, can create an extraordinary amount of progress.

When our mother Aisha asked the Prophet what deeds are loved most by Allah, his answer was profound.

He said:

"The most regular constant deeds even though they may be few."

You might have expected the answer to be something epic like performing Hajj.

But instead we’re taught the immense value of staying consistent. In fact, what we perceive to be “lesser” or “boring” actions become the most loved by Allah through the power of consistency.

He added:

“Don't take upon yourselves, except the deeds which are within your ability."

Allah intends for us ease, not difficulty. Not to pressure ourselves to do something outside the scope of our abilities.

That’s when you burn out because you tried to do too much. And then end up achieving the opposite of what you wanted in the first place.

The person who consistently takes small actions in the right direction will eventually pass the person who spends months designing the perfect plan but never starts.

You don’t need to win each and every day. You don’t even need to make enormous progress every day.

You just need to keep moving in the right direction.

And when you inevitably have a bad day, the important thing is to get moving again before a single missed day turns into a week, a month or a year.

The objective isn’t perfection.

It’s maintaining momentum.

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The real productivity question

We tend to ask:

“How much did I get done today?”

A better question is:

“Has what I did today moved me closer to where I want to go?”

Because you can be incredibly busy without making meaningful progress.

You can answer 50 emails, attend 5 meetings and clear your entire to-do list while making absolutely no progress on the goal that actually matters.

Productivity isn’t about filling your day.

It’s about making progress on the things that matter.

And meaningful progress becomes much easier when you always know what the next step is.

Take action right now

If you want to turn this idea into a practical system, I’ve put together a step-by-step guide that walks through the entire process: from defining the goal, to mapping the path, to identifying the actions you should take each day.

Read the full guide here if you want the exact process for turning a goal into a plan you can actually follow.

The step-by-step guide to planning a goal

Jun — Sun, 23 Aug 2026 14:28:05 GMT

Goal setting is one of the most important skills you can have.

But what comes next after deciding on your goals?

The ability to set clear and well-planned goals will massively improve your ability to achieve the things you want in life.

I’m not talking about goal wanting.

We all want things. Even if we don’t have a list written down, most people want a lot of the same things.

Yet why do some people go through life with regret, frustrated at the opportunities they seem to always miss out on?

Goal setting is different from goal wanting.

It looks at where you are now and, very seriously and intentionally, decides where you want to be in the future.

It’s with this intentional clarity we use goal setting to map out exactly every step we need to take to reach that point.

A useful exercise

Since we’re talking about your future self, ask yourself:

“What does future me look like?”

Do you like what you see?

What is one thing you would like to have achieved in this future vision of yourself?

Maybe it’s a new level of income or maybe you achieved the body you want.

Pick one goal you have and apply it to this guide. Don’t overthink it. You can always come back to this guide again with any new goal you might have.

Step 1: Setting the goal

There are a tonne of frameworks out there for goal setting.

SMART.

OKRs.

BHAG.

WOOP.

To be honest, it doesn’t really make a difference how you write the goal. What really matters is that you do actually WRITE it.

So the first lesson is this: don’t just think of it in your head.

Literally write it down. And the more importance you put in the written goal the better.

I’m talking getting a beautiful notebook. Your favourite pen. Find a quiet hour on your day off to dedicate to goal writing. Go to a nice café or library if you can.

Basically anything to add to the intentionality.

You don’t have to go overboard. But just think about how you would treat your goal if you scribbled it on the back of a used envelop with a pencil.

Your goal is important. So let’s treat it that way.

Next comes the question of what exactly to write.

I want you to write your goal in the first person, present tense.

First person should be fairly obvious. You write with “I…”.

You are the active party making this goal happen.

Writing goals in the present tense means phrasing your goal as if you have already achieved it.

Instead of “I will…”, you use “I am…” or “I have…”.

Preferably with a clear action.

And if you can be specific (time, place, amount, etc) then even better. Again, don’t overthink. It’s all about writing a REAL goal. Not a vague one.

This trains your mind to believe the success is real and happening already. Your brain is triggered to look for ways to succeed.

Framing your mind this way also helps reduce delays in taking action (also known as procrastination).

And perhaps most importantly, it builds true belief in your abilities.

Rules for writing:

Start every sentence with the word I.
Use active verbs like have, am, or do.
Be specific with numbers (money, weight, dates, etc).
Keep the words positive and clear.

Some examples:

I will save more money → I have a savings account with…
I want to run a 5k → I cross the finish line at my city’s 5k.
I will lose ten pounds → I weigh my ideal weight of…
I want to move to Madinah → I live in the city of Madinah.

The last piece to writing your goal is to set a deadline.

We get really hung up on deadlines. It shouldn’t be the case.

A deadline is just your best estimate. It gives you a target to work towards. Otherwise where is the urgency to get it done?

But it doesn’t mean it’s the end of the world if you miss the deadline.

If your goal was to lose ten pounds by the end of the year and December 31st comes and you lost nine pounds… what would be the issue? Or you lose the ten pounds but it’s now January 3rd. Who cares!

Set a deadline.

Use it to push you.

If you miss it…

Set a new deadline.

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Step 2: Planning the goal

Now that you have a clear goal written down, let’s turn it into a highly actionable plan.

You want to maximise your chances of achieving your goal. There are 2 keys to getting there:

An outline of the path from where you are now to the point in the future where you achieved your goal.

Early access: an app that turns procrastination into a personalised productivity coach

Jun — Thu, 20 Aug 2026 09:18:31 GMT

, how many hours a day do you spend on your phone?

I built Reset—an app that helps you win back precious hours in real time. It does it by catching you when you get distracted then gives you easy actions you can take right away.

The crazy part is the app learns about your goals and preferences over time to tailor the most effective actions to suggest.

How do I know it works?

Because I used this feature to keep me on track while testing the app… I literally beat procrastination by building an app that beats procrastination.

Want to try it out?

I’m looking for testers for the app before it goes public on Play Store.

Anyone with an Android phone can join. And the best part? As a tester you get full access to the app for absolutely free (it’s going to be paywalled when public).

All you need is the normal Gmail account you use to download apps on Play Store so we know who to give free access to.

Reply to this email if you want to join or use the form here:

Reset app - become a tester

Testers get:

Full access to the app including bonus features
In app transformation plan
Official Play Store tester card

But you need to be quick! We have very limited spaces left.

If you have already joined as a tester you can download the app here (it will not let you download unless you are a registered tester).

Thanks in advance!

Jun

80 ways to kill procrastination

Jun — Sat, 15 Aug 2026 08:41:30 GMT

If you’re struggling with procrastination…

You should find the next smallest, dumb action you can possibly take.

This is extremely effective because all procrastination really means is you are delaying starting.

Not “I’m delaying writing my article”.

More like “I’m delaying opening my laptop.”

The key is that the action should be almost insultingly easy. It shouldn’t be “clean the kitchen”. It should be “pick up one plate”.

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The goal is to create motion—not finish the task.

Take the bigger picture out of your head (and maybe feel a little silly about thinking of doing the dishes as “the bigger picture”) and just focus on the next smallest thing.

Tell yourself you only need to do that one small action. And you don’t even need to complete anything. You only need to do the action.

If you’re in doubt about it’s effectiveness… just remember you were putting off whatever you were supposed to be doing anyway. How is this worse?

Just try it.

And at some point the action will feel incomplete and unfinished and you’ll realise you’re no longer delaying—you are now doing.

Continue doing. That’s all it takes.

