As a new Muslim I’ve frequently felt confused and self-absorbed in being anxious about progress and I find myself doubting my faithfulness: am I doing things correctly? Am I displeasing Allah with all my mistakes and false assumptions? It is so easy to place limited human emotions onto Allah. But I’m reminded in my heart that Allah knows me better than I know myself. He is most patient and most kind. I know that He looks at me with the eyes of deep compassion and waits patiently for me to come to Him as He gently guides my steps like a child learning to walk holding tightly to the hands of his loving mother.

May Allah grant me patience and humility to grow in faith in His timing. 

Allah o Akbar indeed he's the most merciful and compassionate 

In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Especially Merciful,

A few weeks ago, I moved from the UK to Canada with my husband and children. My husband gave me some money to spend upon myself. So I looked at what I have and I felt Allah has given me a lot. I don’t want to buy anything just for the sake of spending money. So I kept the money for a few weeks. I contemplated and contemplated what I should purchase as my first gift? I prefer right now to give what Allah bestowed upon me to those who need more than I do. 

I reflected and debated what would be of real benefit? El hamdulillah I have a small library, I have enough clothes. What is it that is truly going to be lasting? So I reflected upon the salah and thought about my family and children. I remembered what peace the salah gives. Everyone is leading their busy lives, my husband being at work, the children will go to school soon in sha Allah. I also noticed that salah feels even more meaningful since coming from my home of 40 years to a place that I do not know. 

I decided to invest in a adhaan clock. So I looked at different ones. I ordered the ‘masjidal’ one which has various beneficial functions. I contemplated that wouldn’t it be nice if we all ‘drop what we are engaged in? That sometimes it might not be possible to go to the masjid? That sometimes there will not be my sons or husband to call the prayer? Wouldn’t it be nice to drop all the worldly concerns and come to the prayer? Come to God? 

The adhaan clock has since arrived, I got up for prayer and I smiled whilst listening to the adhaan, my son also got up with the rest of the house. SubanAllah to hear the adhaan, to reflect upon the call and to submit to the call and supplication after the adhaan is a huge blessing, to rush excitedly for Wudu and then to give the time your soul deserves before it’s Lord is something which is truly priceless. It is a gift from Allah to you, to the world. to humanity, to redirect you and wake you from this worldly life that we are going back to Allah whatever our age. But by going back and observing one of the greatest pillars of faith we are truly preparing for the meeting with our Lord amongst countless of benefits?

The 5 daily prayers might be a bare minimum but it is life changing, a place of refuge, a place to pause and understand your direction. A place to ask, a place to let go, a place to find a comfort like no other. You are before your Lord and He will not leave you empty. 

Abu Huraira reported: The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, 'Allah Almighty said: I have divided prayer between Myself and My servant into two halves, and My servant shall have what he has asked for. When the servant says, ‘All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the worlds,’ Allah says, ‘My servant has praised Me.’ When he says, ‘The Gracious, the Merciful,’ Allah says, ‘My servant has exalted Me.’ When he says, ‘The Master of the Day of Judgment,’ Allah says, ‘My servant has glorified Me, and My servant has submitted to Me.’ When he says, ‘You alone we worship, You alone we ask for help,’ Allah says, ‘This is between Me and My servant, and My servant will have what he has asked for.’ When he says, ‘Guide us to the straight path, the path of those whom you have favored, not those who earned wrath and went astray,’ Allah says, This is for My servant, and My servant will have what he has asked for.’'

Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 395

Glory be to Allah how He has given us so many many blessings. May He grant such blessings to each and all Allahumma ameen.

My dearest Leila,

The one whom I love very dearly for the sake of Allah. Whenever I receive your message I consider it a rizq from Allah upon me. I hope you are in tbe best of health and emaan. 

Now, that I am away from family and friends perhaps Allah will inspire me to write for His sake. Please, pray that if I do so it is to please Him and it is sincerely for Him Ameen. 

❤️

When you go on a scavenger hunt, you're given a list of things to find because in order to find something, you have to know what you’re looking for.

