How is it going with the routines so far?

Have you woken up a morning without stress — and remembered Allah ﷻ in your me-time?

Have you tried being more mindful with your family before leaving home?

Have you felt the difference of focusing on one important task before Dhuhr?

Have you taken 2–5 quiet minutes to begin your work with Salat ul-Duha?

Some days we fall short. That is okay.

The whole point is to keep coming back — with an intention to follow the Prophet ﷺ, and to please Allah ﷻ.

Today, let’s sit with the afternoon of the Prophet ﷺ.

A small reminder: the Prophet ﷺ didn’t live to a rigid clocked routine. What we walk through here is a structured picture — beautifully mapped in The Barakah Effect by Mohammed Faris — based on countless sahih narrations that describe what a common day in Madinah looked like for him ﷺ.

This model helps us build a shape for our own days, using the excellent example Allah ﷻ sent to humanity.

The Shape of His ﷺ Afternoon

After his Qailulah (short nap), the Prophet ﷺ would wake shortly before Dhuhr.

He ﷺ would pray 4 units of voluntary prayer at home, then walk to the mosque and lead the congregation for Dhuhr.

If there was an important matter to address, he ﷺ would speak with his companions after the prayer.

Then he ﷺ would return home, pray 2 more units of voluntary prayer, and go back out with his companions to fulfil specific duties in Madinah.

He ﷺ would stay in the mosque until Salat ul-Asr — making himself available to anyone who needed him.

And then, once Asr was prayed —

he ﷺ returned home. To be with his family. In a relaxed and joyful atmosphere.

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The One Transition I Want You to Notice

Read the last part again. Slowly.

Before Asr — he ﷺ was available. Anyone who needed him could find him at the mosque.

After Asr — he ﷺ went home. And softened.

That transition at Asr is one of the most disarming details of his ﷺ entire day.

Because the Prophet ﷺ carried the greatest responsibility any human has ever carried—and yet, at Asr, he ﷺ softened and spent mindful time with his family after prayer.

Pause. Ask yourself:

When was the last time I actually stopped — softened — and came home to my family in a relaxed, mindful and joyful mood?

A Story I’ve Told No One (until now)

During the early years of my PhD, I did not shut down my laptop.

I kept it in hibernate mode.

Because I kept telling myself:

“I’ll get back to work once the kids sleep.”

“I’ll get back to work once the guests leave.”

“I’ll get back to work once I catch my train.”

My laptop stayed in hibernate for months or years.

Eventually, I paid the price — spiritually, physically, emotionally.

But at the time, I accepted it as the cost of doing something not many people do.

And I know I’m not the only one.

Running a business? You may have accepted it too.

Full-time home-maker? You may have accepted it too.

Busy professional? You may have accepted it too.

Student at university? You may have accepted it too.

Hustle culture normalised working like a machine — and told us that’s what’s required.

The Prophet ﷺ modelled the exact opposite.

He ﷺ showed us that winding down is human — even when you carry the heaviest responsibility on your shoulders.

It is the mercy of Allah ﷻ that we are designed to slow down.

What One of My Coaching Clients Discovered

One of my coaching clients recently shared that winter is a difficult season to stay productive at work.

Together, we explored something simple:

What if you aligned your work schedule with the prayer times — and let Asr be your natural wind-down?

For her, in winter, that meant stopping at 2 pm.

In summer, when Asr is much later, it might mean working until 7 or 8 pm.

Yes, in summer she would be at work more, and in winter less. Because the rhythm in these seasons is different.

Aligning our days with prayer times syncs us with daylight and with our own natural rhythm.

Allah ﷻ knows best.

Hustle culture told us “time is money” — and dropped us into a fixed 9-to-5 box designed to maximise economic output, while neglecting the humanity in us.

The Prophetic rhythm restores it.

This Is Where Barakah Matters Most

Hustle culture teaches us that everything is proportional —

more time = more output = more results = more money.

Barakah teaches us the opposite.

Less time — with barakah — can produce more benefits.

More time — without barakah — can produce nothing that benefits.

Consciously seeking barakah in your work and winding down in alignment with Asr — is a game-changer.

Pause. Ask yourself:

What would change in my week if I trusted Allah ﷻ to place barakah in my morning work — so I could come home at Asr, without guilt?

I Know It Isn’t Easy

For most of us, it isn’t possible to walk out of the office at Asr and go straight home.

I’m not asking for perfection.

I’m asking for an intention.

An intention to align with the Prophetic rhythm. To seek barakah in your work. To initiate your winding down as Asr approaches — even if you can’t fully leave.

Because if you spend your morning in focused work with barakah — I would say it becomes very much possible to soften into your afternoon.

And then — you begin to fulfil the rights of your work, your ibadah, and your family — all three, without one starving the others. insha’Allah.

