I Started Islam Hashtag to Seek Knowledge — Here’s Where That Journey of ilm Took Me

By Fahmina

Reintroduction — The Blogger Behind Islam Hashtag: I Started Islam Hashtag to Seek Knowledge — Here’s Where That Journey of ilm Took Me

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ

Assalamu Alaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh, my dear sisters (and brothers),

الحمد لله. All praise is for Allah.

If you’ve been here before — welcome back. If you’re new — I’m so glad you found your way here. And if you’re someone who has been quietly reading these pages for years without ever saying salaam… well, consider this my personal invitation to finally say hello. ❤️

I want to slow down today. No article on fiqh, no hadith notes , no worksheet. Just me, talking to you — the way I perhaps should have been doing all along.

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Eleven Years. الحمد لله.

Islam Hashtag turned 11 years old. Can you believe that?

When I started this blog back in 2015, I was just a young woman with a quest for knowledge I didn’t have a grand plan. I didn’t have a content calendar or a social media strategy. I had ilm — or rather, a deep, restless hunger for it — and I wanted to share whatever small drops of it Allah ﷻ had blessed me with.

That was the beginning.

What has happened since then? So much, alhamdulillah. So much that when I sat down last night, alone with my thoughts, I actually had to stop and reflect — really reflect — on where this journey has taken me.

A Little About Me — The Real Me

My name is Fahmina Jawed, and most of you know me simply as Aafiya — the voice behind Islam Hashtag.

Here is my story, and I want to share it with you properly, maybe for the first time.

My journey with Islam Hashtag began as a journey of ‘ilm — of seeking knowledge. And alhamdulillah, that seeking never stopped.

I completed my Alimah course from not one, but two prestigious institutions. Do you know what it means to sit in those circles of knowledge, to read the books of the fuqaha and the mufassireen, to have the words of the prophet ﷺ transmitted to you through a living chain of scholars? It changes you. It quietly, permanently changes you.

After completing my Alimah studies, I felt the pull to go deeper into the language of the Quran — the language of Jannah — so I enrolled in an MA in Arabic and alhamdulillah, completed that too.

During this time, I stepped into the role I feel most alive in: teaching. For the past three years, I have been teaching at an Islamic institution, and also teaching my own beloved students through TheIslamicBlog.com and Madrasatuna.com There is nothing — nothing — like watching a student’s face light up when she understands a Quranic verse for the first time. May Allah accept it from all of us.

But wait — there’s more. Because apparently I cannot sit still.

Some of you may remember that long before Islam Hashtag, I completed my Bachelor in Optometry (2010) and worked as an Optometrist. Well, a few years ago I went back to that world and not only restarted studying optometry, but also built two optometry websites — one of which, Optometryskills.com, has benefited millions of people, alhamdulillah. the Facebook page alone has grown to over 42,000 followers.

Alimah. Arabic MA. Islamic educator. Optometrist. Website builder. Content creator.

On paper, it looks like a very full, very accomplished life.

And it is, alhamdulillah. I say this not with pride, but with shukr — deep, heartfelt gratitude to Allah ﷻ for every door He opened.

But Last Night, I Sat Down and a deep realization stuck me.

Not out of sadness exactly. More out of… recognition.

I was sitting alone, scrolling through old posts on this blog. Some of them from 2015, 2016. And I noticed something.

Back then, I talked to you. I wrote like I was sitting across from you with a cup of chai, just sharing what was on my heart. You could feel me in those posts.

Somewhere along the way — between the Alimah certificates and the Arabic degree and the teaching schedule and the optometry websites and managing Islam Hashtag and being everything to everyone — I lost that.

I started posting content. Good content, alhamdulillah. Authentic, well-researched, beneficial content. But somewhere the connection faded.

And here is what I realised last night, with so much clarity it almost took my breath away:

I have been feeling lost because I have been missing you.

Not the statistics. Not the page views (though alhamdulillah, over 11 million total views on this blog is mind-blowing to even type). I mean you — the sister who messages me asking how to explain salah to her new Muslim friend. The revert sister who found Islam and has no Muslim family and comes here late at night looking for warmth. The student who screenshots my posts to share with her mother. The woman going through something hard who just needs someone to remind her that Allah ﷻ is near.

