Ebony S. Muhammad (EM): First off, congratulations on the release of your new book, Before You Say ‘I Do’! It’s so beautifully put together and I love the tone that you wrote in. It’s as if you’re speaking candidly to the reader in a one-on-one conversation.
Nuri Muhammad (NM): Praise be to Allah! I’m glad you enjoyed it.
EM: It’s very easy to read and very personable. What has the response been like since its release?
NM: The response has been great! Some have read it once a day (in its entirety) and have read it five and six times. I want to say that this book is for married couples as well as for those who are yet married. With the married couples: We’ve gotten feedback from some who have been married 30-something years and said that there are so many excellent ingredients from our (Sister Terri and I) relationship. They said, “Our relationship was good, but I know it will be great once we implement these ingredients”.
EM: Excellent! That was actually going to be my next question in regards to who the book is for, considering the title. A sister that I know has been married for 18 years with six children, and she was wondering if there is something in your book that she could benefit from before she says ‘I don’t’. (laughing)
NM: Absolutely! That’s actually in the subtitle. The subtitle is “Before I say ‘I don’t no more”. The writing was designed to help a person who is trying to figure out where to plant their love, but also for those who have already planted their love and are in a marriage. Hopefully this book can help them get some of those weeds out of their marriage and sprinkle some fertilizer on their marriage that it can grow better, proper and stronger.
The root of the book came from the constant request from people everywhere I go who want to know if I can do some counseling or sidebar session. This is kind of like what law enforcement says about those who get caught speeding: They have sped at least twelve times and got away with it. So for every time, you catch somebody speeding that’s twelve other speedings attached to that one. This means one day you’ll get caught speeding and your freedom will be over. Be aware and be SAFE.
