Ramadan Is Still 'Giving'+ Non-negotiables
Ramadan Is Still 'Giving'+ Non-negotiables
Could not decide on a title, So I used both, HA!
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Assalamu alaykum wa rahmatuLlah wa barakaatuh.
Trust you are well, striving and thriving, In shaa Allah.
Alhamdullillahi Robbil Alaameen! Starting with how incredibly grateful I am for being able to host another post-Ramadan workshop this year. Ya Allah, thank you for helping me battle my Nafs! Allah knows that I kicked, grumbled, pushed, forced, and stretched myself to get it done. Alhamdulillah for the blessing of helpers and companions. It was not perfect, but it was beautiful, just how Allah wanted it to be.Alhamdulillahi for the privilege to share space with some of my dearest who were there last year too! Insha Allah, one consistent deed in the bag! May Allah accept it!
There were a lot of beautiful gems shared in the session ,but one that resonated with me by my dear S , was not waiting for perfect moments to worship with our busy schedules but instead embracing our situations and seeing our acts of connecting to Allah e.g. reading the Quran as moments of rest. I LOVED THAT!
In other news, I cannot help but realize that the beautiful chaos that was Ramadan came to teach me A LOT! I had no room for ‘perfect moments’. In fact, it is still teaching me! I was looking through my calendar yesterday and realized that I have a major presentation during the blessed days of Dhul Hijjah and I was like…'Ya Allah, not again!’
This was me, till I reminded myself that Allah who helped me through Ramadan will help me again. I just need to tie my camel (in this case, being creative with my time and deeds) and leave the rest to Him. I will also be interacting with so many people, so errr..It is a great training ground for my patience and character! Please keep me in your Duas!
This phase is clearly here to teach me a lesson and has brought some questions to the forefront for me. I think they are great reflective prompts and I am sharing them, so you can also ponder on them.
‘What are my non-negotiables?’
When life gets hectic and I need to prioritize and carefully manage my time, does my relationship with Allah stay on top of the list or is it pushed to the bottom?’
Do I hold onto the acts that will bring me closer to Him or I am quick to let them go?
‘How far will I go for Allah’s sake’
How much ‘inconvenience’ will I put up with to be close to Him?
Do I only worship when it is perfect and convenient?
Most of us are familiar with these questions especially non-negotiables, we discuss them when we are looking to get married, going into a relationship, considering a job offer, etc. Maybe it is time to apply it to our relationship with Allah too.
May Allah bless us with guidance and open our hearts to see that our sole purpose on earth is to worship Him. May He make this worship easy for us and may it be a priority for us always.
Mini-Task: Choose one of these questions and spend some time reflecting on it. When you are done choose just one thing you will do to prioritize your relationship with Allah. Remember to set your intentions!
Out of all the books that I read, some on self-improvement, some on courage, and some on mental health but out of all, the Quran is the only book where I can find everything in one place, It is the book that quenches our spirit. Optimistic lessons from all prophets, numerous pieces of advice, obligations, and commandments can only give testimony of Allah SWT's oneness, and kindness in his every plan, making us more mindful of the reality of this life in the moments of blurriness-Shabnam Ayyub
One of the things that I have found pretty beneficial post-Ramadan is the Global Quranic Calendar by my faves at Quran.com. It is a great reading schedule designed to encourage reflective reading from one Ramadan to the next! I LOVE it because it has formats for everyone a PDF you can download, a podcast, reflective prompts, and the best part? There is no pressure to read from the previous weeks, join in when and where you can and start reflecting! The structure is great and it is a good one. I SO MUCH LOVE IT!😻😻😻
We leave you in Allah's care,
Us at Ibadahplug.