{"id":24313,"date":"2022-06-21T10:11:56","date_gmt":"2022-06-21T06:11:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/me\/?post_type=articles&p=24313"},"modified":"2022-06-21T10:41:30","modified_gmt":"2022-06-21T06:41:30","slug":"self-help-book-muslim","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/me\/articles\/self-help-book-muslim\/","title":{"rendered":"Why is the Muslim voice missing from the self-help book aisle?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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On a recent trip to a bookstore to stalk my book (as you do when you\u2019re a new author) I realised that if we look at the self-help industry there are currently no Muslim authors representing us on the self help shelf.<\/p>\n
As a Muslim woman who is a die-hard fan of self-development literature I often find myself wondering, where is the Muslim Brene Brown or Mel Robbins? Or where is the Muslim Robin Sharma, Jay Shetty or Tony Robins?<\/p>\n
As Millennial Muslimahs<\/em> (Muslim woman), we grew up amongst the backdrop of 9\/11 and the chaos that took place in its aftermath. In many ways the events that unfolded over the last 20 years during the \u2018whole war on terror\u2019 has shaped us in ways we still can\u2019t fully comprehend. It is safe to say that as a community, we suffer from PTSD, big time. But where is the help in the literature for us?<\/p>\n
Some of the most successful books in the self improvement world have borrowed ideas from Judaism, Christianity Hinduism and Buddhism and I always wondered why the Islamic voice was missing, the Quran, after all is the best self improvement book I know.<\/p>\n
Cool buzzwords such as practicing mindfulness, gratitude and meditating have been trending a lot in the self-help space lately but they are not new to me since they are at the heart and core of the principles of my faith. Words such as manifesting or the law of attraction are also familiar concepts but I am yet to see a book on manifestation from the Islamic perspective.<\/p>\n
Representation matters. As a Muslim it is important for me that I can identify with books that places trust on the Maker of the universe, instead of simply the universe to manifest my most audacious goals. I\u2019ve always been a big believer of manifesting my dreams through the power of prayer, which in Arabic is known as du’a<\/em>, and so consequently, everything I\u2019ve achieved in my life; whether it was academically, spiritually, relationally or professionally, all boiled down to the same three steps that I have subconsciously been practicing my whole life: Dream, Du\u2019a, Do.<\/em> But as a young woman who was trying to find her way, there was little or no direction to do that.<\/p>\n
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