When Things Don’t Go to Plan: The Setback That Shaped Us

“There is hayr in everything.”

Before the puzzles, before the books, and before the Iman Power series—you may be surprised to know that Lil Muslims Official began with a dream of toys.

For over two years, we poured our hearts into creating a line of 20 mini dolls from around the world—each one representing a unique Lil Muslim character, culture, and Iman Power. We designed everything from scratch. We flew overseas to meet with manufacturers. We spent countless nights going back and forth over the smallest details, building 3D mock-ups, perfecting expressions, colours, and clothes.

Eventually, the prototypes were made. Holding them in our hands for the first time was surreal—our vision was finally real.

We were full of excitement as the dolls entered production.

But then, the unexpected happened.

The Loss

We received news that the manufacturer we had worked with had gone bust. Just like that. Our project—and a large part of our financial investment—was lost.

Still hopeful, we spent months trying to recover what we could. After persistent back-and-forths, we eventually managed to retrieve our original molds. We felt like maybe, just maybe, we could still make this work.

But when the molds were tested by a new manufacturer, we were told they weren’t workable for mass production. If we continued, each doll would cost far more than we could manage. The vision we held onto for so long suddenly felt… impossible.

A Hard Decision, A Divine Plan

After a lot of prayer, tears, and conversations—we made the hard decision to let go of the toy line. We had already lost a great deal of funds, and we simply didn’t have the means to keep going down that path.

It felt like a door was closing on something we had nurtured for so long.

But deep down, we knew something else:
Allah never closes a door without opening another.
And sometimes, what we think is a setback is a redirection.

The Turning Point

Letting go of the dolls was hard. But in that space, something new began to grow.

With our characters already developed, we turned to storytelling.And this was the moment that the Iman Power book series was born.

Books like Responsibility with Nurul, Patience with Hawa, Compassion with Reza, and Punctuality with Amadou became the heart of our work—each one carrying the very values and personalities we once imagined in toy form.

Alhamdulillah for the Unexpected

Looking back now, we know it happened exactly as it was meant to.

Lil Muslims took shape not as we planned, but as Allah planned.
And the result was even more meaningful than we could’ve imagined.

Every product we make now—every book, every activity pack, every puzzle—is rooted in that early dream, in the characters we still love, and in the belief that there is hayr in everything.

So, if you’re in the middle of your own setback—know that sometimes, the greatest blessings are just on the other side of a closed door.