A broad discussion with Br Maarten Van Elst on the role of factors outside of our control on attaining Worldly Success; meritocracy and social mobility; Practical tips to effectively use Social Media; effects of the internet age on personal identity; whether self-discipline is overrated and the "Tony Robbins Islam" & more. Brother Maarten is the first guest to appear on the podcast for a second time. Find out more about Maarten at www.muslimfit.com If this content makes you think, you find it beneficial and it improves your life in any way, please make Dua for the success of this project ..read more

Interview with Jan The Slovak Muslim on his journey to Islam, different methods used in Da'wah, how Islam impacted his Business life, happiness and finding balance. Link to the video o Optimized Muslim YouTube Channel: https://youtu.be/gDTaOD5hGvo HIGHLIGHTS 00:00 Introduction 02:25 Jan's Bio & Path To Islam 10:20 Discussion on Dawah 17:30 Self Development Seekers Becoming Muslim 22:00 Importance of a Strong Muslim Identity & Frame 32:00 Different Types of Dawah  43:00 Lifestyle Dawah 50:40 The special case does not disprove the general rule 53:15 How becoming Muslim Changed Jan's ..read more

When it concerns dealings with people, actions of worship, ensuring justice, and more – the small things matter in Islam. I discuss how different cultures often exhibit different attitudes and societal norms that impact upon how the population will practice the religion. If it is a cultural norm for 5 minutes to be 55 minutes, inevitably it will be difficult to shed this norm when it comes to the incredibly specific conditions of worship. I further discuss the idea of how psychological personality profiles impact religious practice, suggesting that a conscientious personality type may find obe ..read more

We discuss Qur'an memorisation and tajweed tips, the common mistakes people from the Indian Subcontinent make in Tajweed and fascinating insights into Ustadh Farhan's own journey during which he won an Indian National Qur'an memorisation contest and spent time in Dr Zakir Naik's International Islamic school. Farhan Somani is an international Qur'an & Arabic teacher and Tajweed Tutor. He is the founder of Tajweed Essentials Learning Community. He has obtained Ijazah  Mِistake: At 46:00 the arabic acronym was cut out by mistake, the full acronym for the "heavy" letters is خص ضغط قظ  ..read more

  A lot of you reading this have thought to yourself, “I want to learn Arabic” or at least “I would love to know Arabic” – but the thought starts and finishes there for most of us. We struggle with translating this wish of ours into action. Without action, it will remain just that – a wish. In this podcast, we discuss how to go about learning Arabic. We know why it is a praiseworthy ambition to have right? Optimized Muslim project focuses on the how. We assume as a pre-requisite that you know the why. Topics discussed: * Inspiration/motivation: What inspired Br Usman to embark on the jou ..read more

Business, Side Hustles, Self-employment. Making Hijrah, Muslim Money Advice & more - Interview with Br Abu Musa   Grateful to be joined by Br Abu Musa who kindly agreed to feature on the podcast. A real nice brother. Navigate by using the chapters below. A broad range of topics were discussed.   Watch the Episode on Youtube: https://youtu.be/D1BlsJuV_MU CONNECT WITH BR ABU MUSA IG: abumusa_ch  Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqjJAM4ZA2CykLaWs9TKoiQabumusa_ch   Link to Associated article: https://www.optimizedmuslim.com/muslim-self-employment/ HIGHLIGHTS: 00 ..read more

DESTROYING The Free Speech Argument used to Insult our beloved Prophet Muhammad ﷺ  - Hamza Tzortzis  Please watch the full source video on Sapience Institute for more. They have a few videos on this topic which go into much more detail. The purpose behind this was to direct you towards them. Link to full video: Hating Civility: France, Freedom of Speech & the Defamatory Cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ:  Sapience Institute Channel  A topic very close to our hearts. I love Br Hamza for the work he has done.  I usually try to be stoic but not on this issue. My ..read more

Why do you Work Out? Get "Jacked" and get Good Deeds by mastering your Niyyah (Intention) Alif goes to the gym for most of his 20s but he never takes the time to think about and correct his intention for it to be Islamically aligned. His intention may be to simply get "hench" and impress people. Will he be rewarded for all of his time and effort at the gym over the years? Ba, on the other hand, took the time to deeply think about his intention before embarking on his fitness journey and began each workout by reminding himself of his intention to ensure that any lower or more basic intention ..read more

This podcast briefly covers how we can increase our self-awareness, identify weaknesses in our faith and actions by using a daily practice of self-reflection or self-inventory (muhaasabah). This is a life-changing practice that a Muslim should engage in to continually improve themselves. For example, you may note one day that spending time in a certain place or with certain people affects your deen negatively. You can then “tie your camel” by taking action. You engage in monitoring yourself and strive. “O you who believe! Fear Allah and keep your duty to Him. And let every person look to wh ..read more

How to give advice to someone who has asked you or you want to encourage to start praying Salah.  You want to enjoin Good and forbid evil الأمر بالمَعْرُوف والنَهي عن المُنْكَر - how to go about it?   I was happy to hear this advice from a classically trained scholar (Hanafi) as I've previously thought about and heard the same from other sources.  Obviously, if the amount of action deemed necessary to "pray Salah" is a lot, the level of adherence from those trying to build the habit will decrease. This is supported by the literature on Habit formation. The old adage of "start sm ..read more