Before anything… I want to apologize.
I know many of you were expecting Chapter 6 today.

But before we continue, I felt like we needed to pause —
to breathe, reflect, and check in with each other.

Because wallahi… we’re all going through something.

I promise Chapter 6 is coming next Friday.
But today’s message needed to come first.

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It’s okay.

You’re not perfect.
I’m not perfect.
None of us are.
And that’s okay.
It really is.

We’re all on different journeys.
Your iman isn’t the same as mine, and mine isn’t the same as anyone else’s.

Some of us are trying.
Some of us are falling.
Some of us feel numb.
Some of us don’t care anymore.
Some of us don’t even know what we believe anymore.

And that’s what made me stop this week and ask myself a question that’s been haunting me:

What do I really want out of this life?

Is it Jannah?
Is it to please Allah?
Is it desire?
Is it chasing women (for the brothers)?
Is it money?
Or is it simply to feel something —
love, attention, validation, peace?

And I want you to ask yourself the same thing.

Not fake honesty.
Not “Instagram honesty.”
But real, painful, private honesty — just between you and your own soul.

Because the truth is…

A lot of us are lost.
A lot of us don’t know Islam the way we think we do.
A lot of us are Muslim because of our parents and culture.
And some of us know what’s right and still choose wrong —
not because we’re evil…
But because we’re weak.
Because we’re human.
Because life gets heavy.

Before we talk about dating…
before desire, heartbreak, attachment, and everything Chapter 6 will cover…

Ask yourself:

Who are you really trying to please?

Yourself?
People around you?
Or Allah?

And is the temporary comfort you’re chasing worth risking eternity?

Allah tells us clearly:

“Indeed, Allah will not change the condition of a people until they change what is within themselves.”
(Qur’an 13:11)

Yet so many of us keep making the same choices, the same mistakes, expecting life to magically change.

It won’t.
Not until we do.

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So today… I just want us to pause.
To step back and reflect — together.

And I want to hear from you. Genuinely.

Tell me:

What do you think about the blog series so far?
What have these chapters made you feel?
Which one hit you?
Which one challenged you?
What are you struggling with right now?
What do you want me to write about next —
desire, loneliness, attachment, guilt, repentance, identity?

Comment publicly, or message me privately if that feels safer.
Either way, your honesty helps me write from a real place.
It helps me understand what you’re facing.
It helps me continue this series in a way that benefits all of us.

Thank you for reading.
Thank you for reflecting.
Thank you for trusting me with your time and your heart.

Chapter 6 drops next Friday at 7 PM (ET).
But tonight… It’s just you, your heart, and your honesty.