Why the world needs more Islamic self-help books

Assalamu'alaikum,

Have you ever browsed the self-help section of your local bookstore? What do you see?

The shelves are usually brimming with crisp, shiny self-help books penned by secular, Western authors.

At first glance, this might not seem problematic. After all, isn't wisdom a universal treasure for all seekers, regardless of their origin?

However, how many of us are reading these books with a critical eye on the source of wisdom shared and the worldview promoted by the author?

Most self-help authors (with all good intentions) tend to write books that are:

1. Secular (not centered around the worship of Allah SWT)

2. Ego-centric (focused on fulfilling Ego/nafs desires around fame, money, and power rather than spiritual growth)

3. Worldly (with little to no emphasis on the hereafter).

It's easy to point fingers at the big publishing companies, the gatekeepers of ideas, for the plethora of self-help books written from a secular/western perspective. But honestly, as Muslims, I feel we have a share of the blame.

What if the lack of Islamic self-help books isn't due to external factors alone? What if - simply - there aren't many Muslim authors writing high-quality self-help books from an Islamic perspective?

Unfortunately, even the few Muslim authors in the self-help genre tend to either:

1. downplay their faith and Muslim identity to create a book that "fits in" with the mainstream, OR

2. write a deeply religious book that only practicing Muslims can appreciate, often neglecting the wider Muslim audience who may be culturally Muslim but not yet practicing their faith.

Moreover, to make matters worse, some of these books suffer from poor editing and publishing practices which make them harder to read or appreciate the message within.

We're on a mission to change this at The Productive Muslim Company; we want to fill the self-help sections of mainstream bookstores with Muslim authors who are proud of their faith and offer an alternative worldview to the present self-help voice.

In my next email, I'll delve into why you - yes, YOU - need to write your own Islamic self-help book.

Stay tuned!

Sincerely,