Your Invitation for the Next 7 Days

Try one of these, based on your season of life — with the intention to follow the Prophet ﷺ:

If you can stop work at Asr: Do it. Then take one minute to thank Allah ﷻ for what you completed today, and gently plan tomorrow.

If you can’t leave the office at 5: Give the last 1–2 hours to the softer work. Learn something new. Plan the next day. Reply to easier emails. Schedule meetings you were putting off. Enter winding-down mode — even inside the office.

If you’re a home-maker: Let Asr be the signal to close the “task list” for the day. Make du’a for your family, brew something warm, and shift into presence mode — one meaningful conversation, one story with the kids, one soft moment.

If you’re a student: Stop hard-focus study at Asr. Move to review, notes, revision, or reading something light. Let the last portion of your day belong to family, walking or exercise, or rest — not deep work.

A Small Gift for This Series

I’ve decided to open up Module 1 of the TaQwa Habits Program — as a thank-you to everyone following this series.

In Module 1, you’ll see:

• Why this program is different from anything else out there

• What we’ll build together over the 6 weeks

• Why it matters — for your day, your family, and your akhirah

If you’d like access — reply to this email with the word “MODULE 1” (or drop a comment on the post with the same).

I’ll personally send you the link — insha’Allah.

No pressure. No sales page. Just a real reply, from me.

(Three more days of the Prophet’s ﷺ routine still to come, insha’Allah.)

Catch Up on the Series

• Day 1 — How Would You Wake Up Like the Prophet ﷺ? Three moments from his ﷺ morning, and one small invitation for yours.

• Day 2 — How Would You Leave Home Like the Prophet ﷺ? The habit to break the most unnoticed peak of time pressure.

• Day 3 — How Would You Work Like the Prophet ﷺ? The habit that replaces the 9-5 mindset.

May Allah ﷻ soften our afternoons, place barakah in our work, restore our right to rest, and let us return home each day to relaxed, joyful households. Ameen.

Duaas,
Haneef Shijaz
TaQwa Minds

Alhamdulillah. For the last two days, we’ve sat with the morning routines of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.

Today, let’s step into a part of his ﷺ life we may know the least about — his work time.

And it may also be the part of our own day where we struggle the most to bring our deen into.

The Gap Modern Life Has Taught Us

Somewhere along the way, hustle culture taught us to split ourselves in two:

At work — be professional.

Spirituality? Keep it personal.

I remember when I first started sharing what would become TaQwa Minds, my personal coach at the time said something that stayed with me:

“You are taking something personal to public.”

That line has sat with me for months. Because for so many of us — that is exactly what we’ve been taught not to do.

Deen goes in one box. Work goes in another. And we walk into most days with our two selves quietly disconnected.

Now Look at How He ﷺ Worked

The Prophet ﷺ carried some of the heaviest responsibilities any human being has ever carried — beyond his me-time with Allah ﷻ and his family time.

Let’s walk gently through his ﷺ work day (as beautifully mapped in The Barakah Effect by Mohammed Faris):*

After his morning at home, the Prophet ﷺ returned to the mosque. Entering, he ﷺ prayed two units of prayer, and then spent time teaching his companions.

From there, he ﷺ addressed political and social affairs, met with delegates from other lands, welcomed visitors and new reverts, and asked how he could help each one of them.

Then he ﷺ walked through Madinah — greeting people, smiling, stopping for them, playing with children on the way, visiting the sick, checking on his other households.

Returning home, he ﷺ prayed two more units, helped his family with the affairs of the house, and made himself available as the women of Madinah came to seek his counsel on matters of deen.

Then he ﷺ took a short nap — the Qailulah — before Dhuhr.

Two Small Habits I Want You to Notice

Out of that entire routine, I want you to sit with two things — because they can quietly change the shape of our work days too.

Pause and think first:

What are your major responsibilities on a typical day? As a professional. As a business owner. As a parent. As a partner. As a student. Whatever is your most time-consuming life role at the moment..

Hold that answer for a moment. Then read on.

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1. He ﷺ Started His Work Day With Two Units of Prayer

Before the Prophet ﷺ turned to any responsibility, he ﷺ turned to Allah ﷻ first.

Two units of prayer (Salat ul-Duha) became the starting point of his ﷺ official day.

I would say this one small habit — just a few minutes of it — is enough to close the gap between our work and our deen.

The moment I make Salat ul-Duha the starting point of my work hours, everything shifts:

I remember who I am working for.

I remember that my skills and my position are an Amanah.

I ask myself: how can I use this Amanah to benefit others and please Allah ﷻ today?

That single mindset change turns a shift-clocking day into an act of worship.

Pause. Ask yourself:

Can I take just two quiet minutes to pray Salat ul-Duha at the start of my work day? Where would I pray it — at home before I leave? At the office? In the car?