The interesting principle here is that the answer shouldn’t necessarily be the first “real” step. Nor should it be something so small you start to question your sanity.

For example:

Goal: Clean the house
Normal next step: Start cleaning
Smallest possible action: Stand up
Even smaller: Put one foot on the floor
Potentially useful: Grab the broom

I recommend sitting with your next smallest action for 5 minutes.

Let it really sink in.

Sit with the feeling of holding the broom and doing nothing else. Stare at the wall if it helps. You will quickly experience an awkward moment when you realise not starting was far worse than whatever this is.

Most people get over this feeling in the first few seconds and just get on with whatever it was they were procrastinating about.

It doesn’t even take that many tries before you become a person who feels more comfortable with action than with procrastinating.

Here’s a list of small actions you can do to kill procrastination:

Tidy the house → Pick up one thing that is out of place.
Clean the kitchen → Pick up one dirty dish.
Do the dishes → Turn on the tap.
Do laundry → Pick up the laundry basket.
Fold laundry → Pick up one piece of clothing.
Clean your room → Put one item back where it belongs.
Make the bed → Pull the blanket once.
Vacuum the floor → Take the vacuum out.
Take out the trash → Pick up the trash bag.
Organize your desk → Move one thing off the desk.
Declutter your closet → Open the closet door.
Clean the bathroom → Put one cleaning product beside the sink.
Start working → Sit in your chair.
Work on a big project → Open the project.
Write a report → Open a blank document.
Write an essay → Type the title.
Write an email → Open the email app.
Reply to an email → Open the first unread email.
Prepare a presentation → Open the presentation software.
Do paperwork → Put the paperwork in front of you.
Pay bills → Open your banking app.
Do your taxes → Find the tax documents.
Study → Put the book on the desk.
Read a book → Open it to the next page.
Do homework → Take out the assignment.
Learn something difficult → Read the first paragraph.
Research something → Type the question into the search bar.
Plan a project → Write down the name of the project.
Go to the gym → Put on your workout clothes.
Go for a run → Put on one shoe.
Go for a walk → Stand up.
Exercise → Do one squat.
Stretch → Touch your toes once.
Do yoga → Put the mat on the floor.
Start a morning routine → Get out of bed.
Take a shower → Walk into the bathroom.
Brush your teeth → Pick up the toothbrush.
Eat healthier → Take one piece of fruit out.
Cook dinner → Take one ingredient out of the fridge.
Meal prep → Put one container on the counter.
Make an important phone call → Find the person’s number.
Book an appointment → Open the booking website.
Schedule something → Open your calendar.
Return something → Find the item.
Pack for a trip → Put your suitcase on the floor.
Unpack → Take one thing out of the suitcase.
Go grocery shopping → Write down one item you need.
Run errands → Put your shoes on.
Fix something broken → Look at the broken thing.
Deal with an annoying task → Put the relevant object/document in front of you.
Start a business → Open a blank document and write the business name.
Build a website → Open your code editor.
Work on a side project → Open the project folder.
Create content → Open a blank note.
Write a social media post → Write one sentence.
Record a video → Put your phone somewhere to record.
Start freelancing → Open your portfolio.
Find a job → Open one job listing.
Apply for a job → Find your résumé.
Network with people → Open LinkedIn and find one person.
Get your finances under control → Open your bank account.
Create a budget → Open a spreadsheet.
Save money → Look at your last transaction.
Cancel subscriptions → Open your subscriptions list.
Organize your finances → Find one financial statement.
Call your parents → Open your contacts.
Reconnect with a friend → Find their chat.
Have a difficult conversation → Write down what you want to say.
Apologize to someone → Open their conversation.
Send an important message → Type “Hey, I wanted to talk about something.”
Meditate → Sit down.
Journal → Open your notes app.
Plan tomorrow → Write tomorrow’s date.
Set goals → Write down one thing you want.
Stop doomscrolling → Put the phone face down.
Get off social media → Close the app.
Start focusing → Put the distracting device out of reach.
Go to sleep → Put the phone on the other side of the room.
Get out of bed → Put both feet on the floor.
Stop procrastinating → Ask: “What is the dumbest possible action I can take?”

This works just as well for everyday tasks as it does for long term ambitions.

I’ve helped people procrastinating on lifelong goals finally make real change in their lives with just this concept alone.

It’s so effective I turned it into an app. You can currently download the app as a tester.

Did you find any of this useful?

Jun

It's a lie

Jun — Mon, 10 Aug 2026 08:08:12 GMT

Why do some people think another’s gain is their loss?

I reacted to a post I saw today:

This isn’t about the person who wrote this. It isn’t even about what you may or may not think about him, his ideas, the people he’s moaning about or anything like that.

So please. Don’t comment about individuals, groups, leaders or whatever.

What I want to point out is how some Muslims claim to want unity (or any number of goals) but discount any progress towards it that wasn’t from them.

It’s cultish behaviour.

If someone says they believe in something but aren’t happy when that something is found somewhere else, they are lying.

The easiest example is the West.

Freedom. Values. Morals.

They claim to believe in these ideals but will subvert, bomb and loot others trying to achieve them.

Do you know about the Western media’s use of the phrase “but at what cost”?

It’s when they have to write a story on another country’s success but frame it as something bad. It happens a lot with China.

I remember seeing a story about Chinese scientists making a major breakthrough in curing cancer. The headline read:

“China is curing cancer, but at what cost?”

Being truthful is Sunnah. Wanting good for others is Sunnah. Recognising the benefit in something even if you don’t get the credit is Sunnah.

I hope there is no ambiguity when I say these Muslims who do the “but at what cost” dance are no different than the West they claim to be against.

Whenever you see something positive done by Muslims… you can own it too. Instead of acting like a brat who doesn’t like to share their toys:

Thank Allah.
Ask Him for the good in it.
Seek His protection from the bad.

Who cares if it isn’t “perfect” (Whatever that means)?

Why does it matter who did it?

If you are genuine about the goal then it wouldn’t matter.

I mean, don’t we all want a cure for cancer?

My app is in the testing phase now.

You have to go through what’s called “closed testing” before you can officially launch on Play Store. Invited users get to download your app and try out all the features before it’s open to the public.

I created graphics for my Play Store listing. Tell me what you think!

I would really appreciate any feedback you can offer. Also let me know if you would like to join as a free tester.

Being strategic is Sunnah.

Jun

It's been a while.

Jun — Sun, 09 Aug 2026 19:15:41 GMT

The last time I posted here was nearly a year ago. I wrote this:

I haven’t written in weeks because I’m focusing on some important projects. Substack is far more evergreen than other platforms.

PS. I can’t write about focusing on one goal, the One Thing, and not practice what I preach. I can report it’s going well. So don’t be afraid to make your One Thing the most important thing.

Hope to be back writing soon, inshallah.

That was on October 18th, 2025. Nearly a year ago.

Since that time I’ve been gradually reducing my exposure to Muslim content creators.

I’m not even going to bother going into why. I’ll just tell you, simply, that taking a minimalist approach to the information I consume has helped me think a lot clearer.

For example, instead of drowning in unfiltered news, I get updated whenever I need from one or two trusted sources.

There are more examples but the point is I’m free to focus on what I’m supposed to be doing. And any information I do consume isn’t going to overwhelm me or leave me confused and angry.

It’s going to motivate me.

So with that in mind…

What should I write here?

If I’m telling you to focus on the One Thing. And to value Deep Work.

I ought to do it too, right?

