Self Development

Dear Cherished Sisters, SubhanAllah, just as I thought the dust was settling in the sisterhood, we moved once again. I wasn’t happy with how isolated we were in the sisterhood – and I especially wasn’t happy with the flawed activity feed and notification system – […]

BismiLlah. This March in The Cherished Muslimah Sisterhood, we have been connecting to our purpose and really focusing on why we do what we do, and when others don’t join in, do we just stop and give up? I was coaching a lady this month […]

Somebody recently asked me what had happened to the booklist I had online, which I realised had inadvertently gotten lost – what better an opportunity to compile another one.  Here, my cherished readers, are my 99 best-loved books!  I love all of these books for […]

For those of you who follow my posts, I recently shared how I had delegated the cleaning in the house so that I could fit in homeschooling amongst all my other responsibilities, and how I was having some challenges with my loved ones, to the point where I was thinking ‘should I just get a cleaner?’

Well, those challenges eventually led to me getting a cleaner!

Coaching is always so insightful! We have so much information presented to us every day on social media, that sometimes it seems everyone else understands things just like we do.  Yet when I see a lady have an ‘a-ha’ moment during coaching, I am amazed […]

Dear Cherished Readers I pray you are all well. It’s been a while since I posted and there is a big reason for that: I don’t know where to start! And now, after returning from a blessed trip to Egypt, I just feel like I […]

Yesterday I purchased a printer.  It came with a special promotion: £40 off, I was told to visit the PC World website and click on ‘cashback’. So once I was home and the printer was set up, I asked my son to apply for the […]

When I was young, I used to love listening to Bob Marley singing: “Please dont you rock my boat, cause I dont want my boat to be rockin anyhow; Please dont you rock my boat, no, cause I dont want my boat to be rockin […]

Flashback: when I was 26 I started going to a ladies middle eastern keep-fit class. The lady was mysterious and in-tune with her essence. After our class was over and we were all sitting, relaxed, she started talking to us about connecting with our selves, […]

Today my hubby and I are celebrating our 20th wedding anniversary alhamdolillah!  Shukr Allah it has been 20 years of love, laughter and tears! We’ve got here through our own bespoke tailor-made efforts and lots of prayers.  Someone asked me the other day what the […]

Surrender to Allah Allah is enough for me, there is no god but him, I have put my trust in him and he is the lord of the mighty throne (9:129) Allah is enough for us and the best of guardians. (3:173) Lo, in the […]

I always wanted an Aloe Vera plant so you can only guess how happy I was to buy one from a hippy chick at a farmers market. “What can I use it for?” I asked with the enthusiasm of a new Aloe Vera owner.”Burns” she […]

One of the first exercises most on-line marriage courses ask students to do is to look for naturally surrendered or fascinating wives and explain what makes them so. To my horror many participants respond by saying they don’t know any surrendered or fascinating wives. I […]

I was talking to a poorly friend the other day and was reminded of the poem I wrote a few years ago where the different parts of my body were talking to my Self and giving it a good telling off for the abuse that […]

Dear Abused & Oppressed Sister, You do know that your husband doesn’t love you, don’t you? He wouldn’t punch you in the face, if he loved you. And now that he has beaten you up and is feeling sorry for you with your black eye […]

Do you have someone in your life who is only too happy to point out the areas that are less than perfect – ‘this lasagne has a tad too much salt’, ‘that child has a snotty nose’ or ‘My, what big ears you have my […]

Alhamdolillah!  This year starts off with becoming more organised with blogging, and also starting to re-write my mentoring material.  In doing so, I found out that I started blogging in January 2009, just after gaining freedom from my eldest son’s 11+ preparation!  Times flies!  He’s […]

“Stephen Covey, in his book First Things First, notes that those who accomplish very little are probably spending a large amount of their 16 hours in the Quadrant of Deception and the Quadrant of Waste. In his book he highlights four quadrants where one can […]

Dear Self. This is a plea that you intervene And stop what’s going on Things cannot continue like this We need a relief and we are Not Getting it. We feel let down, who can we turn to But you? It leaves us bewildered How […]

This interview is part of our In The Footsteps of Khadijah (May Allah be pleased with her) interview series- Introducing Sr. Sara Jawad Malik, a marriage mentor and a very Productive Muslimah. Founder of Cherished and Successful online magazine and online community. Here we go, […]

A lot of women have young children, and find it hard with sleepless nights, poorly kids, feeling unwell themselves as mums… and life seems to be a roller coaster ride. When trying to surrender, when the topic of self care comes up, a lot of […]

The time will come when, with elation you will greet yourself arriving at your own door, in your own mirror and each will smile at the other’s welcome, and say, sit here. Eat. You will love again the stranger who was your self. Give wine. […]

  How to Find All the Love, Approval and Appreciation You Ever Wanted.  Let Byron Katie take you on a journey within. Question all your negative beliefs about other people and turn them round with personal breakthroughs. Updated: Use Katie’s 4 Questions to find out […]