Issue 2: Growing and Changing Positively
Allah does not charge a soul except [with that within] its capacity - Surah Al-Baqarah (2:286)
If we were to view our lives as one great vast ocean, the changes in our life can exist as anything from the tiniest of ripples to the grandest of waves. The ocean is rarely completely still, and just like the deep blue expanse, our lives are in a constant state of flux, with new moments and memories being created all of the time due to these changes, even if they are so minute that we choose not to dwell on it.
Bigger events in our lives can bring out of us a wealth of emotions; stress, fear, excitement, relief, sadness. Perhaps you are removing yourself from a toxic relationship, which even though will be good for you in the long term, is really difficult to handle right now. Perhaps you are in the beginnings of a new relationship, and you are excited but unsure as to what your future holds. Maybe you are starting a new job or degree, and are worried that you won’t make a good first impression. Changes like these can ultimately feel objectively positive or negative, especially at the time of occurrence. Worst still, sometimes, much as we wish for it not to happen, it is inevitable.
Most of the time the only thing in these situations we can control is we can approach these changes. Who knows, if we approach it positively, we might just come out of the other side with a little more knowledge and a little more self-growth than when we started.
I consider myself very fortunate that I have a circle of passionate and intelligent friends, who in addition to my family, I have the privilege to grow alongside Islamically, physically, and intellectually. Before starting university, I had little knowledge as to what it meant to have a group of friends that supported and challenged me to be the best person I could be. Many of my realizations have stemmed from having open discussions with my friends on all sorts of things: Islam, politics, history. This then encouraged me to do my own research and learn to think critically – a journey that I am still on today.
Over the last few years, I have found great satisfaction in becoming part of communities that have allowed me to grow and learn more about Islam and provide me with the tools that I can use to achieve my own goals to be a better Muslim. I think that in a world filled with so many distractions, it can really help to be surrounded by individuals who you can relate to in regards to goals, aspirations, standards and mind set. This could be in the form of your friends, family, your local community, or through positive influences on social media. By doing so it ensures that in your day to day life you are surrounded by the energy you wish to exude, and are part of a support system that can result in everyone reaching their shared goals, albeit through different and separate paths.
For me, I am experiencing one of the biggest changes in my life yet. I am moving to another country to start my degree. I am very much looking forward to this next stage in my life, but it is definitely going to bring with it new and unforeseen challenges. I am excited to participate in research that I am passionate about and meeting like minded people. I have a whole new country to explore; food, culture, art, history – there is just so much to see! Amidst this massive wave, I know that there is so much potential here for me to grow positively.
What changes in your life, however big or small, have been challenging for you? How are you approaching it so that you grow and change positively?
Welcome to the the Hawaa Newsletter
Asalaamalaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu (May Allah shower you in tranquility, His Mercy and His Divine Aid)
This is an age of fast news, algorithms favouring the churning out of daily content with no heart and no soul embedded into it. An abundance of smiles and serenity on our screens - there seems to be so much love to go around, and yet we somehow still remain hungry. Starved. Women who seem to be bathing in Divine Light with their talk of closeness and connection with our Lord, yet we feel immobile and enfolded in darkness. Trauma that doesn’t seem like it wants to leave. And yet:
‘there is beauty yet in this brutal, damaged world of ours. hidden, fierce, immense’ - a. roy
We want these monthly newsletters to be a journey of creating and solidifying our sisterhood - the Newsletter aims to centre on Muslim women’s voices, with all of its rawness, wit, spirituality and strength and use it as a means of encouraging ourselves to reestablish our relationship with Allah with a foundation of Love and Hope. We truly believe in the power of story telling, and ultimately the Mercy of Allah SWT
This is a journey we hope you’ll take with us, one that will, bi’ithnillah, be filled with some healing, growth and inspiration.