And I ought not add to the noise.

I’m going back to the original style (and reason why) I was writing here: the letters.

I’ll share my thoughts and anything I learn in short messages like these.

They don’t have to work together or build up to one big point.

I think it’s far more interesting and useful to write like this. And it forces me to really think about what I’m saying.

The ability to say a little but be rich in meaning is a Sunnah.

So I’ll be practicing here.

My One Thing in recent months:

I made an app.

It helps you beat procrastination by catching you at the moment of distraction and focusing you back on the next smallest action you can take.

I’ve written before about the importance of the next smallest action. And I mean small.

Everyone thinks procrastination is a lack of motivation.

Recently, I’m seeing a lot of content creators talk about psychological and neurological explanations for procrastination.

Nonsense.

Procrastination is simply the act of not starting.

You’re supposed to do something. Until you start, that’s procrastination.

So all you need to beat procrastination is to start.

That’s it.

So back to the app. To make starting easy, you do the next smallest action.

Stop thinking about the full task. Just the next smallest action.

Is your task to read for an exam?

Then your next smallest task might be to take the book off the shelf.

I want to check in with all the brave armchair revolutionaries.

Did you start training? Did you gather others like you and form that army?

(If you don’t know what I’m talking about search “armchair revolutionaries” in my posts.)

I also want to ask everyone who made a lot of noise about red heifers.

It’s been like two years since that poor cow was on the brink of being sacrificed. What happened?

Did the world end?

Being strategic is a Sunnah.

Jun

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Muslims need to learn Moral Law

Jun — Tue, 02 Sep 2025 14:01:15 GMT

You know when you see a parent defend their child even when they do something wrong?

That’s what you’re supposed to do. Because one of the most damaging things to a child’s wellbeing is public humiliation.

The same thing applies to Muslims.

No matter what we perceive a believer to be engaged in, for Heaven’s sake don’t make it your mission to humiliate the status of being called a MUSLIM.

Defend Muslims or stay silent. Don’t join in on these moronic ideas like “Muslims are complicit in the genocide”.

Think.

I’ve written about Moral Law in previous emails.

It’s a vital concept for structuring a nation towards success. Moral Law, as described in Sun Tzu’s the Art of War, is the requirement for every member of a society to believe in and support the broader goals of the nation.

This means from the unemployed student to the highest ruler and everyone in between.

Everyone shares in the vision.

The student wants to learn and earn a living so that he can support that vision.

The ruler bares the responsibility to administer the vision.

The farmer practices ihsan in his work so that the nation is well fed for the sake of that vision. And so on.

Which is why today we see so much content aimed at making Muslims break that vision.

At this point if you’re still posting anything that is disparaging or humiliating Muslims I have to assume one of three things:

You’re stupid.
You’re evil.
You work in an IT cell in India or elsewhere.

I tend to go with the third option because I try to give the benefit of doubt. Which potentially also means you’re all three.

If you start with a worthwhile goal like a free and prosperous Palestine…

And work backwards… you’ll probably realise your current actions right now don’t line up.

Let me explain.

A free and prosperous Palestine is a worthy goal. But can you set a definitive deadline? No.

So let’s call it a someday goal (see The One Thing by Gary Keller).

Next, think about a timeline you can comprehend, such as 5 years. What is the One Thing you must do in 5 years time in relation to your someday goal of a free and prosperous Palestine?

Break it down further. What’s the One Thing you must do in 1 year in relation to that 5 year goal?

What about in 6 months in relation to that 1 year goal?

This month in relation to your 6 month goal?

This week?

TODAY?

What is that One Thing you MUST do today that will get you to your weekly goal, that gets you to your monthly goal, that gets you to your 6 month goal, that gets you to your 1 year goal, that gets you to your 5 year goal that will, INSHALLAH get you to your worthy someday goal?

What is it? And are you doing it?

Let’s work on it together. I’ll help.

I don’t know every precise detail on what my personal role in helping Palestine will be in the next 10 years.

But I do know this:

Blaming Muslims for the ongoing genocide isn’t part of it.

Maybe the problem isn't neglecting your priorities.

Maybe it's the fact you have priorities (PLURAL).

Ask yourself what's your PRIORITY. One thing only.

It’s been a while.

As you might have read in my last email I’m taking time out to work on important projects I hope will contribute towards Muslim Betterment.

In the meantime I wanted to keep in touch with you. So I’ll email you collections of my daily writings like the ones I’ve written above.

As always, I want you to think about the points being made and open a discussion here or with another Muslim about what I’m saying.

Tell me what you think of this idea by commenting below or replying to this email.

—Jun

I'm tired.

Jun — Sun, 27 Jul 2025 08:09:21 GMT

Muslims are already doing amazing things in every corner of the world.

But we act like Muslims are useless.

I get it.

You’re angry about what you see in the news.

And practically everyone and their mother is offering reactive ideas for how to deal with it.

A lot of which seems to centre around blaming Muslims for what others do to Muslims.

Sounds dumb to say it out loud, but here we are.

How can you call for unity when you hate fellow Muslims?

Worse… do you even know them?

THEM. The Muslims. Globally.

Of course not.

Neither do I.

So how can any of us make these grand statements?

I’m telling you this is engineered.

I don’t yet know how… but I’m going to prove it:

Muslims are taught to hate Muslims so that we don’t recognise value in each other.

I’ve been working on a few projects behind the scenes to prove just that. My work will hopefully rekindle mutual respect and love for Muslims wherever they are and however they may seem different to you.

But it’s been slow.

And it means I’m sometimes late to post on my newsletter.

So please bear with me.

And tell me your thoughts on what I said. Ask your questions about what I’m working on.

Do you support efforts to reveal Muslim excellence? Or do you want to keep supporting manufactured consent for Muslim hate?

Finding your passion is a lie

Jun — Mon, 21 Jul 2025 20:17:24 GMT

Too much freedom is stopping you from achieving your goals

You know what really annoys me about Muslim content?

It’s when they tell you the path to happiness is finding your passion. But people aren’t dumb. They need to earn a living too.

So it becomes, “find a way to get paid for what you love doing”.

Really?

That’s where I was going wrong? I didn’t figure out how to get paid for sleeping?

Ideas like “follow your passion” are popular is because they give you false hope. And the ideas evolve when you question them. It’s also the perfect excuse for avoiding hard work.

Listen. It takes a massive amount of effort and sacrifice to achieve great things.

Some of the biggest platforms today came as a result of writing code in dark rooms, non-stop, for days at a time. Historic deals were made after hundreds of phone calls—all ending in rejection except the one that got accepted.

But you don’t need to do any of that.

Just follow your passion, right?

By the way…

This pops up in other forms. Like when people tell you to “find your purpose”. It’s just another way of saying you must figure out how to mould yourself to chase the goals they deem to be important.

And you get sucked in because on their own these are worthwhile goals.

Make hijrah. Make more money. Make a difference.

But what bothers me the most is when they tell you these ideas are the solution for the Ummah’s problems. They’re basically saying…

You need to find your passion. Find your purpose. Get paid doing what you love. Everything is a lie… but not my thing. My thing will save you…
And it will save the Ummah!

But it doesn't stop there.

Apparently Muslims aren’t already doing amazing or Important things.

Muslim dads giving their blood and sweat to provide for their families aren’t men yet. They need masculinity content. Sorry—Muslim masculinity content.

In fact—according to them—Muslims in general are losers. They’re weak. Many are traitors. A great deal of us aren’t even proper Muslims.

