Sheima Salam Sumer

My name is Sheima Salam Sumer, Ed.S., and I earned my Master’s degree in Counselor Education from the University of South Carolina in 2007. I have worked as a professional counselor in a variety of settings–school, home,and office–counseling individuals of all ages as well as families and groups.

More important than my credentials, however, are my life experiences, which propelled me to write this book. After giving birth to my second child and trying to go back to full-time work as an in-home counselor, I reached an all-time low in the quality of my health, marriage, and emotional well-being. My faith in Allah (swt) always kept me going, but I knew that something had to change.

I believe that Allah (swt) guided me to reread a book that I had previously dismissed as unIslamic and unhelpful. This book is “The Secret” by Rhonda Byrne. The second time I read it, I realized that its basic message was very powerful, even though certain aspects of the book would rub a devout Muslim the wrong way. The basic message is that you can improve your life by improving your inner world; i.e. your feelings/emotions.

After realizing that this book had something to offer me, I decided to try out its ideas by focusing on what I wanted in life and focusing on feeling good within. I decided to leave my job and consequently I had to move to Afghanistan for a year, where my husband had a full-time job. During this time I focused on my dream of compiling a book called “The Basic Values of Islam” which would be a reference book that listed Quranic verses and hadiths that prove that Islam believes in the 70 values listed in the book (such as kindness, gentleness, etc.).

Alhamdulillah, I was able to publish this book (available on Islamicbookstore.com and Amazon.com). I also, with the help of Allah, was able to lose 30 pounds, a goal that I had after gaining too much weight after my second pregnancy. I experienced firsthand how using the law of attraction, The Secret, which I believe to be a blessing of Allah (swt), and which can only work by the permission of Allah, can really improve one’s life.

This second book, “How to be a Happy Muslim Insha’Allah”, is my journey on how to try to feel good/happy within while trying to be true to Islam, my faith. I wanted to share my insights on how I reconciled Islamic teachings with the goal of feeling positive feelings, for the sake of being a more productive Muslim, insha’Allah.

I hope that this book will help you on your journey to being a Muslim who is also Happy.