Aliyah Umm Raiyaan and Zainab bint Younus talk about Aliyah’s book “The Power of Du’a,” developing a personal relationship with Allah, and how du’a can literally change your life. From career to marriage to profound spiritual healing, du’a is the secret weapon of every believer… and Ramadan is the time to take the most advantage of it!

Related:

Podcast: Ramadan Reflections: 30 Days of Healing | Aliyah Umm Raiyaan

The post [Podcast] The Power of Du’a: A Game Changer appeared first on MuslimMatters.org.

My husband came home from work just as my baby had finished taking his fourth poop of the day. Instead of handing the baby over with poopy diaper and all as I usually do, a thought popped into my head. I’m going to change this diaper because I want the good deeds. The moment when I called dibs on the poopy diaper with as much enthusiasm as I would to pray another sunnah prayer, read an additional page of Quran, or add an extra 10% to a donation, is when I realized I’m winning all Ramadan long as a stay-at-home mom. To all the other caregivers out there–embrace what you do and you are winning, too!

Acknowledge Yourself and See the Mountain of Work that You Do

Being a caregiver to a dependent is exhausting, monotonous, and challenging. Our days are long and filled with the stress of taking care of a person who needs help to survive. Our duties seem small and meaningless far too often, even though every act we perform helps keep someone alive. We don’t get a badge or a paycheck and there is often no one else around to see how much time and energy we devote to caregiving. Somehow, the tedium numbs us and we forget the importance of what we do day in and day out. 

Yet, we can see the good in a simple deed when someone else does it. Many of us know of the hadith about a prostitute who fills her shoe with water and offers it to a thirsty dog. We think, “Wow! Such a simple deed and so much reward for a person who did so much evil!” But why can’t I see that I’m doing the same when I offer my son a drink of water after playing in the park on a hot day? The Prophet Muhammad had to point out the value of these easily overlooked acts to us. He told us to see the value in the sahabah who was told to stay at home and take care of his parents instead of going off to battle for jihad, and that giving money to family is the most important form of charity. I want to challenge myself to see the work that I do through someone else’s eyes.

I was forced to see my own efforts when I met up with a nice aunty recently. She saw my baby for the first time in over a month and turned to me and said, “Wow, he is so much bigger now, I can’t believe it. You’ve done a good job, Meena.” 

I was a little confused and laughed it off. I’m not the one who has learned to sit up, what is she talking about? But when I thought about her perplexing comment hours later–yes! I have done a good job–I have. I have been the one breastfeeding, keeping him clean, teaching him independent sleep skills, and giving him tummy time. I deserve so much credit and I’m glad someone saw how the small, easily ignored acts of care and service I do for my baby every single day have grown into a huge mountain that is impossible to miss.

The mountain of care is what I’m using to imagine all of the care I provide. I’m hiking up a mountain of my own making. With each step I take, the mountain gets taller and taller. At the end of every day, I reach a summit. Before I set up my base camp for the night, I turn around and admire the view. Alhamdulillah! That beautiful view represents all of the work I have done and all of the good deeds I’m raking in. It seems like I’ve reached the top of the mountain, but I know there is more mountain waiting for me to build and climb when I wake up in the morning. I’ll start another day and the mountain of care I provide will continue to grow with each step I take. This is my Everest, baby! And the best part? Allah holds the tape measure.  

Welcoming Caregiving with Open Arms this Month

I realized that I’m getting a pretty sweet deal if I play the game right this Ramadan, and instead of fighting it or begrudgingly accepting it as I’ve done for the past six years I’ve been a mom, I’m embracing it for the first time with positivity and optimism. This to me is the game changer this year that I’m hoping will make my Ramadan feel sacred and special because I’m a SAHM, and not in spite of it. 

The day after the poopy diaper incident,  I was standing like a deer in headlights wondering what I should do with my free time during the baby’s first nap of the day. It was still the first few days of Ramadan and I was panicking. It’s Ramadan–quick! Do something good! But as I looked around the house searching for my Quran, I saw the mess that the baby had made during his snack. I debated with myself, clean up the high chair or go read Quran? I knew that if I didn’t clean up, the next meal would turn into a disaster and I would be stressed out. With the baby not eating properly during his next wake window and the stress potentially snowballing out of control and ruining the rest of my day, it was then that it hit me! 

Meena, you dummy, cleaning up the high chair is a good deed.

Suddenly, I found myself holding the tray and smiling as I contemplated starting one of the most odious care tasks I do. It was a feeling I had never really felt before. Gripping the tray with both hands, I slowly turned my head from left to right, looking around at the other messes in my home.