Basically whatever content they’re spewing out is necessary because Muslims are failing to get it through their thick skulls. And the only solution is to align ourselves with their ideas.

I think I know why this happens.

I think it’s because content creators say too much. They present their emotional, reactionary ideas as real solutions. Then they come under pressure to see those ideas through.

And so they just default to what they know.

If they studied Islam then their solution is for you to enrol on their course. That’s why there is a new institute opening every other month. They just want to create clones of themselves.

(I really need to write about this one day.)

If they consumed masculinity content then guess what? The Ummah is suffering because men aren’t men.

Copy/paste. Copy/paste.

Same old ideas on repeat.

And what about all the “news” we consume?

Ideas like “follow your passion” are the lies disguising shallow thinking. You can’t actually do what you like because you also need to become a scholar and a political scientist plus whatever ideas they consume themselves!

And if your passion or purpose doesn’t align with what’s trending online then you’re doubly at fault.

It seems like we have an endless stream of reasons why we’re not doing enough and how we ought to do something “better” (i.e. what they dictate).

But we have virtually nothing telling us what we already do is valuable.

I want to change that.

And I’m going to start by taking away your freedom.

Don’t panic.

I simply want you to understand something:

The reason you’re bombarded with a thousand different paths is because you allow them in.

We simply have too much freedom. Or, put in the language of this publication—we lack proper constraints.

-- Pro Muslims --

It's too long to go into in this email. But the sure fire way to stay poor, feel stuck and get stressed out is trying to do everything at the same time.

I'm teaching Pro Muslims to focus on one thing at a time. It's what allows them to make massive progress in a short amount of time.

And more often than not they're already doing great things. But they're were taught to look down on the rizq they're given.

Pretty much all goals need money. And if you're a Muslim who's goal is to help the Ummah and you have a job...you're already a hero in my eyes.

Let me try to persuade you to believe the same. DMs are always open.

I can’t just tell you all the ways you’re already valuable to the Ummah—even though it’s absolutely true—without first getting you to drop all the noise telling you the opposite.

You see when you’re working in your “normal” job and earning a living, it’s one of many ways you’re helping other Muslims. But aspirational content wants you to believe otherwise.

If they claim to have something “better” what they’re really saying is what you have now is inferior. And it’s fine to want more. But are we using what we have now to it’s full potential.

You don’t need to follow someone else’s path. You need to only follow your own. And guess what?

Your unique path is the most valuable because only you can walk it.

Don’t believe me?

First have a look at all the groups and experts battling for your attention.

How many “Islamic courses” have you seen in just the past month? How many of them say anything unique?

Revive the “golden age”. Master Arabic. Learn Islamic history.

Copy/paste. Copy/paste.

And the thing I want you to really focus on is how readily we belittle the efforts of so many Muslims.

That’s the real tragedy behind all this.

I speak to a lot of Muslims in private DMs. If they’re working on helping Muslims in some way or another you best believe I’m messaging them. I want to know what they’re doing. How it’s going. What their ideas are.

And more often than not it breaks my heart reading their replies.

The disdain they have for fellow Muslims. And it’s their disdain that fuels their ideas. It can’t work this way, can it?

They disparage Muslims and offer their elitist solutions in the same breath.

They say things like:

“Muslims are pathetic… we’re going to teach them to be X!”
“Muslims in the East aren’t capable… they look to us in the West to help them with Y!”
“Muslims are sheep… I’m going to wake them up by doing Z!”

It’s too much freedom.

Freedom to say anything and freedom to consume everything.

The freedom to be a horrible person but think you’re helping the Ummah.

The internet has made it possible for us to spew any crappy idea in an instant and reach thousands if not millions of people. And we have free access as consumers of information to endless nonsense.

I want you to remove this freedom. But I can’t do it for you.

It’s in your hands alone.

Just do this one thing:

Eliminate everything that doesn’t take you closer to your goals.

That means the content you consume. The people you listen to. Even the random social media accounts that come in your view.

Everything.

If it doesn’t help you reach your goal… what is it for?

Of course this means you need to have goals in life. If not you’re probably feeling stuck in life right now. Which makes you an easy target for bad content.

I urge you to follow this easy guide to get you started.

We all need definitive goals to lead us to better things. But goals alone make you vulnerable to BS.

Everyone wants more money, better health and relationships. And with only a goal in your head, you’re in danger from the confusion and stress that comes from too much freedom.

Goals need constraints.

Subscribe for FREE if you haven’t already so you don’t miss any of these upcoming emails. And share this with at least one other Muslim so they don’t miss out either. You can also become a paid subscriber if you want to learn how to multiply their income, wisdom and productivity while eliminating self-doubt, confusion and wasted time.

Subscribe now

Why you're stuck in life (and how to fix it)

Jun — Thu, 17 Jul 2025 17:01:03 GMT

Subscribe now

You will remain stuck in life if you keep making these same mistakes

Have you ever felt like you just can't seem to get going?

Do you think about the type of life you want but don't know how to achieve it? Do you feel like you’re reaching your full potential?

This guide will introduce you to my Mental Clarity Playbook. It’s a series of six written exercises designed to clear your mind of all the frustrations and self-doubt blocking you from the things you actually want to achieve.

I followed up with one of the people who did the Mental Clarity Playbook with me. Here’s what they had to say:

“What can I say… Your coaching, was very random and came precisely when I had planned to kill myself. All I had to do was accept, and you showed me a much stronger version of myself. Particularly, the six exercises may have changed my brain chemistry forever.”

-- 10+ years of results --

This is the power of the Playbook when done right. And with an experienced coach who knows how to get you to think deeply about your true potential.

But I understand not all of you will want to commit to weeks of coaching. So I kept a written version of these instructions for paid subscribers. And have been updating it regularly.

The number of subscribers has more than tripled since I first wrote this. And after making dozens of improvements I think it’s time to republish this guide for those who haven't seen it.

First things first…

Motivation is one of the biggest lies holding you back

We all go through this. That feeling of being stuck at the same job or in the same house, even the same country.

We all have ambitions. Everyone wants to increase their income, start a business, be financially independent. But why do hardly any of us seem to ever achieve the life we want?

The common answer is "we lack motivation".

Many of us will even consume motivational content in the form of books, seminars and videos in the hopes of changing our current state.

But ask yourself this question: If I already have goals, if I already have ambitions, IF I ALREADY WANT THINGS… then doesn't it mean I'm already motivated?

Think about it for a moment.

Why do you need motivation if you already WANT something? The very fact you want it means you’re already motivated!

You want something but do nothing about it. But you don’t realise this because you think seeking motivation is doing something.

And when all that motivational nonsense doesn’t work, you come back to feeling stuck again.

But it’s so much worse.

You don’t come back to square one. You go to an even lower point.

Because wanting something, thinking you did something to get it, then going through the reality of not getting it makes you think it was never worth it in the first place.

Instead of thinking about your own actions you blame the goal.

And this is where the lie of motivation traps you… instead of working on getting what you want… YOU TEACH YOURSELF THAT YOU DON’T ACTUALLY WANT IT.

And you move on to the next shiny object.

This happens throughout life…

What do you think this does to your confidence? How do you think about future goals?

What does it do to the mind of a Muslim who is meant for more?

Change the words in the diagram above. Put something from your life where it says “Wanting…”.

How does it feel?

Do you even know what you want?

Yes, we all have dreams.

But if someone asked you to show them your exact plan, would you be able to produce it?

