This Is My Jihad
Assalamu alaykum wa rahmatuLlah wa barakaatuh.
Trust that you're good, striving and thriving?
Recently I've been in a building phase and with that comes ups and downs. It's not just the rickety moments that is tiring, it is also the many reminders about the life I left behind. Awards, promotions, big announcements and all the things that could have been ,if I had chosen to stay on my 'expected path’. I'm not going to lie ,sometimes it stings and sometimes the doubts set in... Then of course there are the shiny offers, just a few weeks ago , I was tempted with a nice blast from the past opportunity, I don't know how I said no..Infact Allah aided me, I can't take credit for it.
Alhamdullilahi it usually doesn't take too long to recover but in those moments ,my striving pinches a little.
I was reflecting on one of these type of moments and I realized that my choices, resilience and trying not to slip is what my own jihad looks like. I mean this is my own Jihad. We all must have had those I wish I existed in the time of the Prophet SAW moments ,thinking of all the many ways, we would done the most for Allah's sake. But maybe we all need to take a step back , really look at the struggles on our paths and see how they may be our personal Jihad.
Allah is Al Lateef and Al Ameen ,He created you in this century ,placed you in a family and in a particular environment all out of His wisdom. He also created you with a sole purpose to worship Him and with this worship comes striving. Your journey from Him and back to Him comes with its unique struggles but when you can make the connection to that Jihad it gives you the awareness to armor up and battle it out with all you got.
I'm somehow pretty excited about this discovery ..lol.. I feel different knowing that this is what my Jihad looks like in 2023,and also more excited to know that the one who blessed me with it ,has also given me all I need to win this battle. Looking forward to the day , when I can finally lay down the arms and say ‘Ya Allah I gave it my best’.
This week, I am hoping you can look a little closer at what your Jihad maybe, it might be striving to stay on the true path when everyone is going in a different direction, it might be battling that addiction that keeps reoccurring, it might be letting go of that wealth that should be shared or even being kinder to your family. Try to identify it, recognize its patterns and give it all you got to conquer it.
Keep up the battle soldier, May we be amongst those who hear these final words when the war is over.
Abu Sa'id al-Khudri reported that Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him) said that Allah would say to the inmates of Paradise: O, Dwellers of Paradise, and they would say in response: At thy service and pleasure, our Lord, the good is in Thy Hand. He (the Lord) would say: Are you well pleased now? They would say: Why should we not be pleased, O Lord, when Thou hast given us what Thou hast not given to any of Thy creatures? He would, however, say: May I not give you (something) even more excellent than that? And they would say: 0 Lord, what thing can be more excellent than this? And He would say: I shall cause My pleasure to alight upon you and I shall never be afterwards annoyed with you.
May Allah make it easy for us to strive in His cause and do what is most pleasing to Him always.
Reflection Of The Week
Hurt By Others: How To Cope And Heal- Yasmin Mogahed
When I was growing up, the world was a perfect place. The only problem was, that it wasn’t. I used to believe that everything could always be ‘fair’. To me that meant no one should ever be wronged, and if they were, justice must be served. I fought hard for the way I believed things should be. But in my struggle, I overlooked a fundamental truth about this life. In my childish idealism, I failed to understand that this world is inherently imperfect. We, as humans, are inherently imperfect. So we will always mess up. And in those mess-ups, we will inevitably hurt others, knowingly, and unknowingly, intentionally and unintentionally. The world would not always be fair. Does that mean we stop struggling against injustice, or give up on Truth?
I LOVED the last Seeker’s Circle, it was practical , realistic and there was a lot of table shaking going on. I particularly like that Sis Barakah’s story is my story, your story and a lot of our stories. From her journey in the local madrasah to wanting to seek more, the impact of her seeking on her parents and lots more! I just found it refreshing and relatable. The replay is now out and you can watch it here.
Now, I am sooooooo excited about this month’s Seeker’s circle!!!!It explores a theme that is a constant struggle for many, including me that I am writing this. During our post-Ramadan workshop, this came up as a major challenge! If you have not guessed already it is WORK! How do we get to benefit from all these holy months and periods of worship when we were at stuck at work most of the time? On July 16th, we are bringing a HR director, Imam and Seeker of Knowledge to help us figure it out. I won’t reveal his name just yet(Hint: One of his names starts with an S), but if you are in the Nigerian scene you probably know who I am on about, he is everyone’s fave! Best part is you are not paying a dime for this session, it is FULLY FUNDED! Register below and secure your spot.
Once you submit your form, you will see the login details, don’t miss it!
Till Next Week, Insha Allah
We leave you in Allah’s care,
One of us at Ibadahplug