Back Story…

I’m a geek. I know it and embrace it. In my office, I’m the go-to person for data and statistics. Working as a financial editor at a real-time newswire means I’m usually at the center of a whirlwind of clamor. In order to thrive, I must stay calm and focused. I spend a great deal of time with a calculator in hand and I always strive to back up the assertions that we write about with the concrete data that illustrate it.

For most of my life, I regarded living in a modern-day setting to be at odds with being spiritual. Embracing Islam in the past few years has taught me quite the opposite. Throughout my hectic days at work, I take breaks to pray the five prayers enjoined on Muslims, those who strive to live in complete devotion to God, known as Allah in Arabic. Prayer is the calmness that weaves together my days, a comforting consistency that eases the sting of a bad day and reminds me to be grateful on a good day.

In addition to acts of worship like prayer, fasting and generous charity, the Quran calls on Muslims to think, reflect and attain knowledge. This is one of its greatest appeals to me as a human who spends so much of my time striving to understand my surroundings as part of a quest to attain balance and equilibrium. “Of all His servants, only those possessing knowledge stand in true awe of God.” (Quran: 35:28)

Daliah Merzaban is a Muslima Ambassador. See her featured work here