If someone asked you what you want in life, do you think of a clear set of steps, the next big goal you’re going to tackle, your 10-year plan…

Or do you start thinking of your weaknesses, failures and fears?

This is where the Mental Clarity Playbook comes in.

Your goals aren’t the problem.

Your goals aren’t too big.

Your goals aren’t unreasonable.

And you deserve to achieve them.

You just don’t know how… yet.

We’re no longer seeking motivation. As Pro-Muslims we already have the greatest motivations behind us.

From today our promise to one another will be to seek clarity:

What do I want out of life?
What are my top priorities?
What would make the greatest positive impact on my life?
How do I [literally] get it?

The Mental Clarity Playbook is a physical task. A written one.

You must put pen to paper—literally—and write down your answers. You must organise them, refine them. It must become a lifelong habit.

So what do you write?

Have a pen and paper ready and follow these steps.

It will only take approximately 30-45 minutes to complete… but will lay the foundation for a life lived to the full for the next 45 years and beyond… don’t waste this opportunity.

I’m confident, after completing the six easy exercises below, you’ll be blown away at the massive potential within you…

And kicking yourself for not finding this sooner.

This is where the exercises come in!

Serving 4000+ Muslim clients led me to create this playbook.

I designed them to unpack your mind so you can achieve massive goals with unshakeable clarity.

So let's get started:

Constraints need goals

Jun — Mon, 14 Jul 2025 14:38:14 GMT

You won’t succeed because you got too used to complaining

One of my Pro Muslims had a great business idea.

He had discovered a new area of law that was largely unserved. There were potentially thousands of people needing legal representation for this very specific matter. The problem was he didn’t know how to reach them. And even if he could… he had no track record to prove he was the man for the job.

We all have problems.

But the problem with having problems is it’s far too easy to complain about them. And in doing so we fail to recognise the great opportunities presented to us.

Someone said when we ask Allah for patience, He gives us trials to test our patience.

I think it’s the same with money. (Or practically anything else for that matter.)

Have you noticed how you have so many business ideas but never seem to be able to do anything about them? Well maybe it means you’ve already been given the opportunity for more money. But you just haven’t executed—yet.

Complaining blocks us from the opportunity.

Complaining passes the responsibility over to someone else or to our circumstances… instead of realising the opportunity we’ve been given.

Just like the person who asks for patience but complains when they’re tested.

So if you’re facing obstacles in the way of earning more money… don’t you think there’s an opportunity in disguise?

Constraints need goals

Seeing only problems without an end goal is like playing a game to not lose instead of trying to win.

In that case why bother playing at all? You can’t lose if you don’t play, right?

This is the reality of complaining about problems. You’re unable to see opportunities when they’re right under your nose.

The Pro Muslim with the business idea could only see his constraints:

No budget
Didn’t know how to reach customers
No track record

The list is much longer. But the point is he couldn’t see past his constraints. So the goal of starting this business got lost in the weeds. It was “safer” to not do anything.

And this is what happens to many of us. We want something. Then we start going through all the reasons why we can’t have it.

We move on to the next idea. And we go through life repeating this cycle over and over again.

I want you to change your thinking:

Instead of letting constraints kill your goals… tell yourself CONSTRAINTS NEED GOALS.

Your challenges and problems aren’t there to hold you back. They’re telling you precisely what you need to move forward.

He had no budget. I showed him how to do it without money upfront.

He didn’t know how to reach customers. I showed him how to make customers reach out to him.

He had no track record. I showed him how to sell an idea without needing to build credibility first.

It wasn’t because I had a specific set of skills that happened to fit perfectly for his goal.

It was because I knew something that applies to practically any challenge you face. It’s the thing I’ve repeated several times in my emails to you.

And it will help you see opportunities where others make excuses…

The problem is the solution.

And applying this is really simple.

You take the constraint and turn it into an opportunity.

I want you to try something:

Make a list of all the reasons you haven’t pursued your goals in life.

This is different from the traditional idea of goal setting. You’re not listing what you want to achieve. You’re listing all your excuses.

It’s going to take a little honesty. But don’t worry. I’m not going to ask you to show me your list (although you can DM me privately if you want me to go through this exercise with you 1-on-1).

Write your reasons on separate lines and keep a line gap between each one.

Instead of reverting back to complaining each time you want to achieve something in life… you’re going to go all out and write down all your complaints right now.

All your self-doubt. All your fears.

Once you’ve written your list and realised you didn’t die… I want you to write how you’re going to do it anyway. Let me show you some examples of what I mean.

I don’t know how to code. → I’m going to write code every day.
No one wants to read my writing. → I’m going to make a daily post.
I lack the confidence to speak to customers. → I’m going to speak to 10 people each day.

My hope is by reading this you realised this truth:

Success depends on gratitude.

Because a few powerful things are happening when you do this exercise…

You’re acknowledging so-called problems now instead of letting them show up when you want to achieve something.
You exercise gratitude for having the opportunity to do something by actually doing it.
You end up getting the thing you want when you tackle the problems head on.

Someone who writes code every day can’t help but get better at coding. You build an audience by posting daily. And you’ll inevitably gain confidence when you speak to more people.

Constraints can also be broken down into smaller and more manageable pieces… just like goals. And being able to conquer each piece is how you overcome problems and ultimately live a life of success via gratitude.

Think about how you feel when you want something in life but can’t see a way to get it.

Remember what you were doing before this exercise? Effectively complaining about your problems.

When you turn your problems into solutions, complaints are replaced by actions. And you figure out a path you would have otherwise never known.

Take the last one—lacking the confidence to speak to customers—as an example. Can we break the solution into smaller parts? Absolutely!

You do this by breaking the problem into parts. If the problem is the solution… the smaller problem is the smaller solution.

Or another way to think of it is adding more detail to your complaints.

Is it that you lack the confidence to speak to customers? Or people in general? Are you more confident online than in person? Can you DM people instead?

A smaller solution might be to message people you already know first. Then messaging strangers who aren’t necessarily potential customers. Then you can shift to potential customers but not selling anything to them. Then you can try selling via DMs. And so on.

Be honest. Is there any doubt at all in overcoming this problem for a person taking this approach?

Can you apply this to your constraints? Yes!

So remember. Constraints are a good thing.

Your problems are the solution.

And you can break it into smaller problems to build on smaller solutions.

I’ve helped 4000+ Muslims to date. And now I share what I learn via these FREE emails.

Paid members also get weekly emails with actionable strategies so you can achieve the life you deserve as a Proactive Muslim; as well as unlocking all past premium content including:

How to unclutter your mind and figure out what you want out of life.
How to achieve practically anything with proven frameworks.
How to reverse engineer any goal to know precisely what to do next.
How to turn your knowledge into a halal income.
How to sell with ease, increase profits… and much more.

Subscribe now

PS… What's your most annoying constraint right now?

Drop a comment below.

I read every single one and often turn the best questions into future newsletter issues.

How to build credibility with writing

Jun — Thu, 10 Jul 2025 11:38:29 GMT

I have a confession to make.

I feel this publication isn’t making the impact I want it to. And I know why that is.

But I have a plan to fix it. And in doing so I’ll be able to deliver more actionable tactics and strategies to you.

The problem I’m fixing has nothing to do with my expertise, my writing style or even how much I write.

Surprisingly, it’s related to a physics equation.

But if you apply it:

Your words will have more impact.
Your message will reach your intended audience.
And people will take action from your writing.

The thing is I already knew this secret.

