Introduction

When you do things from your soul, you feel a river moving in you, a joy. - Rumi

Looking back, perhaps it was inevitable that I would become a designer. After all, I was an art-loving kid in the eighties and nineties, embracing digital tools at a time of rapid change.

It may be less obvious that I would embrace Islam in my early 20s and step into a spiritual journey, a path I could never have plotted or expected; but we plan and God plans, and surely God is the best of planners.

As a new Muslim entrepreneur trying to make my way in the world of design, I initially wondered if succeeding in my career would mean compromising my faith. The more spiritual wisdom I learned, the more I noticed how many modern business practices were out of sync.

This challenge wasn’t unique to me; many people I came to know struggled with this feeling. Professionals shared how they felt out of alignment with their job or career path. Successful entrepreneurs and creative leaders who practised authentic spirituality were not easy to find (at least in the places I was looking at the time).

Books on Islamic art and design were visually stunning and inspiring but too philosophical and esoteric for the practical help I needed running a modern design studio. Conversely, most business books and professional design resources seemed to avoid spiritual matters altogether.

I set out with determination to seek out people who could help me find answers – scholars, seekers, creative elders, and respected business leaders – and met with many kind, wise, and patient souls who shared their nasihah (sincere advice) with me.

Through their counsel, encouragement, friendship, and example, I came to understand how the paths of entrepreneurship and faith, creative professionalism and spirituality, can come together in beautiful and profound ways. In fact, the alignment of these paths can become deeply transformational for the individuals and the communities they serve.

Our spiritual path expands our consciousness and awakens our heart, which helps us ask better questions and elevate our design practice.It encourages us to design for remembrance, not for distraction.

Heart-Centered Design is the alignment of spiritual aspirations with foundational design principles.

This book offers guidance and inspiration on the path to holistic success and meaningful work as professionals, founders, leaders, and creatives. It’s a reference for changemakers who want to improve themselves inwardly, not just the world around them.

It offers an approach to help individuals and teams to develop concepts and products with clear intentionality, values, and in alignment with their spiritual path. Beyond the workplace, Heart-Centered Design is a purposeful way to reframe our life goals and personal dreams as design challenges.

This framework encourages us to adopt a perspective beyond financial metrics, user acquisition, and attention. It invites us to discover deeper modalities and imaginative faculties within ourselves.

Like any design journey, this is a process that requires iteration and improvement from diverse voices and perspectives. Heart-Centered Design is an open, foundational concept and not a checklist or strict methodology.

Design is a timeless human activity that should never be bound by a singular process, approach, or definition. It is yours to explore, improve, and reimagine.

Your ideas, projects, and innovation can help us collectively nurture a global like-hearted movement.

I hope you will join me in fostering a new generation of creatively confident, spiritually grounded designers, entrepreneurs, and dreamers who will serve humanity as best we can.

In these often-gloomy and uncertain times, we need to adopt this approach more than ever. With a heart-centered, design-led approach to life and work, I believe the future is bright, insha’Allah.

Bismillah, let’s begin.

‍

‍

‍