Are You Barakah Selfish? 🤲

1st RabiʻI 1447H

Assalamu'alaikum,

Last week, I was visiting Southern California for a series of workshops and meetups in the local community. At one of the "Meet the Author" events for The Barakah Effect book, a thoughtful brother posed two questions that have been weighing on my mind:

1. "Is there a risk that as we teach people how to get more Barakah in their lives, we turn Barakah into an individualistic pursuit? Will we all be seeking Barakah for personal gain, not thinking of bringing or sharing Barakah with the community?"

2. "Given the situation in the Ummah today, over 1.8 billion Muslims globally, yet no ability to stop a genocide in Gaza or any of the atrocities happening to our brothers and sisters in other parts of the world, does this mean there's no Barakah in our Ummah?"

These are powerful questions, and I felt the need to share the answer with you today.

The Ripple Effect of Barakah

The first question assumes that seeking Barakah in our personal lives is inherently selfish. However, when we align ourselves with how Allah ﷻ wants us to live according to the teachings of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, the gift of Barakah doesn't stay confined within us, it naturally overflows.

Allah ﷻ says in the Quran: 

وَلَوْ أَنَّ أَهْلَ ٱلْقُرَىٰٓ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَٱتَّقَوْا۟ لَفَتَحْنَا عَلَيْهِم بَرَكَـٰتٍۢ مِّنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ وَلَـٰكِن كَذَّبُوا۟ فَأَخَذْنَـٰهُم بِمَا كَانُوا۟ يَكْسِبُونَ 

“Had the people of those societies been faithful and mindful ˹of Allah˺, We would have overwhelmed them with blessings from heaven and earth. But they disbelieved, so We seized them for what they used to commit.” (Quran 7:96) 

Belief and Tawqa (being mindful of Allah ﷻ) are pretty personal things, but they have a vast impact on a society.

Think of it like this: when you light a candle, you don't only benefit yourself, you benefit everyone in the room.

The beauty of Islam is that the work we do on an individual level, such as protecting ourselves from sin and doing good deeds, automatically has societal benefit. For example, when we establish our prayers, Allah ﷻ tells us it "prohibits immorality and wrongdoing" (Quran 29:45). We're not just benefiting ourselves; we're protecting everyone around us.

I believe every person builds what I call their "Barakah quotient," a spiritual reservoir that not only benefits those immediately around us through the mindsets, values, and rituals we practice, but through Allah's mercy, benefits the wider community and even gets preserved through time. The evidence for this intergenerational Barakah is beautifully illustrated in Surat Al-Kahf. Allah ﷻ sent Musa and Khidr to repair a wall protecting treasure belonging to two orphans. Why? "Their father was a righteous man" (Quran 18:82). 

When done correctly, the pursuit of individual Barakah is actually the antidote to extreme individualism. It reconnects us to our purpose of life as Slaves of Allah ﷻ, and reminds us that we’re here as His Khalifah on Earth to serve His creation.

Is there no Barakah in the Ummah?

The second question about whether there's no Barakah in our Ummah given our apparent weakness was painful to hear.

I want to answer this in two parts:

First, we must never give up on our Ummah. The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ taught us that "there is still khair (goodness) in my Ummah until the Day of Judgment." Making sweeping statements like "there's no Barakah in our Ummah" is inaccurate and it breeds despair when we need hope, cynicism when we need action.

Instead, we should acknowledge our current weakness while maintaining firm belief that with sincere intentions, hard work, and Allah's mercy, the Ummah will rise again.

Second, our beloved Prophet ﷺ already diagnosed our condition. The Prophet (ﷺ) said: The people will soon summon one another to attack you as people when eating invite others to share their dish. Someone asked: Will that be because of our small numbers at that time? He replied: No, you will be numerous at that time: but you will be scum and rubbish like that carried down by a torrent, and Allah will take fear of you from the breasts of your enemy and last enervation into your hearts. Someone asked: What is wahn (enervation). Messenger of Allah (ﷺ): He replied: Love of the world and dislike of death. (Sunan Abi Dawud)

There it is, the precise diagnosis. Our weakness isn't due to lack of numbers or resources. It's due to two spiritual diseases: hubb al-dunya (love of this world) and karahiyat al-mawt (hatred of death).

But here's what gives me hope: we're seeing the anti-dote of these diseases through our brothers and sisters in Gaza. Their courage, their trust in Allah, their sacrifice, this is a powerful reflection for those of us who have yet to deal with these spiritual ailments.

Seeking Barakah in our lives shouldn't feel like a selfish, individualistic pursuit. It should feel like a complete reset of our core mindsets, values, and rituals so we can live God-centered lives that are hereafter-focused and impactful in this world.

Ready to Experience the Barakah Effect Way?

If these reflections resonate with you, I want to invite you to join our next cohort of The Barakah Effect Program starting next week, insha'Allah.

This is a transformational 7-week journey where we help busy Muslim professionals move from hustle culture to Barakah culture.

The program includes:

• 7 x LIVE teaching sessions with me

• Access to all program materials for 12 months

• Peer learning opportunities

• Monthly Ask-Me-Anything sessions

• Access to our private community platform

• 12-Month Access to BarakahFlow™️: Our virtual co-working space for Muslim Professionals

• Facilitated Book Club for Barakah Effect Book.

The next cohort starts on Thursday, 11 Rabi'-I 1447H (4th September 2025) at 9:00 am US Central Time.

If you're ready to learn the principles of Barakah Culture in a supportive and live online environment, click here to register.

Sincerely,