Sisters Unfiltered 🌸 | Ep 1: Eman - Journeys to Islam & Staying Steadfast 💫

Summary

In the inaugural episode of 'Sisters Unfiltered', the hosts engage in an honest and heartfelt discussion on their personal journeys to Islam and the challenges of maintaining faith in today's complex world. The dialogue features insights from Naima, who shares her upbringing in a non-practicing Muslim family and her eventual embrace of Islam; Hanan, who was raised in a strong Islamic environment; and Khalila, a revert from a Jewish background who found Islam after a transformative journey. Together, they explore the impact of social media, the allure of dunya, and the importance of sincerity and knowledge in the pursuit of faith.

Highlights

• Naima shares her non-traditional journey from a sporty, non-practicing Muslim family to embracing Islam 🌳
• Hanan emphasizes the strength of growing up in a practicing Muslim household 🏡
• Khalila describes her transformation from a rebellious teen in the music industry to finding solace in Islam 🎶
• The sisters discuss the challenges of maintaining faith amidst social media pressure and the allure of the dunya 🌐
• Realizations about the importance of sincerity and the subtle threats of Shaytan were shared ✨

Key Takeaways

• Your journey to faith is unique; embrace it wholeheartedly 🌟
• The influence of community and company is vital in staying steadfast in faith 🤝
• Social media and dunya temptations are real, but staying grounded in faith is key 📱
• Knowledge and sincerity are important; take time to deeply understand the religion 📚
• The journey of Islam is personal and ongoing; patience and dedication are essential 🌿

Overview

In this first episode of 'Sisters Unfiltered', the hosts delve deep into the intricacies of their spiritual journeys. Naima, hailing from a family that was Muslim in name but not practice, recounts how exposure to a diverse, practicing community influenced her to embrace her faith sincerely. Her story is a poignant reminder of how crucial community and personal experiences are in shaping one's religious path.

Hanan, who grew up in a devout Islamic setting, offers a contrasting perspective, shedding light on the comforts and assurances that come with such an upbringing. Her insights underline the importance of a strong foundational knowledge of Islam, highlighting that while social media and modern distractions abound, the core principles of faith remain unchanged.

Meanwhile, Khalila opens up about her radically different background, where as a teenager she was embedded in the vibrant yet tumultuous world of the hip-hop industry. Her eventual transition to Islam was catalyzed by a close friend and a sincere quest for truth. Together, the sisters discuss the everyday challenges of staying true to one's faith, emphasizing patience and sincerity as vital to navigating the ebbs and flows of life in the modern world.

