I noticed something over the last few years of my life.

My fear began to dwindle away. As my fear of Allah increased, my fear of everything else decreased. Moving through a shady part of town at night, on foot, or being alone in 'scary' circumstances. Situations that used to inspire blood pressure, being on edge.. etc.. But not just that. High stress work situations, exams, family life. In reality we face so many battles throughout our life that may be a cause to inspire fear.

But Allah has blessed me endlessly with this tranquility, the beautiful arabic word سكينة، Sakinah, that has allowed me to float through these tribulations. Alhamdulilah, Alhamdulilah, Alhamdulilah. I sometimes fee

The power of dua and overcoming the fear of animals, particularly cats. I'm not a pet-friendly person due to circumstances of my past. And it's a phobia I used to carry with me until recently. Because of my intense fear, my friends who have cats at home always have to ensure their cat doesn't come near me. I feel terrible, but I thank Allah (SWT) for their hospitality. There are so many stray cats in my country of residence, and it's been a while since I started making dua that 'Yah Allah help me to overcome my fear. I want to be kind towards Your creation following the sunnah.' During my recent trip to Turkey, I was sitting in a cafe, and a cat was leisurely walking to sit near the be

For the past few days, alhamdulillah, I've been experiencing a greater level of peace inside me. The peace that I'm referring to is felt at a bodily level, first of all, but I also feel it at a psychological level, and I also feel it silently in my heart.

So, this feeling of peace recently reminded me of the Quranic verses on 'sakinah,' which is a special type of peace that Allah sends down upon some of the believers out of His mercy, as He wills. Allah says:

‎هُوَ ٱلَّذِىٓ أَنزَلَ ٱلسَّكِينَةَ فِى قُلُوبِ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ لِيَزْدَادُوٓا۟ إِيمَٰنًا مَّعَ إِيمَٰنِهِمْ وَلِلَّهِ جُنُودُ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ وَكَانَ ٱللَّهُ عَلِيمًا حَكِيمًا

'It is He Who sent down serenity upon the heart

What can bring sakeenah/serenity to your heart when you're feeling unsettled ? As human beings we all need reassurance during difficult moments. God knows we need that serenity and reassurance to increase in faith as the verses describe. That reassurance may not come from the people or places we expect; however, God powerfully reminds us in this verse that the forces of the heavens and the earth belong to Him. So it will come, if we ask Him for His help and keep ourselves open to receiving His Grace. So in that difficult moment when you receive a text from a friend to check on you, that is a force of the heavens and the earth. In that moment of uncertainty, when you witness a be