YES! we made it! One month of fasting! Alhamdulilah!
Congratulations to you all, may God accept your good deeds, your fasting and all your duas! ameen.
If we can fast for one month, imagine the possibilities!!! We can do anything if we plan it, put our effort and stay committed.
I hope this month served as a cleansing and a strong foundation for anything you would like to achieve in the months to come. Make new habits part of your life and try to implement them as much as possible, even if it means that you will have to make adjustments.
Generally, to make good habits stick:
1. We need a good support system. Meaning, our best friends may not always agree with us but if we truly want to be achievers, we should stick to our word and deeds.
2. We need a strong good will and strength that comes from within. The key to having that strong will is to "see the goal" in front of us!
3. Once we WANT to make a change (we are tired of our current condition) we TAKE STEPS to achieving this change. We can either make small changes or big changes and jump right into it.
4. We connect with strong ACHIEVERS and observe, talk and befriend those we look up to. We try to get ideas or tips from THE VERY BEST. Go to your teachers, not those students who sit on the back.....
Best wishes and Eid MUBARAK!
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Sunday, August 21, 2011
the last 10days!
Subhanallah. What a month! I have not been keeping up with my posts as I thought I would have. But it has been a challenging month for me.
I haven't been feeling good and decided to go "raw" for these last 10days, as much as possible of course.
when I think of "detox" I think drinking lots of water, eating fruits and vegetables and not cooking any of it. And this really helps my body detox and gives me full energy and a boost of confidence and positive energy.
Ramadan is intended to "clean" our bodies, our minds, our spirits and really to give a time for reflection.
I feel that we don't always do justice to what Allah swt intends for us....I can't make general statements but PERSONALLY I feel that I tend to follow the crowd and overeat at times and feel horrible about it after.
So I made a conscious decision to go raw for these last 10days and I hope that it helps my body and my mind inshallah.
I hope to make the best out of these last 10 and pray that Allah swt gives me the much needed energy to do what is best to please HIM.
ameen.
I haven't been feeling good and decided to go "raw" for these last 10days, as much as possible of course.
when I think of "detox" I think drinking lots of water, eating fruits and vegetables and not cooking any of it. And this really helps my body detox and gives me full energy and a boost of confidence and positive energy.
Ramadan is intended to "clean" our bodies, our minds, our spirits and really to give a time for reflection.
I feel that we don't always do justice to what Allah swt intends for us....I can't make general statements but PERSONALLY I feel that I tend to follow the crowd and overeat at times and feel horrible about it after.
So I made a conscious decision to go raw for these last 10days and I hope that it helps my body and my mind inshallah.
I hope to make the best out of these last 10 and pray that Allah swt gives me the much needed energy to do what is best to please HIM.
ameen.
Thursday, August 11, 2011
an Eco-friendly Month
When I decided to do the 30day challenge, I had in mind always to make it "eco friendly".
So how does fasting, spiritual retreat and healthy eating relate to being eco friendly? Well, everything relates to everything.
What I mean by that is that:
1. by fasting-we are abstaining from food and material things. This is a time to CLEANSE our bodies as well as our mind and our environment. We should take the time to CLEAN our surroundings, donate extra items we no longer need and really look into what we have as we would like to experience a life of SIMPLICITY.
2. by doing a spiritual retreat-we are abstaining from DISTRACTIONS that sometimes take time away and make us use more things which we do not need. We can direct our time and efforts into giving more than receiving and this includes to animals, plants and the environment in general. Making a connection between God's words/instructions and what we can do to improve our life here on earth. Some people realize this connection very quickly and profoundly when their work has to do with nature because Nature is in God's hands. No matter how much you water a plant, God has the ultimate power to make it grow.
3. By eating healthier, we are eating more fruits and vegetables, trying to maybe compost the remains, plant their seeds, support local and organic farms and loosing weight, therefore gaining more energy to accomplish more.
Everything can be related to everything. So this concept helps when we want to accomplish a task but we have certain restrictions (time or money for example).
1. So while you drive, you can listen to a nice informative lecture
2. While you walk around the block, you can do remembrance of God (dhikr)
3. While you cook or clean, listen to some Quran or spiritual uplifting music/lectures
Or try other methods of "combining" so that you can accomplish much more each time you do something and it becomes more meaningful and perhaps you can start a new habit.
