We have all heard the phrase : follow your passion and everything will fall into place.  But I also can't help but to think of another very popular phrase which is : some things are much easier said than done. I find it funny that when I was younger and I was asked 'what do you want to be when you grow up', my response was one that was very confident and it came with  no hesitation…mind you I  was also five years old at the time. But if you were to ask me this same question today, I would be...

What do you do when the things you want most are happening for everyone but you? Who do you become when your plans don't fall through? When you are in the waiting period of your life?  When I look back on my own  life journey thus far, I realize that if everything had gone according to my plans and not God’s Plan, I don't think I would have been as intentional or filled with all of the gratitude I have for all that I was blessed with today.  Maybe my relationship with Allah wouldn’t be as...

Going after what makes you happy as an Arab Muslim woman doesn’t always come with instant gratification. There is pain and guilt involved when finally making a decision for yourself. I often wonder to myself, will I ever experience happiness without allowing myself to poison the moment by the idea that I’m making others unhappy in return. Grief is interesting when it shows up in moments where you are welcoming a new chapter in your life - a chapter you have been making dua for for the...

Each of us are on our own unique life journey and for some of us we have yet to find the one to start a family with, so what do we do when  society is constantly reminding  us of our ticking biological clock and how do we approach the conversation of having kids when we are truly ready?  For the past year, I have been a bit anxious when I think about my future and having children of my own inshallah. This anxiety stemmed from realizing that marriage may not be written for me at this very...

Death isn’t the greatest loss in life, it’s the spiritual death of our hearts while we are still living. I once heard that we treat death like a mystery, when in fact, it’s the one experience all of us are guaranteed to share. As human beings living in this dunya, we tend to not see the shape of the life we’ve lived until we have reached the end of it. Subhanallah how death is the one thing that simultaneously kills us but also motivates us to live a very fulfilled life, a life that Allah is...

I once heard that if the battle is bigger than you, than it’s not only your battle to fight, God is reminding you to seek His help in these moments, too. I believe that sometimes we tend to focus more so on the state that we’re in when entering Ramadan instead of shifting our focus to our potential in this month. We can be discouraged in where our hearts may be when approaching Ramadan, not realizing that the purpose of this month is for us to seek the healing we desperately need. I truly...

If you find darkness in your heart after you’ve sinned, know that in your heart there is light, and only because of this light you felt the darkness.  Ramadan Kareem everyone, subhanallah, what a beautiful gift we have received from Allah to witness another Ramadan. Take a moment to soak this in. May this month soften our hearts to allow the blessings of Allah to make their way in. May we find the ease we have been desperately seeking and the guidance we have been praying for. May every one...

What does it truly mean when we say closure comes from us and what if we feel like the relationship isn’t really over? When you really think about it - no one ever really goes away completely. They either live in our minds, our hearts or both.  From time to time we may find ourselves in a chapter in our lives where we may be dealing with a generous amount of unanswered questions and the lingering feeling of not knowing if we made the right choice. From dealing with a relationship ending, to...

You know for the most part I’m a pretty laid back person. I only care about two things:  the well being and the opinions of every single person on this earth, literally everyone, even strangers. If you ever found yourself in battle with literally yourself on a daily basis, then this conversation is just for you. It will shed light on the possible culprit which is the trait better known as Highly Sensitive Person or HSP for short. For thirty years of my life I have struggled with being, quote...

How do you handle being pressured into a relationship you don’t want and why does society stigmatize women who choose to be single? At times society tends to be outspoken  when it comes to seeing people engaging in different life choices and that includes being single. It seems as though, whatever cultural background you come from, being divorced and choosing single-hood can make those around  you scratch their heads a bit. In this episode, I sit down with Mai Abdeljaber, a first generation...

*Content Warning: this episode discusses topics such as pregnancy loss and miscarriage* How does one come to terms with any hardship in their life where you have to accept what is happening to you while it’s happening to you? From time to time I am hit with the realization that sends a chill down my spine, that everything that has happened to me, not only affects me, but also affects so many others, even strangers whom i’ll never meet. Every single thing that is written for us is just a piece...

"It's about time we address the 'second puberty' nobody warns us about." We are opening  Season 4 with the founder of Aram Newsletter, Tahmina Begum! Tahmina is a brilliant journalist, writer and editor - alongside her newsletter she has written many articles and one of them discussing the second puberty. She defines this as the necessary shedding of old skin. Not only are you now making choices for yourself but you are also redefining who you are. It’s like a spiritual awakening and a...