And when I applied it in business I was able to sell different products and services to total strangers without having expertise in any of those industries.

In some cases… I was totally anonymous.

Yet I was able to build enough credibility to persuade them to take action (buy, register, etc).

So now I want to apply the same idea to this newsletter.

The physics equation that has everything to do with impactful writing

It’s the equation for pressure.

Not expecting that, were you?

Let me explain by first showing you the equation:

In simple terms, pressure measures how much force you can apply to a given area.

You can increase pressure in two ways:

Increase the force.
Decrease the area.

Imagine throwing a tennis ball at a tree as hard as you can. Now imagine the same force but this time with a knife. Which one would pierce the tree?

You understand the same force exerts more pressure when it’s a smaller area.

It would take a tremendous amount of force to produce enough pressure for a tennis ball to pierce a tree. But far less to do the same with a knife because of the tiny surface area at the point of the blade.

More importantly, you know you’re never going to be able to do it with a tennis ball. But I’d wager you’re certain you can do it with a knife… even if you’ve never tried it before.

The same concept applies to writing.

There is a level of certainty you can have as long as you know the variables. And it works whether you write a newsletter, run ads, speak directly to customers or create content of any kind.

I modified the pressure equation to apply it to writing. I’ve used it time and time again to earn tens of thousands of dollars for myself and for clients.

And it takes seconds to implement when you know this new equation:

To the Muslim who is dissatisfied

Jun — Mon, 07 Jul 2025 12:22:50 GMT

I’m going to give you a sneak preview of what I teach my Pro Muslim coaching clients.

The reason I decided to write this is to prove a concept:

If we want to achieve great things, we must create the rules of our own game.

There is path towards life-changing achievements for each and every one of you. But the way is riddled with enemies, hidden and open, waiting to lead you astray.

I want to prove a clear path exists no matter what your goal is.

And I’ll do this over the course of the next few emails.

The Pro Muslims I coaching receive several tools that help them achieve their goals faster than they ever imagined. And this happens because I show them how to define a path based on their unique circumstances.

In doing so, they unlock much more than just their goals.

Like one of my Pro Muslims who multiplied their income 5 times in the space of 2 years. And income wasn’t even their end goal.

How did this happen?

Goals give you an end vision. A destination.

But goals alone don’t tell you how to get there.

And without a defined path you’re in danger of jumping from one shiny object to another. You stay busy on things that don’t move the needle. Then you get frustrated and, predictably, change directions yet again.

I think everyone reading this has experienced what I’m describing. And it’s because of a simple truth…

The path to your goals is riddled with the same challenges you’re already struggling with. They don’t suddenly disappear just because you set a goal (even when you do goal setting with me).

Consuming too much content
Paralysis by analysis
Decision Fatigue
Shiny object syndrome
Self-doubt

The path to your goal is too wide.

Only seeing an end goal without a defined path makes you go in all directions instead of sticking to the one thing you actually need. You give yourself too many choices.

Have a weight loss goal? There’s a hundred diets to choose from.

Want to start a business? Every other piece of content on your feed is promoting a get rich quick scheme.

What if your big goal was financial security for your family? Or providing clean water to impoverished areas? What if it was for a free Palestine?

Here’s the harsh truth:

You have too much freedom.

You have a goal. And you think having a goal puts you on a path. But it’s actually a wide ocean. And you have no boat. You just go where the waves take you, hoping the tide will eventually land you on your goal.

-- Pro Muslims --

Do we want to be like the froth on the ocean, moving wherever the waves take us, with no self-determination?

Or do we want to be the captains of our own ship?

It's time to stop playing by someone else's rules.

My concept of Pro Muslims is about taking back power. We don't play someone else's game. We don't follow their rules.

We create our own game and set the rules ourselves.

And here’s the solution:

You need strict rules to constrain yourself to the most viable path.

This may seem counterintuitive. But having constraints will make you achieve more… and with less time and effort.

Think about any great achievement in human history.

There were a set of conditions—constraints, rules, limitations, urgency, scarcity—under which they had to operate. Great achievements happened when solutions to those conditions were found.

Great inventions and innovations didn’t happen in an open playing field where anything was possible. They happened under very narrow constraints. Like the following example…

In the late 60s, defence strategists were frustrated with a common vulnerability in communication systems:

Communication hubs could be destroyed and lines could be cut.

Their ability to communicate in war was constrained by the fragility of their systems.

So their goal was to create a way to fix this vulnerability in communications. But they didn’t try to solve this by making bomb proof communication lines.

That would take too long to figure out. And I mean… would they need to invent wiring that was bomb proof? Not to mention the colossal expense!

Instead, they chose to embrace their constraints…

If communication systems stop working when they’re blown to pieces, we’ll design a system that’s meant to work when it’s in pieces.

And that’s how the internet was created.

I’m going to send you a series of emails to prove how constraints are the missing piece as it relates to Muslim Betterment. Some may surprise you:

Goals need constraints
Constraints need goals
Bottlenecks
Propaganda
Conspiracy Theories
Riba
Beliefs
Rules of your own game

Remember my Pro Muslim client I mentioned earlier? They came to me to figure out how to achieve their 5 year goals.

But one of the constraints was their job. They just weren’t able to see it until we worked together on the Pro Muslim coaching.

But when they embraced their constraints… not only did their income shoot up… it allowed them to find a faster pathway to their true goals—they were done in 2 years.

Subscribe if you haven’t already so you don’t miss any of these upcoming emails. And share this with at least one other Muslim so they don’t miss out either.

Subscribe now

Filters

Jun — Tue, 01 Jul 2025 15:24:25 GMT

I visited a used bookstore.

Correction—I visited a massive used bookstore.

I’ve been here many times before. And each time I come, I find at least one book I’ve wanted among tens of thousands crammed into this building.

It’s not that I’m looking for a particular book. This bookstore isn’t even that well organised (yes, that’s an actual photo I just took hours before writing this, of one out of dozens of aisles).

I simply walk around with no real plan and the books I want seem to make themselves known.

It’s not magic. There’s science behind this.

Please bear with me.

The idea that we can train our brains to generate success is absolutely true. One of the ways this happens is by making our brains notice opportunities.

I can better explain if I told you more about my time at the bookstore.

When I tell you this is a cramped space… every shelf or table has around 15-20 books stacked on top of each other—not standing upright. In rows upon rows upon rows.

Every so often, you’ll hear the sound of a pile of books falling because someone tried (and failed) to extract a book from a stack.

It will take you a great deal of mental effort to find a specific book. But casually glancing at the hundreds of shelves I spotted:

Multiple editions of books by Steven Covey.
About a dozen books by Brian Tracy.
Books by Tim Ferriss.
Dune books.
Several editions of Tolkien’s books.
A book called Positioning.
The One Thing.
Books by Robert Ludlum.

The list goes on. But what’s my point?

I own books by Covey, Tracy and Ferriss and watch their content. Dune is one of my favourite movies in recent years and I started reading the original books. The Bourne series are one of my all time favourites and Ludlum is the author of the original books they’re based on. And Tolkien is, well, Tolkien.

Positioning and the One Thing were on my mental “to buy” list.

At one point I wanted to test the theory I’m about to explain to you. I scanned an entire wall of books and spotted three books by Brian Tracy in a matter of seconds.

This was in a section with books in lesser condition, behind some pillars that make it awkward to access, and have no logic behind how they’re arranged.

How our brains spot opportunities, or hide them

Look at the photo above.