The reason why we have a 30day challenge is to encourage us to "try out" things which we thought were not possible to do and if we can maintain those for 30days, they can become part of our life and part of our daily habits.
-not everything is easy and can be maintained but if we push ourselves, we can definitely achieve ANYTHING we want in this life.
Having to do the challenge and remembering to be eco-friendly makes it much more special because we get an extra reward when we look to take care of this planet earth and we think of it as an "amana" or trust and we take the trust very seriously because God has provided us with all this beauty and we need to remember to leave it BETTER than when we first saw it....
Inshallah.
So how does fasting, spiritual retreat and healthy eating relate to being eco friendly? Well, everything relates to everything.
What I mean by that is that:
1. by fasting-we are abstaining from food and material things. This is a time to CLEANSE our bodies as well as our mind and our environment. We should take the time to CLEAN our surroundings, donate extra items we no longer need and really look into what we have as we would like to experience a life of SIMPLICITY.
2. by doing a spiritual retreat-we are abstaining from DISTRACTIONS that sometimes take time away and make us use more things which we do not need. We can direct our time and efforts into giving more than receiving and this includes to animals, plants and the environment in general. Making a connection between God's words/instructions and what we can do to improve our life here on earth. Some people realize this connection very quickly and profoundly when their work has to do with nature because Nature is in God's hands. No matter how much you water a plant, God has the ultimate power to make it grow.
3. By eating healthier, we are eating more fruits and vegetables, trying to maybe compost the remains, plant their seeds, support local and organic farms and loosing weight, therefore gaining more energy to accomplish more.
Everything can be related to everything. So this concept helps when we want to accomplish a task but we have certain restrictions (time or money for example).
1. So while you drive, you can listen to a nice informative lecture
2. While you walk around the block, you can do remembrance of God (dhikr)
3. While you cook or clean, listen to some Quran or spiritual uplifting music/lectures
Or try other methods of "combining" so that you can accomplish much more each time you do something and it becomes more meaningful and perhaps you can start a new habit.
The reason why we have a 30day challenge is to encourage us to "try out" things which we thought were not possible to do and if we can maintain those for 30days, they can become part of our life and part of our daily habits.
-not everything is easy and can be maintained but if we push ourselves, we can definitely achieve ANYTHING we want in this life.
Having to do the challenge and remembering to be eco-friendly makes it much more special because we get an extra reward when we look to take care of this planet earth and we think of it as an "amana" or trust and we take the trust very seriously because God has provided us with all this beauty and we need to remember to leave it BETTER than when we first saw it....
Inshallah.
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
new healthy habits
We are almost at the 10day check!
I have achieve a few of the many goals this month.
I realized these goals are not simple and not something that is a one timer type thing....
My goals are ON GOING and also I realized to make them happen I have to make changes in my habits and make them a fun part of my life.
Otherwise, if I see them as "tasks", I will not enjoy them and probably not accomplish as much or as well as I want to.
I also heard a lecture of someone explaining that if you want success, you must change your paradigm, you have to think OUTSIDE the box and come up with "extra time", either sleep less, wake up early or simply do not waste time so that you can utilize all your energy toward your goal(s). These tips go hand in hand with what God wants us to do in terms of organizing our life an this month of fasting is the time we make those changes and implement them as new healthy Habits!
So if you do not feel as motivated as I am, PRAY and ask God to make you feel the changes and slowly adapt to your new way of thinking. Instead of going back to the same old habits where you feel stressed, depressed and find yourself not enjoying things in life.
Prayer has the solution to all problems because it is your one chance to explain to God one on one all your frustrations and He can help you in ways you can't even imagine.
Best wishes!
I have achieve a few of the many goals this month.
I realized these goals are not simple and not something that is a one timer type thing....
My goals are ON GOING and also I realized to make them happen I have to make changes in my habits and make them a fun part of my life.
Otherwise, if I see them as "tasks", I will not enjoy them and probably not accomplish as much or as well as I want to.
I also heard a lecture of someone explaining that if you want success, you must change your paradigm, you have to think OUTSIDE the box and come up with "extra time", either sleep less, wake up early or simply do not waste time so that you can utilize all your energy toward your goal(s). These tips go hand in hand with what God wants us to do in terms of organizing our life an this month of fasting is the time we make those changes and implement them as new healthy Habits!
