where depth meets flow

Artificial intelligence is ruining the Ummah

Assia • The Mizaan — Mon, 06 Jul 2026 05:00:26 GMT

Yep, you read that right.

We Muslims are being ruined every-single-day because of how obsessed we are with AI.

In aya (20:128) of the Quran, Allah says:

“Indeed, in that are signs for those of intelligence.”

Who would have thought the ones He’s alluding to here, those of intelligence, would become stupider by the day, all because of another type of intelligence created... by men?

source

No more critical thinking, no more effort to check if something’s accurate, no more appreciation of using the working brains Allah gifted us to explore our intellect and creativity, no realization of the importance of fighting excessive and unintentional productivity.

Just prompts aiming to satisfy our addiction to dopamine rushes, to quick money and results, but also, to numbing our cognitive abilities.

And here is what we forget: the struggle of thinking is not a flaw to be optimized away, it is the actual point. The exhaustion of articulating something, the friction of forming an opinion through reading, reflecting, doubting and revisiting, all of this is part of how Allah shapes our intellect, allows us to use our free will and refines our nafs. It’s part of being human really.

In fact, when Iqra, “Read”, was the very first word revealed to the Prophet ﷺ, i don’t think it was to constantly ask AI to sum things up, but to read and learn with our own eyes, minds and efforts.

Seriously though, we don’t realize how having Islam gives us an exceptional competitive advantage in life compared to everyone else and yet, how we choose to simply follow the masses.

For some, it is due to a lack of self-confidence, thinking that a computer having access to all this data will be better than you at pretty much everything. Untrue, but understandable, and obviously, that lack of self-confidence didn’t appear out of nowhere; it is the natural result of years of comparison culture, of feeling like everyone is more articulate, more knowledgeable, more talented than us. AI just hands us a shortcut to escape that feeling, when the discomfort of not being good enough yet was where the growth was supposed to happen in the first place! Skipping it doesn’t make you better, it makes you increasingly dependent on something that will never actually belong to you and isn’t even 100% reliable.

For others, it is a clear lack of spirituality and that is exactly what is making us poor.

Our deen invites us everyday to build deep, authentic, sincere connections, with Allah, with people and with our own selves. It pushes us to be deeply rooted in our fitrah, to be mindful yet ambitious and to seek knowledge in a way that elevates us towards excellence.

Tell me now: do you really think the current use of AI allows us to do that?

Think about what it means to send someone who believes they’re talking to you an AI-generated message or to ask Claude what you think about something before you’ve even tried to figure it out yourself. We are slowly outsourcing not just our work, but our presence and it’s safe to say that this will have more consequences than we’d like to admit. Like, how can you know yourself if you never sit alone with your own mind long enough to hear it?

People have fallen into a laziness that impacts social interactions, have become so arrogant with their time and wealth that they don’t think others deserve to read something written by them, an actual human, or even worse, let them think that they’re the brain behind a text, an image, a concept when they’re not.

Find more of my reflections and advice in my book, The Winds of Change

Get your copy here

And just to be clear: I know some will say “AI also requires work, to be able to prompt properly, to create your own agents and systems” etc.

However this is not about not using AI at all, but it is about doing it the right way.

When used mindlessly, AI is just yet another fitna destroying our souls, our society and even our planet. Besides, this “efficiency” is kind of a mirage when the freed up time is just refilled with more noise, because when you think about it, a tool that helps you do more of what you already wish you did less of is not helping you, it is just speeding up a direction you should be questioning.

I also can’t help but thinking of the upcoming generation of Muslim kids who may never know the experience of being bored long enough to develop imagination, of struggling through a problem until they solve it themselves, of forming their own thoughts without a machine making suggestions… If we don’t do anything about it, they’re just all going to look like a bunch of likeminded zombies who literally cannot think without assistance, don’t you think?

Let’s aim for an intentional, limited, conscious use of these tools, one that helps us do the things we struggle with in a pragmatic way, hopefully with an outcome that does more good than harm to the most of us, not to become a robot on autopilot because I can guarantee you this is not what Allah meant for us when He created us.