And that’s exactly why we struggle with tawakkul when it comes to our rizq. Because with our duas we create a list of things we want to have. A house. A job. A spouse. A number in our bank account. And once we’ve decided what it’s supposed to look like, we begin to look for those specific things.

But the issue with that is we’re expected to seek our provision during the day (78:11) but not in the literal sense.
Our seeking isn’t just physical. It’s through sabr and salah (2:45) and through our efforts and Allah’s provision. (56:63-64)

Allah ﷻ never told us to find it with our eyes. 

Allah ﷻ says:
'There is no moving creature on earth whose provision is not guaranteed by Allah. And He knows where it lives and where it is laid to rest.' (11:6)

Why would Allah ﷻ say it’s His responsibility to provide for us and then say He knows where to find us?
Because we are not meant to chase or hustle or stress about our provision.
It already knows where to find you.

The Prophet ﷺ said:
'If the son of Adam were to run from his rizq like he runs from death, it would surely reach him.'
(Musnad Ahmad, 8491 – Hasan)

Your rizq comes to you.

You just need to be open-handed, open-hearted, and open-minded enough to receive it from places you never thought to look and in ways you never could’ve anticipated. (65:3)

Which is why you can’t be attached to it. You can’t love it. You can’t give it power.
It’s just a means to an end.

You can either be a treasure hunter or an explorer.
(And yes, I may or may not have recently watched the Dora the Explorer movie 🫣 lol)

When you search for something, it creates a tunnel vision that makes it difficult to see outside of, causing you to miss the real treasure that’s right in front of you.

But when you explore something without the intention to find anything other than the pleasure of Allah ﷻ and His signs, you end up finding what you didn’t think to look for because you didn’t know you needed it.

Tawakkul requires you to slow down and pay attention to what’s happening around you.
To look closer. Deeper.
To see the opportunities and possibilities Al-Fattah facilitates.
To feel the presence of Al-Malik in the way He governs.
To notice the effortless attention to detail of Al-Lateef in even the little things that seem meaningless.
To witness the precision of Al-Khaliq in all creation.

Seeing how Allah ﷻ  interacts with His creations, even outside of human beings, instills a sakinah within you, if you allow yourself to see that you are always provided for.
That whether you feel it or not, you are living in abundance.
Because everything in the heavens and everything in the earth belongs to Allah ﷻ  so when you have Allah ﷻ , what don’t you have?

'So which of the favors of your Lord will you [both] deny?' (55:13)
'Or do they possess the treasuries of your Lord, the Almighty, the Bestower?' (38:9)

Beautiful! Need to incorporate Dora in our lives for sure.

I love the way you explained our tunnel vision-it is actually quite limiting now that I think about it. Maybe that's why I get mesmerised when I look at the sky as it is so vast and never ending, and also when standing on top of a hill/mountain, you appreciate the vastness. In the same vein, if we were to zoom out of our lives and daily to do lists, we would be able to appreciate the khair that Allah has surrounded us with. ALHAMDULLILAH !!!!!

May Allah grant us all a clear understanding, honest attachment to Him only, squash our egos and become more grateful.

Ameen.

It just doesn’t feel the same . . . I lost it . . . How can I get it back?

Get ready for the ultimate salah-booster; a set of amazing productivity tips to enhance your prayer, give you a fresh perspective on the world of salah, and make you love your prayer like never before, inshallah!

In this week’s central ayah Allah ‘azza wa jall advises: And seek help through patience and prayer, and indeed, it is difficult except for the humbly submissive (to Allah). [Quran, 2:45]

Below are productivity tips based on a summary of the beautiful How to taste the true beauty of salah series by Mishari Al Kharraz:

1. Say Allahu Akbar and throw the world behind you.

Did you ever think: why do we start our prayer with Allahu akbar not with subhanAllah? Realize that when you say Allahu akbar you affirm that the one before whom you are about to stand is greater than anything occupying you at that moment— greater than your sleep, your families, your bills, and your worries. Just imagine that when you say Allahu akbar while raising your hands you are throwing all of that behind you!