The answer is not complicated. Only chosen.

2. He ﷺ Did the Most Important Thing First

The Prophet ﷺ carried the greatest responsibility any human has ever carried — teaching us how to live by the final revelation.

And notice when he ﷺ did the heaviest of that work.

First. Straight after Salat ul-Duha. Teaching companions. Addressing political and social affairs. Meeting delegates. The most consequential work — done at the top of the day.

Now honestly ask yourself:

How do we spend our first hour at work?

Emails? WhatsApp? A scroll of social media? A slow coffee moment?

Or do we go straight to the most important project of the day?

There’s another quiet pandemic we’ve all bought into — the 9-to-5 mindset.

Somewhere it stopped being office hours and started being a mental frame. If we have to stay until 5 anyway, why rush the morning? So we spread out the important work — thinly — across the whole day. And by 5 pm, we’ve finished nothing but touched everything.

Pause. Ask yourself:

What would happen if I gave my first two hours — completely — to the most important project of my day?

Insha’Allah, you’d be done with your real work before Dhuhr.

Your Invitation for the Next 7 Days

In addition to your morning routines from Day 1 and Day 2 — try adding these three shifts this week, with the intention of following the Prophet ﷺ:

1. Get dressed for your work day. Then pray two units. Upgrade your intention: “Ya Allah, this work today is for You. Guide me, help me, and accept it from me”

2. Decide your MIP (Most Important Project) the night before. Then give it your first two hours — undistracted (no phones, emails, coffee moments).

3. Stay active until Dhuhr. Like the Prophet ﷺ. No slow scroll, no false starts. Reward yourself afterward with a Qailulah — the sunnah nap.

Reset your 9-5 with active hours until Dhuhr :)

If Your Deen Feels Disconnected From Your Daily Roles

That’s the exact gap the TaQwa Habits Program was built to close. Bi idhnillah ﷻ

Not to add more to your day. But to help you re-orient your mindset — so the remembrance of Allah ﷻ enters your work, your parenting, your studies, your relationships — naturally — and you experience the beautiful balance of fulfilling every one of your roles without overwhelm, stress, or burnout. inshaÁllah.

Explore the TaQwa Habits Program →

(Four more days of the Prophet’s ﷺ routine still to come, insha’Allah.)

Catch Up on the Series

If you are new here or want to catch up the earlier letters of the 7-Day Prophetic Routine Series:

• Day 1 — How Would You Wake Up Like the Prophet ﷺ? Three moments from his ﷺ morning, and one small invitation for yours.

• Day 2 — How Would You Leave Home Like the Prophet ﷺ? The habit to break the most unnoticed peak of time pressure.

May Allah ﷻ bless our work, place barakah in our first hours, upgrade every skill we’ve been given into an Amanah for His sake, and make our workplaces, the places of remembrance. Ameen.

Duaas,
Haneef Shijaz
TaQwa Minds

Have you heard of time pressure?

Have you ever experienced it? Of course — many of us. If not all of us.

If there was a scale to measure time pressure — the most unnoticed peak of it would be in that short window between when everyone wakes up at home… and when everyone leaves for work, school, or wherever else the day pulls them.

Notice the sound of that window.

“Come on, come on… eat fast, we’re going to be late.”

“Have you not dressed yet?”

“Papa, can I say something?” — “No! We have no time. Let’s talk in the evening.”

“I’ll be late to the office. I don’t have time to drop you today either…”

Did you ever say — or hear — any of this in your mornings?

Do you carry a hidden rush (not to be late) that quietly turns into stress every single day?

The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was the busiest man who ever walked this earth.

But he ﷺ was never busy for anyone.

Yesterday we sat with how he ﷺ woke up. (If you missed it, read Day 1 here.)

Today let’s look at how he ﷺ spent the time between his me-time with Allah ﷻ — and leaving home for his official duties.

What He ﷺ Did Before Leaving Home

After spending his early morning at the mosque until sunrise, the Prophet ﷺ would return home. He would use his miswak, greet his family, and spend that time nurturing his relationships with them.

Today, I want to share with you a single daily moment from his ﷺ life that captures the whole spirit of it:

Aisha (RA) said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ came in to me one day and said: “Do you have anything (to eat)?” We said: “No.” He said: “Then I am fasting.”

— Sahih Muslim 1154

Read that again. Slowly.

He ﷺ paused. He asked. He listened. He adapted.

Imagine we realise — right as we are about to leave — that our morning coffee or breakfast isn’t ready.

What would our response be?

Subhan’Allah. This one moment in his ﷺ life is the remedy for our morning time pressure — entirely.

He ﷺ paused, asked, listened to his family fully, and adapted.