So if you do not feel as motivated as I am, PRAY and ask God to make you feel the changes and slowly adapt to your new way of thinking. Instead of going back to the same old habits where you feel stressed, depressed and find yourself not enjoying things in life.
Prayer has the solution to all problems because it is your one chance to explain to God one on one all your frustrations and He can help you in ways you can't even imagine.
Best wishes!
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Day 4 Teachers+Reflection
WOW I am beyond impressed with my teachers. May God preserve them!
I am learning so much daily that I can't be thankful enough.
I pray that they be rewarded for all of their time and dedication and that all their wishes come true.
So I learned this morning that if I want something to happen, I MUST give it my ALL. If I want to learn something, I should not just read about it, I should use all my senses, read, re-read, write down, act upon, memorize and teach it to ensure that I have learned it.
Wow.
What a discovery!
I also learned that doing less of what harms us will make us live longer!
so how do we know what is "harmful"? sometimes it is obvious and sometimes it is not.
If we have a feeling that is not a good one, we know that we must get rid of it or else our body will be affected.
If we understand that certain foods will cause problems in our body,we know we must stop consuming them or else our body will slowly shut down.
If we know we surround ourselves with the wrong crowd and slowly, they lead us astray, we know we must avoid those encounters or else our heart slowly will begin to accept this way of life and move away from what is good for us.
We seek, we find.
or else, we stay behind.
If something new is presented to us, we have two options:
1. follow the new understanding
2. stay with the old ways of life.
Sometimes, it is wise to remain on the course we were at.
OFTEN times however, it is better for us to "digest" the new information and "put into practice".
When passages from Quran were revealed the companions of the Prophet pbuh used to read, understand, accept, memorize and FOLLOW the new direction from God before going on to the next verse.
It was this practice that lead them to "grow" as individuals and become our examples to follow today.
So with new information at hand, let's motivate ourselves, take it as a "DUTY" to apply what we learn if there is a way to do so or at least share the information and verify that it is correct and try to implement it into our daily lives.
If we have goals at this point, we should be experiencing them, give our body and our mind an opportunity to work in unison to accomplish them in a smooth way.
I feel VERY motivated and inspired after listening to my teachers and I hope we find the right teachers, those who by sharing their knowleadge lead us to changing our heart. Whether they be in books, in lectures, in person or in our memory. We must realize that education lives on and reflection is what makes us grow.
Take the time to reflect on is learned.
Take the time to be thankful to God for all He provides us with.
And be ready to seek Mercy from God as much as possible, these first 10 days of this month.
I am learning so much daily that I can't be thankful enough.
I pray that they be rewarded for all of their time and dedication and that all their wishes come true.
So I learned this morning that if I want something to happen, I MUST give it my ALL. If I want to learn something, I should not just read about it, I should use all my senses, read, re-read, write down, act upon, memorize and teach it to ensure that I have learned it.
Wow.
What a discovery!
I also learned that doing less of what harms us will make us live longer!
so how do we know what is "harmful"? sometimes it is obvious and sometimes it is not.
If we have a feeling that is not a good one, we know that we must get rid of it or else our body will be affected.
If we understand that certain foods will cause problems in our body,we know we must stop consuming them or else our body will slowly shut down.
If we know we surround ourselves with the wrong crowd and slowly, they lead us astray, we know we must avoid those encounters or else our heart slowly will begin to accept this way of life and move away from what is good for us.
We seek, we find.
or else, we stay behind.
If something new is presented to us, we have two options:
1. follow the new understanding
2. stay with the old ways of life.
Sometimes, it is wise to remain on the course we were at.
OFTEN times however, it is better for us to "digest" the new information and "put into practice".
When passages from Quran were revealed the companions of the Prophet pbuh used to read, understand, accept, memorize and FOLLOW the new direction from God before going on to the next verse.
It was this practice that lead them to "grow" as individuals and become our examples to follow today.
So with new information at hand, let's motivate ourselves, take it as a "DUTY" to apply what we learn if there is a way to do so or at least share the information and verify that it is correct and try to implement it into our daily lives.
If we have goals at this point, we should be experiencing them, give our body and our mind an opportunity to work in unison to accomplish them in a smooth way.
I feel VERY motivated and inspired after listening to my teachers and I hope we find the right teachers, those who by sharing their knowleadge lead us to changing our heart. Whether they be in books, in lectures, in person or in our memory. We must realize that education lives on and reflection is what makes us grow.
