Why Modern Struggles Need Ancient Solutions.

Were humans ever without problems? Was the world ever in total peace? Have you ever lived without any type of worry, apart from your religious status?

The answer is simple: no.

And with this, we establish one rule every human being on this planet agrees on:
We. All. Struggle.

Some struggle less, some more.
Our brothers and sisters around the world struggle more—they face tyranny, hunger, thirst, and death.

I think it’s safe to say that most of us don’t face these struggles. But I’m obviously not downplaying any struggle—we all struggle differently, and that’s the key point.

Why do we struggle?

As you might have seen in the thumbnail, Allah ﷻ clearly states the mission of Islam.
And through the life of our beloved Prophet ﷺ, we see this mission unfold over 23 years after his prophethood was established.

But I’m sure you know that this mission never truly stopped. I remember learning about the history of Islam and how the period following the death of our beloved Prophet ﷺ up until the Khilafah of Abu Bakr As-Siddiq (RA) was especially challenging.

The death of the Prophet ﷺ was a huge shock. Omar Ibn Al-Khattab (RA) even threatened people, refusing to accept that the Prophet ﷺ was gone. He couldn’t believe it. People were devastated, confused, and afraid.

Imagine the Prophet ﷺ passing away. Imagine the one who was not only sent by Rabb Al-Alameen, who frequently spoke to Angel Jibreel, and from whom you witnessed countless wonders, leaving this world.

Imagine losing the one who was literally the human embodiment of mercy.

The one who fought for the girls who were buried alive.
The one who fought for women who were treated as mere objects during the Jahiliyya.
The one who transformed an uneducated and deeply corrupt society within two decades.

The one about whom Allah (SWT) Himself said:

وَإِنَّكَ لَعَلَىٰ خُلُقٍ عَظِيمٍۢ

"And you are truly ˹a man˺ of outstanding character." 

(Al-Qalam, Ayah 4)

Can you imagine losing the person Muslims saw as a symbol of hope, mercy, and love?

He was gone. And so, too, was the hope of the people—at least in the beginning.

Until Abu Bakr (RA) stood and quoted the Quran, reminding the people of their true purpose once again.

وَمَا مُحَمَّدٌ إِلَّا رَسُولٌۭ قَدْ خَلَتْ مِن قَبْلِهِ ٱلرُّسُلُ ۚ أَفَإِي۟ن مَّاتَ أَوْ قُتِلَ ٱنقَلَبْتُمْ عَلَىٰٓ أَعْقَـٰبِكُمْ ۚ وَمَن يَنقَلِبْ عَلَىٰ عَقِبَيْهِ فَلَن يَضُرَّ ٱللَّهَ شَيْـًۭٔا ۗ وَسَيَجْزِى ٱللَّهُ ٱلشَّـٰكِرِينَ 

“Muḥammad is no more than a messenger; other messengers have gone before him. If he were to die or to be killed, would you regress into disbelief? Those who do so will not harm Allah whatsoever. And Allah will reward those who are grateful.” 

(Surah Ali-Imran, Ayyah 144).

That was their test from Allah ﷻ. This situation, this statement, and the attitude the people had would become of great importance in their future battles against the Romans and Persians. But that’s a story for another day.

What’s the purpose of me telling you this, anyway? Let me explain.

One of the many criticisms against Islam is this: It’s not relevant today. It’s strict and backwards. We have technology, science—who would want to be limited anyway?

Exactly. What they don’t realize is that this is the test of our time:
Will you still be Muslim despite the fake jannah the world is portraying to you?

Will you give from what you love when there’s so much more to buy with that money?
Will you take those extra steps to avoid zina?
Will you tell your future boss you need a space to pray, even if it risks your job?
Will you follow Islam, even if not everything makes sense to you?

What will you do?

Will you accept Allah’s ﷻ gift to you, or will you fail this test miserably?

Before we debunk the argument above, let’s establish a foundation for future newsletters:

1. Islam is from Allah ﷻ.

2. Allah is All-Knowing, All-Wise, All-Loving, All-Powerful, etc.

3. He knows the past, present, and future.

4. This means He knows what’s good and bad for us.

5. Therefore, Islam is perfect for all times.

A quick disclaimer before we continue: These are vast topics with many subtopics.

My goal is to address them step by step, offering solutions based on research and reflections on these issues.

