Mariyam Mohamed

There are moments in life when we wonder whether Allah has forgotten us. We pray, we wait, we try to remain patient, yet nothing seems to change. Sometimes the silence becomes so difficult that we begin questioning ourselves:   Why is this happening to me? Has Allah abandoned me? Am I being punished? Will things ever become better?   Surah Ad-Duha speaks beautifully to this human experience. Although it was revealed in a particular context to comfort the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ when revelation had paused, its message carries a timeless reassurance for anyone who has ever experienced uncertainty, loneliness, disappointment or a period when life simply did not make sense. Allah begins the Surah by swearing by the morning brightness and the night when it becomes still: “By the morning brightness, and by the night when it is still.” There is something deeply comforting about this imagery. Night and day are both part of Allah's creation, and neither remains forever. Darkness h...

Today, after a long time, I found myself checking the political situation in our country again. I had deliberately stayed away from the political noise for some time, but when I looked at what was happening, one thought kept coming back to me: how easily the game of politics can make us lose sight of the beautiful teachings of Islam. I am not a politician, and I do not claim to understand the strategies, negotiations, alliances or calculations that happen behind political doors. However, I do know a little about human behaviour, psychology and the way our minds respond to people, situations and emotions. Perhaps that is why what I see worries me more than the politics itself. Politics is not only about policies, elections, leadership or power. It is also about human psychology. It is about understanding what people fear, what they desire, what makes them angry, what makes them feel safe and what makes them feel that they belong. The Maldives is a small country, yet politically we have ...

As I was sitting and listening to conversations, I found myself reflecting on how quickly we are to judge another person based on their actions without taking a moment to step into their shoes. We see a behaviour, interpret it through our own lens, attach meaning to it, and very quickly create a label: “She is proud.” “He has an ego.” “She thinks she is better than everyone.” “He is arrogant.” Yet we rarely know what is happening beneath that behaviour or what experiences have shaped the way a person responds to a particular situation. This made me wonder:   how much of what we call ego actually belongs to the person we are observing, and how much belongs to the person doing the observing? The Human Tendency to Label Our minds naturally try to make sense of people and situations. We observe behaviour and immediately try to determine what it means. This can help us navigate relationships, but it can also become problematic when we mistake our interpretation for reality. Someone may ...

          In my previous reflection, I found myself sitting with a simple but uncomfortable realisation: I came into this world with nothing, and one day I will leave this world with nothing. Yet, so much of my life, and perhaps much of human life, is spent wanting, holding on, expecting and becoming attached to people, places, possessions and experiences. That thought stayed with me because if everything is temporary, why do we find it so difficult to let go?      As I continued reflecting on this, another question began to emerge: why do certain people become so important to us that their presence makes us feel safe, while their absence can make us feel as though a part of us is missing? Why does losing a relationship sometimes feel like losing our identity? Why can leaving a familiar place make us feel as though we no longer belong? And why do some attachments feel much deeper than the situation itself seems to explain?     ...

Last night, I delivered a keynote lab speech. For those unfamiliar with a keynote lab, it is one of the most challenging speaking environments because you are evaluated by experienced international speakers on every aspect of your performance. They assess your stage presence, speech pace, body language, audience connection, vocal variation, content, delivery style, flow, and the overall experience you create. You have just seven minutes to demonstrate your expertise and leave a lasting impact. Every second matters. I have been speaking for many years and have stood on countless stages. I have spoken to thousands of people, trained leaders, and coached individuals to become confident communicators. Yet, for the first time in my speaking journey, I felt something I had never experienced before. I felt it in my stomach before I even stepped onto the stage, and as my speech progressed, I felt myself slowly losing my presence. Most people in the audience probably never noticed. However, a f...

Last week, we explored why gratitude sometimes brings tears. We discovered that gratitude is much more than simply saying 'thank you.' It is an emotion that connects our memories, relationships, struggles, hope, and meaning into one deeply human experience. Interestingly, only a day after publishing that article, life allowed me to experience the very science I had been writing about. After finishing my workout at the gym, I picked up my phone and noticed a message waiting for me. It wasn't long or dramatic. It was simply someone expressing genuine gratitude. As I read it, I smiled. Then, almost unexpectedly, my eyes filled with tears. The organisational psychologist in me became curious. What was happening inside my brain? How could a few heartfelt words create such a powerful emotional response? The answer lies within one of the most complex and fascinating organs we possess, the human brain. The Brain Doesn't Just Read Words, It Creates Meaning When we receive a hear...