In this episode Alyas Karmani (activist, therapist, counsellor, imam) and I have a meandering conversation about subject of Resilience. Essentially our ability to bounce back from adversity. As usual our discussion take us to unexpected places and we revisit historical events such as apartheid in South Africa, the civil war in Sierra Leone as well as the Crusades, the Battle of Uhud and the Conquest of Mecca.

You might not get all of the answers you are looking for here but thats not the point; you definitely walk away with better understanding of what resilience is, why we need it, how it impacts on our relationships and how Allah helps us to develop it.

Some of the questions we explore include:Why are some people and nations more resilient than others? What is an abundance mindset and how can it help develop resilience? What can we learn about resilience from a street vendor in Uganda or a Kurdish refugee in the UK? What can we learn about resilience from Rocky 3? What is needed to foster an environment of building resilience?

Why wasn’t I able to act on the advice Alyas offered me during my marriage? Why is Muslim marital breakdown often so acrimonious? What does Islam say about dealing with adversity? And what could this say about our community’s potential capacity for resilience?

Is it sometimes necessary to go through difficulties to see the truth? Is it Allahs way of helping us become our best selves? Is adversity in fact an opportunity?

How responsible are we for overcoming adversity? Is it fair to make individuals completely responsible for their lives?

If you want to better understand how to handle life’s challenges from a psychological and emotional perspective then this ones for you.

Please get in touch with any comments/feedback/suggestions or if you simply have a story you’d like to share:

E: [email protected]/In: @moiazam

All messages are handled with care :)