Farah is a Muslim, and is an active supporter of the Muslim Writers Awards. Islam is an important part of his preparation: "I normally pray before a race, I read dua prayers or invocations, think about how hard I've worked and just go for it." He notes that "the Qur'an says that you must work hard in whatever you do, so I work hard in training and that's got a lot to do with being successful. doesn't just come overnight, you've got to train for it and believe in yourself; that's the most important thing." An RISSC publication named Farah as among the 500 most influential Muslims in the world in 2013.