Chapters

• 00:00 - 01:30: Introduction to Sisters Unfiltered The chapter, titled 'Introduction to Sisters Unfiltered,' introduces the podcast as a new show exclusively on Iman Channel. It is framed as a platform for genuine and honest conversations among Muslim women, addressing a range of current and relevant issues.
• 01:30 - 03:00: Guest Introductions In the chapter titled 'Guest Introductions', the host warmly welcomes the audience to a space of open debate and unfiltered conversation. Two guests are introduced: Naima Isa, who has taken a break from caring for her seventh child; and Sister Hanan, the daughter of Muy Mang from Harare, Zimbabwe. The atmosphere is friendly and inclusive, highlighted by the warm greetings and acknowledgment of the guests' efforts to join the conversation. The introduction emphasizes a sense of community and shared dialogue.
• 03:00 - 05:30: Naima's Journey to Faith In this chapter titled 'Naima's Journey to Faith,' the scene is set with a host welcoming the guests to the show. Sister Khalila, a well-known figure to the channel’s viewers, is introduced as a guest who has taken time off from her public speaking and coaching work to participate in the conversation. The focus of the episode appears to be a series of discussions, as the host invites the guests to share their feelings about the upcoming conversations. Sister Khalila expresses her excitement and readiness to begin the discussions. As the chapter progresses, the stage is set for the first episode where they will delve into the chosen topics.
• 05:30 - 07:30: The Influence of a Revert Community The chapter discusses the concept of patience and faith in challenging times, as emphasized by the messenger of Allah. It compares staying true to one's religion in difficult periods to holding onto a hot coal, illustrating the struggle and perseverance required. This metaphor is explored in the context of contemporary times, which are described as a time of 'hot coals,' highlighting the relevance and application of this teaching to current challenges.
• 07:30 - 10:00: The Impact of a Personal Loss The chapter delves into the protagonist Naima's journey towards faith, highlighting her upbringing in a Muslim family. Although her parents identified as Muslim, they weren't always devout in their religious practices. Naima is the fifth of six children, and there was a significant age gap between her and her siblings. By her teenage years, her older sisters had already left home, which likely influenced her personal journey in faith.
• 10:00 - 12:00: Hanan's Story of a Practicing Background Hanan shares her unconventional upbringing as a Pakistani girl, where she was more involved in sports and outdoor activities with her brother than traditional domestic roles assumed by her older sisters. Despite being taught to pray, religion did not play a significant role in her early life.
• 12:00 - 15:00: Aspiring to Islam from a Jewish Background The chapter delves into the narrator's experiences growing up as a Jew attending a Catholic school, engaging in various community activities such as girl guides and brownies. Despite the Catholic environment, including participating in prayers like the Lord's prayer and the Hail Mary, along with attending mass, the narrator's Jewish background played a significant role. A turning point is highlighted when the narrator's sister marries a Catholic who reverted to Islam, sparking conversations around religious beliefs and practices, particularly around the concept of 'shik' (an Islamic term for polytheism).
• 15:00 - 17:30: Returning to the Beginning: Reflecting on Challenges The chapter titled 'Returning to the Beginning: Reflecting on Challenges' delves into personal reflections and the influence of family and community in spiritual growth. The speaker shares experiences of being educated about Islam by siblings and being surrounded by convert (revert) sisters. The speaker initially struggles to understand the appeal of giving up perceived luxuries and freedoms but eventually becomes intrigued by the stories and experiences of others within the community.
• 17:30 - 20:30: Social Media's Impact on Faith The chapter titled 'Social Media's Impact on Faith' describes a multicultural community in West London where individuals from various religious and ethnic backgrounds have come together, showcasing a diverse and accepting form of Islam. The narrator reflects on their exposure to this community, which includes a Jewish revert, an Arab Coptic Christian who converted to Islam, and a black brother, emphasizing the beauty of diversity and the sense of unity within the community.
• 20:30 - 25:00: The Allure of the Dunya (Worldly Life) The chapter 'The Allure of the Dunya (Worldly Life)' begins with the narrator reflecting on the profound influence a certain group of people had on their life. The narrator started practicing their faith more seriously due to the influence of this group. However, the narrative takes a tragic turn when the narrator recounts the story of their first cousin who lived with them after moving from Saudi Arabia for studies. Sadly, the cousin died instantly in a car accident while out with his brother and a friend, highlighting the unpredictable and fleeting nature of worldly life.
• 25:00 - 30:00: Balancing Worldly Life with Faith The chapter "Balancing Worldly Life with Faith" begins with a personal reflection on the indiscriminate nature of death, which does not spare any age group. The narrator shares an impactful moment when they realized the importance of considering religion before it's too late, especially when death affects someone close to them. This revelation leads to a deeper contemplation of mortality and the integration of faith into their life.
• 30:00 - 35:30: The Importance of Knowledge and Patience The chapter explores the concept of thinking with the end in mind, emphasizing the importance of living life with a sense of purpose and mindfulness. It discusses the significance of not getting caught in a situation where one is not adhering to their beliefs or values, such as disobeying Allah or not wearing hijab. A poignant reminder is shared about not letting the first time one wears a hijab be 'in your cuff,' indicating the importance of living in accordance with one's values and beliefs consistently. This chapter sets the stage for a deeper exploration of personal journeys and the significance of patience and knowledge in leading a purposeful life.
• 35:30 - 40:00: The Role of Sincerity and Intention The chapter "The Role of Sincerity and Intention" emphasizes the importance of growing up in a practicing Muslim family. The speaker shares that their parents embedded Islamic values from a young age by sending them to Islamic educational institutions at every level. This upbringing, surrounded by fellow Muslims and constant Islamic influence, significantly contributed to the speaker's strong identity and adherence to their faith.
• 40:00 - 41:30: Closing Remarks and Outro The chapter reflects on personal experiences related to faith and religious practice. The speaker, identified as Muslim, talks about not feeling embarrassed or ashamed of their faith despite being surrounded by varying levels of religious practice. The strength and support from their home environment played a significant role in their steadfastness and confidence in their religious beliefs. The chapter hints at different personal journeys towards faith and religious aspiration, inviting others to share their experiences and stories.