I miss being your friend on the internet, not just your Islamic content provider.

Something I’ve Noticed — And It Broke My Heart a Little

Lately, I have been spending a lot of time in revert sisters’ groups. And I keep seeing the same thing over and over.

Muslims who have taken their shahada — sometimes years ago — who are still lost. Not because they don’t want to learn, but because the content they find is either too advanced, too dry, too intimidating, or simply not warm enough to make them feel welcome.

A revert sister doesn’t just need a fatwa. She needs a friend. She needs someone to hold her hand and say: “Start here. This is easy. You can do this. Allah loves you so much.”

That is what I want to be. That is what I want Islam Hashtag to be.

A New Chapter — In Sha Allah

So I made a decision last night. In sha Allah, I am realigning.

No more random content whenever inspiration strikes. Instead, I am going to post topic by topic, structured, thoughtful — starting from the very basics.

Think of it as: if your newly reverted friend sat down with me and said, “Fahmina, where do I even begin?” — these articles will be my answer to her. Step by step. Brick by brick. With love, with gentleness, with the occasional personal story, and in sha Allah, always with authentic daleel.

And not just for reverts — for any Muslim sister who feels like her deen is sitting somewhere on a shelf gathering dust, and she doesn’t quite know how to pick it up again. I see you. I have been there too.

You will be able to connect with me through these coming articles as though we are having a real conversation. I will be speaking to you — not at you. I will be walking with you — not ahead of you. Small steps. Beautiful steps. In sha Allah.

What’s New on Islam Hashtag — Have You Explored Lately?

And speaking of new beginnings — if you haven’t visited the homepage recently, please go take a look! A lot has changed and I am genuinely excited to share what’s been added:

🕌 Hajj Companion App — This is something I am especially proud of and want to revive with full energy. With hajj season approaching, our Hajj app is a complete companion for pilgrims — guiding you through the rituals, duas, and steps of this blessed journey. Please share it with anyone preparing for Hajj or Umrah. This is sadaqah jariyah for all of us, in sha Allah.

📿 Digital Tasbih Counter — A beautiful, free digital tasbih right in your browser. No app download needed. Use it for your daily adhkar and dhikr.

📖 Hisnul Muslim — All 268 Duas — Complete with Arabic text, audio, and transliteration. A full duas portal so you never have to google a dua again.

🧾 Salah & Qadha Tracker — For sisters working on making up missed prayers. No judgment, only support.

🃏 Islamic Flashcards — Flashcard-based learning for Quranic memorisation and Islamic knowledge. Great for kids and adults alike.

📝 Free Printable Worksheets — For homeschooling mamas, madrasah teachers, or anyone who learns by writing. Completely free, downloadable, printable.

🎨 Online Islamic Coloring Pages — Because learning can be colourful and fun, especially for little ones.

🎧 Islamic Audio Books — For when you want to listen to Islamic knowledge — while cooking, commuting, or before sleep.

📚 Selected Surahs for Daily Recitation — A curated collection to help you build a consistent Quran habit.

🛒 The Islam Hashtag Store — Islamic planners, journals, ebooks, and short courses to support your journey.

And of course, the blog continues to cover Spirituality, Seerah, Islamic History, tafsir, Ramadan content, Duas, New Muslim resources, and so much more.

Islam Hashtag is not just a blog anymore. It is, alhamdulillah, a little Islamic ecosystem — and I want every corner of it to serve you.

Before I Go — A Personal Dua

Ya Allah, You know what is in my heart as I write these words. You know the nights I sat wondering if any of this matters, if anyone is even reading, if I am doing enough. You know the fatigue and the doubt and the love — all mixed together.

Ya Allah, make this blog a sadaqah jariyah for me and for every person who ever contributed to it, shared an article, or benefited from it even by a single word. Make it a source of hidayah for anyone who lands on it while searching for You. Ya Rabb, reconnect me with my readers, and through these words, draw us all closer to You.

آمين

Dear reader — thank you for still being here. Or for being here for the first time. Either way, I am glad you are.

This is a new beginning for Islam Hashtag. And I promise you — I will show up differently now.

With so much love and duas,

If this post touched you, please share it with a sister who might need it. And drop a comment below — even just a salaam. I genuinely want to hear from you. 💬