3 Shaʻban 1446 AH / 2 February2025

as Salaamu Alaykum

Welcome to another issue of the Optimized Muslim Newsletter on all things self-development for Muslims. I synthesise and filter insights, ideas, quotes, resources and more so that we may become Optimized Muslims إن شاء الله

In today's email: Insights on authentic content creation in the AI age, plus practical tips for productivity and spiritual growth

Probably a 5 Minute read.

Optimized Muslim Update & Some thoughts on AI:

The road continues. Trying to prioritize effectively. I was reflecting on AI developments again, and was thinking about how content will evolve going forward considering that "talking-head" style videos or even basic two-person discussion podcasts are becoming easier and easier to make, (see Notebook LLM for the latter).

Content is likely to shift back towards vlog-style content. The less furnished, more authentic, behind-the-scenes-whilst-building type of content.

That being said, please be aware that all of this is game-able. Don't assume your favorite Dawah bro is this sage warrior scholar.

I was looking at a worksheet produced by a famous YouTuber who has a course on doing well with YouTube...and he specifically had prompts in his workflow like "Have I been vulnerable enough here?" and "Can I say something that will make me sound more relatable?".

Let's be charitable and say he was merely reminding himself, but even then, if it's truly authentic, should we need to be reminded to be "vulnerable"?

The more Machiavellian way of seeing it is that the guy was gaming the whole process, like you would expect he would if you were to take his nerdiness at face-value lol.

The only thing that is currently not Ai-able are the mindset issues or limiting beliefs that people have - the volition element of actually wanting to do the thing. If someone gets passed that point, the actual "doing" has become so much easier in the space of a few years because various tools have AI integrated within the workflows.

Anyway, perhaps too much detail this early on or for your Sunday night / Monday Morning. جزاك الله خيراً for reading by the way. I appreciate it

I think the quote is from Sahil Bloom, a writer. I was playing around with building a theme design and I thought this looks good alhamdulillah. What do you think?

I help Muslim executives, entrepreneurs & CEOs overcome procrastination and overwhelm to achieve productivity breakthroughs with less stress through optimizing their mindset & building rock-solid habits.

See if you're a fit for my bespoke1:1 high performance program. Find out more, see many testimonials and book a free call to explore further here

Hadith of the Week

Abū Hurayrah reports: The Prophet ﷺ kissed al-Ḥasan ibn ʿAlī when al-Aqraʿ ibn Ḥābis al-Tamī-mī was sitting with him.

Al-Aqraʿ said to him: “I have ten children and I never kissed any of them.” The Prophet ﷺ looked at him and said: “A person who shows no compassion will receive none.”

(Related by al-Bukhārī, Muslim, Abū Dāwūd, al-Tirmidhī and Aḥmad.)

Seerah 💚

"In 615 CE, two years after having gone public, the Prophet ﷺ advised many of his ﷺ followers to immigrate to Abyssinia, a country “ruled by a just king, where you may have a safe haven.”

A total of eighty-three men and nineteen women immigrated to Abyssinia, where they were given asylum by Negus, its king. These represented about half the Muslim community in Makkah at the time." Muhammad ﷺ, Adil Salahi

Use your blessings

Your talents are an amanah (trust) from Allah subḥānahu wa ta'ālā

A great loss is having abilities but not using them to benefit yourself and the Ummah.

Take action with tawakkul - tie your camel first, then trust in Allah SWT

Quotes:

“We are what we repeatedly do,” Aristotle said, “therefore, excellence is not an act but a habit.”

"There is (1) life respect, respect for the decisions you have made throughout your life, and (2) daily respect, respect for yourself that must be earned every day. Cultivating habits that earn you daily respect will increase your life respect. In turn, the more respect you have for your life as a whole, the easier it will be to earn daily respect" The Power Bible, William Beteet

"As long as desires exist, one must never feel safe from the possibility of the heart succumbing to them" The Way of The Spiritual Muslim

Speed of success is inversely correlated with number of excuses. - Alex Hormozi

A Practice that supercharges my productivity

Intermittent Fasting. I used to do this almost every day for years whilst I was living away from home. I have recently re-started doing this consistently (not eating for 16-20 hours) and the effect on my mental clarity and thus productivity is noticeable. The theory is that it has to do with the release of certain catecholamines like norepinephrine but just try it and find out for yourself.

Everyone is different. This is free. Another lesson is that it is often the tried and tested methods that yield the most benefit. This is more powerful than a lot of "advanced" nootropics.

Although you can supercharge it with exogenous ketones 🧐

Interesting Study about Parenting

"Another example involves religiosity. A 2001 study of parental religiosity among Catholics found that the behavior of a father (even more than the mother) who acts upon and is practicing his faith and is practicing will most [affect] the likelihood of his children growing up to be religious as well. In other words, if you want your kids to grow up and practice the faith, make sure they see you practicing yours"

Health Podcast

Podcast: – Autism, ADHD, and Anxiety: the rise in autism & an approach to diagnosing & treating children: With Peter Attia: Link

An important topic to learn about especially considering the increase in prevalence in our children

Reads for Your Journey:📖

Abu Zayd al-Balkhi’s Sustenance of the Soul: the Cognitive Behavior Therapy of a Ninth Century Physician Rating: 9/10

The approach of the author emphasizes the need to engage in metacognition (thinking about thinking). How so many of our emotional states hinge on habitual thought patterns - which you can change (largely).

In dealing with each issue, you will note how the author starts by stating "Another tactic of the mind...another strategy.."

To some, thought exercises sound silly, but they are key.

🎯 Action Item for the Week

Reflect on how you're using your talents and abilities. Are you maximizing them for the benefit of yourself and the Ummah?

Question to ask ourselves

How often do we think about our account balance?

I'm referring to to the sadaqah jariya balance

Until next week, may Allah subḥānahu wa ta'ālā guide us all to what is best.

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Thanks for reading . Please forward it to a like-minded friend if you benefit.

Aadil

Work with me 1:1

PS

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