Sisters Unfiltered 🌸 | Ep 1: Eman - Journeys to Islam & Staying Steadfast 💫 Transcription

• 00:00 - 00:30 [Music] [Music] Welcome to Sisters Unfiltered, the new podcast style show only on Iman channel. This is the space for honest conversations amongst Muslim women on a variety of topical issues. For real
• 00:30 - 01:00 talk, open debate and unfiltered conversation. This is the place to be. Alhamdulillah. I am so pleased to be joined by my sisters today Naima Isa who's taken a break from baby number seven. Mashallah to join us today.Amikum siskum. Lovely to have you with us. Mashallah. We also have the pleasure of the company of one mashallah sister Hanan daughter of Muy Mang all the way from Harare Zimbabwe. Welcome Salam allayikum. Salam
• 01:00 - 01:30 lovely to be here. It's great to have you mashallah. We also have sister Khalila Listister no stranger to iman channel viewers. Mashallah who is joining us from taking a break from the public speaking coaching to be here and bring a little bit of fire to the conversation. Inshallahum. You just lumbered me in it. Threw you right in there sisters. How are you feeling about these conversations that we're going to embark on? How are you feeling right now? I'm excited. Yeah. Yeah. We ready? Inshallah. Okay. So, for our first episode, we are going to talk about the
• 01:30 - 02:00 very important issue of iman. So, the messenger of Allah sallallahu alaihi wasallam said, "A time of patience will come." A time of patience will come to people in which adearing to one's dean, to one's religion is like grasping a hot coal. I think we can all relate to that. Subhan Allah. So before we jump into maybe the time we're living in now, time of hot coals, give us a little bit of a
• 02:00 - 02:30 background for us and for the viewers on your journey to faith. Naima. Alhamdulillah. I was born to Muslim parents, but we weren't always practicing. My parents um religious, you know, acknowledge that they're Muslim. Alhamdulillah. Um I'm number five of six and there's a big gap between me and my sister and then me and my younger brother. And so by the time I was in my teens, my older sisters had left the home, right? Uh you know,
• 02:30 - 03:00 married. And I think with children that are five, six or whatever, the younger the the parents aren't as strict as we should say. I was quite into sports like playing football and climbing trees with my brother. Uh not the traditional Pakistani Asian girl that you'd see. Um and alhamdulillah, I had three older sisters, so they were like doing all the domesticated stuff. Um uh as for religion, it wasn't really there. We were taught to pray. Um but we weren't, you know, I didn't pray. Okay. Um I went
• 03:00 - 03:30 to a Catholic school and I like community stuff as well. So I used to go to girl guides brownies um and do a lot of community activities. Um and then you know alhamdulillah when I was in the school used to do the Lord's prayer and the Hail Mary and and and even go to mass and my sister had married um a Catholic revert brother and he he was like uh you know this is shik what
• 03:30 - 04:00 you're doing I was like right what's shik so I didn't even know so he then used to teach us about Islam and my sister did as well so she started did practicing alhamdulillah and her influence was really great and she was around a lot of revert sisters and I think for me I was like why would you want to give up all that kind of sometimes luxury freedom as we could call it um and I was like I want what you guys have left and so I used to hear their stories a lot used to go to their
• 04:00 - 04:30 house and they were they used to be a part of this revert community in west London right and u and I'd see like a one of their neighbors was a Jewish revert of our um a sister was um an Arab Coptic Christian that became Muslim. So, you know, alhamdulillah, I'm seeing all these like different uh backgrounds, a black brother. There was just it was really multicultural. I think I've never been exposed to this type of Islam, right? Um and that was really nice. Alhamdulillah. Because it was as a beautiful community and I think that
• 04:30 - 05:00 they had a massive influence. They were a big influence on me. Alhamdulillah. Would you say you started practicing from hanging around with that particular group of people? Yeah, absolutely. But then there was a point when um my first cousin who used to live with us um they'd come from Saudi, you know, after 18 you can't you go abroad for studies. So they came here for studies and um he was out one night with his uh brother and a friend um and tragically died in a car accident like instantly.