Pause. Ask yourself:

What is that one moment in the morning where my family sees me like a tyrant at home — loud, hurried, emotional — spilling my time pressure onto everyone?

How can I make that same moment easy-going instead? Pause. Listen. Be present. Offer a gentle hug, a smile, and adapt for them?

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Why Our Mornings Feel So Heavy

Another reason for our morning stress is that these hours are packed with transitions.

Bed → toilet → shower → dressing → eating → getting ready → out the door.

So much in so little time.

And if you have small kids — and you’re managing their transitions too — the pressure multiplies.

The Prophet ﷺ lived a day where every single one of these transitions was accompanied by a du’a.

• Waking up.

• Using the miswak.

• Entering and leaving the toilet.

• Dressing.

• Eating.

• Leaving the home.

Subhan’Allah. He ﷺ taught us a du’a for almost every micro-moment we could think of.

The Prophet ﷺ never stepped out the door without turning his heart toward Allah ﷻ:

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ، تَوَكَّلْتُ عَلَى اللَّهِ، وَلَا حَوْلَ وَلَا قُوَّةَ إِلَّا بِاللَّهِ

Bismillah, tawakkaltu ‘ala Allah, wa la hawla wa la quwwata illa billah.

“In the name of Allah. I place my trust in Allah. There is no might nor power except with Allah.”

He ﷺ said:

“Whoever says this when he leaves his house — it will be said to him: ‘You are guided, you are taken care of, and you are protected.’ And Shaytan will be turned away from him.”

— Sunan Abi Dawud 5095 · Jami at-Tirmidhi 3426 (Hasan Sahih)

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He ﷺ showed us the right mindset to develop through these duaas: that Allah ﷻ is in control, and we take the means with complete faith in Him alone.

Through his ﷺ morning routine, the Prophet ﷺ quietly showed us:

• Every moment is precious.

• Our family is an Amanah — trusted to us by Allah ﷻ.

• Everyone in our home has been given to us by Him — and they have rights upon us.

• Allah ﷻ is in control. We take the means — with a leap of faith.

He ﷺ is our best example, with the best character — and he showed us that our purpose is to worship Allah ﷻ in every moment, through every role we carry.

Not to merely work against the clock.

Your Invitation for the Next 7 Days

For the next 7 days, try adding just one of the following to your early morning routine (from day 1) — with the intention of following the Prophet ﷺ:

1. Pick one du’a to say consistently from your morning transitions.

Any one of them. But say it with a real pause — reflect, and seek from Allah ﷻ consciously.

2. Pick one moment to be fully present with one family member — with zero time pressure.

A gentle hug. A smile. A short conversation (listening). A call to your parent. Dropping the kids at school without any time pressure.

Pick one. Set the intention. Do it — without the rush.

Let me know if you notice any differences in your morning time pressure in the coming days, insha’Allah.

(Over the next 5 days, I’ll continue sharing pieces of the Prophet ﷺ’s daily routine — and gently address the reasons habits don’t always stick.)

May Allah ﷻ soften our mornings, calm our households, place barakah in the transitions of our day, and make each of us gentle with the Amanahs He has placed under our roof.
Ameen.

P.S. If you've been thinking "this is beautiful, but I don't know where to start" — that's what the TaQwa Habits Program is for →

Duaas,
Haneef Shijaz
TaQwa Minds

How did you wake up today?

Take a moment. Really.

What was the first thing you did?

What were the first thoughts that passed through your mind?

How did you feel opening your eyes to this day?

Be honest.

Did you grab your phone first? Did you catch up on the messages you missed last night? A quick scroll of reels? Just five minutes… that turned into thirty?

Did you feel the weight of your to-do list before your feet touched the floor?

Did you just want to sleep more — and not wake up to it all?

If any of that resonates, you are not alone. It is how most of us wake up in this modern, distracted, over-connected world.

But it is not how we were designed to begin our day.

Let’s Look at How the Prophet ﷺ Woke Up

(Before we begin, send abundant salawat upon the Prophet ﷺ as you read — every mention of him carries reward, insha’Allah)

Allah ﷻ says:

“Indeed, in the Messenger of Allah you have an excellent example — for whoever hopes in Allah and the Last Day, and remembers Allah often.” — Surah Al-Ahzab, 33:21

His life is the best model we have — the most closely observed and documented life in the history of humanity.

And anyone striving to follow that model is quietly living their best version of themselves, insha’Allah.

The Prophet ﷺ used to wake up long before Fajr — after midnight — and pray his Tahajjud (which was obligatory upon him). He would take a short nap before Fajr. Wake for the Adhan. Use his miswak. Express gratitude to Allah ﷻ. Lead Fajr prayer at the mosque. Give advice to companions. Then sit in dhikr (remembrance of God) until sunrise.
(Ref: The Barakah Effect, Mohammed Faris)

I want you to notice three specific moments of his morning.

