Sincerely, Sumayah
Casual Conversations with Interesting Characters
[EP #3] A Casual Conversation with Umm Zakiyyah
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[EP #3] A Casual Conversation with Umm Zakiyyah

Muslim American Author, Educator, Speaker and Mental & Spiritual Health Advocate

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My guest in this episode is known for her soul-touching books and spiritual reflections on emotional healing, Umm Zakiyyah is a world-renowned author, teacher, and soul-care mentor.

Also known by her birth name Ruby Moore and her “Muslim name” Baiyinah Siddeeq, Umm Zakiyyah is the internationally acclaimed, award-winning author of more than forty books, including novels, short stories, and self-help. Her books are used in high schools and universities in the United States and worldwide, and her work has been translated into multiple languages. She is certified in Rapid Transformational Therapy ® (RTT) and hypnotherapy and is currently based in the United States.

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This Episode, We Talk About:

  • Umm Zakiyyah finding her calling in Mental Health work & Qur'anic Reflection

  • A Spiritual crisis leading to her own healing journey

  • Women losing their faith and putting on a brave face for the community

  • Being met by a community lacking compassion, companionship & support

  • Women leaving Islam due to the lack of support during spiritual crises

  • The dawah phase encourages introspection and questions, but after becoming Muslim there's a harshness and lack of empathy

  • Labeling Muslim women who speak out or advocate for women's rights being honoured, as “anti-Islam” and “feminists”

  • Being told that self-love contradicts our faith and that the only way to be a good Muslim is to abandon yourself

  • “Where do I belong in this Deen as a human soul?”

  • Harshness in dawah/reminders that lack of empathy for people in crisis

  • Looking at hijab and how women are seen externally while they experience emotional pain

  • Connection before Correction

  • Make dua for people in private, asking Allah to fix their affairs for them

  • Having a healthy relationship with yourself invites compassion in your relationship with others

  • Choosing to remove the niqab and the swift pushback she received

  • Who disobeys Allah from a place of logic? It's due to an emotional struggle they're facing

  • People leave Islam due to being mishandled and pushed away during their struggle phase

  • We have to answer for our role in abandoning our sisters and brother during their struggle

  • Being tested and humbled when you're elevated by Allah's mercy, and using that to look down on others

  • The lack of compassion and humility comes from spiritual and emotional immaturity

  • Shadow work is scary

  • “What are you running from and where are you running to?”

  • If you leave this alone is it still there?

  • You can't hide it from Allah, but you're trying to hide it from yourself

  • In our youth, much of our concept of Self and Muslim identity is a fantasy

  • Compassionate Accountability: There's no Deen without Rahma

  • Reminding you that Allah loves you and He wants you to do well. He wants you to make it.

  • “I never stopped loving Allah”

  • Taking ownership of your relationship with Allah

  • Our connection to Allah gets loaded with cultural and social baggage, hindering us from going to Him directly

  • Do we have to struggle as women to be good Muslims

  • Speaking up for women being equated with hating men

  • “Male privilege” and “Good girl” culture

  • The misguidance of oppression

  • Cultivating healthy taqwa-centered femininity and masculinity

  • Women are being unconsciously taught to auction off their bodies and souls to the lowest bidder, self-abandonment is celebrated as piety

If you feel like this episode ended abruptly, you’re right. That’s because there will be a part two insha’Allah if we’re given life! I could listen to Umm Zakiyyah all day long. I personally gained so much from having her on the podcast and I thoroughly enjoyed speaking with her.

What was your favorite part of this episode? What would you like to hear more about in part two? Leave a comment below and let me know.

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As always, Jazakum Allah khair for listening, and I look forward to sharing more.

Sincerely,

Sumayah

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Sincerely, Sumayah
Casual Conversations with Interesting Characters
A podcast hosted by Sumayah Hassan, exclusively available on Substack, featuring unedited conversations with some of my favorite humans.
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Sumayah A. Hassan