Faris Mohammad

Beneficial all around, and particularly refreshing compared to the typical self-help literature of the genre.

I loved the entwining of spirituality with material productivity (indeed, there shouldn't be a dichotomy in the first place) but Faris blew me away when he discusses things like the importance of family and volunteering in 'social productivity'. The latter contributed to a rethinking of such things in light of both spirituality and productivity.

This reminds me of a quote from The Simpsons:

Mr. Burns: "I'll keep it short and sweet. Family, religion, friendship. These are the three demons you must slay if you wish to succeed in business. When opportunity knocks, you don't want to be driving to a maternity hospital or sitting in some phony-baloney church. Or synagogue."

In essence, the book is the inverse of that whilst keeping it genuinely balanced all around. Faris cites plenty of other authors of the self-help genre as well as numerous scientific studies particularly in the chapters regarding physical wellbeing in: sleep, diet and exercise.

Personally, as I listened to this via an audiobook over the course of two years with numerous hiatuses, I feel as if I didn't get as much out of the book as I should have. So I'll be buying the physical copy, re-reading and taking proper notes so I can implement as much as I can Inshallah.


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