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One of the most beautiful lessons Islam teaches us is how to be grateful for everything you\u00a0have, and while we naturally think about things like our families, our sustenance and our\u00a0health, we often forget that the biggest blessing Allah has granted us is being Muslim.\u00a0Think about it: Out of the billions of souls out there, you were chosen to be part of the\u00a0Ummah. Isn\u2019t it such an honour?\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
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Sure, it comes with its share of struggles because let\u2019s be real, Shaytan is vicious and this dunya (world) is very challenging, which means that you might feel like Islam is a burden at times\u00a0(astaghfirullah<\/em>) or that you don\u2019t deserve to be considered by Allah because of your sins.\u00a0However, you shouldn\u2019t let these moments of doubts drive you away from what was gifted to\u00a0you by The Almighty, and the best way to do that is to start reflecting upon the blessings He blessed you with.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Whenever someone who doesn\u2019t practice any religion asks me why I \u201cbother\u201d with Islam, it\u00a0always makes me smile. Firstly, because I always find it funny to see people assuming there\u2019s\u00a0no way I can actually enjoy <\/em>being Muslim, and secondly, because they don\u2019t realize that as\u00a0soon as you start diving into our deen, you are guaranteeing yourself a double success.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n <\/p>\n If you truly understand its essence and apply the teachings of our dear Prophet Muhammad\u00a0\ufdfa, your life on this planet will be filled with love, peace and contentment (which is what\u00a0we are all looking for), and after your time has finally come, you can enjoy an incredible\u00a0eternal life in Jannah. So, what does it cost you to practise Islam?\u00a0<\/p>\n <\/p>\n But here\u2019s the thing: You can\u2019t feel that way if you don\u2019t make it a point to get on a spiritual\u00a0quest and not settle for what you inherited from culture and traditions. I\u2019ve said in a previous\u00a0article that when learning about Islam, we need to have our hearts open and not let ourselves be influenced by what society thinks is right. This, of course, doesn\u2019t mean we shouldn\u2019t trust\u00a0anyone, however it does invite us to put things into perspective, to challenge our way of\u00a0 thinking whenever we feel like the Quran prevents us from enjoying our lives and being happy.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Once you’ve reach that point, you\u2019ll start to notice that we\u2019re all just playing a game no one can\u00a0prepare us for, and that Islam gives us the secrets to win. In fact, the Quran and the Sunnah\u00a0are pure gems when it comes to figuring out how to socially behave, how to remain healthy\u00a0or what the true definition of success is about (Make sure you check the series I created called \u201cBeing a Mindful Muslim\u201d for more on these topics!)<\/em> We\u2019re just so lucky\u00a0to have these accessible for us to bear the emotional rollercoaster life alhamdulillah<\/em>, but do you know what the best part is? Not only does it allow you to detach yourself from this\u00a0dunya, but each and every action becomes an act of worship and is rewarded by Allah.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Now that we\u2019ve gone through how Islam gives us all the guidelines to navigate through life\u00a0peacefully, let\u2019s talk a little bit more about the time it all ends.\u00a0<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I recently had a very interesting conversation about death with one of my clients (disclaimer: my business meetings aren\u2019t always THAT serious *laughs*). He told me something I thought was really thought provoking:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve never seen people being more prepared to face death than Muslims. Just look at the whole Covid situation, it\u2019s like some people weren\u2019t aware your life could suddenly end and they went crazy… Seriously, people don\u2019t know how to manage it,\u00a0but we were taught this from the beginning.\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n And I have to say, the brother\u2019s got a point!\u00a0<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ultimately, it all comes down to the fact that this life is just a short stop in the journey of the\u00a0believer, so we shouldn\u2019t be so attached to it. It is by living every minute like it might be the last that you spiritually elevate yourself and accept that His timing is the best. Everyday He has given you is certainly another chance for you to repent and improve, another opportunity\u00a0for you to spread kindness, love and charity, so you should indeed cherish that time you’re granted with and make good use of it. But don\u2019t see the end as a depressing, terrifying\u00a0experience when we were lucky enough to be taught how it goes and how we can make it\u00a0easy on ourselves by following the words of Allah.