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MuslimMoney Meal

I tossed my presentation at the last minute.

Published 6 months ago • 1 min read

Salam Reader,

I spent two hours preparing for this presentation. But the moment I walked in, I knew I had to change everything.

Yesterday, I spoke to an MSA board about financial responsibility in the context of student leadership. I had planned a structured presentation—first, I’d share my ideas, and then, if there was time, open the floor for questions.

But when I arrived, the speaker before me—a gifted community leader and Muslim civil liberties advocate—was fielding questions. The questions were thoughtful, and the answers were insightful. Within a moment, I found myself taking notes. It was a great conversation.

As I took the floor a few minutes later, I wondered, Do these students really want to hear me drone on for 45 minutes about my ideas? Especially after the engaging conversation they just had?

So, I scrapped my plan and started by asking, "What questions do you have about MSA leadership and money?"

What followed was a less polished but - insha'Allah - more meaningful hour. I still shared parts of my prepared material, but the real value came from shaping the content to their questions in real time.

The lesson for me? Don’t wait until the end to ask for questions. Ask at the beginning—you’ll get a much richer conversation.

This is the Muslim Money Meal - a 3-course newsletter on how to spend freely, invest wisely, and give generously.

Starter 🥗

Main Course 🍔

How Much Housing Can Ahmed Afford?

Ahmed and his young family need to move. Should they use the

  • 30% rule to rent
  • 28% rule to buy
  • something else entirely?

Dessert 🍰

"The honest and trustworthy businessperson will be with the prophets, the truthful, and the martyrs."

 

Sunan al-Tirmidhī

When you're ready, here's how I can help:

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MuslimMoney Meal

Farooq Maseehuddin

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