Whoever Controlled the Salt & Sugar Ruled the World — And Today, It’s Still True
There was a time when the people who controlled salt controlled armies.
When those who held sugar controlled economies.
When the resources weren’t just traded — they were weapons, currency, power.
Salt preserved food and life.
Sugar drove empires and colonies.
And those who ruled them didn’t just sell — they shaped the world.
Fast forward to today…
And not much has changed.
Only the resources have.
Today’s Salt and Sugar Are Digital - and Invisible
Today, the people who control:
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Media
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Narratives
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Platforms
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AI tools
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Commerce
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Data
They rule.
It’s not swords and spices now.
It’s algorithms, influence, infrastructure.
If you control what people see, you shape what they believe.
If you control what people buy, you shape what they value.
If you control what people think is possible, you define the limits of their imagination.
That’s the new battlefield.
And it’s already being conquered - by people who aren’t waiting around.
So Where Are the Muslims in All of This?
Let’s be real.
We have:
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The most powerful message on earth
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The richest legacy of knowledge, trade, science, and contribution
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A generation of smart, ambitious, creative Muslim women and men
And yet… we’re still:
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Asking for a seat at the table
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Trying to go viral on someone else’s platform
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Waiting to be funded by people who don’t value what we value
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Consuming instead of creating
It’s time we flip that script.
Khadijah (RA): The Blueprint We Keep Forgetting
Before the Prophet ﷺ received revelation, before the angels descended, before the mission of Islam began — he worked for her.
Khadijah bint Khuwaylid (RA) wasn’t just his wife.
She was:
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One of the wealthiest women in Makkah
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A respected merchant, trader, and entrepreneur
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The woman who bankrolled the earliest years of Islam
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The first to believe in him — and the first to support him financially
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She built a business, Through strategy, excellence, trade networks, and reputation.
She owned caravans that rivaled the men of Quraysh.
She employed people. Ran operations. Negotiated contracts.
And when the time came to support the truth - she spent it all for Allah.
That’s not just history.
That’s a model for how we need to move today.
It’s Time to Rise Again
The world wants to paint Muslim women as passive, oppressed, or voiceless.
But our deen tells a different story.
Our history was shaped by:
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Traders like Khadijah (RA)
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Warriors like Nusaybah (RA)
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Scholars like Fatimah al-Fihri and Aisha (RA)
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Poets, teachers, rulers, funders of masajid, founders of universities
The only reason we don’t see it now is because we stopped telling the story.
We stopped building on the legacy.
We stopped seeing business as a spiritual responsibility.
Business is Not Just Business — It’s Influence, Power, and Sadaqah Jariyah
Owning a business as a Muslim isn’t just about money.
It’s about influence. Independence. Options. Legacy.
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When you have a brand, you control your narrative.
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When you have profit, you can fund da’wah, families, movements.
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When you hire others, you’re reviving the Islamic economy.
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When you solve problems for your people, you’re answering du’as.
You can’t rely on systems that weren’t built for you to serve your values.
You can’t keep waiting for halal alternatives to appear — you need to build them.
💥 If Salt and Sugar Built Empires — What Could You Build With Media, AI, and Tawakkul?
You are living in a time where:
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You can start a business from your phone
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You can distribute a product across the globe in days
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You can reach millions with one piece of content
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You can build digital wealth, legacy, and impact — with barakah
This is our salt and sugar moment.
The question is: will we claim it?
💡 Final Words
Khadijah (RA) wasn’t waiting to be chosen.
She moved with excellence.
She invested in someone she believed in.
And when the mission came — she was already positioned to support it.
So ask yourself:
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What are you building?
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What are you funding?
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What power are you creating that outlives you?
Because whoever controls the resources, controls the future.
And the Ummah has always been strongest when its women led with belief, business, and barakah.
The world doesn’t need another influencer.
It needs you — a Muslim woman with vision, power, and purpose.