My Substack Recommendations
Observations on the writers you should subscribe to better your lives
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For those who don’t know, I have a recommendation list of other Substack writers that I really, really enjoy reading. I thought I’d put out a quick post to highlight who they are and why you should consider subscribing to them. In no particular order:
- - Insightful thoughts and reflections on what it means to be a Muslim in this (sometimes crazy) modern world. She reflects mostly on women’s issues, though, as a man, I benefit greatly from understanding her perspective on topics. She has a way of conveying very big ideas in simple to understand blog posts.
- - Omar's newsletter is always an insightful look at Muslim matters, grounded in Islamic sources. His posts typically focus on professional development, mindfulness, and personal improvement, but all framed through an Islamic framework. In the simplest terms, he teaches you how to think like a Muslim for everyday life!
- - Mobeen Vaid is amongst my favorite writers on Islam. He has a way of making you rethink the paradigm through which you consider an event or idea. His writing ranges from topics such as gender roles, sexual ethics, politics, and sometimes even pop culture (if it’s relative enough to modern discourse).
But be warned, he writes at a higher level than average! So, be prepared to pull out a dictionary sometimes and reread a sentence (or post) twice, every now and then. It's always worth it though.
- - This is for those who like witty and clean storytelling. He writes short stories based on a prompt (the post title) that can verge from comedy, to irony, to frustration, then back to comedy, all in the course of a single post. It’s creative writing that stimulates that creative part of our minds that has been dormant for far too long. And I hear he’s a practicing Muslim…
- - It's like investigative journalism, but for Muslim organizations. A look at how Muslim orgs collect and spend our money. A must read for any donating Muslim!
I read other newsletters, but these are the five I make sure to read every post for. I find that they positively influence the way I view the world, and they also happen to be run by other Muslims, so I wanted to share them with my small audience. Give them a follow and begin benefitting :)
Working Toward Ehsan is great. It gave me the same disillusionment as when a masjid first told me not to give money to people standing outside after Jummah, twisting the established idea I had of those asking for money and what they actually do with it. Not that everything is awful and you can't trust anyone, but he helps you remain informed