You can continue to blame the people and the situations that have hurt you. Or you can take back your power and look through the actors. To see the Director. Every single aspect of your life has a purpose and is by divine design. Even the parts you hate. Even the parts you try to hide from the world and yourself. Even the parts that hurt. Even the tears. The betrayal. The divorce. The loss. You will find the purpose when you grow through this. When you allow nothing to shrink you. Or chain you. Or own you. When you stop hearing the noise of what other people are saying or thinking of you. When you stop the 'what if's'. When you stop beating yourself to a mental pulp. And never again

Any action that we begin with sincerity, remember that it results in a very beautiful outcome. This is because the result of an action depends on the intention, on how that action began. So, if we are spending so much time learning the Qur’ān, reflecting upon the Qur’ān, reading the Qur’ān, what is it that we should intend? What should we intend with this effort of ours? 1. First and foremost, it is important that we seek the approval of Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَىٰ, that we want to please Allah through this effort. 2. Secondly, we want to spend time with the Qur’ān in order to increase in our righteous deeds. Remember that this is like an investment, that will bring you be

Many people try to solve the problem of heartbreak by hardening their hearts. But the hardened heart is the most distant from Allah. So by hardening the heart, you aren't protecting yourself. You're killing yourself. The heart that's alive is by definition entirely soft, fragile, and vulnerable. It is by definition breakable. That's why we are taught to surround it with layers upon layers of protection. Thikr (remembrance of God) works to protect the heart, while at the same time softening it. And the more we remember Him, the more protection we build for a softer and softer heart.

We live in a world that teaches us to deny our emotions. That to feel is to be weak. But by doing this, we not only deny our nature and a creation of God, we deny the very means of reaching Him. How can we reach God without love, fear, regret, hope? How can we reach God without the heart? Like every other creation of God, our emotions, our desires, our needs are put in us for a reason. Use them—but never let them use you. Control them. Never allow them to control you.

MONTHLY REFLECTION THEME:

The times we are living in now may feel like the most stress-inducing and anxiety-causing times ever! But our well-being and peace of mind is rooted in knowing Allah (swt) and knowing ourselves. When we forget Him, His glory is never diminished but we lose ourselves. The greatest Dhikr of Allah (swt) is the Glorious Qur'an. What are some ayat that give you a sense of peace? What are the verses that always bring light and lightness to your heart? Please share them, and how they affect you, so that others can find what you have found. Remember the hashtag!