Not the whole routine — just three.

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1. When He ﷺ Woke Up

He woke up early. Every self-help book of our era says the same — early risers succeed. But the Prophet ﷺ and his duaas are connected to this.

He ﷺ made a specific du’a for our early mornings:

“O Allah, bless my Ummah in their early mornings.” — Jami at-Tirmidhi 1212 (Hasan)

Subhan’Allah. The blessing of our early hours was specifically prayed for by the Prophet ﷺ.

Pause. Ask yourself:

Can I wake up just a little earlier than I do — with the intention of following him ﷺ?

Not two hours earlier. Just earlier. Even 15 minutes.

2. His Mindset While Waking Up

The first words he ﷺ said upon waking were words of gratitude:

الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِي أَحْيَانَا بَعْدَ مَا أَمَاتَنَا وَإِلَيْهِ النُّشُورُ

Alhamdulillahil-ladhi ahyana ba’da ma amatana wa ilayhin-nushur.

“All praise is due to Allah who gave us life after having taken it from us, and to Him is the resurrection.” — Sahih al-Bukhari 6312

Read it again. His first breath in the morning was praise.

Later, he ﷺ taught us the lens to see the day with:

“Whoever among you wakes up in the morning secure in his home, healthy in his body, having his food for the day — it is as if the whole world has been gathered for him.” — Jami at-Tirmidhi 2346 (Hasan)

Three things. Home. Health. A meal.

If you have all three today — you have, in the Prophet’s ﷺ eyes, been given the whole world.

Pause. Ask yourself:

What if I began my day focused on what I have — not what I lack? What if my first thought was: Alhamdulillah for each one of them?

That single shift in mindset is free. And it is available every single morning, insha’Allah.

3. His Priority in the Morning

The Prophet ﷺ prioritised the remembrance of Allah ﷻ above everything else in the early hours.

Salah. Qur’an. Dhikr. Advice to his companions. Gratitude. More dhikr — until sunrise.

Not news. Not messages.

Pause. Ask yourself:

What if I don’t touch my phone until sunrise? What if I use that quiet window to strengthen my relationship with Allah ﷻ instead?

When you look closely at the Prophet’s ﷺ life — this was quite literally his only “me time.” For every other moment of the day, he ﷺ was surrounded by people. He had the greatest responsibility anyone has ever carried (to deliver the final divine message to humanity) and fulfilled countless roles in Madinah as leader, teacher, husband, father, friend, judge, imam….

But this 'morning time' fuelled him to carry every one of those roles with Amanah and excellence.

Allah ﷻ knows best.

Your Invitation for the Next 7 Days

Have you ever wondered how to fulfil all your life roles without overwhelm?

Fix your morning.

For the next 7 days, try these three shifts — one at a time, insha’Allah:

• Wake up just a little earlier than usual.

• Begin with Alhamdulillah — for home, health, and today’s rizq and all the blessings you can count in that first minute.

• No phone until sunrise. Fill that window with Allah ﷻ.

Tell me what changed for you in the coming days, insha’Allah.

One Quiet Reflection

Imagine if you could do this for most of the next 7 days.

You will have remembered Allah ﷻ — and connected to Him — in the very first hours of every day.

And Allah ﷻ has said:

“So remember Me, I will remember you.”
— Surah Al-Baqarah, 2:152

How many of the billions alive right now are remembering Him at this very moment?

You would be, quite literally, in the top 1% each day — those whom Allah ﷻ Himself remembers and carries through every moment of their day.

If You’d Like Help Making It Stick

If you’ve ever thought — “I’ve tried habits before but couldn’t stick with them” — you’re not alone. That’s the exact reason I designed the TaQwa Habits Program: rooted in Quran & Sunnah, 10 minutes a day, at your own pace.

Explore the Program →

(Over the next 6 days, I'll continue to share pieces of the Prophet ﷺ's daily routine — and gently address the reasons habits don't always stick.)

May Allah ﷻ bless our mornings, place barakah in the early hours, and gather us among those who follow the Messenger ﷺ with sincere hearts. Ameen.

Duaas,
Haneef Shijaz
TaQwa Minds

Want to read more?
📖 Why Your Morning Barakah Begins the Night Before
The truth most morning-routine advice misses — your morning starts long before you open your eyes.

📱 Are These Phone Habits Making You ‘Less’?
If your first act of the day is the phone, this piece names what it’s quietly taking from you.

⚡ Start Your Day Full of Energy and Focus
A practical framework for waking up ready — instead of dragging yourself into the morning.

Two years ago, I founded TaQwa Minds — after going through years of burnout, stress, and overwhelm in my life.

In those years, I felt I lacked direction. Plans were not working out. All my roles were incredibly demanding — at work, raising family, building life in a new country.