What are your thoughts on this? Let me know insha’Allah, i’m very curious to know because i know it can be a cleaving topic!

Love and du’as,

Assia

This post is public so feel free to share it around if you enjoyed reading it - it helps me out a lot ✨

I fell in love with someone who doesn't love Allah, here's what I learned

Assia • The Mizaan — Mon, 29 Jun 2026 05:01:29 GMT

Honestly, this has to be one of the most disorienting and conflicting experiences a believing heart can go through in this dunya.

You meet a man, get to know him, start to picture a life with him within the beautiful context of mariage, you feel safe, seen, understood, he’s smart, kind, educated, calm, handsome, funny, curious, family-oriented… All of these warm and incredible human feelings, despite him not being on the same wavelength when it comes to faith.

Because he doesn’t pray. Doesn’t go to the mosque. Isn’t attached to preserving himself for marriage. Might not even want to actually discuss and learn about our deen with you.

And while these are important for you, you tell yourself he can change, that love is enough, that this is between him and Allah, that maybe with time, through you, something will shift in him…

Clearly, the heart can get incredibly creative when it wants to counteract what your gut is actually telling you.

Because deep down, you do know.
You know you love someone in Allah that doesn’t even love Him.

This is one of the forms of heartbreak that no one really talks about, but it does happen, even to the women you’d never expect, to the ones who pray, who fast, who genuinely care about their deen, and it deserves to be discussed honestly.

source

When it happened to me a few years ago, it was certainly one the hardest things i’ve ever had to go through. It was so far from the standards I thought i’d set for myself, I constantly prayed both for forgiveness from Allah and positive change from this man who wasn’t even doing that for me or himself. My heart was just never at peace.

Season 2 Episode 7｜Let's Talk First Time Sex with Amirah Zaky, Sexual Intimacy Educator & Vaginismus Expert

Assia • The Mizaan — Fri, 26 Jun 2026 16:31:30 GMT

In this episode, I sit down with Amirah Zaky, sexual intimacy educator and vaginismus expert, for an honest and compassionate conversation about fear, intimacy, and navigating first-time sexual experiences as Muslim women.

We discuss the emotional and psychological barriers that can make intimacy feel overwhelming, how shame and cultural expectations impact our relationship with our bodies, and the importance of healing, communication, and self-compassion.

This episode is a gentle reminder that intimacy is not just physical: it’s deeply emotional and spiritual too!

Please leave a review to help the podcast reach more Muslimas navigating life, relationships, and healing ✨

Links of my guest:

Amirah's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amirahzaky
Amirah's TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@amirah_zaky

My Links:

My Book The Winds of Change: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://amzn.to/49zlWcC⁠⁠⁠⁠
My Newsletter: https://themizaan.substack.com
My Instagram: instagram.com/themizaan

Rest isn't a reward nor a guilty pleasure

Assia • The Mizaan — Mon, 22 Jun 2026 05:01:28 GMT

A few weeks ago, I read a post on Instagram explaining how Muslims should not enjoy sleeping and instead, make it a point to constantly prioritize worship over rest. Basically the core message was “sleep as little as possible so you can spend most of your night praying”.

As someone with a chronic illness and levels of fatigue that are really hard to man…

The friendships you need to outgrow

Assia • The Mizaan — Mon, 15 Jun 2026 05:01:00 GMT

Have you ever felt that particular kind of fatigue which doesn’t come from work, but from… Your friends?

For some reason, certain people drain us in ways we struggle to articulate, and we can sense it has nothing to do with being an introvert.

We don’t talk about this enough, especially as Muslims, because we tend to glorify loyalty to a fault. We’ve been taught to be patient, to overlook, to keep giving, to never give up on someone, and while these are beautiful values when applied wisely, they can also become traps when we use them to justify staying in dynamics that quietly erode our peace, our imaan, and even who we are as people.

I think part of growing up spiritually is learning to recognize the difference between a friendship that challenges you in healthy ways, where you can feel you love each other for the sake of Allah or, at least, can witness a genuine care proven through words and action, and one that simply costs you more than it gives.