Hang on–hang on a minute. You’re telling me that I can earn tons of good deeds just for cleaning my house and taking care of my family? I experienced a peculiar sense of glee swooping around in my stomach, thinking I had certainly gone mad because cleaning and taking care of others are not tasks I particularly enjoy, especially all day and night. I saw a vision of myself, like a prophecy, smiling in my immaculately tidy home, holding my happy baby in my arms, my older son playing peacefully with his non-choking hazard Legos at my feet, and dinner ready in the oven. I sensed the same satisfaction I feel when I pray a solid 20 at the masjid and there’s a moving witr dua to end the night. Girl, you really hit the jackpot this Ramadan. 

This delusional vision, I’m the first to admit that perfection is nigh impossible,  was an epiphany I’m rejoicing in because it has unlocked two secrets I have both long known and fought. The first is: taking care of others with acts of simple service that uphold a human’s dignity is heavy in my scale of good deeds. The second is: there is nothing better or more important that I should be doing right now as a SAHM than doing an okay job trying to take care of my family. All I need is to pair a good intention with the things I am already doing for my baby and family and I’m winning. I’m going to stop resisting my daily reality and letting the FOMO of life before kids eat away at my sanity. I’m going to embrace my time as a SAHM knowing full well that I am doing work that God loves all day long.

This isn’t to say that I shouldn’t have spiritual goals related to other forms of worship that are emphasized in Ramadan, such as engaging with the Quran, fasting, offering extra prayers, and spending more time in supplication. It’s just putting into perspective that there is no way that my current responsibilities allow me to dedicate as much time as I could in the past.

But guess what? God sees my small actions relative to my SAHM phase of life and He loves my caregiving work even more during Ramadan. And even better? If I look at my daily work as an opportunity for endless good deeds, the optimism makes the load easier to bear and more fulfilling to carry.   

Caregivers – Take the W with Me this Ramadan

Of course, I have told myself similar messages of how rewarding caregiving is in the past, but they’ve been harder to digest and accept. I often get the most disgruntled and frustrated during SAHM days when I feel as if my caregiving duties are interfering with something else I want or need to do. There were moments during previous Ramadans when I felt being “stuck with the kids” was stealing my Ramadan from me. In past Ramadans, important messages like this were what I needed to survive the month of Ramadan as a mom. 

 

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But maybe this year, I won’t feel that way as often, or perhaps not even at all. Maybe this equally-as-important message resonates more with me this year.

 

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It seems as if I have leveled up if I’m calling dibs on poopy diapers and smiling as I wash baby food from the high chair. Honestly, it could be a reflection of how I’ve worked hard to keep a manageable load on my plate more than anything else. 

I hope and pray that I can keep this optimism alive throughout Ramadan and beyond to make the burdens of caring for children easier to carry. And I hope and pray that you can see your mountain of caregiving duties for what it truly is this Ramadan, too, and maybe even embrace it as a W this year.

 

Related:

– Parents In Ramadan: Pivot To Another Worship

– Ramadan With A Newborn: Life Seasons, Ibaadah, And Intentionality

The post I Call Dibs On The Poopy Diapers This Ramadan appeared first on MuslimMatters.org.

Towns vote for anti-apartheid pledge, the arrest of Mahmoud Khalil, forced displacement in the West Bank, Yemen reimposes sea blockade and more, on the latest episode.

This Ramadan, MuslimMatters is pleased to host the Institute Of Knowledge‘s daily Ramadan series: Ramadan Reflections. Through this series, each day we will spend time connecting with the Qur’an on a deeper, more spiritual, uplifting level.

Episode 1, Episode 2, Episode 3, Episode 4, Episode 5, Episode 6, Episode 7, Episode 8, Episode 9, Episode 10, Episode 11, Episode 12, Episode 13, Episode 14, Episode 15, Episode 16

Transcript

Sūrah Al-Anbiyāʾ (21): 10

لَقَدْ أَنزلْنَا إِلَيْكُمْ كِتَابًا فِيهِ ذِكْرُكُمْ أَفَلا تَعْقِلُونَ

“Without a doubt, We have sent down a book/revelation to all of you that mentions you and your greatness – if only you understand!”

Allāh gives humanity a direct and bold “offer”. The offer is that: if you believe, obey, and truly understand and internalize the message of Allāh conveyed through The Qurʾān and teachings of Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ, you will have your dhikr (ذكر) honor, greatness, and legacy stamped into history. A similar āyah alludes to the same point:

Sūrah Al-Zukhruf (43): 43-44

فَاسْتَمْسِكْ بِالَّذِي أُوحِيَ إِلَيْكَ إِنَّكَ عَلَى صِرَاطٍ مُسْتَقِيمٍ (٤٣)

وَإِنَّهُ لَذِكْرٌ لَكَ وَلِقَوْمِكَ وَسَوْفَ تُسْأَلُونَ (٤٤)

“My Prophet! Hold on tightly to what has been revealed to you (The Qurʾān). You are, without a doubt, on the correct path. It, The Qurʾān, mentions you and your greatness, O Prophet Muḥammad, as well as the status and rank of your people. Soon you will all be asked about this.”