When you burn out, it is a tricky situation. The people around you think everything is normal — but you keep hitting rock bottom every single day. And even if you try to explain what you’re going through, you find it hard to put into words, or people simply don’t understand.

That was when I got inspired by a single verse from the Qur’an:

“Those who believe and whose hearts find comfort in the remembrance of Allah. Verily, in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find comfort.”

— Surah Ar-Ra’d, 13:28

The real question that gripped me was:

How do I practically live this verse in my day to day?

TaQwa Minds took shape while I was trying to answer that question.

Through our programs, our intention is to help you develop a sound heart through the ups and downs of this life — to walk on this earth with real confidence and abundant hope, become a means of barakah to others, and ultimately succeed in the hereafter, insha’Allah.

What I’ve Been Hearing From You

For the last few months, I’ve been listening carefully — to feedback from our students, our alumni, our coachees, and every one of your comments, DMs, and emails across platforms.

One thing I keep hearing:

Many of us still feel stressed or anxious in our day to day — even after taking programs, even after learning the frameworks.

Moreover, for some of us — the emotions and feelings begin to take control, making us feel stuck, or making us react and behave in ways we later regret.

So a question began to form over the past two weeks:

What is the one anchor point — one focus — that can bring the remembrance of Allah into our day to day? The one thing that reminds us why we are here in this situation, and what we are supposed to do — by drawing on the learnings and frameworks we’ve built at TaQwa Minds?

The Soul That Realises Too Late

Allah ﷻ narrates the moment of a soul returning to Him:

“Until, when death comes to one of them, he says: ‘My Lord, send me back that I might do righteous deeds in that which I left behind.’ No! It is only a word he is saying; and behind them is a barrier until the Day they are resurrected.”

— Surah Al-Mu’minun, 23:99-100

The soul pleads to return to dunya — for one thing only. To do righteous deeds.

Not to buy a bigger home. Not for the next promotion. Not for more money or status.

That is the moment the soul realises: the only asset I could have carried to the hereafter was my righteous deeds. And the door to earn them has just closed.

So if we are still given life today, our anchor point — our life focus — must be to do more righteous deeds.

Allah ﷻ tells us exactly this:

“He is the One Who created death and life in order to test which of you is best in deeds. And He is the Almighty, All-Forgiving.”

— Surah Al-Mulk, 67:2

An Equation For Real Success.

I’m trained as a chemical engineer.

The whole discipline is about converting raw material (cheap, impure) into a high-value product (pure, valuable). It’s done through reactions — chemical and physical. Throughout my career designing and teaching, my job was to figure out these reactions at the early development stage, given the raw material and the desired product.

So I started asking myself:

What is the equation in this life? What is the reaction that converts what I have into what actually lasts?

That reminded me of something we’ve discussed here before.

Every single thing we hold — our home, our family, our health, our time, our wealth, our children — is given to us by Allah ﷻ. Not owned. Trusted. An Amanah.

Read that again.

Everything we think is ours — isn’t actually ours. It has been given to us for a period.

Every Amanah is temporary.

A Palestinian brother once said something to me I have never forgotten:

“Everything you think is yours will leave you one day.”

Your home. Your family. Your car. Your job. Your health. Your very own body.

That is the fact.

So how do we convert our temporary Amanahs into something permanent — something eternal?

The answer is good (righteous) deeds.

Good deeds are the reactions that convert what is temporary into everlasting reward. And this is where Allah ﷻ has given us the free will — to choose good over anything else, using what He has given us.

What else, then, should we focus on in this life except doing good?

Everything we learn at TaQwa Minds — and on every platform grounded in Qur’an and Sunnah — must prepare us to make these good choices, across every one of our life roles.

If we do — we earn what is permanent. insha’Allah.

If we live heedlessly, drowning in the rat race of chasing dunya and believing we own our Amanahs — that is the true loss.

Design Your Today

Imagine standing in front of Allah ﷻ, and your soul regretting over missed opportunities to do good.

May Allah ﷻ protect all of us from that moment.

All that we have is today.

If we woke up and are still alive — the opportunity is now.

The opportunity to fill our day and time with what is good.

The opportunity to convert our temporary Amanahs into something eternal.

And with the mercy of Allah ﷻ, the opportunities are plenty.

He promises the reward of ten times or more for every good deed — small or big. He rewards every sincere moment of our life. And we can do good through every season of life — our patience through hard times has its reward, and our gratitude through easy times has its own reward too. 🌱

So — design your day.

Build a structure around the five daily prayers, around Qur’an, around adhkar. Learn to convert each of your life roles into never-lasting rewards through your righteous deeds.

Insha’Allah — then we are quietly building our Jannah 24/7.

If we can win more days like this, we will walk on earth with a sound heart through every up and down, become the means of barakah for those around us, live a good life, and succeed in the hereafter.