Your brain takes in a lot more information than you’re aware of. The colours of the sleeves. The fonts. The sizes of the books.

Your subconscious mind is seeing far more than you could imagine. But it also knows most of the information it takes in is of no use to you.

So your brain filters information based on several factors.

Some of them have to do with what you want. Others are to do with what you don’t want.

Did you know you’re always able to see your nose? Close one eye and you’ll see one side of your nose. Your brain “erases” your nose so you have a clearer line of sight.

I spotted books based on what I liked and what I wanted. I also noticed the books I already owned.

There was a time I would come to this bookstore and spot investment books. They were of interest to me at the time. I remember another time I kept noticing books about the economics of a certain country.

Our brains can spot opportunities based on what’s on our minds. No pun intended.

Have you noticed how you start seeing a particular car on the road because you were thinking of buying it? Or how everyone suddenly seems to have that phone you were saving up for?

What do you want?

This is why goal setting is so powerful.

People think it’s wishful thinking. Well, in a way, it is.

But all great achievements started with a thought. Thoughts turn into ideas. Ideas become solutions.

We can train our brains to lead us towards the things we want. We do this by writing down our goals and reviewing them regularly.

Some people recite affirmations. It works in the same way. Yes, affirmations have science behind them.

The mental clarity you get from goal setting (at least the way I teach it) enables your brain to filter information so you can spot the opportunities to move them forward.

-- How I made this photo --

Don't overthink. Sometimes the scene speaks for itself. So the best treatment is a simple one.

The story I wanted to capture is about the daunting task of finding clarity in a sea of information:

- The perspective leads you deeper into the background.
- The walls of books at every side make you feel trapped.
- The clean white of the floor contrasts with the business of the books and hints at an escape if you can find it.

I heard someone say affirmations are just gentrified duas. I’m inclined to agree. Are you making enough dua? What is the content and quality of your duas?

Make improving your duas a lifelong habit and start noticing the opportunities that come your way.

I recently wrote about the logic behind barakah. Duas being answered is also entirely logical.

Unlocking barakah is entirely logical

Jun — Sun, 22 Jun 2025 08:01:06 GMT

Everyone wants more barakah in their lives.

It means something different depending on your needs. Some people say they need more barakah (blessings) in their time. Others want barakah in money.

The truth is we all want more of the above plus a thousand other needs.

Notice though how we all understand that barakah doesn’t necessarily mean quantity. We’re not simply asking for more time or more money.

We’re trying to get more out of the time and money we have.

And we seek to do more good with the blessings we receive.

We’re seeking ease. Abundance. Contentment. Clarity. Some people need help managing their time. Others need to build better spending habits.

We’re asking for more quality, not simply more quantity.

Now I’m guessing for many of us barakah is a spiritual concept. Which, of course, it is! It’s things we ask Allah to bless us with.

You have to be diligent with your salahs. You absolutely need to make more istighfar. In other words there are good practices we must do to unlock barakah.

But I want to offer an additional perspective to help boost your deeds…

The way barakah works is also entirely logical.

One of the first things I do with my clients is help them release the anchors holding them back. An anchor we all struggle with are the open loops in our minds.

Open loops are those things you tried to create in your mind—instead of the real world—that are now floating around in your head. They cause you stress and anxiety because they feel unfinished yet at the same time they’re not real enough for you to do anything about it.

I’ll give you an example:

You plan a business to get out of the 9 to 5. You think of a cool name and design the product. You even set prices.

But it’s all in your head. You didn’t do anything in real life yet… like talk to potential clients or ask someone to buy your product. You don’t have something to sell.

So now you have an open loop. Something you want, and have thought about a lot, but doesn’t exist in real life. It’s like a compelling dream you keep having but can’t remember every time you wake up.

And it’s worse because you’re deprived of the positive impact you desired (e.g. escaping the 9 to 5).

Open loops affect everything you do. Even if they’re unrelated. Everything piles up.

You can’t overcome the fear of starting your own business because your mind is on step 37 but your physical reality is stuck on step 0.

You feel undeserving of success because your mind is all over the place, expending all your mental energy, yet you don’t have the work to show for it.

And they don’t need to even be for big plans. You know that feeling when you forget something on your grocery list because you didn’t write it down? That’s an open loop too.

I would guess as you’re reading this right now the open loops in your mind are making you feel ever so slightly uncomfortable.

-- Pro-Muslims --

I walk clients through exercises that clear their minds of open loops. And then we get to work on the things they truly want in the real world.

When they gain clarity on their open loops, they get real work done in days compared to stressful overthinking for months. They can see a clear path to more quality time, money and happiness.

They’re empowered to take real action.

The barakah was unlocked once they closed their loops.

Now think about salah.

An obligation. A promise. Something you want to complete as a believer. Multiple times a day.

And when you miss salah?

Not fulfilling your obligations. Breaking your promises. Feeling incomplete. Multiple times a day.

What do you think this does to your productivity?

The stronger your faith, the more compelling this obligation feels…

And the more destructive the open loops you carry.

Delaying or missing salah creates an open loop in your mind. Even being late for salah will make a believer feel anxious.

If you can delay salah then why wouldn’t you procrastinate on your business plan? If you miss salah then why wouldn’t you miss out on other things?

If you're a person who breaks promises to their faith… to their Creator… why would you keep the promises you make to yourself?

Deep down you start to believe you don’t deserve things. There’s that negative emotion I’m always talking about again: blame.

Unlocking barakah doesn’t mean the blessings will fall into your lap. It means you release the anchors holding you back from doing the things you know you ought to be doing.

Allah gives you the assistance you need.

And a big part of it is helping you help yourself. He gives you the means to release these anchors… to close the open loops.

You must fulfil your obligations to close these loops. You must be diligent in your deeds to prevent new loops from forming.

So one of the logical reasons praying salah unlocks barakah is because it trains you to complete meaningful actions multiple times a day.

So now you don’t delay in taking action in your business plan. You have more structure to your day. You learn to build good habits one day at a time.

(Question. What do you think seeing dead and injured Muslims multiple times a day does to your brain?)

Things you can do right now to (logically) unlock barakah in your life:

Perform salah (close loops of wants and promises but lacking actions and completion).
Make istighfar (close loops of guilt, blame, etc).
Send salawat on the Prophet (he’ll send you 10x back!).
Recite Quran (also a barakah multiplier, one letter = 10+).
Give charity (see link below).

What are other ways you can unlock barakah? Let me know in the comments!

Found this useful? Help me create more content like this by becoming a subscriber. You can also like and share this post so it reaches more people.

Thanks for reading Strategic Sunnah! This post is public so feel free to share it.

PS - Please read ’s article from about sponsoring orphans in Gaza:

Rising Muslims

How I've Adopted 3 Orphans Inside Gaza

To no one’s surprise, Gaza is now believed to have the largest population of orphans in modern history. Official numbers indicate that dozens of Gazans have so far been murdered by the barbaric occupiers via slow, painful deaths by starvation — including the little bodies of children — but only Allah knows how many have silently starved to death inside …

a year ago · 13 likes · 2 comments · Razan

Waiting

Jun — Tue, 17 Jun 2025 15:01:49 GMT

This photo has two stories.

Story 1:

Were they queueing for prayers? Or to offer their salutations to the Prophet?

Actually, they were queueing for free stuff.

A bus with some sort of promotional branding rolled up right in front of the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah.

Story 2:

Throughout the Hajj, organisations and individuals offer gifts to the pilgrims. This ranges from food and bottles of water to small souvenirs.

