Assalamu alaykum everyone 👋 I'll go first. My name is Ziad Hafda. I'm the founder of The Muslim Mind Academy and I'm based in Sydney, Australia. I've spent over 22 years seeking Islamic knowledge, teaching students, mentoring, leading community programs and asking one question that wouldn't leave me: Why do so many Muslims know the Kalimah but so few are actually living from it based on its true intended purpose sent by Allah... That question became this community. I'm a Vice-President and Chair of Education at the Australian Islamic House in Sydney. I'm also writing a book — The Muslim Mind: Reviving the Ummah through the Kalimah — which is the foundation of everything we teach here. I built this community for Muslims who are done drifting and ready to think, lead and live with Divine direction. Your turn 👇 Tell us who you are, where you're from, and answer this one question honestly: What is the biggest gap you feel between your Islam and your daily life right now? No judgment. This is your space. May Allah bless your path Ziad

Here is a statement I want you to wrestle with: "A Muslim who becomes more productive, more successful and more disciplined but without knowing Allah more deeply has not changed. They have just improved." Change, in the framework, is transformation at the level of values and beliefs not just habits and routines. The Quran does not say Allah will change your productivity. He says He will change your condition and that starts within. Do you agree? Or do you think improvement IS change? Let's hear it. "Agree or disagree — and why? No wrong answers here. Push back if you see it differently. This is exactly the kind of thinking this community was built for."

The framework ends with three powerful words: "Now you're ready to go." Ready to go — where? To what? For what purpose? The New State of Mind is not just feeling better about yourself. It is having a completely new set of values, beliefs, views and positions, all anchored in knowing Allah. It means your thinking changes. Your decisions change. The way you see your role in this Ummah changes. This is the part most development courses skip. They make you feel good but leave you with no direction. The Muslim Mind is different, the new state is not the destination. It is the launchpad. "Paint me a picture — if your New State of Mind was fully realised, what would your life look like in 3 years? Not your career. Your MIND. Your character. Your role in this Ummah. Write it out."

Look at the framework again. Notice there are THREE states, not two. Most people think change works like this: you learn something new → you change. But that is not how the Muslim Mind operates. There is an Interim State that most people skip and skipping it is why so many of us feel stuck between who we are and who we want to be. The Interim State is the bridge. It is the phase where you are consistently dipping into new knowledge. Quran, Sunnah, reflection, community before real transformation can take root. You cannot rush this phase. You have to live in it intentionally. This community, these sessions, this knowledge — this IS your Interim State. Use it. "Have you ever felt stuck between who you are and who you know you should be as a Muslim? What kept you in that gap? Share your experience — your story might unlock someone else."

This is your first journal entry. Answer these three questions right now. Write it in the comments or screenshot it for yourself. 1. What are my top 3 values that guide my daily decisions? 2. Where did those values come from? 3. If I am honest with myself, do they align with what Allah expects of me? There is no right or wrong answer here. This is about where you ARE, not where you think you should be. The journey starts with honesty. "Drop at least ONE of your answers in the comments. Even if it is uncomfortable, especially if it is uncomfortable. This community grows when we are real with each other."