• 05:00 - 05:30 And I think that that was something that was really it impacted me because it showed that death doesn't discriminate between ages. And you know sometimes you think okay religion I'll think about it later when I'm older. But when it happens and it's affected someone who belongs to your household that was really quite um that was a real striking moment I think for me. Um so alhamdulillah um I started to really think about death a lot. And
• 05:30 - 06:00 so when you think with the end in mind, then it really puts life into perspective. When you think, you know, I don't want to get caught, I don't want to get caught out like that. I don't want to be dying somewhere where I'm disobeying Allah or without hijab. And I remember hearing like, let don't let the first day you wear hijab be in your cuff, you know, and I was like, wow, that's deep. Oh, that is deep. That is deep. Subhan Allah. I will hear more inshallah about that journey. Mhm. Um but Hanan, what
• 06:00 - 06:30 about you? You've got a slightly different story to tell, haven't you? Yeah. So, alhamdulillah, I come from a practicing family and you know they always try to inculcate that in us from a very young age. So, my parents, they sent me to Islamic nursery, Islamic primary school, Islamic high school, college, everything like was Islamic. They made sure that I was always surrounded by Muslims and had that Islamic influence. M. So, alhamdulillah, that really really helped in shaping me and becoming strong in my identity as a
• 06:30 - 07:00 Muslim and I didn't ever feel embarrassed or ashamed. Of course, you have different levels of practicing around you. Yeah. But because our home environment was so strong, that really helped to make us strong as well. Alhamdulillah. Alhamdulillah. Different journey here I think. What's your story? What was your journey to iman to de aspiring to? Okay. So for me,
• 07:00 - 07:30 my background is that my parents are ethnically Jewish. But there was no Judaism in my household. None. Zero. None. How did you know they were ethnically Jewish? Their family were. So we did do some things sometimes like we went to Passover to their parents. But my mom and dad didn't believe like my mom is pretty atheist and my dad's like agnostic but they really disliked the Jewish religion because they'd been enforced to go to the synagogue. I didn't go ever. Okay. So we didn't really have religion in our household.
• 07:30 - 08:00 We were just I guess pretty English. Yeah. And when I was a teenager, I was very rebellious. I left school at 14. I left home. I was wild. Sorry, mom. and I fell into the hip-hop music industry. I had a performance background. I'd gone to stage school and I was very quickly around huge celebrities. Like every celebrity you can think of, I've probably been on stages with them. And it was throughout
• 08:00 - 08:30 my teenage years, more towards 18, that I started to notice that these celebrities had everything, you know, everything that everybody wants, right? Everything that everyone wants of the dunya, and they were not happy. M and I really started to see the pattern that they were numbing in intoxicants in alcohol in drugs and that made me go on a soularching journey. I had always believed in God. I just didn't know who God was. Right. And I never thought Islam. If you knew the old me never.
• 08:30 - 09:00 Yeah. But alhamdulillah one of my best best friends reverted to Islam. Wow. And she was like I'm going to make you Muslim. I was like nope nope. Keep it for you. Allah. But to cut a long story short, it was a year of her giving me dawa. Alhamdulillah. And it got to the point where I would pray behind her even f and I just pray, "God, if Islam is the truth, please guide me." Subhan Allah. And alhamdulillah, he opened my heart back in 2007 and here we are. Mashallah. That
• 09:00 - 09:30 is a crazy journey. That's a crazy journey. Uh and it's really interesting to see how everybody's coming from different perspectives, different viewpoints, different spaces on the journey, but all ending up here having a conversation about iman and dean. Alhamdulillah. Um I'm similar to you also from a revert background, you know, not a religious household. Uh in fact, grew up quite um quite intolerant about religion actually. Uh quite uh you know, looking down on people who were Christian or believed in the Bible, etc.
• 09:30 - 10:00 Um but alhamdulillah introduced to Islam in Egypt and you know looked into it and then became Muslim and the rest is history as they say. But what I'm curious about and what I guess the focus of this conversation is is we tal we we looked at the hadith about the hot coals right and we've been practicing now for like decades. So what would you say are the biggest challenges today to sisters holding on to the dean when it comes to eman?
• 10:00 - 10:30 I think social media for sure because now that's for like someone like me who grew up in very practicing environment now you have exposure to a very nonpracticing environment and people doing all sorts of things. Yeah. So that kind of makes you feel like, okay, am I being too strict? You know, do I need to calm down a little? Wow. Yeah. And I see a lot of people doing X, Y, and Zed. I don't do that. Am I weird? You know what I mean? So it definitely you feel that
