oozey mess
Show & Tell
Cosmic Funnies
Sweet Seals For You, Always
styofa doing anything
祝日 / Permanent Vacation
Today's Document
⁂
Three Goblin Art
art blog(derogatory)
pixel skylines
Xuebing Du
Jules of Nature
DEAR READER
macklin celebrini has autism
2025 on Tumblr: Trends That Defined the Year
h
ojovivo
cherry valley forever
titsay
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from T1
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from T1
seen from United States
seen from T1
seen from T1
seen from Saudi Arabia
@wakeful-soul
Ramadan mubarak! I hope you’re well ❤️
Jazakallah khair for your message! Alhamdullilah I’m doing well but Ramadan is going so quickly! I hope you’re well too ☺️ May Allah swt allow us to gain the full benefit of this blessed month especially during this strange times we live in 🤲🏽
Mt Yoshino - Nara, Japan
Within our social interactions, ‘modesty’ as a concept is extremely multi-faceted and fluid. The author explores her own struggles with the cultural equivocation of modesty and shyness,…
A piece I wrote for the lovely ladies over at Winters Bloom 🌸
Anxiety and Perfectionism
I’ve struggled with anxiety as long as I can remember. My anxiety manifests itself in obsessive-compulsive behaviours that I find myself returning to unconsciously, so ingrained are they in my muscle memory. Growing up as a third-generation South Asian Muslim, my anxiety was largely chalked up to me being a ‘perfectionist’ and needing to ‘not take things so seriously’.
Although I have struggled with my mental health, I acknowledge that I am much luckier than some of my fellow women of colour of faith. One of my peers struggled with depression and loneliness during a particularly stressful year of university and sought help from a university therapist. She felt like her illness was feeding into a crisis of faith and came to view her daily acts of worship as a source of stress.
Having spoken to various religious friends and family members, I see that this is a common theme — just like any other duty or task in life, when we suffer from mental health problems, and neglect these duties or do not perform them to a high standard, they become a source of guilt. This leaves one in a vicious cycle in which one yearns to engage with God to alleviate their difficulty, yet their mental illness prevents them from doing so, thus worsening their illness.
Rather than suggesting that my friend also seek some spiritual therapy from a religious leader, the university therapist callously told her that abandoning her faith altogether would be the most effective option, as it was a source of anxiety that she could completely disengage from. I’m sure that my friend is not the only person of faith to have been advised so insensitively by a healthcare professional, nor will she be the last. This highlights the need for more of an intersectional approach to mental health, but also the glaring need for representation amongst healthcare professionals.
Whilst I cannot emphasise the importance of seeing professional help if you suffer from a mental illness, I can also attest to the importance of holding ‘firmly to the rope of Allah’ (3:103). Engaging in acts of worship knowing that you won’t feel the sweetness of prayer carries more reward. Calling upon your Lord in a state of utter hopelessness is not in vain. Ease will surely come after hardship.
In these times of hardship I try to remind myself what Allah tells us: ‘I am as my servant thinks of Me. I am with him when he mentions Me. […] If he draws near to Me at a hand’s length, I draw near to him an arm’s length. And if he comes to Me walking, I go to him running’ (Hadith Bukhari).
She frowns. What does it accomplish all that raking up the past? Oh—I spread my hands— I prevail! I look her in the eye. She grins. Yes you do. [...] You remember too much, my mother said to me recently. Why hold onto all that? And I said, Where can I put it down?
‘The Glass Essay’ by Anne Carson
Istanbul - Turkey (by Evgeni Zotov)
‘Pigeon feeding near Blue Mosque’, 1991 // Steve McCurry.
Yunus (as)
I wanted to share my favourite part about the story of Yunus (as). Although he made a mistake and left his prophetic mission, and was taught a very important lesson by being swallowed by a whale, he held fast onto the rope of Allah. There are narrations that say that when a person is in remembrance of Allah, that a light emits from the earth and is seen by angels, the same way we see stars. And Yunus as was so consistent in his ibadah (acts of worship), that he could do nothing but say this dua in the belly of the whale. لَّا إِلَهَ إِلَّا أَنتَ سُبْحَانَكَ إِنِّي كُنتُ مِنَ الظَّالِمِينَ "There is no deity except You; exalted are You. Indeed, I have been of the wrongdoers." (21:87) And when the Angels saw this light, they recognised it, and asked Allah to forgive Yunus. And Allah, being Ar-Raheem (Most Merciful), let Yunus return back to his people, who accepted his prophetic message. This story shows us that not only is Allah swt the Supremely Merciful, but sometimes we do things that may be displeasing to Allah. And it's easy to feel dejected and think that Allah is punishing you, but you should never give up on Him, because He won't give up on you. He inshAllah has ordained for all of our hearts to be soft and receptive to Him. And just as easily as He has put you in a difficult situation, He can take you back out of it.