But how to act accordingly without guilt?

source

Your circle matters more than you think

The Prophet ﷺ said:

“A person is upon the religion of his close friend, so let one of you look at whom he befriends.”
Sunan Abi Dawud

This hadith reminds us that friendship in Islam is never a casual matter. The people we keep close to us influence the way we think, the way we speak, the way we see the world, and most importantly, the way we relate to Allah. That influence is often subtle, accumulating in tiny moments, overtime, shaping us slowly until one day we look up and realize we’ve drifted from who we wanted to become.

No, your phone isn’t the problem

Assia • The Mizaan — Mon, 08 Jun 2026 05:01:22 GMT

Lately, we’ve all witnessed there has been a noticeable shift online: a wave of people romanticizing the analog life, posting about their journals, their film cameras, their morning routines, their manual activities, all with the goal of decreasing their screen time.

While I genuinely appreciate the intention behind it (your girl here has been working t…

The forgotten art of being feminine for ourselves

Assia • The Mizaan — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 05:00:52 GMT

Listen, I love being a woman. Even more so, a Muslim woman. What a blessing, Alhamdulillah.

But don’t you feel like there is a misconception that has quietly taken root in our community, one where wearing hijab and being modest implies sacrificing dressing, pampering, and just being feminine for yourself?

Think about it: the pieces we love but can’t wear outside sit in the back of our closets, the hair care routine is a little neglected because there’s no need for a good hair day anymore, no earrings get bought because no one will see them anyway… Somehow many sisters convince themselves that this is what modesty is supposed to feel and be like.

And then, there are those who believe you have no business in making an effort to look put together because people and you even simply wanting to make that effort to look nice makes you… Shallow. (funny how no one says that about some of the brothers showing off their shirtless bodies in gym selfies, or reminds them that they’re supposed to lower their gaze, right?)

I honestly don’t know what happened, but somewhere along the way, something got lost and so many women now feel disconnected from their own femininity, from the simple joy of feeling pretty, from the ritual of taking care of ourselves.

Not for an audience or for a man, but as an expression of respect and love for Allah and ourselves.

Illustration by Benan Arslanoğlu

Modesty was never meant to erase us

Contrarywise to what many people think, including ladies themselves, modesty in Islam is not about minimizing yourself or hiding your light as a woman, both at home and in the public space: it is about preserving it mindfully, choosing who has access to it, and carrying yourself with dignity in every space you enter. That’s honestly the thing I love most about it, and ever since I started wearing hijab, I can feel that sense of responsibility and elegance to carry as a Muslimah way more than ever before, almost as if I was this humble vessel carrying a minuscule part of the immense beauty of Islam, hoping Allah finds me beautiful and people think our din is full of color and light, despite what some claim.

Why buying less is NOT about romanticizing poverty

Assia • The Mizaan — Mon, 25 May 2026 05:01:15 GMT

Every time I share something about consuming less, owning less, or being more thoughtful about what we bring into our homes, I get the same kind of feedback from a few people: that I’m romanticizing poverty, that I’m making people feel guilty for enjoying nice things, or worse, that this kind of mindset is the same as glorifying mediocrity.

I want to add…

Be honest: you're envious

Assia • The Mizaan — Mon, 18 May 2026 05:02:23 GMT

A friend announces she’s getting married.
An old university acquaintance is sharing she’s pregnant on stories.
An influencer you follow announces she’s now a home owner...
You know the feeling.

And behind the actually genuine “Mabrook! Allahuma barek i’m so happy for you” and du’as, there’s still this tiny pinch in your heart, not at all because you don’t wish them well but because it brings you back to your reality and naturally can’t help but wonder “why not me too?”

I’m certain that you’ve felt the discomfort that comes from realizing you might be envious of a random someone you compare yourself to, or worse, someone you love, and I find it’s only rarely addressed because admitting it feels like it would make us bad people, or even bad Muslims.

I mean, hear me out, i get it really and truth be told, it sucks.

