sent by Zaahied Sallie

Allah

THE ALL-LOVING

Al-Wadud—The All-Loving is one of the 99 beautiful names of Allah. When Allah loves someone, a wondrous thing happens. Allah elevates them to a lofty station: that of a friend of God. All their deeds become those approved and blessed by Allah. 

“When I love him, I am the hearing with which he hears, the seeing with which he sees, his hand with which he grasps, and the foot with which he walks. Were he to ask of Me, I would give it to him.” Bukhari

The world is dying for Divine Love. Connect and call on Allah daily using this name and share His love with the world.

The Prophet

DREAMER

‘When things get tough, dream bigger!’

The Prophet Muhammad (s) beautifully depicted this attitude during the Hijrah. Fleeing Makkah—from possible death—for Madinah, an unknown land, was arguably one of the most testing times for the Prophet (s). Yet, the Prophet didn’t allow the tests of life to dim his vision. Instead of only focusing on their plight and flight to Madinah, he prophesied and visualised the fall of Persia, the world’s then superpower, at the hands of the Muslims. At the time, the Muslims were a small band seeking asylum from persecution. But for the Prophet (s), their current state was just a transient fact and the truth of who they were to become already existed in the future.

Cultivate Reading

Reading is essential for human progress. 

So, are you a reader, and how often do you read? 

If you answer no or not often, then now is the time to remedy this.

The best way to cultivate a new habit is to link it to one’s identity or belief instead of connecting it to an outcome or objective. Instead of setting a goal to read a book (outcome-based), set your intention to sculpt your identity as a bibliophile who adores books (identity-based). Start small (three minutes per day), but perform the habit daily or regularly. The higher the frequency, the better your chance that it will stick. 

James Clear, the author of Atomic Habits, writes: “True behaviour change is identity change. You might start a habit because of motivation, but the only reason you’ll stick with one is because it becomes part of your identity.”

Since reading is a Quranic mandate, it should be easy for Muslims to believe its power and weave it into their DNA. On top of that, the position of the injunction-Iqra’– as the first revealed word of the Qur’an stresses its importance, that is, before anything else, read! 

Until next week, InshaAllah

Zaahied Sallie

Author of The Beloved Prophet – An Illustrated Biography in Rhyme

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