STG Episode 5 - What Shaped My Personality?

How much control do you have over the qualities you possess? What aspects of your personality are innate, and what are you to cultivate? Everyone is born with a set of gifts and talents, and given the opportunity to nurture them. Will you nurture them in a way to bring you closer to Allah, or will they draw you further away?

STG Episode 6 - Why Do I Have These Abilities?

There is no greater blessing after faith than good health. Good health gives you the opportunity to strive in the way of Allah and earn blessings. But what if it wasn't decreed for you, and you are living with disability or illness? Allah has placed reward in both ability and disability, and there is always something to strive for in every circumstance.

STG Episode 7 - Why Do I Look Like This?

Have you ever felt like you hate the body that you're in, or that you wish you were more beautiful? Beauty is more often a test than a blessing, and true beauty lies in what is beneath the surface. Allah has fashioned you to be uniquely you, and that includes your form, but He doesn't look at your appearance, but your heart. And what's on the inside makes the outside even more beautiful.

STG Episode 8 - Why Do I Look Like This?

Is it better to be tested with wealth or poverty? Are you better off because you work harder than others? Is it your fault if you're in poverty? How can we understand the blessing of rizq, while also understanding the blessings of being poor? It all starts from a single truth: Allah has already decreed your rizq for you.

STG Episode 9 - Why Am I Responsible for Someone Else’s Mistake?

Whether you’re burdened by providing for your family, caring for your loved ones, or carrying the emotional wounds of others, Allah promises great reward in carrying the burdens of others and maintaining ties of kinship. And if you turn away from all of that, Allah promises loss, not just of reward but of self.

STG Episode 10 - Did I Ever Choose To Be Muslim?

Some people have the trial of discovering Islam for the first time later in life. Others who were born Muslim, however, may find themselves at a point where they ask, "Am I really a Muslim or was I just raised that way?" The act of renewing your faith can be just as hard as discovering it for the very first time. What both of these cases have in common, in whatever circumstances or trials that they hold, is Allah's decree to draw you closer to Him.

STG Episode 11 - Why Won't Allah Answer Me?

Despite your desperate pleas, why does it feel like Allah isn't listening to your duas? The answer is heavy with the wisdoms of the All-Knowing, and touches upon circumstance, intent, and the hidden ways Allah lays out paths for you that you could've never imagined. Sometimes, the ability to pour your heart out into du'a is itself a blessing, and other times, the greatest reward is in patiently waiting for the answer to your prayer. And just as du'a is a means of changing your decree, building that regular communication with God might just be what He has written for you in the first place. And what better could you ask for?

STG Episode 12 - Why Did Allah Send Me Down This Path?

When you make Istikharah du'a, you're asking Allah to guide you towards the right choice, a special consultation with Him. But if the results don't turn out good for you, why was it facilitated? What was the point of your Istikharah? Ibn al-Qayyim said, “If the veils were lifted and you could see behind the scenes what Allah does out of kindness for you, your heart would melt out of love for Him…” Allah answers every prayer according to His time and plan and gives the best results for it. So when you ask for good, and something bad happens, know that it was His Wisdom that deemed what you thought was bad to be better for you. And when you finally decide to let go of the outcome you so desperately want and humbly submit to Allah's Wisdom, the tranquility you'll feel will be unparalleled.

STG Episode 13 - Will I Ever Find True Love?

A lot of us grow up with fairy tales about magical encounters, butterflies, perfect fantasies, and happy endings. But is there such a thing as true love and soulmates in Islam? What does Islam say about love? The Seerah is full of stories about marriage and love that are timelessly relatable, and speak of all types of fates. Because just like rizq, romantic love is also decreed by Allah, and what Al-Wadud writes for you of love is more perfect for you than anything you could ever desire.

STG Episode 14 - Why Were These People Put in My Life?

People can be the greatest blessing in your life, but they can also be the source of immense pain. But why does Allah put evil people in your life? And how do you show grace to those who've wronged you? Getting over heartbreak and betrayal and controlling your anger and envy may be difficult, but it isn't impossible, and the wisdom in Islamic tradition is rife with practical advice and motivation.