Weekend with Aliyah Umm Raiyaan: ‘It takes me a long time to get out of bed, but I think I deserve it’
The bestselling author on taking long walks through London, her favourite cafes and her new book Living with the Qur’an
Aliyah Umm Raiyaan is an author who writes about faith, healing and spiritual growth. Her third book Living with the Qur’an will be published on 4 December, following her two bestsellers Ramadan Reflections and The Power of Dua.
She is also the founder of Solace UK, a charity supporting Muslim women converts, and co-host of the Honest Tea Talk podcast. Umm Raiyaan lives in east London with her four children.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
What does your Saturday morning look like?
If I don’t have a speaking engagement, it’s a very slow start. I’ll chill and relax in bed. It takes me a long time to get out, but I think I deserve it. My whole life is on the go, so it’s important to recognise that we need to rest, take it easy. It’s our right.
What’s for breakfast?
I’m not a breakfast person. I tend to eat when I’m hungry. On a Saturday, I could go right up until lunchtime before I eat.
Related content
What are your favourite lunch spots?
We’re spoiled for choice in east London: Grounded in Whitechapel, Blu Ivy in Bethnal Green and Beans & Bites in Hackney. Sometimes I’ll go to Roman Road and get a nice spinach and cheese gözleme and tea from a lovely Turkish bakery.
How do you usually spend your Saturday?
I’ll catch up on emails, books or personal admin, go for a long walk, or spend time with my kids. It’s usually a chilled, lazy day with a bit of housework too.
Where do you like to walk?
Victoria Park is lovely. At night, I sometimes walk from east London to Tower Bridge, even all the way up to London Bridge and back. It’s quite a long walk, but I love it. It’s gorgeous.
What are you watching at the moment?
I haven’t been to the cinema in a while, but I went to the theatre recently with my daughter. We saw Not Your Superwoman with Golda Rosheuvel and Letitia Wright. It was amazing — very emotional and left us both deep in thought.
How did the idea for your next book, Living with the Qur’an, come about?
After Ramadan Reflections became a Sunday Times bestseller, my publisher started talking about a second book. I didn’t know there would be a book two — I was just grateful to be published by Penguin.
I honestly feel like I was led to this idea. The Power of Dua, my second book, is about calling upon Allah, speaking to Him. Living with the Qur’an is the flip side — it’s about allowing His words to speak to us and our lives.
Do you prefer writing at home or going out?
Ramadan Reflections was primarily written in coffee shops — with family life and a busy household, it was easier to focus. The Power of the Dua was a mix, and Living with the Qur’an was mostly written at home.
Which coffee shops do you like to work in?
Mackbear on Mile End Road — they know me very well. It became like my second home while I was writing my first two books. The great thing is they close late, sometimes after 10pm in summer.
What’s your usual coffee order?
A chai latte with oat milk or a caramel latte with oat milk — iced if it’s hot. At home, it’s earl grey all the way.
What’s the last great book that you read?
Madarij Al-Saalikin by Ibn Al-Qayyim — it’s a heavy read and I quoted heavily from that in my first two books. I still absolutely love The Alchemist, too.
Which writers inspire you?
Related content
Ibn Al-Qayyim and Ibn Al-Jawzi — both are classical scholars whose work I deeply admire. Even though they lived centuries ago, their writing about the heart and soul still feels relevant today.
What do you hope readers take away from your next book?
I hope that they realise that the Qur’an is a comprehensive manual for life. Whatever they’re going through, they’ll find comfort, guidance and healing in it. I want readers to see it as more than a holy book — it’s the unchanged words of their Lord.
What’s next for you writing-wise?
I’m working on book four, due early next year. I can’t say much, but it’s very different from my previous ones.
Living with the Qur’an is available to pre-order now.
