Maintain Family Ties- E get Why

Rajab 30, 1444A.H.

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "He who believes in Allah and the Last Day, let him maintain good relation with kins” [Al Bukhari and Muslim]

Assalamu alaykum warahmatullahi wabarakatu, dear sister.

Trust you are are doing well, striving and thriving

These past couple of months have really shown me the blessing of the incredible family that Allah has blessed me with. Like every other family, we are absolutely flawed.We however also have our unique blessings, AlhamduliLlahi.

After so many years, I can see the beauty in our diversity and how our individual personalities have been matched so wisely by our Creator.

I was talking to my friend recently , about how it is no coincidence that in every family, you'll find soooo many skills and professions. You'll find a doctor, possibly a lawyer, a trader, a teacher, caterer and the list goes on. It's not by mistake, I tell you it's all part of Al-Latif's beautiful plans.

We all have been born into our families for a reason and we all have a role to play. I find that it's so easy to get carried away with all the things our families are not, their imperfections, malice , grudges and old wounds whose origin, we have no clue.

In the past few months, I have been treated by my family, listened to, supported, fed, advised, counselled and just loved by these beautiful humans Allah has blessed me with . But it's not just that, I have truly felt at home. I look at my aunt sometimes and I see an older version of myself and sometimes we just trade the most beautiful and funniest memories. I speak to my cousin and I feel a sense of safety that I can't get anywhere else. Subhanallah, I saw a cousin I hadn't seen since I was a kid last week and it felt like we didn't even miss out on all our teenage years. We just got along!

This made me wonder, what took me this long?????

On the flipside, I'm however grateful that Allah didn't take me before I realized this blessing He gifted me with. That would have been REALLY sad!

I challenge you today to rediscover the beauty of family. Please don't wait for someone else to do it; make the first move. I've listed some activities to get you started:

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Kicking off this week’s IbadahPlug with our Seeker’s Circle replay! We finished the session and I went straight into reflection mode. There was so much to reflect on! There was also something about the beautiful manners of our dear facilitator that I cannot get over. Her speech was concise yet detailed, compassionate yet factual and she shared her experiences on this journey with such warmth that everyone could feel in the room. My best part was her perspective on ‘seeking knowledge and implementing it’ not being different things but how it should be woven into who we are. I do not do it justice, you have to watch it yourself. Anyway, the replay is up!

Next up, is an announcement, I am excited about! My community of sisters, one of my homes on earth, is open for registration! Words cannot express how much I LOVE my AA Plus sisters, but maybe this beautiful breakdown can. It is such a blessing to be in a community of sisters striving towards a common goal, Al Jannah Firdaus. We are there to support each other, and inspire each other to be better. A true blessing I tell you, this is a community I can get behind and I am inviting you to share my home. Registration is just for a week, so it is best to hurry! You can join me here.

Last, but definitely not the least, is this amazing reminder by shaykh Hassam Munir and it is as beautiful as it is profound. What I love most about it is the fact that he discusses the prophetic wisdom behind maintaining strong family relationships and gives practical advice on how to connect with our families. You really should watch it.

Till next week, in shaa Allah.

We leave you in Allah's care,

One of us at IbadahPlug