Allah ﷻ promises:

“Whoever does righteousness, whether male or female, while he/she is a believer — We will surely cause them to live a good life, and We will surely give them their reward according to the best of what they used to do.”

— Surah An-Nahl, 16:97

If You Want a Structured Way to Live This

Everything I’ve shared today is what we walk through — step by step, week by week — in our self-paced TaQwa Habits Program.

If you’re already a student of ours:

Revisit the framework this week with one equation in mind:

Amanah + Good deeds = Eternal reward.

You’ll notice the material land differently the second time.

If you’re new — one small question:

Can you commit 10 minutes a day to becoming a slightly better version of yourself?

If your answer is yes, this program was built for you.

Inside, you will receive Qur’an and Sunnah-based frameworks to manage your focus, energy, and time — across every one of your life roles — as you fill your days with good, and quietly convert your Amanahs into what is eternal.

A note of gratitude:

This program is built upon the frameworks I trained in with The Productive Muslim Company — led by my teacher Mohammed Faris, author of The Barakah Effect and The Productive Muslim. Alhamdulillah, I am one of their Certified Productive Muslim Trainers, and what I share with you has been shaped by their years of work — adapted for the daily rhythms of a Muslim professional’s life, insha’Allah.

Insha’Allah, by the end, you will:

• Build sustainable habits rooted in Qur’an and Sunnah

• Turn each of your life roles into acts of ibadah

• Live 13:28 in your daily rhythm — with a sound heart

Self-paced. Learn at any time. Start at any time.

Explore the TaQwa Habits Program →

Would love to hear from you:

What is one Amanah in your life right now that you’d most like to start converting into an eternal asset?

Leave a comment

May Allah ﷻ purify our intentions, place barakah in every good deed we set out to do, and make each of us among those who use every Amanah He has entrusted to us — for His sake alone. Ameen.

Duaas,
Haneef Shijaz
TaQwa Minds

As-salaamu ‘alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu.

Today I want to share the first piece written for you — by my 7-year-old boy, Affaan.

It is summer time. Schools are closed. The kids are home.

Affaan walked up to me the other day and — to my surprise — asked:

“Can I write a post for TaQwa Minds?”

Without any hesitation, I said yes.

Then he came up with the following work, in just a few minutes. It was all about writing “Allah” in every way he knew how. Alhamdulillah.

Then I asked him: “We need a message. What would you like to say to the community about Allah?”

He thought for a moment, and asked me to wait.

Affaan finished his group 3 this year, and learned to write and read, alhamdulillah. He came back with a full page of writing (for the first time), in mixed Dutch and English 😉.

I know his handwriting might be a challenge to read.
Let me decode his message for you (I did this with his help ;))
This is what he wrote:

‘Allah.

We pray to Allah.

What does the prayer mean?

That is a meeting with Allah.

Do you know if you pray, what will happen?

Allah will give you a gift.

But you can’t see the gift.

The gift is Barakah.

It will come to your soul.

If you die in your prayer, then Allah will put you in Jannath-ul Firdaus.

You know, Jannah is the best place where you get everything, and you can see/do whatever you want.”

— Affaan

Alhamdulillah.

Remember Affaan in your du’as — Read it again slowly, and if you feel moved, leave him a message in the comments. I’ll make sure he reads it, and he’ll respond to you, insha’Allah 😊

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The Hidden Blessing Behind This Moment

I started reflecting back over the past 7 years leading to this moment. Alhamdulillah, I found a hidden blessing from Allah ﷻ.

For the last few years, Allah ﷻ has blocked certain things from my way — things I thought were necessary to have. For example: a full-time job.

On the other hand, that made me available for my little ones far more often.

And during this time, with all my imperfections, Allah ﷻ helped me to plant two small seeds into my little ones:

• Who is Allah?

• What is Barakah?

In my journey of personal development for the last 4-5 years — grounded in our Deen, learning, trying to act upon it, and spreading the message through teaching and writing — if I distill it all down to a single sentence, it is this:

Some of my story moments with them were intentionally about introducing Barakah — and letting them know Barakah is always from Allah, and reminding them who Allah is.

The playful moments were opportunities to introduce them to some Barakah rituals:

• Start with Bismillah.

• Want a toy? Make du’a first — before asking papa or mama.

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Play With Them for the First Seven Years

There is a well-known parenting saying, commonly attributed to Ali ibn Abi Talib (RA):

“Play with them for the first seven years of their life, teach them for the next seven years, and befriend them for the next seven years — and after that.”

In the early years, play with them. Spend time with them. Focus on building and strengthening the connection with them.

The time we spend during these years is the real investment — for this life, and for the Next.

