Review of the Basics

These are extremely simple concepts , simplified intentionally so you can create change . It's been a long time since I talked about some of the basic concepts that I teach . These are extremely simple concepts , simplified intentionally so you can create change . But don't be fooled by their simplicity , because that simple is what causes the most effective change .

Mostly people come to self-development and self-growth work because they're stuck in a place that feels terrible . They're either in a place of self-diagnosed mental illness or in a place of resentment , remorse , guilt , self-doubt . I will review some basic concepts in this podcast that are the highlight of my work that address all of these .

Mostly , we are told what to do . We're told pray , recite Quran , don't ask questions and everything will sort itself out . We're subconsciously told emotions are a weakness where they can represent a weakness in faith . I do not operate from any of those paradigms .

I do think the actions of prayers and reciting the Quran are extremely beneficial , but we have to do our part , you have to do your part , your part being the mental fitness work . The current paradigm of mental health assumes that there is an underlying mental illness that we have to work against to achieve mental health .

That is a very limiting point of view , because not everyone on the planet is living with a mental illness , and even if you do have a diagnosed mental illness , you can still achieve mental health . You might need assistance of a licensed mental health professional or medication in that regard , but it can still be done and it should be done .

Mental illness is like a broken leg Before you start to run on it , you have to let it heal . Finally , my definition of mental health has to do with mental fitness . So let me assure you that , no matter what your presumed or given diagnosis of mental illness is , it is not just about getting you to live a basic life , something to get by .

It's about thriving , being successful and accomplishing based on your desires , which is living a life of ihsan . Problems in personal and professional relationships , problems with finances or personal development they can all be addressed through this paradigm . Basically , all of the problems and the solution to the problems are created by the mind .

Allah SWT created human beings and placed us in the cosmos to interpret his signs . Using this mind , humans interpret the world through the power of language . Language , being a human quality , has to do more with elaboration of meaning and less so with communication .

Animals are able to communicate with each other using a certain type of language , but human beings , on the other hand , have a level of language that no other species possesses , and that is that we can assign language to what we're thinking and feeling .

This , to me , is the higher order of language , this ability to introspect and the ability to think about your own thinking , also called metacognition , sustained self-awareness or consciousness .

This is why human beings are given the highest regard in all of the creation , and this is why human beings are able to progress as fast as they can , and this is why the concept of asking for forgiveness only applies to humans .

This is why any population that does not have the ability to introspect , like children or people with other mental limitations , they , will not be called into questioning . This level of language is a whopping gap between humans and animals .

The difference between language that we use to communicate is of lower intensity and the language that we use to introspect is of greater value . In Quran , surah Ar-Rahman , 55 , ayah 4 , it says and taught them speech . Bayan is the word used for language .

Here that means to elaborate meaning , to create distinctions , lucidity , clearness , explanation , conceptual clarity is bayan . That is the higher order of language . On the other hand , language used to communicate with each other the word used for that in the Quran is lisan .

This will include languages like English , arabic , urdu , swahili , american Sign Language , language that humans use to communicate . The word lisan is used for that language which , by the way , is also available to animals . Bees communicate the location of flowers , herds communicate how and where to move together to stay safe .

This basic level of communication is given a different name in the Quran , in Surah Ar-Rum , 30 , ayah 22, . And of his signs is the creation of the heavens and the earth and the diversity of your languages and your colors . Indeed in that are signs for those of knowledge .

The word for language used here is al-sinatikum root word , lisan , which is used to describe languages that we use to communicate , the literal root being laam , seen noon . That root word occurs 25 times in the Quran as a noun . Now Quran makes a distinction between language that is used to clarify meaning , bayan , and a language that is used to communicate , lisan .

Bayan is a human faculty of language which puts us at an advantage over other animals , and this advantage is far more than what can be explained by evolutionary theory alone . Both are languages , but they're a different level of language . This language of elaboration of meaning is called thinking . This is beyond the language of communication with others .

Trevor Mowad appeared in a podcast to tell a story that his dad told him about a guy who scored a 1480 on his SATs . Now , this guy with this high score was somebody who came from a home of limited means .

He was struggling in classes , he was being raised by a single mother and was forced to take the SATs despite of his belief that he wasn't going to do well . He was surprised to find out that his score was 1480 , which is close to the 96th percentile for my international listeners and SATs is a college admission test .

At that point , he was accused of cheating and he admitted that he tried to cheat , but he couldn't because of all of the security measures . So he realized that he must be smart at some level . He started going to classes , he started learning , he attended college . Afterwards , eventually , he became an owner of a very successful magazine company .

All of that only to receive a letter 13 years later from the testing company saying that there's been a mistake and he was one of the handful of students who were sent out a wrong score . His actual score was in the 700s , which is in the fifth percentile . So this guy was forced to believe that he was smart .

So that's how he acted and that's what he produced . He started to believe about himself and he started to manifest . He started to believe he was smart and he started to feel confident . Manifest . He started to believe he was smart and he started to feel confident and act confident .