2. Visualize the veil.

When you stand to pray, Allah ‘azza wa jall commands: Raise the veils from between Me and my servant! As soon as you say Allahu akbar and start your prayer, Allah sets His beautiful face to yours and doesn’t turn away from you, unless you do. When your thoughts or your sight drifts off, He orders the veils to be drawn back down. Visualize these veils being lifted to keep concentrated with your heart and body. Are you still drifting? This is why you repeat the great words Allahu akbar as you move into each position; it’s a reminder and a new chance again and again to focus!

3. Salute the King.

Imagine walking into a palace, how would you recognize the servants of the king? Probably by their humble position: looking down. As you lower your gaze to the place of your prostration and place your hands right over left and close to your chest it is time to salute the King. Imagine standing in front of Allah ‘azza wa jall as you utter this beautiful saluation and feel each word: Subhanakallahumma wa bihamdika, wa tabaarakasmuka wa ta’alaa jadduka— How perfect You are O Allah, and I praise You. Blessed be Your name, and lofty is Your position and none has the right to be worshipped except You.
Realize that only the parts of salah you are mindful of are being accepted and that Shaytan does his very best to steal every sweet moment you have with Allah!

4. Feel each ayah of Surah Al-Fatiha is answered.
You are now ready to enter the essence of it all: Surah Al-Fatiha, the greatest surah of the Quran, without which your prayer is nullified. Know that Allah Himself answers back when you recite of Surah Al-Fatiha, so add a short pause after each ayah, feeling this amazing dialogue. How can you ever drift of in this part of the prayer?

5. Utter His name with pure love.
What has brought you to stand here right now? It is your love and longing to be with Allah ‘azza wa jall. And when you meet up with your beloved, what do you first say? The sweet sound of the beloved’s name, the name that blesses everything it falls upon! Feel the bismillaahir-rahmaanir-raheem soothing your heart as it gently rolls off your lips.

6. Stand still at: 'the Lord of the worlds.'
The Prophet salallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam told us, 'Alhamdulillah fills the scale!' [Muslim] Really feel gratefulness when you say alhamdulillah. Did you see those documentaries where they zoom out from the cells of a plant’s leaf all the way to the planets and galaxies? Now instead of that leaf, start the zoom out process with the image of yourself standing before Allah. Then zoom back down, back through the universe, to the place you are standing in prayer. The next time you pray view yourself from above and far away and truly taste the meaning of Rabbil aalemeen (Lord of the worlds)!

7. Reflect on Ar-Rahmaanir Raheem before Maaliki yawmid-Deen.
Have you ever wondered why Allah’s names Ar-Rahmaanir and Ar-Raheem come before Maaliki yawmid-Deen (Master of the Day of Judgement)? Be reminded that it is the Most Gracious and Merciful who will judge us on the the Day of Judgement! So feel empowered and comforted when you say Ar-Rahmaanir-Raheem and then pause a moment at Maaliki yawmid-Deen, realizing the horrors of that Day.

8. Know what iyyaaka na’budu wa iyyaaka nasta’een really means.
You alone we worship, and unto You alone we turn for help. Let this remind you to make Allah alone your focus, not the people. So when you are asked, why did you do this or that (deed), you can firmly answer: for Allah! Feel this ayah by knowing that the salaf used to weep for hours reciting it.  One of them was once praying in Mecca. His friend went ahead and did the tawaf and when he returned to him, he was still at this verse, repeating it and crying, until the sun came up.

9. Say ameen as if your life depended on it.
The most comprehensive supplication you can make is:  ihdinas-siraatal-mustaqeem (Guide us to the straight path). See how you followed the proper etiquettes of how to ask Allah? You started glorifying and praising Him and then you make your request: Guide us. Now realize that your entire existence depends on this supplication. The Ameen you’ll pronounce now will have to come from the bottom of your heart. Ameen means: My Lord, grant or answer (my prayers). Say Ameen as if you have been sentenced to death and are pleading for pardon, begging with passion.