Surah al-Mujadilah meditations
‘Have you not considered that Allah knows what is in the heavens and what is on the earth? There is in no private conversation three but that He is the fourth of them, nor are there five but that He is the sixth of them - and no less than that and no more except that He is with them [in knowledge] wherever they are. Then He will inform them of what they did, on the Day of Resurrection. For ever is Allah, of all things, Knowing.' (Surah Al-Mujadila) Not only is the context of this surah/chapter so empowering, as Allah is directly addressing the plea of a woman who has been unlawfully abandoned by her husband, and Allah commands justice for this woman, but it can be applied to so many aspects of our own lives. I'd like to focus on the fact that Allah (swt), being Al-Basir (The All-Seeing) is present in every moment in our lives, whether we are waking or sleeping, whether we are conscious of Him or not. And it is with this knowledge that we should strive to be good to people and be just in all of our interactions. This ayah instantly reminds me of the hadith: Abdullah ibn Massoud quotes the Prophet (sws) as saying: “Should there be three of you, then let not two of them be in conversation to the exclusion of the third, because this will hurt him.” (Al-Bukhari and Muslim). Many of us have experienced being out of our depth in a conversation, and we find that two people seem to carry the conversation whilst the other is left out. However, this is not the sunnah of our Prophet (sws), as he gave everyone he sat with his full attention, and made them feel like the most important person to him. And Allah sees and judges if we are merciful towards one-another. At the end of the day, the world is a tough enough place without feeling as though you are invisible and not worth having a conversation with. So next time you are having a conversation with others, and find that one is being left out, make a conscious effort to shift the conversation so that it can include them and make them feel important. It's a sunnah!
Surah al-Qasas meditations
'So he watered [their flocks] for them; then he went back to the shade and said, "My Lord, indeed I am in need of whatever good You would send down to me."' (Surah al-Qasas verse 24) I love the context of this ayah so much. Musa/Moses (as) has been driven out of Egypt and has been stripped of literally ev-er-y-THING! Imagine having to walk through the desert with no water or sustenance (some narrations even say that he resorted to eating cacti-like plants for hydration which made him physically vomit!) and no foreseeable destination. But Allah is the best of planners, and in this moment of complete and utter vulnerability, Musa acknowledges his own humble state and just as humbly requests for Allah's favour in whatever way He sees fit. And the way that Allah responds is by offering Musa a life and livelihood, slowly allowing him to recuperate from the trauma of Egypt to eventually lead one of the biggest ummahs ever put under the care of a Prophet. Gah! There are so many things you can take from this: humility, modesty, taqwah in Allah and His plan, reliance in His provisions for you. Wherever you are in life - whether you feel like you are in the dirt being trampled on, or whether you are soaring on the wings of happiness and success, turn back to Allah, because without Him, nothing is possible and nothing else matters. Anas ibn Malik (ra) reports that Rasulullah (sws) used to recite the following supplication in abundance: 'O Turner of hearts, keep my heart steadfast on your deen.' (Tirmidi)
Surah an-Anfal meditations
If Allah knows [any] good in your hearts, He will give you [something] better than what was taken from you, and He will forgive you. Allah is Ever-Forgiving, Most Merciful." (Surah Al-Anfal verse 70) Being a (young) person at a weirdly precarious stage of life makes you optimistic and hopeful that you'll attain certain things, like an internship, getting that job or into that university programme, or being with that specific person. Coming back to university has made me face some of these things, and in some cases I have to deal with disappointment because something didn't go to the plan that I had meticulously laid out for myself. Instead of feeling disappointed and dealing with rejection head-on, I've taken to feeling apathetic towards my situation, and attempted to get on with life. But this ayah is such a stark reminder that our plans don't matter! Allah knows what is in our path because He has created it, and He knows what is of benefit to us whilst we have such a narrow conception of what we want or need. Earlier on in this surah we are told: "But they plan, and Allah plans. And Allah is the best of planners." (Surah Al-Anfal verse 30) For me, this is a reminder that I need to exercise sabr (patience) and trust that Allah knows the good in my heart and will plan for me accordingly, as He is the Most Merciful.
Reviving this blog after 5 years. It will primarily host my meditations on spirituality and my life’s experiences.
No man is an island entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main; if a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as well as any manner of thy friends or of thine own were; any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind. And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.
“No Man is an Island” John Donne
All women speak two languages: the language of men and the language of silent suffering. Some women speak a third, the language of queens.
Mohja Kahf, The Marvelous Women (via ma-demoiselle-cherie)