What that score of 1480 proved to him is that his language to himself can change . Compared to if he was told he had a score of 700 , his language to himself would have been of lower quality . His IQ had nothing to do with his success as a magazine entrepreneur . That always stayed the same . His belief in himself was the only variable .

His language to himself changed , saying that he is smart after he received the high score . That belief in the self is the gift of language . That is the elaboration of meaning . That is the whole point of being able to think for ourselves , about ourselves .

Now take that thought , that language towards the self , and place it as the only point of control that the human being can exercise in the entire universe . This is the only point of control in your life and this is the only point of control you'll ever need , because that thought is where all of the power of mind comes from .

That's how you create everything around you . You fall in the trap of trying to find evidence of your success from the world , just like this guy , but the evidence of success has to be created from within your mind . Now , if that's the only point of control , then how can I create success ? How do I know which language in my head is serving me ?

So imagine yourself as an entity in the cosmos . You are living in the universe and the rest of the world is a circumstance around you . Those are the things that are not in your control , including the pandemic , including other people , including your work . That is the part of the rest of the creation by Allah , subhanahu wa ta'ala .

Then just imagine your mind assigning it meaning , because that is the job that your mind was created to do . Your mind assigns everything meaning , and that meaning could be of a high quality or a low quality and based on that , you will have a high quality or a low quality , and based on that , you will have a high quality or a low quality feeling .

And based on those feelings , you will take high or low quality actions , creating high or low quality results for yourselves . The results themselves will prove the quality of your thought . The current status of your life will prove the quality of your thoughts that you've been having so far .

Now , to make matters more interesting , human beings are default-wired to have low-quality thoughts . It is your responsibility as an upright human to get over this wiring and take control of your life . You are to learn that through experiences in your life .

If there is a conflict in your relationship , it is most likely originating from low quality thoughts , language of your primal self , the nups , and this can be done in the name of self-preservation . This might be done out of fear . It can be done out of seeking comfort . There are a lot of reasons why it happens , but it happens and it can be undone .

So the simplified version of all of this is the formula I teach , which is CTFAR Circumstances , thoughts , feelings , actions and Results and it always happens in that order . Your circumstances do not cause your results . Your thoughts do .

Going back to the example of the man who was able to create a successful magazine business , he started to think that he was smart . That created the result of success when he was thinking he wasn't smart and that he was just born into poverty and he was meant to struggle .

That is the struggle he was creating because he was thinking he was a victim of his circumstances . So it turns out , the culprit out of all of this is the nafs , and shaitan uses it as a source of his whispers . So this nafs is the root cause of all the problems that we create in our lives . Surprise , surprise .

So if you're ever stuck in a feeling where you don't know where it's coming from , just understand that your feelings come from your thoughts . Your feelings , your emotions are neurochemicals that are generated by your brain , that travel down to your body , that generate the sensation of the emotion .

These neurochemicals are created by the language in your mind , which is your thought . This is the true miracle of creation of Allah . I believe herein lies the true miracle , where the non-material creates the material , the metaphysical of the language .

Thought creates physical structures of molecules , of neurochemicals like dopamine , epinephrine , serotonin , which then are felt as emotions . Insha'allah , you guys understand how deep this concept actually is , because modernity has separated mind from the body . René Descartes , french philosopher , was one of the first ones to make this distinction .

He made the mind separate from the body and by doing that , as a follow-up , human beings made mind equivalent to God , directly in competition with God , astaghfirullah . The paradigm he proposed proved itself to be so detrimental to the society that we're still cleaning up the pieces of the chaos it caused Down the road after his musings about , I think .

Therefore , I am what that was essentially interpreted as was man and his intellect competes with God . Not only competes , but wins . Intellect is enough . Nothing else , including the body , matters .

Islamic sciences say that the qalb , which is the combination of the thought and emotion , combination of mind and body , is what makes the human whole , not just the mind .

The Quran emphasizes the importance of intellectual investigation a total of 750 times , which is a huge number compared to the word salah , which is mentioned in the Quran 67 times , and we all know how much Islam prioritizes salah , or the daily five prayers .

But it's fascinating how Islam promotes intellectual investigation , and that is through the combination of human mind and body together , which is the qalb . The word aql is never used as a noun in the Quran alone . It is used as a verb Something that we do , something that we perform , not something that we can possess .

And the aql , or intellect , is to be exercised using the heart or emotions . Imam al-Ghazali , the 10th century Muslim scholar in the polymath I consider him to be the true father of positive psychology , because even if you superficially study the Ihya al-Uloom , his most popular book , well , it's more like an encyclopedia .

But even if you study that book a little bit , you will see that what he proposes is being preached and practiced today all by modern proponents of positive psychology .

And so we see that the modern science is coming around full circle , after realizing how detrimental it is to divorce intellect from the body completely , that separation is the festering ground for mental illness and science . Having lost their way under the influence of the likes of Descartes , they separated mind and the body is now coming around full circle .

We're being taught embodiment exercises , we're being told to learn to live in your body , meditate , body awareness , self-awareness , emotional intelligence and all of that modern jazz , and all of this is actually an excellent movement , don't get me wrong , because all Muslims need this , all humans need this .