I think these men, most of them old and exhausted, were hoping they would get some much needed refreshments.

When I watched these Muslims squeezing into a line in the heat, I wondered why they were so impatient. Especially because there was nothing indicating they would be distributing anything from the bus.

It was covered in branding for some media related thing. Maybe a radio channel?

A couple of people stood waiting. And others soon joined them. Soon enough, a long, chaotic line of pilgrims had formed.

They were eventually handed leaflets with the same branding. I think the people who were setting up the bus felt bad.

The pilgrims were visibly annoyed.

I think empathy isn’t just about trying to put yourself in the other person’s shoes. I think you need both stories. Because they’re both true.

But you choose the person you become having observed them both.

Muslims struggle together. And that’s fine.

-- How I made this photo --

When trying to portray a scene, you don't need to show everything. Try capturing the emotion of the subject.

I chose not to keep the bus in the frame. Yet everything in this scene builds the story:

- The sameness represented in their clothes.
- How they seemed to be crammed into the frame.
- Hands often say more than faces.

There’s a 3rd story:

How you felt seeing this. Tell me your story in the comments.

How to actually unite

Jun — Sat, 14 Jun 2025 13:56:10 GMT

I’m going to suggest a simple framework for uniting Muslims.

I’ll break down what we currently do and I why I think it hasn’t worked. Then I’ll offer my thoughts on a practical and real-world solution.

Why it’s not working:

We want to unite on labels (sects, groups, politics).
Labelling ourselves and others fuels further division.
This type of approach doesn’t produce any solutions.

Be honest.

If you’ve ever thought about unity for Muslims or consumed content on the topic, it was likely to do with labels.

It doesn’t matter if they want you to join one label or to join two or more labels together. What they’re really saying is solutions have nothing to do with practical work and everything to do with identity.

Sounds familiar, doesn’t it?

Apparently our problems are due to a lack of sameness—the enemies gathering to eat us like a tasty meal will suddenly lose their appetite when we all act like clones.

Do you know why this will never work?

Because you can’t create unity through division.

Sounds obvious yet how many times do you see it? See, not only do you have the wrong identity but this is the reason you’re to blame for the suffering in this Ummah.

If step zero is based on what divides then no wonder we can never figure out step one.

And it gets worse.

Because most of these groups end up simply protecting their own bubble. You end up in a compartmentalised pseudo Ummah where you shut off your brain and let others think for you.

So, to me at least, the obvious change that needs to happen is figuring out step zero:

How do we recognise what unites us already?

In other words we unite on what unites us.

(I told you this was going to be a simple framework, didn’t I?)

Things that (already) unite us:

Putting food on the table.
Being healthy.
Helping Palestine.
Feeling secure.
Having our privacy respected.
Wanting peace and contentment.
Freedom.

Think about what’s important in your life. What you’re struggling with. What keeps you awake at night.

If you’re a parent, it’s probably to do with providing for your kids. Maybe your dream is to own your own business. Or you’re passionate about healthy living.

Other parents… other small business owners… other health professionals… that’s already your tribe.

That group with the big claims or that dawah celebrity you listen to aren’t your tribe.

I sum it up like this:

We don’t need to unite on beliefs. We need to unite on needs.

There are millions of others who share the same needs as you.

When Muslim dads unite they work on improving their income. When Muslim coders unite they work on tech solutions for riba free finance.

The examples are endless.

Unlike the limiting nature of trying to unite on beliefs.

Before someone writes a comment—I’m not saying belief’s aren’t important. I’m saying they have nothing to do with unity.

And guess what?

You don’t need it to have a religious angle for unity. You don’t even need to have an extra reason to unite (like creating tech solution for Muslims).

When Muslim dads grow the Ummah grows. When Muslim coders land a higher salary that’s more money for zakat.

It just needs to be about producing solutions.

What you produce can benefit others. Others grow because you grow. The Ummah grows because we all grow.

An ecosystem of Pro-Muslims.

-- Pro-Muslims --

Proactive
Productive
Professional
Prolific

Be pro (for) Muslims by becoming a Pro-Muslim.

You work on what matters for your family because you are pro your family. You work on your business you are pro your freedom.

(By the way… isn’t interesting how joining these groups affects the things you care about? Neglecting family because you have to go on a dawah trip. Hating other Muslims because they’re not in your group. I thought “unity” was about helping the Ummah.)

It’s time we became pro Muslim again:

Eliminate labels from your discourse.
Identify what you truly care about.
Have the confidence to only work on what matters to you.
Find others who share the same needs.
Realise you’re already united with millions of Muslims.
Grow together.

Let’s start with creating an ecosystem of Pro-Muslims. I’ll build on this in future emails so if you believe this is a worthwhile cause please share it with others and consider supporting with a subscription.

Eid

Jun — Sun, 08 Jun 2025 08:31:37 GMT

Welcome to a new section of my publication: Photo Essays.

A photo essay is a series of photos (or just one) that tell a story.

The reason why I feel photo essays are powerful is how the story doesn’t come from me. I can weave a narrative with the way I capture what I see.

But it’s you, the viewer, who ultimately makes the story you see.

What was the story you saw? Tell me in the comments.
Share a photo that tells a story about your Eid here.

Strategic Sunnah

I felt stuck until I learnt about frameworks

What’s wrong with this picture?

One of the most common traps

Why their solutions aren’t enough

Lack of knowledge

Lack of practicing

Lack of unity

What we can do instead

Frameworks we can use for Muslim Betterment

Finding your mission in life

Identifying your big goals

Planning for success

Taking action

Working with others

A quick example to drive the point home

How to use networking as a tool for Muslim Betterment

Dictators among us

How many individual Muslims do you know?

A question you must answer honestly

Looking beyond the screen

Networking comes before unity

Networking is your circle of influence

You have 3 networks

Why your goals seem impossible to achieve

The problem is that the goal is too far away

The answer isn’t to plan everything

Think in terms of a path

This changes the procrastination problem

Small actions can produce enormous results

The real productivity question

Take action right now

The step-by-step guide to planning a goal

A useful exercise

Step 1: Setting the goal

Step 2: Planning the goal

Early access: an app that turns procrastination into a personalised productivity coach

80 ways to kill procrastination

It's a lie

It's been a while.

Muslims need to learn Moral Law

I'm tired.

Muslims are already doing amazing things in every corner of the world.

Muslims are taught to hate Muslims so that we don’t recognise value in each other.

Finding your passion is a lie

Too much freedom is stopping you from achieving your goals

Why you're stuck in life (and how to fix it)

You will remain stuck in life if you keep making these same mistakes

Motivation is one of the biggest lies holding you back

Do you even know what you want?

Constraints need goals

You won’t succeed because you got too used to complaining

Constraints need goals

The problem is the solution.

Success depends on gratitude.

PS… What's your most annoying constraint right now?

How to build credibility with writing

The physics equation that has everything to do with impactful writing

To the Muslim who is dissatisfied

If we want to achieve great things, we must create the rules of our own game.

If communication systems stop working when they’re blown to pieces, we’ll design a system that’s meant to work when it’s in pieces.

Filters

How our brains spot opportunities, or hide them

What do you want?

Unlocking barakah is entirely logical

The way barakah works is also entirely logical.

The stronger your faith, the more compelling this obligation feels…

And the more destructive the open loops you carry.

Waiting

How to actually unite

How do we recognise what unites us already?

We don’t need to unite on beliefs. We need to unite on needs.

Eid