From Passion in Da'wah to Global Brand | Farid Abu Ahmed | 052

In this episode, we interview the founder of Dakwah Corner Bookstore, brother Farid Abu Ahmed.

We discuss:

✅ Farid's origin story and how that led to the establishment of his businesses

✅ His roots and upbringing in Burma, experiencing first hand, the difficult persecution faced by the Rohingya people, after which he moved to Bangladesh and eventually to Makkah where he started off working odd jobs;

✅ His passion in da’wah, and how he had this high ambition of fulfilling the demand of spreading Islamic knowledge English language

✅ Eventually how Allah opened up the doors to meet the right people who eventually supported his vision and ambition that led to the opening of Dakwah Corner bookstore, leading up to the opening of his main center of business here in Malaysia

✅ His focus and vision in this business, and some entrepreneurial tips, especially implementing ihsan in our businesses, and especially the importance of building relationships, which is i quote, the most important capital

✅ How this capital eventually led to bigger opportunities not only in business, but also in da’wah: eventually opening up doors to add value to the local community here in Malaysia

✅ Some personal tips on how to develop a reading habit, including some practical ideas to inculcate the reading habit in our children

TIME STAMPS

0:00:00 Start

0:04:44 Introduction, how we met

0:15:13 Farid's Rohingya origins in Arakan, Burma

0:23:04 Fleeing to Bangladesh after the Revolution

0:25:33 His father's role in instilling passion for Islam

0:30:13 Moving to Saudi Arabia

0:32:33 The Dream: to establish something related to faith, in the center of faith = Makkah

0:38:44 Importance of Strategic Location in Business establishment

0:43:40 Ihsan strategy: five distinguishing elements for DCB to standout

0:49:58 The struggle to bring some books: up to 10 years!

0:52:01 If your goal is to make money, don't open a bookstore 😂

1:00:18 Was reading a passion since Day 1, or developed & nurtured over time?

1:04:38 Tips: How to build a reading habit for

1:11:28 Why move to Malaysia? How DCB established in Malaysia

1:19:13 Publishing: Learning from failures & horrible experiences

1:23:56 Debunking the myth of "don't judge a book by its cover"

1:30:13 Find your niche: your role & unique contribution

1:34:37 Bringing Mufti Menk in Malaysia for the first time MMKL2012

1:39:57 Customize your Da'wah to be relevant to the intended audience

1:45:50 Fact: People Love Malaysia 🇲🇾😍

1:48:33 Advice for Malaysians: Step up, realize your potential 

1:52:03 Faisal's nervewracking experience of giving talk in TSP 2019 convention, "Bravery and Generosity"

1:57:13 The Legacy Brother Farid wants to leave behind

2:00:50 that ONE quote that changed Brother Farid's life and motivated him the most

2:10:42 Importance of his mother's supplications (du'aa) for him

2:13:05 How we can get in touch with Farid & Dakwah Corner

2:17:33 The Key to Barakah is..