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To see every Muslim confident and impacting the world
40 Questions with Shaykh Alaa Elsayed 🎙️
From Qur’an, sincerity, parenting and the state of the Ummah… to some very unexpected revelations about Shaykh Alaa’s past 👀
A thoughtful, funny and at times very personal conversation about what Muslims should really be focusing on today.
Watch here:
https://youtu.be/2Xdu6TMIf9o
How would you react if someone told you Islam is undoubtedly as European a religion as Christianity?
From the arrival of the Sahaba in Cyprus to Muslim communities in Wales, Islamic influence on European architecture, and the centuries of Muslim rule across Iberia, Europe’s Islamic history is far richer than many of us realise.
In this article, Edward Rowe recommends three books that can help Muslims in Europe discover these forgotten connections and see the places around them through a different lens.
https://www.islam21c.com/literature/three-islamic-european-history-must-read-books/
Hold On Week was just the beginning.
The people who need hope, guidance, and support will still be here tomorrow, inshāAllah. And we want to keep these conversations going and resources available throughout the year and beyond.
If you, your masjid, school, organisation, or another platform can help keep Hold On going, we’d love for you to stay involved.
Please continue speaking about the topic of suicide in the Muslim community and continue sharing what we have collectively produced so far.
https://holdon.org.uk/
Leadership in Islam is about responsibility. Each person entrusted with a role is accountable for how they fulfil it.
A strong family and community begin when everyone recognises their agency and carries their responsibility before Allah.
Watch the podcast on this topic:
🎥 https://youtu.be/mh6jCxdAebo
How mental illness became a medical diagnosis
Depression, anxiety, and other mental health conditions are classified using manuals such as the DSM and ICD. But where did these classifications come from, and why were they developed in the first place?
Imam Abdullah Hasan touches on the history behind the manuals and the search for a common language in mental health.
Watch the full video:
🎥 youtu.be/Ue5lI11kbxQ
Faith does not make us immune to anxiety, depression, or psychological pain.
These struggles can affect anyone, and recognising them is not a failure of īmān. In fact, it is the first step towards responding to them with wisdom and care.
For more on the Hold On campaign, visit:
https://holdon.org.uk
Bismillāh — we’ve launched a new Islam21c series: 40 Questions We Never Ask .
In the first episode, we put 40 questions to Shaykh Dr Sajid Umar — from his favourite duʿā and the Ṣaḥābī he’d most like to meet, to AI, burnout, parenting, the Qur’an and advice for daʿwah organisations.
Some of the simplest questions produced the deepest answers.
🎥 Watch here: https://youtu.be/DGyIHswvpjA
Let us know which answer stood out most — and who you’d like us to put the 40 questions to next.
What happens in your heart when someone else gets what you wanted? When they are praised, their platform grows, or they are given an opportunity you hoped for?
In this issue of Think Again, Dr. Hamza Tzortzis will explore hasad, the damage it can do to our sincerity, and how we can begin to fight it.
Sign up today to have this delivered to your inbox tomorrow at 5pm BST.
https://islam21c.com/think
Thank you for helping Hold On reach more people and open conversations that matter.
The campaign week may have ended, but the resources remain available for anyone who needs guidance or a place to begin.
Please keep sharing Hold On. With your family, friends, masjid, workplace, and wider community.
https://holdon.org.uk
Allah Sees Deeper
99 Reasons to LIVE - from the Qur’an & Sunnah (No. 9)
People may judge image, wealth, status, or success. But Allah sees deeper: your heart and your deeds. Bring Allah one more deed. Hold on.
Watch more reminders and find support at https://holdon.org.uk
Do you know what the result of desire for praise creeping into our worship looks like?
In the next issue of Think Again, Dr. Hamza Tzortzis explores the dangers of ostentation (riyāʾ), how it can completely undermine our actions, and the struggle to keep our hearts sincere for Allah.
Make sure to sign up today to have this issue delivered to your inbox tomorrow at 5pm BST.
https://islam21c.com/think
Muslims must earn trust, not demand it
Making society more Muslim-friendly is not just about asking for rights and facilities. It also means demonstrating the nobility of Islam through our character, ethics, contribution, and conduct.
Muslims must work on themselves and show that Islam is an asset to the societies they live in. Trust and respect are earned through honesty, dignity, and meaningful contributions, not entitlement.
Watch the full video:
🎥 https://youtu.be/ujDfZ81_no8
Grief does not always announce itself. It can sit behind a smile, a busy routine, or the insistence that everything is fine. Even those who teach, serve, and support others can struggle to imagine a different tomorrow. The Prophet ﷺ himself experienced deep sorrow; feeling overwhelmed is not a measure of someone’s faith.
We need to look at how we understand suffering and respond to those living through it. We need to listen before offering answers, make room for difficult feelings, and resist the urge to turn another person’s distress into a spiritual verdict. Sometimes, what someone needs first is to know they can speak honestly and still be met with love.
Read the full essay below:
https://holdon.org.uk/religion-knows-no-despair/
Sincerity is tested when you're going to lose
Sincerity is easy to claim when everything is going your way. But what happens when you’re hurt, angry, or about to lose?
Will you return to Allah and His Messenger ﷺ, control your anger, and follow the Sharīʿah, or will you lash out and expose others on social media?
True sincerity is shown in those difficult moments, when doing the right thing costs you something.
Watch the full video:
🎥 https://youtu.be/RDDIKbHXDno
Political alignment mustn't shape Muslim values
Muslims can work across different political spaces without allowing political allegiance to shape their entire worldview.
Shaykh Dr. Hatem al-Haj says the danger is when political alignment becomes cultural alignment — gradually influencing how Muslims understand values, policies, and even their own identity.