Take the time to reflect on is learned.
Take the time to be thankful to God for all He provides us with.
And be ready to seek Mercy from God as much as possible, these first 10 days of this month.
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
DAY 2 breathing/eating and purification
Yesterday I heard a lecture that talked about breathing for purification. How we breathe affects our cells and our brain.
So they said the best time to do breathing exercises is 3am to 5am in the morning.
Well, since we are up at that time for eating and prayer, I decided to do yoga and breathing at 3am.
It was amazing! I loved it and I hope to do it again tomorrow morning.
Then I kept drinking juice/water after to replenish toxins that leave the body.
By the way, now that I understand all the chemicals in tap water (including one that causes infertility!!!!!), even after using a filter...I decided to try to buy the best water ever to break fast with (I'm out of it now...) but then I also just read another article that talks about the 100% not from concentrate orange juice which I buy and usually its more expensive and I was just upset.
Now the word on anything printed is to be checked and triple checked....they add addictive, preservatives in everything unless it's organic and raw...yes, even if it says "pure 100% juice" etc.
We have to be aware that when we Purify our bodies and our mind, we have to give it THE BEST that we can get our hands on when we feed it. AND accept only the best if possible. Allah swt provides us with so many beautiful things, all fruits and vegetables on all the possible colors and color combinations, why do we add so much junk into it? How are we ever going to purify ourselves when we eat the junk? Do we have to over cook and deep fry things? do we have to add sweets or salts to things to eat them? can we eat them in their pure form??? Just like Allah swt intended us to eat them??
just cause it tastes good...
just cause we were fasting...
who are we fooling but ourselves....
So they said the best time to do breathing exercises is 3am to 5am in the morning.
Well, since we are up at that time for eating and prayer, I decided to do yoga and breathing at 3am.
It was amazing! I loved it and I hope to do it again tomorrow morning.
Then I kept drinking juice/water after to replenish toxins that leave the body.
By the way, now that I understand all the chemicals in tap water (including one that causes infertility!!!!!), even after using a filter...I decided to try to buy the best water ever to break fast with (I'm out of it now...) but then I also just read another article that talks about the 100% not from concentrate orange juice which I buy and usually its more expensive and I was just upset.
Now the word on anything printed is to be checked and triple checked....they add addictive, preservatives in everything unless it's organic and raw...yes, even if it says "pure 100% juice" etc.
We have to be aware that when we Purify our bodies and our mind, we have to give it THE BEST that we can get our hands on when we feed it. AND accept only the best if possible. Allah swt provides us with so many beautiful things, all fruits and vegetables on all the possible colors and color combinations, why do we add so much junk into it? How are we ever going to purify ourselves when we eat the junk? Do we have to over cook and deep fry things? do we have to add sweets or salts to things to eat them? can we eat them in their pure form??? Just like Allah swt intended us to eat them??
just cause it tastes good...
just cause we were fasting...
who are we fooling but ourselves....
Monday, August 1, 2011
Day 1-iPurify/Silence and reflection
I just read something so sweet from the late Dr. Hassan Hathout that made me think so much. It was a piece from his latest book "audible silence"...it talked about "SILENCE" and how through meditation we can hear GOD and HE can solve our problems and make everything more clear.
This Ramadan I do hope to do some itikaf time. Some reflection and "QUIET" time inshallah. This, not only for extra ibada but also to try to "listen" to God's guidance. We live in an all fast-passed environment and we can actually CREATE our own peaceful times.
I definitley want to try it.
So far it's an amazing day and inshallah it'll get even better!
Remember: Read Quran. Listen to inspiring lectures. Pray, make extra Dhikr. Pray for those in need. Donate. Make food for neighbors (or cookies). Dhikr/songs that remind you of God.
This Ramadan I do hope to do some itikaf time. Some reflection and "QUIET" time inshallah. This, not only for extra ibada but also to try to "listen" to God's guidance. We live in an all fast-passed environment and we can actually CREATE our own peaceful times.
I definitley want to try it.
So far it's an amazing day and inshallah it'll get even better!
Remember: Read Quran. Listen to inspiring lectures. Pray, make extra Dhikr. Pray for those in need. Donate. Make food for neighbors (or cookies). Dhikr/songs that remind you of God.
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