10. Feel the bond with your Lord.
When you say subhana Rabbiyya- al-‘atheem (How perfect My Lord is, The Supreme) in ruku’, focus on the pronoun that means my (in Rabbi). It adds that element of bonding: He is My Lord, who raised me in His care and who is nurturing me. Know the Prophet salallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam and the Companions used to be in the bowing position as long as he would be in the standing segment of salah. One companion said that he recited Al Fatiha, then Al Baqara, Ali Imran, An-Nisaa’ and Al Ma’ida, and the companion Abdullah Ibn Al Zubair was beside him, still in his ruku’!

11. Win the grand finale: your sujood.
Your sujood is the ultimate symbol of complete submission to your Creator. The Prophet said: The closest that a servant is to his Lord is when he is in prostration. [Muslim] And:  Prostrate much because there is no Muslim that prostrates to Allah except that Allah raises him one degree in Paradise by it and forgives for him a sin. [Ahmad] Imagine you are being raised one degree in Paradise with each sujood and a sin falls off you with each prostration. Prostrate with body, heart, and soul and taste the sweetest feeling in the world!

12. Supplicate before the tasleem.
After the words of the tashahhud (sitting position at the end of prayer) and before the tasleem (saying salaam to indicate the end of prayer), there is a precious moment many waste! When the Prophet salallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam taught Abdallah ibn Mas’ood radiyallahu ‘anhu the tashahhud he said: … Then let him choose whatever supplications he wishes. [Al-Bukhaari, Muslim]. Just before you say tasleem, make at least three heartfelt dua’s to benefit from this treasure chest  instead of rushing to say the salaam!

Remember this: the sweetness of this life lies in remembering Him, the sweetness of the next life lies in seeing Him! The next time you proceed for prayer, go because you love Him, go because you miss Him and long to be with Him. Feel your heart flutter. Only then, will you be on your way to attaining that inner peace and comfort salah was prescribed for. [Mishari Al-Kharraz]

Praying you will benefit,

Sometimes the grief is intense, like when the Prophet peace be upon him lost Khadijah and his uncle in the same year

And it's thought how will this grief ever mend 
How will the loss ever be replaced 
How will the devastation after Taif be healed 

And then a miraculous journey happened - Al isra Wal Mi'raj
To reaffirm the love and importance of Al Aqsa in our hearts forever and as a source of mending for the beloved’s heart (peace be upon him) جبر خاطر للحبيب 

The loss of Khadijah stayed with him peace be upon him years later but the gift of salat Alhamdullilah, we and billions of Muslims are continuing to benefit from and find comfort and refuge in many years later and until the end of time 

Sometimes we go through really hard things 
Sometimes we may feel alone in the pain 
Sometimes the pain may stay with us for a while 
But perhaps through the pain 

We are reminded Allah with His love and care is always with us and…
A greater pain is prevented,
A greater lesson is learned,
A greater grief is healed,
A greater gift is gained,

And what greater gift than continuing to seek closeness to Our Loving Creator through salah, and perhaps a beautiful, heart reviving, and uplifting journey awaits us too in Sha Allah.

#salah

This is the advice our lord has given us when it comes to dealing with this world’s hardships. Don’t let your salah feel like a chore, remember that Allah swt doesn’t need you, you need him. Prayer is a blessing he has given you so that you feel connected to him and enables you to recharge your soul. Remember that patience is key, our lord wants us to remember that good comes to those who wait and are patient. Sometimes we aren’t given an outcome/specific thing because Allah knows what we do not, perhaps the timing we wish to gain access to the situation/outcome we hope for is not the best, and Allah swt is the best of planners so trust his plan.

Assalamu Alaikum,

Thank you for sharing this beautiful reflection on dealing with hardships and the importance of patience in our prayers. Your words serve as a reminder of the blessings of Salah and the significance of trusting in Allah's plan. Keep reflecting on these important aspects of faith and continue to share your insights with the community. Jazak Allah Khair for being a part of QuranReflect.

- QuranReflect review team member



In the name of Allāh, the Most Merciful, the Especially Merciful.