Watch the full video:
🎥 https://youtu.be/4YEPuFvJ4Qo
You need to know the world you want to leave behind
With so many choices competing for our attention, it can be difficult to know which good choice is the right one. One way to decide is to imagine yourself on your deathbed and ask what you would want to see in the lives of those around you.
From your family and community to your local masjid, what would you hope to have built, changed, or left behind? And if you cannot answer that, start with a simpler question: what would you not want to see?
Watch the full video:
🎥 youtu.be/DGyIHswvpjA
We can accumulate knowledge, memorise verses and hadīth, and become familiar with countless reminders about how we should live. But what happens when what we know never reaches our hearts or shapes our actions?
In this issue of Think Again, Dr. Hamza Tzortzis will share seven ways to close the gap between knowledge and becoming, helping us turn what we know into action, worship, and righteousness!
Sign up today to have this delivered to your inbox tomorrow at 5pm BST.
islam21c.com/think
Hidden pain
Someone can have a job, function day to day, and seem completely fine while struggling with deep internal pain. When that pain goes unaddressed, unhealthy coping mechanisms, isolation, depression, and even suicidal thoughts can follow. This is why we need to take hidden suffering seriously.
Watch the full video:
🎥 youtu.be/zzM55ZoCXOo
What if your career became part of your legacy?
The Muslim Charity Careers Fair 2026 is bringing 30+ charities and humanitarian organisations under one roof, connecting students, graduates, professionals, career-changers, and volunteers with meaningful opportunities.
FREE ENTRY
London Muslim Centre
Sunday 4 October, 10am–6pm
Register now:
muslimcareersfair.com
In Brave New World, Aldous Huxley imagined a society where entertainment kept people comfortable, distracted, and unwilling to question their lives. Today, social media, shopping, food, and other escapes can play a similar role.
But what happens when pleasure becomes a prison and we lose the ability to sit with discomfort, think deeply, and turn back to Allah? Shaykh Ali Hammuda explores five paths of liberation, from reintroducing silence to meaningful service and returning to Allah.
https://islam21c.com/islamic-thought/entertained-to-death/
A Day of Complete Peace Is Coming
99 Reasons to LIVE - from the Qur’an & Sunnah (No. 10)
There is a kind of peace this world cannot give. We are all returning to Allah, and while there is still breath in your lungs, there is still purpose. Hold on.
Watch more reminders and find support at https://holdon.org.uk
What happens in your heart when someone else gets what you wanted? When they are praised, their platform grows, or they are given an opportunity you hoped for?
In this issue of Think Again, Dr. Hamza Tzortzis will explore hasad, the damage it can do to our sincerity, and how we can begin to fight it.
Sign up today to have this delivered to your inbox tomorrow at 5pm BST.
https://islam21c.com/think
The language patterns in Prophetic speech
The Prophet ﷺ had a remarkable way of communicating, often directing people’s attention through carefully chosen questions and patterns of speech.
What happens when we look at these patterns through the lens of modern NLP? And what can they reveal about how the Qur’ān and Sunnah communicate, persuade, and guide?
Watch the full video:
🎥 https://youtu.be/XLqV83HBBn0
Understanding suicidal ideation and the pain behind it
What happens psychologically when someone experiences suicidal ideation? Dr. Kemal Ibrahim breaks down the three aspects: emotional pain, the difficulty of coping with that pain, and the desire to escape it.
Understanding what a person may be going through can help us recognise the causes and consider how to support them.
Learn more about our suicide campaign:
https://holdon.org.uk
Anxiety can make a feared situation feel far more dangerous than it actually is, while making you doubt your ability to handle it. But fear is not always a reflection of reality.
The story of Mūsā (ʿalayhi al-Salām) reminds us that facing what we fear, with trust in Allah, can change our relationship with that fear.
Learn more about the Hold On campaign:
https://holdon.org.uk
Our brother Bilal Abdulkarim has been detained without charge for 274 days. We need to do our part to support him and respectfully call for fair treatment and due process.
Submit your question ahead of the event:
stagetimer.io/q/6aa1cf203a6932dae1c66bf3/
Join the YouTube Live:
youtube.com/watch?v=JgFcoW9fU-8
🎬 What Islamic lessons can Batman teach us?
Dr Sohail Hanif takes a look at The Dark Knight and finds some surprising lessons.
▶️ Watch here: https://youtu.be/geR6RChstMM
In July, Shaykh Dr. Haitham al-Haddad had the privilege of meeting Shaykh Dr. Hassan al-Shafi‘i, one of the Muslim world’s foremost scholars. At 95, he continues to serve Islam through his scholarship and dedication to Muslim unity.
In this reflection on the visit (made alongside Shaykh Abdallah Yousri), Shaykh Dr. Haitham al-Haddad looks at a life devoted to knowledge, daʿwah, and perseverance, as well as the gracious commendation of The Creed Agreed Upon by Muslims, a work centred on the foundational beliefs shared across mainstream Islamic schools of thought.
https://www.islam21c.com/literature/visiting-shaykh-dr-hassan-al-shafii/
You might have recently come across our Hold On campaign week, we now need to hear from you because your experience can help us better meet people's needs.
What did you find helpful? Was there something that made you feel more aware, more prepared, or more confident supporting someone? And was there anything you felt was missing?
Please take a few minutes to complete the survey and help shape what comes next.
https://holdon.org.uk/survey
Allah Will See Your Deeds
99 Reasons to LIVE - from the Qur’an & Sunnah (No. 8)
Even if people do not notice. Even if the results are slow. Even if the world does not clap. Allah sees the deed. Hold on.
Watch more reminders and find support at https://holdon.org.uk