 Over the last couple of weeks I have been reflecting on my life and all that I have going on. I am Muslim, Nigerian, a mother, a wife, a sister, a friend, a business owner and much more. I like to think that I am pious, kind, helpful, loving and creative. While being all of these things, I realize that I have a lot going on and I have been neglecting certain important areas of my life, with the biggest being my deen.
Yes I pray, yes I still try to be a good person and practice Islam, yes I still observe hijab but I’ve seriously been slacking. Gone are the days where I spent time before and after each salah reading pages of the Qur’an in Arabic and English. Gone are the days where I regularly listened to a new lecture everyday and pondered about how I could incorporate what I was learning into my life. Islam is definitely still very important to me and I’m always striving to be better. However, part of striving for clarity is the realization that I am failing in some areas and that I need to do better. I’ve noticed that often, when people mention that they are struggling with their deen, they generally also say that their iman needs work. For me though, that’s not my problem. My faith in Islam- in the Prophets and Messengers(Peace and Blessings be upon them), in the oneness of Allah, in the holy books, my belief and understanding of the day of judgement, the angels and that our destiny is already written- has not changed. My faith is just as strong as it was a few months ago. I am still proud to be Muslim and I am constantly striving to do better. What has changed however, is my commitment and prioritization. On one hand, I wish there were more hours in the day for me to get all of my work done, take care of my home, take care of my family, volunteer within my community and engage in studies for the deen. On the other hand, I am fully aware that all things are possible through Allah(SWT) and that by taking the time to worship Him, anything good that I want, will happen for me.
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 Right before I started writing this post, I looked at the date of my last post that I published and I was honestly shocked that the last post was in February. I have posted a couple of recipes since then so I did not realize how behind I was on actual blog posts. There have been a bunch of times where I’ve thought of things to write a post on but I never got around to actually write the post. inshaAllah, I’m hoping to be more regular with posts. So what’s been going on? Why have I been MIA for 8 months? Here are some updates: 1. I had a baby! Alhamdulilah, I gave birth to a healthy baby boy in April. He is now 5 months and growing so fast. It’s crazy in an interesting sort of way how much being a mother can change you. All of a sudden, with the entrance of a new addition, your fears, dreams, and goals are quickly shifted. I will inshaAllah, be doing a longer post on this in the near future.  2. I moved! Due to my husband’s job, we moved to Abu Dhabi, UAE in July. We’ve been living here for 3 months now and Alhamdulilah, it’s been great. I’m so pleased with our decision to move here. Our family has been so much happier and we’ve adjusted well. We’ve made some friends, I finally have my ladies’ majlis( you can check out the pictures on IG), we’ve been spending more time working on our deen and ibadah and have plans to do a ton of traveling while we’re here.
3. Business. I’ve been working very hard on rebuilding and re-branding Striving For Modesty as well as my makeup business. I’ve also decided it’s time for me to start utilizing my degrees again and get back into political research/development. I’ve enjoyed running my own business from home but I do miss researching. Ideally, I’d like to work for about 2-3 years in a traditional workplace then migrate to freelance political/economic consulting and research or just working as a researcher from home so that I can still utilize my skills doing what I enjoy and also stay home to care for(and inshaAllah homeschool) my son.
That's my update for you! What sort of things would you like me to "randomly ramble" about? Let me know below in the 'comments' section. :D
 As Muslims we must be forbearing and sincere towards one another. Your Muslim sister should be someone that you can turn to in a time of need and someone you can seek advice from. A Muslimah must be tolerant towards her fellow sisters and overlook their mistakes. When a problem arises, she should not rush to adopt a solution that may cause division and haraam kinds of forsaking. The importance of relationships, in regards to friends and family is something that I always try to remember. If you've read my previous posts, you'll know that I haven't always put much stock into friendships. Over the past year, it's something that I've been working on. May Allah-SWT- continue to guide me. May Allah help us all to do that which He loves and which pleases Him.
 Asalaam Alaikum Warahmatullah Wabarakatu I'm having one of those nights where I can't sleep. The zawj is fast asleep and normally on nights like this I either call up a friend who's sure to be up, get some work done, read an article or read Qur'an. Tonight though, I decided to write. I've been thinking a lot about friendship lately. Most who know me know that I'm not one to believe that having friends is "necessary". I enjoy meeting people and socializing at times, but I've never been one to really depend on friends. I enjoy the company occasionally and I enjoy the dialogue but if a friendship fails or doesn't grow, then fine, I move on.  I listened to two Islamic lectures in the past week that touched upon friendship. One lecture discussed the 7 under the shade of Allah and the other discussed the importance of good companions. In both lectures, the key message was that loving someone wholly for the sake of Allah and having good companions is extremely important.
Although I am fine with having friends from various backgrounds, I throughly enjoy my Muslimah friends that are on the Straight Path. Having friends who you can discuss aspects of the deen and everyday life with is so amazing. Being able to share our experience and get each other's advice on things that only a fellow Muslimah who understand allows us to share a special bond. This bond, when based off of a strong foundation in the deen, should be unbreakable. For me, having righteous companions is something that I value. I appreciate having friends who I know will advice and steer me in the right way. I enjoy having friends that I can exchange knowledge with. Friends that will cheer me on when I'm going through something difficult but beneficial. Friends who want nothing but the best for me. Friends who, when I have kids, I'll look forward to mine playing with theirs as I know they will also be raised righteously. Friends that are kind-hearted, open-minded and are thoughtful. Friends that are always reminding you to engage in acts of Ibadah. These are the types of friends I want to surround myself with. These are the types of friends that all Muslims should strive to be and aim to have. May we all be blessed with righteous companions. |
About "Life Gems"Welcome to another addition to "Lady_Meansie's Corner". This portion of my corner is essentially my blog. The posts will be short but packed with important reminders for fellow Muslimahs. Remember to leave your thoughts in the comments. I love engaging in dialogue with my fellow Muslimahs. Archives
December 2017
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