Pablo Picasso once said that the first half of life is learning to be an adult, and the second half is learning to be a child. We can all agree that life has been an interesting ride these past few years. It has been extremely rough for some of us and for others it has given us the opportunity to finally come face to face with our fears, our worries and most importantly ourselves. Through our struggles, we found the love and support that we needed, through our darkest moments we have found...

Who would have known that one of the worst things about adulting, would be relationship struggles?! As they say, first comes the butterflies, then comes the emotional trauma. Since, we are in the midst of dealing with seasonal depression, I had to bring on my girl Mai, from MaisVault, to cheer us up a bit! Before I give you the scoop on today’s episode, Mai pulled the oldest Arab girl trick in the book - you know the one where people can’t tell if we're single, or if we’re in a 7-year...

'Islam is meant to be practiced by human beings who are flawed and in pain, who struggle to succeed but sometimes fail, and who return to God after those failures.' These words were birthed from pain, on a journey of healing and understanding, words spoken by today’s special guest, Asmaa Hussein. Lately, my duas have been accompanied by a tear soaked prayer mat. Moments of reflection where I unload every burden weighing heavy on my heart. Nights where I allow my heart to speak on my behalf...

When it comes to relationships, are we entitled to the "carfax" of this potential partner? And if so, where can we get the honesty is the best policy when it comes to relationship warranties? Dear listeners, you’re in for a treat because this episode is nothing short of hilarious even though we are unpacking loads of trauma. In today’s episode, I sit down with Salma Hindy,  a biomedical engineer by day and accomplished comedian by night.  And if you are familiar with who Salma is, then you...

God’s timing is never rushed by our impatience in this Dunya, for He is always in control of all plans and we are in control of the steps we take toward His plans. One quote that always lingers in my mind is: If your heart became closer to Allah as a result of something that has happened to you, it was the biggest blessing. You know, sometimes in moments of hardship we tend to feel as if God has forgotten us, but it’s in these moments when we are truly reminded of Allah’s mercy and His love...

*Trigger warning - this episode primarily focuses on eating disorders. If you feel the content discussed could be triggering, please either proceed with caution, or feel free to listen to any one of our previous episodes.* “My journey towards self love has always been a difficult one. Just when I think I have conquered it, years, sometimes months later, new cracks begin to show.”  If these words sound a bit familiar to you that is because they were written by the poet Asma Elbadawi who also...

It’s understood that Allah’s plans are always greater than ours, but how strong is your trust in Him if after making dua, everything in your life begins to fall apart? Growing up you have probably heard the hadith which stated that “none shall enter the fire of Hell who has in his heart the weight of a mustard seed of Iman”, as well as, “none shall enter Paradise who has in his heart the weight of a mustard seed of pride.” And so you think to yourself, the size of a mustard seed is...

In the words of bell hooks: We cannot dismantle a system as long as we engage in the collective denial about its impact on our lives. Protecting the vulnerable and the oppressed is a duty of ours in Islam, yet we have failed to stand firmly in the face of injustice, specifically abuse and the many forms that it comes in. In today's episode, special guest Eman Bare is choosing to courageously share her story by speaking up about the various accounts of abuse, harm and hyper sexualized rumors...

What exactly is a spiritual awakening and why is it so painful? Have you ever found yourself wanting to take a break and crawl into a hole all by yourself but not knowing the reason why? Could it be that almost everything feels forced lately? Forced interactions, forced relationships and even forced conversations? I tend to believe that our mental breakdowns are truly spiritual breakthroughs. Someone once told me that if you're not speaking it, you're storing it and that can get pretty...

I'm not sure what's worse : a rejection letter from the company I had just applied for or no reply at all. Did you know that job search depression is actually a thing? I was reading an article that mentioned how looking for a new job but having zero luck can truly be a bit demoralizing. I wonder if I can highlight my ability to stay standing after receiving 'x' amount of rejection letters as one of my skill sets on my resume - kidding of course. But on a serious note, we fail to realize...

Why is it that we stay put in positions that our minds and even our hearts want a way out of? It's no secret or miraculous discovery to know that we all have a purpose, but the most difficult part is finding out what our purpose is and how to better align it with our passions. Recently, I have found myself at a crossroads - one that many others have discovered along their own life's journey. The intersection of fulfilling our life's purpose and choosing the path that best fits with our...