• 10:30 - 11:00 slight bit of I wouldn't say pressure cuz alhamdulillah I don't really feel pressured, but you you feel it that you're different. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And I think can I just say I just think that especially with regards to social media, there's a blurring of the lines. Yeah, I think when we started it was very clear what is Islam, what is not Islam, what is halal, what is haram, like what you should do as a Muslim and what you shouldn't. And what I see on social media is just like a complete blurring of the lines because you will see people who look practicing and then they're
• 11:00 - 11:30 doing some wild crazy stuff or you'll see a sister in hijab but she's wearing this crazy outfit and thirst trapping basically you know and I think that you know we will talk about hijab in another episode but I think yeah the blurring of the lines is is really confusing for a lot of people. What about you guys? What do you think? I I echo on social media because if I even look at it from an angle as raising our children But the truth is that maybe even 10, 20 years ago, you know what they're doing
• 11:30 - 12:00 in their bedroom. If they have a device, no matter what we're instilling in them, we don't we don't know. And we know guilty scrolling. You can be trying your best. Like when we came into Islam, we would try our best. We have our fitness, but as long as we're in the right environment, we're okay. Now you're just scrolling accidentally and that fit Shayan is putting it on your phone that f and you're like oh and before you know it you're much more in a vulnerable position to fall into things that
• 12:00 - 12:30 wouldn't have been in your house. So there's a huge danger inside your own homes. Absolutely. What do you think Neymar? I think social media definitely echo it as well. I also think that there's company makes a big difference you know and I think that there is a lot of peer pressure because of maybe it could be like a rebound from social media as well. like a yeah cyclical isn't it and it's really intertwined and I think that the youth are like you're saying the blurred lines you know
• 12:30 - 13:00 because when you're for us when we came into Islam it was very clear black and white and white yeah doing not only that but in between there's the gray matters and you'd say stay away from the gray matter but nowadays it's like but it's a gray matter you know it's not really clearcut so it's almost like don't judge me. Uh you know, you see it as gray anymore. You don't see it as gray anymore. So I think that we really wanted to be on what's truth and hold on to that. Um and
• 13:00 - 13:30 so I feel that we need to come back to that a lot as well. You know, I think another thing that Muslims of today, we us myself that we may be struggling with today is the dunya is accessible to us in a way that it wasn't 20 years ago. Cuz when we became Muslim and or accepted Islam or started practicing if you wore hijab that was it certain things you're not doing you're not allowed to people you're not welcome you know that space is not for you you were made to feel that and you felt it as
• 13:30 - 14:00 well you felt uncomfortable right um but now so much is just open and available. So even if you are wearing a scarf, you know, even if you are, you know, a young man who considers himself practicing, the number of kind of gray spaces you can find yourselves in is is really really uh I think it's multiplied. And I think the dunya I think the dunya whether it's wealth, whether it's fame, whether it's success is available to Muslims now. And I think we want it. I think we want it as well. I think also
• 14:00 - 14:30 lifestyle as well like you know like we never used to going into holidays and having you know like it was actually like we had this sense of but I I wouldn't say just live with just two pairs of you know one pair of shoes and two outfits but it was like literally like you'd save your money for you'd give your money but now it's like you know the the houses that our we're aesthetically inclined towards you know betterment making and I think that there is this level of attachment to dunya um maybe less I think we I think I think with we just
• 14:30 - 15:00 get out our phone, Uber, delivery, whatever it is, whatever we want is coming now pretty much anywhere in the world as well. It's really open. But is it a bad thing though? Like your kids, they want to go on holidays. They want to have a nice home and and and they want to have things that are, you know, fun, enjoyable. Well, this is this I'm glad you brought that up, right? I mean, we will obviously talk about parenting on another episode, but I do think that, you know, the kind of deprivation that we were glad to have when we first
