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Author Interview: Yamin Mogahed


Today's interview is with the author of Reclaim Your Heart, Yasmin Mogahed. She is a freelance writer and international speaker. She also hosts Serenity, her show on One Legacy Radio.

As Salaamu Alaikum and Welcome to the Muslim Authored Reads blog. Please tell us a little bit about your book, Reclaim Your Heart.


Reclaim Your Heart is a book about freeing the heart from the chains of worldly life. It talks about healing, about coping and about redemption.
What was the motivation behind writing Reclaim Your Heart

My own life experiences and the lessons I was learning along the way about love, loss, pain and God.

I had the wonderful opportunity to hear you read "I Prayed for Peace Today," at the Seattle IlmFest 2015. What inspired you to write that poem?

A very difficult personal challenge that I had no control to alter. It made me realize how powerless I really am, and that all power belongs to God.
Can you share with us your publishing journey? What were some of your greatest challenges and how did you overcome them?
My biggest challenge was finding the right publisher, as I faced an incident of attempted fraud during my initial search.
 
Do you have any other projects/books you are working on now?

My next project is a collection of my shorter quotes insha Allah.
 
Aside from being a motivational and inspirational writer, you are also an instructor for the AlMaghrib Institute? Can you give us a little information about the institute and your upcoming classes?

My class is entitled, "Transformed: Principles of Spiritual Development"
It is a full weekend course that delves deeply into the study of the heart and the relationship with the creator and with the creation. We study how rectifying our relationship with the creator, in turn rectifies our relationships with the creation. And vice versa.
 
When you are not busy writing or teaching classes or giving lectures, what do you like to do?

Spend quality time with the people I love. I enjoy deep conversation and really great humor.
 
Which of the poems in your book is your favorite and why?

I think it would be "I prayed for peace today" because of how raw that sentiment was.
 
And for our final question:

As I mentioned before, I attended the IlmFest conference in Seattle and the theme of the conference was Balance, balance in every aspect of our lives, Currently, we are seeing a lot of turmoil in Muslim communities, whether it is in the home, at work, school or with dealing with the public at large. If you had one piece of advice for the Ummah, to heal and grow from these struggles, what would it be?

Stay close to God, nourish your heart with His constant remembrance, and love Him more than anything else.
 
I would like to thank Ustadha Yasmin for taking time out of her busy schedule to share her book and insights with us. Find our review of Reclaim Your Heart here.

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