So, stay tuned for future newsletters, and share them with someone who can benefit—for sadaqah jariyah!

Alright, let’s move on.

Islam Is Not Relevant Today

There are a few reasons why people say and think that Islam isn’t relevant today. Here are some of them:

• Believing in God is not relevant today.

• Having a religion is not important; we already know right from wrong.

• The rules of Islam don’t require Islam to know they are good or bad.

Other major topics I plan to address in the future, in shaa Allah, include:

• Misunderstanding Shariah

• Cultural confusion

• Rapid secularization

• Globalization and materialism

• Media misrepresentation

• Focus on rituals over purpose

• Issues in the Muslim world

For today, let’s focus on the first two: Belief in God and the relevance of morals and the rules of Islam.

Belief in God

Some psychologists inspired by Freud viewed religion as pathological, associating it with irrationality and ritualism.

Yet, religion persists strongly, with 85% of the world’s population identifying with a faith. Religions have also existed for over 100,000 years, technically since the time of Adam and Hawa (AS).

Research suggests people choose religion for three main reasons:

1. Finding order in chaos.

2. Anthropomorphizing the environment—attributing human-like traits to things or nature. (For example, attributing human-like qualities to God, which is strictly forbidden in Islam.)

3. Believing the world serves a purpose for humans.

Religion also provides a sense of community. For instance, think of Ramadan nights, mosque visits, or even communities like The Muslim Creative (TMC).

Psychologist Justin Barrett challenges the view that religion is pathological, arguing instead that religion may be a natural “byproduct” of how humans function.

He explains that humans have a natural tendency to:

• Search for order in chaos.

• Give meaning to what happens in the world.

As we established earlier: the world is full of struggles, for everyone.

This point is particularly fascinating because if human brains are “wired” to think and act this way, then who wired them?

I’ll give you three guesses where those “wires” came from and who put them there. 😉

Research also highlights that believing is completely natural and not forced—it’s actually unnatural not to believe.

Our belief stems from cognitive processes such as:

1. Design thinking: The idea that the world is intentionally created.

2. Purpose bias: For example, children believe rivers exist so we can fish.

3. Pattern recognition under uncertainty: Adults often find patterns or “signs” in life.

If you’re interested in reading more on this topic, check out this study. I’ve summarized the first half above:

A Reason to Believe

Charity

Charity is a central teaching of Islam, deeply embedded in its principles. One clear example is Zakat, which is not just a recommended act but a pillar of Islam, making it obligatory for Muslims under specific conditions.

Unlike taxes, which are often criticized for being unjust or misallocated, Zakat is designed to directly benefit those in need. It is a system of fair redistribution that ensures support goes to the poor, the oppressed, and other eligible groups.

The recent war on our brothers and sisters in Palestine has highlighted how government-collected taxes can be used for purposes far removed from the will of the people. Zakat, in contrast, is a personal, intentional act of worship that serves a higher purpose.

But Zakat doesn’t just benefit the receiver. It also impacts the giver profoundly. As the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said:

"Zakat (charity) is the purification of wealth." (Bukhari)

"Charity extinguishes sins as water extinguishes fire." (Muslim)

Family Ties

One of the most beautiful teachings in Islam is the emphasis on upholding family ties. If we were to truly adhere to the Islamic guidelines regarding kinship, our lives and communities would undoubtedly be much better off.

In Islam, the importance of maintaining relationships with your family is so significant that you are not even allowed to sever ties for more than three days.

The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said:

"It is not permissible for a Muslim to shun (avoid) his brother for more than three days. When they meet, this one turns away and that one turns away, and the best of them is the one who initiates the greeting." 

(Sahih Muslim 2560)

Rebuilding Trust Within Families

We must first rebuild trust within our families, because doing so will inevitably have a larger impact on the world around us. Think about it:

We are all individuals born into families, and families form the very foundation of society. Therefore, if a society is struggling, has widespread corruption, or is facing numerous problems, the root cause often lies within the family unit and within us.