• 15:00 - 15:30 became Muslim, right? You sleep on the floor, you don't decorate your house, you know, you driving a bangup car or you only have like one car or you don't drive or whatever the case may be. Like, we used to live like that. Okay. You know, we used to live like that. Um, especially like I think in the west, especially in revert communities or return communities. Um definitely the dunya was something that was shunned uh and you really you would feel embarrassed to kind of dress a particular way or even to have a particular type of house. It felt unislamic and greedy. Yeah. Yeah. It
• 15:30 - 16:00 felt wrong, right? It felt wrong and people would kind of look and say, "Oh, okay." So it was it was like that. But I think that this this this social media is part of it. this attachment to the dunya and again going to our kids. We might not want that deprivation for them, but where is the balance? And what do you advise the next generation and your children when it comes to holding on to the dean? When the dunya is open to you, right? When everything's available, how do we advise them to hold
• 16:00 - 16:30 on to the dean? That's my final question really that I'd like us to look at. I was just going to add on to what you were saying that just to make it clear, we do realize that deprivation isn't the epitome of Islam. Like you are allowed nice things. the Sahaba, we know they love nice things. And I think that's what personally I try to instill in my kids. It's yes, you can have nice things, but we thank Allah. And if we don't have them, we be patient. Yeah. And it's learning patience and gratitude. And it's definitely having time away from social media having conversations. We're not attached to
• 16:30 - 17:00 books in the way that we used to be because we're attached to phones. We're attached to devices. And I think it's making sure we instill firstly on ourselves. Yes. cuz advice to myself first but they see what we do right and just making sure we do give ourselves time away but it's okay to have nice things as long as they are within the fold of Islam it goes back to that holding the dunya in your hand not in your heart exactly what I was thinking as well and I think where we have to
• 17:00 - 17:30 come is the focus has to be Allah and developing that love for Allah when you're driven you're focused and you really think that you know what I want to have good things here alhamdulillah if they come because they are from the from Allah. They are from the blessings of Allah and we make du du du du du du du du du dua for them as well like we know that Allahh he is j and he's beautiful and he loves beauty. So alhamdulillah we can have like you said as long as it's in your hand and not in your heart but our focus should I think for our kids and for ourselves is to really develop the love of Allah and to
• 17:30 - 18:00 know that we are only here temporarily as well. Absolutely. What about knowledge Hannah? Like how much are we sort of far from knowledge especially like younger generations whether it's millennials or gen Z. Do you think that there is a lack of knowledge of correct Islam and that people are kind of just like following trends? What what do you what's your perspective on that? So I think because I try to stick to being a bit more conservative, I don't really know too much about that. But from what I know now, how it's like is that
• 18:00 - 18:30 there's a lot more available than what there was before. Yeah, which is a good thing, but then it's also not a good thing because then people aren't putting in that effort, you know, cuz it's just so readily available. You take it for granted. Whereas before, because it wasn't, we wanted to seek, we wanted to go out, learn at a madrasa, like a place where they actually teach these things. Now it's like, okay, comfort of my home, which is good, but then are you actually going to put in that effort? Are you actually going to put in that time? And
• 18:30 - 19:00 how much of it is just content that you're consuming? Exactly. Like don't you know when it comes to producing shows or lectures or anything the conversation is always people don't have time. People don't want to focus. People want everything fast. Give it to them quickly. How do you balance that with maybe the discipline and time that's required to have a truly deep understanding of the dean anyone with an answer. So I think it takes uh years to actually
• 19:00 - 19:30 uh gain a deeper understanding into the religion because remember even the Quran wasn't revealed overnight. It was 23 years. You know what I mean? Nowadays people they want to learn the Quran like a quick course or something. Everything is a quick course. Everything needs to be okay summarize this for me. No like why do you want to summarize? Go in depth like take your time. Go ay by ayah. you know, enjoy the process while you're doing it. And I feel like that is lacking now. Having that patience with