I was having a conversation with a course mate (a non-muslim) who is currently going through a difficult time and kept complaining about her situation. it reminded me of this verse which I shared with her while trying my best to explain it to her. Sadly, I feel she might not be able to fully comprehend its meaning and appreciate its message. it might not even seem logical for her to stay patient instead of complaining to other people, hoping they'd help out, when in reality, only Allāh is the ultimate Helper and Best Disposer of affairs.
I ask Allāh to grant her guidance though.

We've been blessed as muslims to have verses like this comfort us in times of hardship because we get to understand the concept of trials and tests and how they bring us closer to Allāh. 

The Qur'ān teaches us the virtues and beauty of being patient in times of trials and how everything that happens is according to a set decree by Allāh, who is All-Knowing and All-Wise. Who are we then to think that the worst has happened to us when only He knows what's best for us. 

'perhaps you might dislike a thing and it is good for you'.

there are many ways our times of hardship may be of benefit to us if we decide to look at it with positive lenses;
it might be a way of getting closer to Allāh through our supplications.
Allāh could decide to expiate some of our sins as a reward of our patience during hardships.
and ultimately, if it doesn't get easier in this dunya, there's the reward promised in the Hereafter to look forward to. a place where would neither grieve nor experience any pain, subhanallāh!

and really, how does our impatience benefit? not like it solves the problem anyways.

I ask Allāh to grant us beautiful patience and keep our hearts firm during hardships and ease the sufferings of our brothers and sisters across different parts of the world, āmīn.

Seek help through prayer and patience. Instead of seeking help from others. No one can provide you a better answer than Allah and no one can fix your problem better than Allah

The reminder that no one can offer better answers or solutions than Allah encourages us to prioritise our connection with Him through sincere supplication and unwavering patience. In seeking His help, we place our trust in the One who knows us better than anyone else and has the ability to guide us through any challenge or difficulty.

May we all be reminded of the power of prayer and patience in seeking help from Allah, trusting in His divine plan and relying on His infinite mercy and wisdom. Your reflection serves as a valuable reminder of the importance of turning to Him in times of need and finding comfort in His presence.

Thank you for sharing this insightful reminder, and may Allah continue to bless you with strength, guidance, and patience in all aspects of your life.

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم 
Allah tells us in this ayah to seek help through patience and prayer. However what we’re seeking help for is not specified. It is as though Allah is telling us to seek help for every aspect of our lives. To seek help in times of hardship and ease. To seek help even when we might not realize we need it. 
We can seek this help from Allah through patience and salah. By being patient and knowing that aid from Allah will come in times of hardship. And by recognizing that everything is from the plan and will of Allah. 
We seek this help from Allah through our prayers. An act that Allah commanded from us only for our benefit. We pray for our own sake as Allah doesn’t need our prayers. He needs nothing from us and yet we need everything from him. How can we not be completely humbled in front of Our Creator? 
I used to struggle a lot with salah and I found that it was really hard to find the motivation to pray. But once I was able to approach salah with humility it truly became so much easier alhamdulliah. How can I not be completely humbled to a Master who only asks me to pray for my own benefit? A Master that provides me with everything and needs no provider. A Master that created me and all that is around me. A Master that is All-Powerful and All-knowing. How could I not have complete humility to my Master? 
Once I recognized this salah became so easy, it became the task I look forward to most everyday. I crave the sweetness of being able to converse and meet with my Master everyday. I love being able to humble myself and show my appreciation to my Merciful Provider. I hope this is a feeling I am always able to maintain and I pray that Allah allows all Muslims to taste the true sweetness of salah. 

May Allah make us of those who are always humble, those who seek his help through patience and prayer, and those who find patience and prayer easy. 

Ya Allah,

Let my prayer be a safe haven where I pour out my heart and soul to you,

Where my tired body stands before you to find strength,

Where my busy mind comes to you to find peace,

Where my heavy heart calls out to you to find comfort,

Where my soul submits to you to find serenity,

For when I stand before You, I pray that,

wounds heal, 

worries lift, 

and Your love prevails.

#juz1
#suratalbaqara
#ramadanreflections
#prayer
#reflectingincrisis