I know this has been on my mind a lot recently, and anytime I’d feel envy, I’d beat myself up and spiral a little about not being a good person, despite what people think. I mean, it does show a disease of the heart, and it is never pleasant thing to realize that.

But I’ve come to believe that pretending we don’t feel it or not exactly understanding what it can mean is precisely what makes it dangerous, because it sits in silence and slowly shapes the way we see others, the way we see ourselves, and ultimately, the way we relate to Allah and what He has decreed for each of us.

So instead letting the disease grow, let’s see how we can gently heal from it.

Source

Why acknowledging it matters

Think about going to the doctor and not saying where you hurt yet still expecting them to give you the exact cure for whatever is wrong with you. It doesn’t make any sense right?

So likewise, when experiencing a disease of the heart, you need to acknowledge it in order to start working on it, and out of the many beautiful concepts we’re lucky to have in Islam, tazkiyat an nafs, the purification of the soul, is essential for that.

Why are Muslim women so harsh on each other?

Assia • The Mizaan — Tue, 12 May 2026 05:31:20 GMT

10 years ago, I was discussing Islam with one of my university professors. Two sisters were waiting to ask a question but ended up living out of impatience.
I left right after them and I was surprised to hear them say in, dare I say, a very despising tone “the girl isn’t even wearing hijab and acts like she can talk about our din, who does she think she…

How to honestly forgive yourself for your sins

Assia • The Mizaan — Tue, 31 Mar 2026 06:02:12 GMT

A few days ago, I was having dinner with a friend of mine. She told me about an influencer who receives calls from Muslim women sharing their darkest secrets anonymously and proceeded to show me one of her videos.

While the concept in itself is undeniably very problematic, it really got me thinking about how some of these sisters must have felt afterwar…

Is it the End of Times?

Assia • The Mizaan — Wed, 04 Mar 2026 05:01:18 GMT

As we see the world continuing to fall apart, being on the edge of World War III, with some thriving from hate and violence, Palestine disappearing from the maps, the rise of AI, buildings getting taller and taller, our planet getting warmer and warmer, natural disasters happening every few months, Islam often being flouted and time flying faster than e…

Let's stop romanticizing hardships

Assia • The Mizaan — Tue, 17 Feb 2026 07:00:28 GMT

Have you ever noticed the common pressure coming from some people but also sometimes from our own selves about believing that if something is a test from Allah, then we must immediately see it as beautiful and welcome it wholeheartedly? That the contrary would qualify as a lack of imaan, as if not having the capacity to embrace it at a given moment and …

Season 2 Episode 6｜What's with the Marriage Crisis ? With Humeyra Nur Celebi, Co-Founder of Ruh

Assia • The Mizaan — Thu, 25 Dec 2025 13:10:19 GMT

In this episode, I am joined by Humeyra, the co-founder of Ruh, a platform dedicated to Muslim therapy and mental health, and a therapist specialized in family and marriage counseling.

Together, we explore what’s really behind the rising struggles in Muslim marriages, from unmet expectations and communication breakdowns to cultural pressures, mental health and faith perspective on this topic. Humeyra shares what she’s seeing on the ground through her work, common patterns couples face, and how our deen can be a source of healing rather than guilt.

I hope you find this episode as grounding and eye-opening as I did!

About my guest:
Ruh Platform: https://www.ruhcare.com/Ruh Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ruhcare/

My Book
The Winds of Change is now available worldwide: https://www.lulu.com/fr/shop/assia-boukrouh/the-winds-of-change/paperback/product-576mvy8.html?page=1&pageSize=4

⁠

My links:
Instagram: instagram.com/inbalance.podcastInstagram: instagram.com/themizaanYouTube: youtube.com/themizaan

Why I refuse to settle for less in a man

Assia • The Mizaan — Mon, 08 Dec 2025 07:30:45 GMT

As I get closer to turning 32 (a little over two months left insha’Allah), I’ve been sitting with thoughts about this age sounding very “adult-y”, and naturally, about still not being married.