• 19:30 - 20:00 seeking knowledge, you know, and letting it kind of But I think life is really fast-paced, especially here in London, right? It's like super fast and it's it's almost like you can't remember what you did just last week because so much is going on. But also because there is so much to do. It could be so much more to do. If people are working, they've got a business, they've got hobbies, they've got the kids, they've got family, kids have got activities, you know, that's why we have to come away and have that recluse time to come away and even if it's noisy, but come to a
• 20:00 - 20:30 park, you know, give yourself that time. And I think everyone really needs that, especially for our own spiritual growth, but for our mental state as well and our well-being and to give our children, sometimes I go to the parks, the summer holidays in the morning and they're empty, and I'm thinking, where are the children? Yeah. you know, because they're at home on devices or you don't see people outside like you used to as well. And so using the spaces that are around us um is important for that whole kind of development stage as well. Yeah.
• 20:30 - 21:00 Yeah. Personally, I'm going to be real. This is something I really struggle with. And I think when I first became Muslim, I had notebooks full of lectures and I can't do that anymore. I'm a single mom. I have a business. I've got four homes kids. And I think it's sometimes not putting that pressure on yourself because it's easy when you're not in that position to be like, "Okay, well, I can't do it." And so for me, it's just making sure I keep having conversations with Baba. It's dua. Maybe I can't do all those things like the
• 21:00 - 21:30 time I used to. And I pray I'll be able to again, knowing where you are, but just not losing that conversation with Allah to keep you grounded. That's Yeah. Yeah. Sometimes my best. I think what you've said is really brings the point of connecting to Allahha. There are so many different pathways right to connect to Allah and to remain connected to the dean. Um and sometimes if in our minds we think the only way to is to be a serious student of knowledge etc. If that's not me then you know like I don't
• 21:30 - 22:00 have anything and I don't have any particular pathways. And I think that there are so many different ways that we can but I think at the root of it is sincerity. I don't know. Do you think that that's too simplistic? No, I think it's real. I think it's real. You can do all those outward actions and have the or the but without sincerity what does it mean? It is it that's the be all and end all of it all. It comes down to and mastering your intentions. It's not something that you know that's the one thing that Shayan wants to take away
• 22:00 - 22:30 from you because without that you could be front rower of praying you know for years just like that man who used to pray for years in the front row and then one time he caught the second uh second row and and he said somewhere along and he was feeling nervous about it that people are going to be like oh he was a bit late today and then he's and then he said he doesn't even know where his intention changed. Wow. So subhan Allah it's very subtle you know subhan Allah. So we could be in the da for years or we could be wearing hijab or because it's just become your norm to your normal
• 22:30 - 23:00 your everyday habitual habitual. Yeah. And that's really scary actually because you mentioned Shayan and you know that's a reality the fact that Shayan does want us to come off the path to become careless to become of the like that is his goal and I think if we are to take ourselves to account more no matter what our age. Yeah. understanding. Shayan has a plan for you sis. Shayan has a plan especially for you and he knows your
• 23:00 - 23:30 weaknesses and how to what's worse exactly what to say where to get you. So always being vigilant and always being aware because I think one of the things that we as a society are doing is we are focusing so much on the self and the ego that Shayan is using that the ego we spoke about he's getting us with that cuz we're like I'm this I feel this this is my thing actually says actually that'san is whispering to he's working overtime you know absolutely may Allah protect us all
• 23:30 - 24:00 absolutely So for joining us, I pray that this conversation gave you a little something to think about and I hope you'll join us next time. For now, we sayalam from myself naim Robert and Hanista and all the sisters on sisters unfiltered. We will see you next time inshallah.
• 24:00 - 24:30 [Music] [Music] Oh, down. [Music]