So how and where is ones greatness and legacy in The Qurʾān? For ones legacy and greatness to be mentioned in The Qurʾān, they must believe in it, and submit to Allāh’s commands that come within it. Thus, Allāh says in Sūrah Al-Anbiyāʾ, “We have sent down a book to you,” and it doesn’t make sense to have a book honor you if you don’t believe in that book. Second is the context of the āyāt of Sūrah Al-Zukhruf, “Hold on tightly to The Qurʾān… (and thus it will) mention you and your greatness.”

It is through Islām, and obedience to Allāh that we achieve this rank. And the Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ alludes to this when speaking to the leaders of Quraysh, saying, “هَلْ أَنْتُمْ مُعْطِيَّ كلِمَةً إِنْ أَنْتُمْ تَكَلَّمْتُمْ بِهَا مَلَكْتُمْ بِهَا العَرَبَ، ودَانَتْ لَكُمْ بِهَا العَجَمُ؟” or “أُرِيدُ مِنْهُمْ كلِمَةً وَاحِدَةً تَدِينُ لَهُمْ بِهَا العَرَبُ، وتُؤَدِّي إلَيْهِمُ العَجَمُ الجِزْيَةَ” both of which mean, “If you all give me one statement, not only will all of Arabia will be under your control, but also non-Arab lands!” To which the enemy of Islam, Abū Jahl, responded, “نَعَمْ وأَبِيكَ، وعَشْرَ كَلِمَاتٍ” or “إِنَّ هَذِهِ لَكَلِمَةٌ مُرْبِحَةٌ، لَنُعْطيَنَّكَهَا وَعَشرًا مَعَهَا” both of which mean, “One statement? That will be a very profitable statement! We’ll give you 10 more statements on top of that!” And the Prophet Muḥammad then said that the one statement he’s asking for is, “تَقُوُلونَ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ، وتَخْلَعُونَ مَا تَعْبُدُونَ مِنْ دُونِهِ – Say: ‘Nothing is worthy of worship except The One True God Allāh’ and don’t worship anything but Allāh.”

Through this it is clear that by being Muslim, one will get honor, rank, and status. Let us all reflect on 7th century Arabia. Would the world have ever known the names of Hāshim, ʿAbd Al-Muṭṭalib, Abū Ṭālib, Abū Lahab, Abū Jahal if it wasn’t for Islam? Would history books mention Quraysh, Yathrib, Aws, and Khazraj? Would the world know the greatness of Abū Bakr, ʿUmar, ʿUthmān, or ʿAli? Would anyone respect the great women who were Khadījah, Zaynab, Ruqayyah, Umm Kulthūm, Fāṭimah, or ʿĀʾishah? The greats among the Arabs have been forever remembered as the greatest human beings on earth (after the Prophets) due to their Islam. And even the worst of the Arabs still have their names mentioned by proxy!

If you want to leave the greatest legacy, it is by being the best Muslim. This greatness only comes from Allāh: “وَلِلَّهِ الْعِزَّةُ وَلِرَسُولِهِ وَلِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ – True respect, greatness, and authority is with Allāh, the Messenger, and the believers” and He ﷻ also says, “مَنْ كَانَ يُرِيدُ الْعِزَّةَ فَلِلَّهِ الْعِزَّةُ جَمِيعًا – Whoever wants true respect, greatness, and authority: know that all respect, greatness, and authority is with and from Allāh!” Allāh ﷻ also says, “إِنَّ أَكْرَمَكُمْ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ أَتْقَاكُمْ – The most noble and honorable people in the sight of Allāh are those who have the most taqwā.” Taqwā is a quality that focuses on an individual being both aware of Allāh, and afraid of His anger and punishment. Taqwā comes from wiqāyah (وقاية) indicating shielding and protection; thus one protects themselves from Allāh’s anger and punishment, and the “shield” that is used is one’s obedience of Allāh, and one’s abandoning of sins.

If you want to leave the greatest legacy and have respect, be the best Muslim!

Note that other scholars consider the use of the word dhikr (ذكر) to mean a reminder, a wake up call, a warning, among other meanings. The leading exegete, Al-Imām Abū Jaʿfar Ibn Jarīr Al-Ṭabarī (raḥimahu Allāh – may God show him compassion), prefers the meaning of sharaf (شرف): greatness, legacy, and status. Granted, he and others focus on the aspect that it is a mention of the greatness of the ʿarabs and Quraysh, but we have expanded that meaning to be a more meaningful and cohesive meaning above.

The post IOK Ramadan 2025: Your Legacy! | Sh Mudassir Mayet appeared first on MuslimMatters.org.