\u00a0<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Don\u2019t get me wrong, I know the human nature makes it challenging to be completely at peace\u00a0when thinking about death, whether it be ours or our loved ones\u2019. In these moments, I like to\u00a0remind myself of the greatest example we have: Our beloved Prophet Muhammad \ufdfa was given the choice to stay alive or to die. For him, joining Allah was a given, and I\u2019m\u00a0confident it wasn\u2019t just because he didn\u2019t have to worry about not going to Jannah, but mostly because he knew being alongside our Creator is better than anything he could ever imagine. He surely was a human like no other, but still, isn\u2019t that a beautiful lesson for us to remember?\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n <\/p>\n So here we are with so much to be grateful for as Muslims: A deen that teaches us\u00a0 selflessness, humility and respect; that gives us the keys to live a serene life and\u00a0 prepare ourselves for the Afterlife; that allows us to find a higher purpose and constant comfort in knowing that He\u2019s always with us\u2026 But honestly, this list is endless:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u0648\u064e\u0625\u0650\u0646\u00a0\u062a\u064e\u0639\u064f\u062f\u064f\u0651\u0648\u0627\u06df\u00a0\u0646\u0650\u0639\u0652\u0645\u064e\u0629\u064e\u00a0\u0671\u0644\u0644\u064e\u0651\u0647\u0650\u00a0\u0644\u064e\u0627\u00a0\u062a\u064f\u062d\u0652\u0635\u064f\u0648\u0647\u064e\u0622 \u06d7\u00a0\u0625\u0650\u0646\u064e\u0651\u00a0\u0671\u0644\u0644\u064e\u0651\u0647\u064e\u00a0\u0644\u064e\u063a\u064e\u0641\u064f\u0648\u0631\u064c\u06ed\u00a0\u0631\u064e\u0651\u062d\u0650\u064a\u0645\u064c\u06ed<\/p>\n <\/p>\n And if\u00a0 you should count the favors of Allah, you could not enumerate them. Indeed, Allah is\u00a0Forgiving and Merciful. <\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n [Surah An-Nahl, 16:18]\u00a0<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Alhamdulillah!<\/p>\n <\/p>[\/et_pb_cta][et_pb_divider divider_weight=”2px” _builder_version=”4.14.7″ _module_preset=”default” max_width=”10%” module_alignment=”left” custom_margin=”||0px||false|false” custom_padding=”|||192px|false|false” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][\/et_pb_divider][et_pb_cta button_url=”#TOP” _builder_version=”4.14.7″ header_font=”|700|||||||” header_font_size=”44px” header_line_height=”1.5em” body_font=”Noto Sans||||||||” body_font_size=”17px” use_background_color=”off” custom_button=”on” button_text_size=”17px” button_text_color=”#ffffff” button_bg_color=”#ff6b5a” button_border_width=”5px” button_border_color=”#ff6b5a” button_border_radius=”100px” button_font=”Noto Sans|700||on|||||” button_use_icon=”off” text_orientation=”left” background_layout=”light” max_width=”700px” module_alignment=”center” custom_margin=”|-18px||||” custom_padding=”|0px||||” header_font_size_tablet=”” header_font_size_phone=”34px” header_font_size_last_edited=”on|phone” button_text_color_hover=”#ffffff” button_border_color_hover=”#ff9e59″ button_bg_color_hover=”#ff9e59″ global_colors_info=”{}” button_text_size__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_text_size__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_text_size__hover_enabled=”off” button_text_color__hover_enabled=”on” button_text_color__hover=”#ffffff” button_one_text_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_text_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_border_width__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_border_width__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_border_width__hover_enabled=”off” button_border_color__hover_enabled=”on” button_border_color__hover=”#ff9e59″ button_one_border_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_border_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_border_radius__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_border_radius__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_border_radius__hover_enabled=”off” button_letter_spacing__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_letter_spacing__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_letter_spacing__hover_enabled=”off” button_bg_color__hover_enabled=”on” button_bg_color__hover=”#ff9e59″ button_one_bg_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_bg_color__hover_enabled=”off” theme_builder_area=”post_content”] <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Assia Boukrouh is\u00a0a 27 year old content creator based in Paris, France and you might know her from The Mizaan over on Instagram, a page she considers to be a safe space for Muslim women to explore their faith, embrace the Islamic lifestyle and to learn to be more mindful and sustainable everyday.<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\nA Guide Through Life\u2026\u00a0<\/h2>\n
\u2026and Through The End.\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n