The state of our heart determines our spiritual state. Our spiritual state either positively or negatively impacts our interactions and experiences in all areas of life. Being in a good spiritual state does not take all our problems away, but it gives us the strength to bear them. We can perform our religious duties with enthusiasm and love instead of with guilt and fear. As such, it becomes clear that purifying the state of our heart is crucial from both a Dunya and an Akhirah perspective.

When it comes to holidays like Christmas, Valentine’s Day, and Halloween, the stores start their preparations months in advance. People shop and look forward to the holiday as the tunes of the season play in every public place imaginable. Many children, unfortunately, do not grow up surrounded by the same festive energy when it comes to Ramadan and Eid. This is why we as parents and caregivers need to make sure that we create the best atmosphere with our children during our celebrations.

We live in a world that demands so much from us. We work tirelessly and fatigue our bodies in this pursuit to take care of our families. Taking care of our families is an act of worship alongside many other acts of ibadah. It is important we do not lose ourselves to the Dunya and forget our true purpose, to worship Allah SWT. This can be done in many ways. It is integral to our spiritual health that we follow in the example of the greatest human being to walk the earth, the Prophet Muhammad (SAW).

One of the ways we can do this is by following the sunnah and worshipping Allah SWT, the way he (SAW) did, to the best of our abilities. The sunnah acts of worship can tragically be neglected and this is depriving the heart of that which benefits it. We must strive to revive and implement the sunnah and this is the best way to ensure we live enriched lives and have empowered communities.

As Muslims, it is important to try and excel in our worship during the month of Ramadan. A good way to do this is to start establishing extra sunnah prayers. The prayers we will focus on are the Duha, Tahajjud prayer, and Witr prayer.

Since March of last year, our whole lives have been turned upside down. Allah SWT has shown us His Great Majesty and His Great Power and we have seen and felt the effects of all that He SWT is capable of. One of the things we have witnessed is the loss of loved ones, or we know others who have.

However, out of His mercy, Allah SWT has made available to us, through Prophet SAW, the most beautiful guidance on how to handle our grief and how to help our loved ones. Out of His Mercy, however, Allah SWT has made available to us, through Prophet (SAW), the most beautiful guidance on how to handle our grief and how to help our loved ones.

Imagine being on a journey through a treacherous land, something like the Amazon rainforest. Imagine being blindfolded as you walk through the forest. Imagine every trip, every cut, and every wound you encounter is ignored because you failed to take off your blindfolds. Imagine the luscious plants, the beautiful sunrises, sunsets, and the birds of different colours all missed because you failed to take off your blindfolds. Had you removed the blindfold you would have known that every hardship and every ease was teaching you something about the nature of this world and giving us the chance to recalibrate ourselves. All of this would make sense if you are paying attention. In this example, we are reminded to turn the face of our heart back to Allah, and in doing so we are reminded that this journey we are on, in this Dunya, is a temporary one.

Had we reflected upon the wounds we encountered we would find in them a reminder about the nature of pain. Had we reflected upon the beauty of this world we would have realised that the beauty of those experiences is ever fleeting. This should take our attention to a deeper abode. Our purpose for being in this world and ultimately the temporal nature of these experiences. This is the example of this world. We are all here because we need to build ourselves for a place that is everlasting. Both examples offer us glimpses of this world but that is all they will ever be. Glimpses. In the end, when our souls leave our bodies, and we are raised on the Day of Judgement, we will see the reality of what our actions led us to. A life in two very different abodes, but now experienced in permanence. Jahannam or Jannah. Hellfire or Paradise.

Ramadan is around the corner and many of us are excited about making plans for it—setting Qur’an and self-development goals, planning healthy meal recipes for our families, and trying to make the most out of this month. We all know that the Prophet (SAW) is the perfect example for us on how to live our lives so that we please Allah. So why don’t we revisit the life of the Prophet (SAW) so we can see what he did in Ramadan so that we can follow his example?