How to "scratch your own itch" as a trainer

Faith-Based Trainer Challenge replay inside  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

April 27th, 2026   |   Read online 10th Dhul-Qa'dah 1447H Assalamu'alaikum, Last week, during the Faith-Based Trainer Challenge, a participant asked me a question I get often: "How do I find a good topic to train on?" I told them: Scratch your own itch. Back in 1428H (2007), when I was a student trying to figure out life, I had questions I was itching to find answers for: How do I wake up for Fajr consistently, even when it’s summer and Fajr is super early? How do I manage sleep in Ramadan when I have work or school? How do I bring Barakah into my life when I feel busy, scattered, and overwhelmed? I kept hoping to find satisfying answers online or somewhere, but I couldn't find any. So I started researching, experimenting, and then writing about what worked and what didn't. That's how ProductiveMuslim.com began. The moment I started sharing what I had learned about a topic, I realized I wasn't the only one with that itch. Thousands of Muslims around the world had been quietly carrying the same struggles, waiting for someone to give language to what they were feeling. The Lesson For Aspiring Trainers If you've ever felt the pull to teach, train, or coach others, here's what I've learned: The best training topics are the ones you've personally wrestled with and slowly learned to navigate by Allah's mercy. You don't need to be the world's leading expert. You just need to be a few steps ahead of the person you're trying to help.  This was one of the lessons I shared during the Faith-Based Trainer Challenge last week. If it resonates with you, I recorded the full two days of sessions, covering: Why faith-based training is one of the biggest "blue ocean" opportunities for our Ummah today The 7 qualities that set faith-based training apart from secular professional development How to develop training content for your audience (including the framework I use) Practical facilitation tips I've gathered from 15 years and hundreds of workshops  Watch the replay here → May Allah SWT make us among those who teach what they know, live what they teach, and bring others closer to Him through their work. Sincerely,  Mohammed Faris Founder, The Productive Muslim Company mohammed@productivemuslim.com ProductiveMuslim.com P.S. If watching the replay leaves you thinking "I want to actually do this and be a faith-based trainer, but I don’t know what to teach”... then consider joining the Productive Muslim Certification Program. We'll teach you a proven curriculum, train you to deliver it with confidence, and induct you into a global community of certified trainers carrying Barakah Culture to corners of the Ummah. Only 22 seats. Cohort starts Monday, 24 Dhul-Qa'da 1447H (11 May 2026). Apply here →   Update your email preferences or unsubscribe here © 2026 The Productive Muslim Company 3824 Cedar Springs Rd #801-8634 Dallas, Texas 75219, United States Powered by beehiiv Terms of Service

ISLAMIC LAW IN THE NEWS "Stakeholders are promoting Islamic microfinance as a solution to financial exclusion in the Philippines, following a capacity-building workshop at Mindanao State University-Iligan Institute of Technology." "Morocco’s Ju… Read on blog or Reader Islamic Law Blog Read on blog or Reader Islamic Law in the News Roundup April 27, 2026 ISLAMIC LAW IN THE NEWS "Stakeholders are promoting Islamic microfinance as a solution to financial exclusion in the Philippines, following a capacity-building workshop at Mindanao State University-Iligan Institute of Technology." "Morocco’s Justice Minister, Abdellatif Ouahbi, has sparked controversy after saying that a woman’s testimony should carry the same legal weight as that of a man under Moroccan law." In Nigeria, the Kano State Hisbah Board announced that "it has concluded arrangements to conduct a mass wedding for 1,500 couples under its marriage social welfare initiative."  CASES, FATWĀS, LEGISLATION ON ISLAMIC LAW In Malaysia, "the decision by religious authorities in Kelantan to prosecute an individual for gender transition in January 2026 has generated complex legal, religious, and social questions." For more content and context on Islamic law in Malaysia, consult our Editor-in-Chief Professor Intisar Rabb’s "Legislation and Regulation of Islamic Law in Malaysia" and its appended resource roundup. "Saudi Arabia’s execution of more than 2,000 people over the last decade in many cases violates Saudi and international law and belies the government’s claims of reform, 36 groups including Human Rights Watch said." For more news blurbs relating to harsh applications of Islamic criminal law, consult our “Islamic Criminal Law in the News Roundup.” "Judge Masudah Pangarker and acting Judge Igshaan Higgins, both of whom are Muslim, have made a pioneering ruling which has set a precedent for South African family law and Muslims around the country." "The Bangsamoro Darul-Ifta (BDI) has issued a religious ruling declaring that Muslim women should not travel for work without a mahram or a male guardian, citing Islamic legal principles, prophetic traditions, and documented risks faced by women working away from home." "The Grand Mufti of Jerusalem and the Palestinian Territories, the preacher of Al-Aqsa Mosque Sheikh Muhammad Hussein, called for stopping the unrest in the town of Beit Ummar, north of Hebron....He called on all concerned parties and influential actors to address internal disputes through dialogue and lawful means, and to resort to Islamic law in resolving them." UPCOMING EVENTS AND OPPORTUNITIES PIL & Harvard Opportunities: Award: Alwaleed Bin Talal Doctoral Dissertation Prize, May 15, 2026 Global Events:  Conference: American Society for Premodern Asia Annual Meeting, Los Angeles, CA, April 24–27, 2026 Conference: Middle East History and Theory Conference (MEHAT), University of Chicago, May 1–2, 2026 Workshop: The Law and Humanities Workshop for Junior Scholars, University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School, June 8–9, 2026 Conference: Association for the Study of Law, Culture, and the Humanities Annual Conference, Chicago, June 17–18, 2026 Workshop: Association for Gulf and Arabian Peninsula Studies Graduate Student Workshop, July 25–26, 2026 Workshop: Archival Abundances and Silences in Islamic Studies, Princeton University, October 2–3, 2026 Conference: Middle East Studies Association Annual Meeting, Boston, MA, November 21–24, 2026 Global Opportunities:  Language School: Persian Language Summer School, Armenian School of Languages and Cultures, Yerevan, Armenia, May 1, 2026 Summer School: Philology and Manuscripts from the Muslim World, Leiden University, May 4, 2026 Call for Participation: Digital Medieval Studies Institute, International Congress on Medieval Studies, Western Michigan University, May 13, 2026 Award: Global Dissertation Prize, American Society for Legal History, June 1, 2026 Position Opening: Visiting Assistant Professor of Medieval Middle East, Colby College, July 1, 2026  Call for Participation: Digital Medieval Studies Institute, International Medieval Congress, Leeds, UK, July 10, 2026 Award: Gwenn Okruhlik Dissertation Award, Association for Gulf and Arabian Peninsula Studies, July 15, 2026 Award: Graduate Paper Prize, Association for Gulf and Arabian Peninsula Studies, July 15, 2026 Award: Student Travel Award, Association for Gulf and Arabian Peninsula Studies, September 1, 2026 Comment

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