I have to say though, this time is different, because disappointment and exhaustion are the first emotions that come to mind and that I feel like are completely f…

The daily act of faith that most Muslims ignore

Assia • The Mizaan — Mon, 01 Dec 2025 07:02:40 GMT

If you’ve been following me for a long time, you will find that this letter is echoing many of the things I’ve shared before, but this time, I thought I’d address this in a way that is maybe a little bit more… thought provoking? (You’ll let me know insha’Allah)

There is a daily act of faith that (too) many Muslims overlook, some because they don’t care, …

Stop thinking you're poor

Assia • The Mizaan — Mon, 24 Nov 2025 06:31:14 GMT

Okay so I know this title is a little… Confronting.

It is indeed a bold statement but in my humble opinion, necessary, because so many of us walk through life convinced that what we lack defines us more than what we have.

The modern world has conditioned us to see wealth through a narrow lens, one shaped by numbers, lifestyle ostentation and constant co…

the faith-performance culture needs to stop

Assia • The Mizaan — Thu, 16 Oct 2025 07:01:26 GMT

So listen, I’m all for growth and improving consistently, but over the five past years creating islamic related content online, I’ve witnessed our community being driven by performance and faith productivity (almost as if it was a new type of hustle culture) but also, being completely disconnected of the realities of each and everyone of us.

So today I’…

Salah is so, so underrated

Assia • The Mizaan — Sat, 23 Aug 2025 13:00:03 GMT

For the past few months, I’ve been doing a lot of introspection and one of the things I’ve been thinking about lot about is the quality of my Salah.

Salah is often overlooked in its profoundness. We often take it for granted, sometimes even neglect it, but truth be told: it is the second most important pillar of our faith for a reason and if it isn’t sta…

Season 2 Episode 5｜Islam, Culture & Identity : Growing up as a Diaspora Kid with Bayan Fares, Founder of the Badan Collective

Assia • The Mizaan — Fri, 22 Aug 2025 12:38:39 GMT

In this episode, I’m joined by Bayan Fares, founder of the Badan Collective, to talk about navigating identity, balancing cultural and societal expectations, and the role of faith in maintaining mental health—especially during difficult times for Palestine.

Bayan also shares how reconnecting with her heritage through tatreez has empowered her and inspired others in the diaspora.

Please leave a review as it helps the podcast to be discovered by likeminded sisters who are navigating life as Muslimas! Thank you so much from the bottom of my heart for tuning in this season, I hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed working on it, please let me know your feedbacks!

Links of Bayan :
Website: https://www.badancollective.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/badan.collective

My Links:
My Book The Winds of Change: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://amzn.to/49zlWcC⁠⁠⁠⁠
My Newsletter: https://themizaan.substack.com
My Instagram: instagram.com/themizaan & instagram.com/inbalance.podcast

where depth meets flow

Artificial intelligence is ruining the Ummah

I fell in love with someone who doesn't love Allah, here's what I learned

Season 2 Episode 7｜Let's Talk First Time Sex with Amirah Zaky, Sexual Intimacy Educator & Vaginismus Expert

Rest isn't a reward nor a guilty pleasure

The friendships you need to outgrow

Your circle matters more than you think

No, your phone isn’t the problem

The forgotten art of being feminine for *ourselves*

Modesty was never meant to erase us

Why buying less is NOT about romanticizing poverty

Be honest: you're envious

Why acknowledging it matters

Why are Muslim women so harsh on each other?

How to honestly forgive yourself for your sins

Is it the End of Times?

Let's stop romanticizing hardships

Season 2 Episode 6｜What's with the Marriage Crisis ? With Humeyra Nur Celebi, Co-Founder of Ruh

Why I refuse to settle for less in a man

The daily act of faith that most Muslims ignore

Stop thinking you're poor

the faith-performance culture needs to stop

Salah is so, so underrated

Season 2 Episode 5｜Islam, Culture & Identity : Growing up as a Diaspora Kid with Bayan Fares, Founder of the Badan Collective

The forgotten art of being feminine for ourselves