wa alaykum as salam warahmatullahi wa barakatuh Sr.M,

I know this struggle as I went through it as well. I wasn’t born and then people said: Go to her! She’ll know! Ask her for advice! Invite her to speak!

None of that happened. I studied for the benefit of myself and as I studied, I taught a few sisters here and there. I got involved in different organizations for myself and where I saw I could be of benefit, and I slowly started being asked to take on more responsibilities. Over the years [we are talking 10+ years], people started entrusting me with things I never asked for and putting me into positions of immense responsibility that I did not want but could find no one else to take on.

You should never want to be in a position of leadership. But the more you study and the more experience you have working with the community, the more you learn and the more experiences you have, you sometimes simply become a resource that you didn’t ask to be but must become.

And as sister MFakih mentioned, see what specific qualities and skills you have that you can use for the community. You don’t have to be a ‘speaker’ to benefit the community. Look at what Allah created you with and figure out how you can use that for His sake and for the benefit of the community.

You just work on what you need to do. Do your studies consistently. Make sure you have mentors who will help you understand how to implement what to study within your context. What you study is often classical works. That is not that applicable to living in the US sometimes. You need mentors who will help you figure out how to merge both. Teach what you’re learning to a small group of people so that you learn it better and you can practice what it’s like to teach. Study, get experience working in the community, and make duaa for Allah to use you for His Sake, sincerely for His Face.

May Allah give you success!
maryam

Excellent advice mashaAllah!

Assalamu alaikum, Sr Samira here from Productive Muslim. Look our for our next instalment of Sr Maryam’s interview where she tackles the problem of taking the first step and deciding where to start!

For me, it’s important for aspiring activist to recognize first their personality type, their strength and unique abilities and choose their activism style accordingly. Some are better at research and writing. Some others are better public speaking and organizing events. So it’s important not to try to carbon copy other experiences, but to learn from them to help you in our chosen path. Every one has a unique path to follow. Every one is unique, by genetics, upbringing and circumstances.

Second, as sister Maryam said “It doesn’t “just happen.” It isn’t luck, it isn’t being special. It’s knocking like crazy on doors to open and breaking them down when they do not. And they won’t always break down. So then what? Regroup. Prioritize. Figure out what you can do where you are, even if you feel you are physically, mentally and spiritually stuck.” It’s a long road. Believe in your path. Think big but work small daily and incrementally. Above all, pray for strength and guidance from God every day of this long journey.

I understand this problem very well as I myself am not Arab and before I learned Arabic, I had a lot of trouble figuring out how and where to start. That’s exactly why I wrote The Qur’an Series, which talks about starting and dealing with these types of struggles. You can find that series here:

http://www.suhaibwebb.com/islam-studies/10-tips-to-becoming-one-of-allahs-special-people/

May Allah give you strength and bless you with the best!

We all go through that and sometimes just give in. Keep at it slowly and steadily and eventually you will get there, inshaAllah!

Barak Allahu fikum, please keep me in your duaa!

Can you train my daughter? She is 13 years old and she interested to learn martial art sport.

Thank you
Slimane