This is why Allah tells us in the Quran:

لَهُۥ مُعَقِّبَـٰتٌۭ مِّنۢ بَيْنِ يَدَيْهِ وَمِنْ خَلْفِهِۦ يَحْفَظُونَهُۥ مِنْ أَمْرِ ٱللَّهِ ۗ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَا يُغَيِّرُ مَا بِقَوْمٍ حَتَّىٰ يُغَيِّرُوا۟ مَا بِأَنفُسِهِمْ ۗ وَإِذَآ أَرَادَ ٱللَّهُ بِقَوْمٍۢ سُوٓءًۭا فَلَا مَرَدَّ لَهُۥ ۚ وَمَا لَهُم مِّن دُونِهِۦ مِن وَالٍ 

Indeed, Allah would never change a people’s state ˹of favour˺ until they change their own state ˹of faith˺.

(Surah Ar-Ra’d, Ayah 11). 

You’ve probably heard this ayah before, and you know that action is what drives change.

But it wasn’t until an ustadh in Germany pointed out this particular ayah that I truly realized the weight of how our individual actions—especially our sins—affect the entire ummah.

ظَهَرَ ٱلْفَسَادُ فِى ٱلْبَرِّ وَٱلْبَحْرِ بِمَا كَسَبَتْ أَيْدِى ٱلنَّاسِ لِيُذِيقَهُم بَعْضَ ٱلَّذِى عَمِلُوا۟ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْجِعُونَ ٤١

Corruption has spread on land and sea as a result of what people’s hands have done, so that Allah may cause them to taste ˹the consequences of˺ some of their deeds and perhaps they might return ˹to the Right Path˺.

(Surah Ar-Rum, Ayah 41).

“In combination with those ayahs, does this mean that if I change myself for the better, if I struggle to find a better path and become a better Muslim, I can actually change the world?”

The ustadh asked five scholars, and all of them agreed on this question.

Isn't that astonishing? How Allah explained to us, in just two simple ayat, a whole concept of society we've established above: societies are nothing more than a conglomeration of families, and families are nothing less than a conglomeration of individuals.

Wonders of the Quran...

This brings us to the next and final point: Islam is not individualistic in the sense that you should believe the whole world revolves around you, no.

But it absolutely makes you responsible for everything you do, say, or (sometimes) think.

• There is no one who “died” for your sins.

• There is no one who can speak for you on the Day of Judgment.

• There is no one who can save you on that day except: your deeds.

But here’s the good thing: Good deeds are easy to attain in Islam.

Make it intentional:

• Get the degree with the intention to benefit the Ummah.

• Clean the house with the intention to help your mother for the sake of Allah.

• Get groceries to feed your family, and make it a sadaqa jariya.

• Help your sister out with the intention to purely help because she needs it.

Honestly, I love the concept of intention in Islam, because it has personally helped me through many situations.

I want to read Quran, make dhikr, and have my personal time with Allah—Boom, my mother asks me to prepare food or clean the house, etc.

Am I annoyed? Yes. Is this reaction right? No.

Because I shouldn't see it as: "I can’t worship Allah."

I should see it as: "I can worship Allah through obeying my mother and making her happy, which can have a bigger impact on my akhira and my personality as well."

This type of thinking is not only easy but can also be easily trained—and it WILL change YOU.

And you will change the world.

My Message to You

Islam is relevant in every aspect of our lives, even if I didn’t mention all of them.

Islam is the reason for the incredible transformation of Makkah and Madinah.

Islam brought the Sahabah, the best people this earth has ever known, and made them kings—even though they behaved like slaves—slaves to Allah.

And what is better than being a slave to Allah?

Islam remains relevant in its struggle to reform the world.

Did we lose the glory Islam once had? Yes. Does that mean we should cry about our past and drown in our misery? No.

If that’s the case, then we haven’t understood the mission of Islam at all!

We are here for a purpose: the purpose to revive the deen. During a time when Islam is being attacked from every direction, now is the time to be educated and help where we can.

Islam is the religion that tells you: change yourself to change the world.

This is Allah’s religion. And as we say, it’s not just a religion—it’s a whole lifestyle.

Islam was spread with this mission in the hearts of the Sahabah: everyone has the right to know the truth, and to choose whether they want to accept it or not.

We are here to convey.

إِنْ أَنتَ إِلَّا نَذِيرٌ 

You are only a Warner.

(Surah Al Fatir, Ayah 23). 

Stay tuned for the future newsletters, in shaa Allah, it’s going to get heated in here!

Check out my Instagram for reels based on topics like these, and don’t forget to share them with someone who will benefit!

I’ll see you in the next newsletter.
I leave you

في امان الله _{(in the care of Allah)}
Dunja ❦