If you've grown up in the current world , anywhere outside of a cave , then you've been influenced by the separation of the mind and body's philosophy . So , please , I urge you , as a Muslim woman , to take advantage of any type of therapeutic modality that helps you understand the experience of your body . That was the prophetic way , that is the Islamic way .

When we think of language that elaborates the meaning of our entire environment , the emotions of our body go hand in hand with that language . Islamic paradigm is that we prioritize this metaphysical entity of language , of thought .

If we are to see any impact in the physical world , think of it in terms of a continuum , allah SWT being the highest metaphysical reality above and beyond this continuum . Then comes the metaphysical of thought and language , then the experiential world of feelings .

Then comes the physical world that is around us , our relationships , our work , our finances , our acts of ibadah , the cosmos in general . That comes later in the continuum , things that we can touch and see and experience with our five senses .

Most of the human struggles originate from the paradigm where we put intellect first and we start considering the qalb of a human being , the mind-body pair , as a side piece With this . We try to chase whatever the mind creates and then we fall into pathology and that could be the diseases creates .

And then we fall into pathology and that could be the diseases of the mind and body . The pathology of spirituality , of social sciences , political sciences , which leads to war , unequal distribution of basic resources of the world , and the cycle of trauma perpetuates . I'm offering to reverse this pathology and to do that we have to identify the root cause .

And the root cause will become clear if you practice the CTFAR formula . When your thoughts that are creating your results are of sabotaging origin from your nafs , it will feel terrible in the body and your result of the current life will be terrible .

If your thoughts are of a sage origin , which is the voice of your soulful intellect , you will feel tranquility , serenity , the charm and the natural magnetic attraction of life and your results will reflect the same .

When you're in a blaming mode that the program doesn't work that's why I can't lose weight that is a sabotaging thought that will prove that you won't lose weight .

When you're in empowered mode that I can get over my urges and work hard to learn to process the urges , then you will be in sage mode , you can tap into your internal strength and create the result of weight loss , regardless if you're in a program or not . When you're blaming your past of being in a toxic relationship , this person hurt me .

If you spend the rest of your life focusing on just that , it will feel terrible in your body and you will create the same results of being trapped by your past . When you change your language to the soulful intellect , your body will immediately sense a release from tightness and heaviness and you will create a result of a life being liberated from your past .

Pay exquisite attention to your internal language , the elaboration of meaning , because that is a tool that Allah gave you to create the world around you . Your mind is the وسيلة through which your physical world is manifested . When I say mind , I don't just mean عقل in its solitary standing .

I mean the mind and the body , the soulful intellect that takes into account your feelings and your heart , which is why there is so much emphasis in Islam to purify your heart . When you use this whole self as a tool , the best of your life will manifest .

Allah SWT doesn't need us to create the best life for ourselves , but a wholesome human being is a tool through which the best life can be manifested . Just like Allah SWT doesn't need medicine to deliver a cure , medicine is just a tool through which a cure is delivered the best of our life , the cure of all diseases ultimately lies with Allah SWT .

We just utilize the tools we're given . We're also told in the Quran , surah Kahaf 18 , ayah 51, . I did not make them witness to the creation of the heavens and the earth or to the creation of themselves . We did not witness the creation of the heaven and the earth , but we are witnessing what we're creating for ourselves .

When Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala gave us a mind , he made us responsible for this creation of our physical reality . We acknowledge he doesn't need us for creation . We are the ones that need the tools , but we also have to use this tool to its full capacity . This physical reality can be a relationship with your husband .

It could be a physical reality of you being in debt or any other life experience . Everything is being created by you . In my coaching program , empowered Muslim Women , I offer an extremely effective and simple method to identify where have we lost the sight of this bigger picture , and I teach you guys how to gain control of it again .

I only enroll extremely dedicated women who see the vision of their true potential , women that are willing to take charge of their lives and invested and dedicated . How involved you are in this work is up to you . I pray that my effort is accepted .

Inshallah , when you work towards your mental fitness , when you train your brain to work for you instead of against you , when you take control of that internal environment , the qalb , when you take control of that heart through that soulful intellect , when you use that language at your disposal to elaborate the meaning of your life , you can fulfill any dream that you

want . Inshallah , I work towards helping making the mind of a Muslim woman as fit as possible , because I believe a Muslim woman is the backbone of the Muslim nation . She nurtures the future imams , the future politicians , future physicians , astronauts , epigeneticists , code developers , artists , writers , filmmakers . She nurtures a whole nation into shape .

Your mental health as a Muslim woman is of prime importance . When you are practicing the correct paradigm , the following generations will also practice the correct paradigm . If you are her and you're getting this message , give yourself permission to invest into your mental fitness . Invest in training the language to the self .

The future of the Muslims depends on your mental health . I pray that Allah , subhanahu wa ta'ala purifies my intentions of making a difference for the Muslim ummah . I pray to Allah , subhanahu wa ta'ala , for each and every one of us so that we can tap into our resources to do this work .

May Allah provide us with multiple avenues to learn self-awareness and self-improvement work . Please get access to my mental health webinar . I will leave the link in the show notes and keep me in your du'as . I will talk to you guys next time .