With the right intention, it is the process of fulfilling our Amanah — the trust Allah ﷻ has placed upon us. And therefore, every moment becomes a rewarding act of worship. insha’Allah.

The Prophet ﷺ told us that a righteous child who makes du’a for us is our lifetime investment — one of the deeds that continues to benefit us even after we pass away, insha’Allah.

So:

No parent should feel guilty for spending more time with their child, or fear a temporary dip in their work productivity.

No mother should feel torn between her career and her child — she should prioritise giving quality time, and strengthening her connection with them.

No father should feel embarrassed for working less, coming home earlier, or making plans to spend the early years fully present.

And if life doesn’t allow you extra time — then fill the time you do have with quality. Put the phone away. Close the laptop. Stay off social media during that hour.

Your presence is what plants the seeds. insha’Allah.

Where are you in this map with your child right now — in the first 7 years, the next 7, or the 7 after that?

Some Du’as From the Qur’an for This Journey

Nothing happens without the permission of Allah ﷻ. Here are a few Qur’anic du’as that support our parenting journey (referenced in Positive Parenting in the Muslim Home by Noha Alshugairi):

“My Lord, bless me with offspring that are among Your good, pious descendants. You are the One who accepts supplications.”

— Surah Aal-’Imran, 3:38

“My Lord, make me one who continually performs prayers, and make my offspring the same. Our Lord, accept our supplication. Our Lord, forgive my sins and those of my parents and all the believers on the Day of Reckoning.”

— Surah Ibrahim, 14:40–41

“Our Lord! Grant us from our spouses and children comfort and contentment, and make us leaders for the God-conscious.”

— Surah Al-Furqan, 25:74

“My Lord! Grant me the ability to give thanks to You for Your blessings that You have bestowed upon me and upon my parents. And grant me the ability to do righteous deeds which please You. And make my children righteous. I have repented to You, and I am among the Muslims.”

— Surah Al-Ahqaf, 46:15

May Allah ﷻ bless us with righteous children and make them our sadaqah jariyah.

May Allah ﷻ make all of us the means of Barakah to our kids.

Ameen.

How do you introduce Allah ﷻ to your little ones?

Share your tips in the comments — they might guide another parent, and become a quiet sadaqah jariyah for you both, insha’Allah.

Duaas,
Haneef & Affaan
TaQwa Minds

As-salaamu ‘alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu.

Jumu'ah Mubarak.

Two weeks ago, we sat down together — a small group, quietly behind our screens — to review our last Hijri year and set our intentions for 1448 H across every role we play.

Alhamdulillah, it was a wonderful experience.

A few reflections from those who joined:

‘‘The workshop gave me clarity in life and a path to move forward. Alhamdulillah.’’

‘‘The effect of the workshop was to deactivate the automatic mode in my actions. ’’

‘‘This workshop helped me to realize that many of my life plans, e.g., raising my children, had a lower intention, not really for the sake of Allah SWT. I really want to thank you, what you teach is amazing.’’

May Allah ﷻ accept it from every one of you who joined, fulfil your intentions beyond your plans, and reward you abundantly. Ameen.

The Moment of the Workshop

During the workshop, we decided we would plan our annual intentions — and deliberately not set goals or outcomes for the year.

We discussed the question: what actually is the difference between an intention and a goal?

Then one of the attendees said something so simple, and so quietly powerful:

“Intentions are internal.”

Subhan’Allah. That is powerful.

Why Intentions Matter More Than We Realise

Scholars have taught that our intentions live deep inside our spiritual hearts.

Whether we are conscious of them or not, every action we take carries an intention behind it. And as believers, we carry an extra responsibility: to check what is actually driving our day-to-day choices. Why?

Because of the very first hadith in the greatest book of hadith we have:

Narrated Umar ibn Al-Khattab (RA):

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

“The reward of deeds depends upon the intentions, and every person will get the reward according to what he has intended…”

— Sahih al-Bukhari 1

Allah ﷻ will judge our actions not by their outcomes — but by the intention we placed behind them. He is the One who gave us the free will to choose our intentions. And to act upon them.

Intentions are like the best seeds that you can sow; taking care of them can lead to fruits beyond your imagination. Why should we become attached to outcomes that we have no control over? Instead, we should focus on our intentions, as they can lead to outcomes filled with Barakah. The outcomes are always from Allah ﷻ.

So in the workshop — after the annual review — every participant reflected on the intentions behind each of their life roles. And then upgraded each one: to please Allah ﷻ alone.

At work. In family. In parenting. In the community. In self-care. In business. In health. In wealth. In every single space where we show up.

May Allah ﷻ make each of us among those who serve Him sincerely. Ameen.

Then I Sat With My Own Intentions

I want to share something that took me by surprise.

While doing this exercise, I pondered over the intentions behind my daily actions — and I discovered something I had not been fully aware of.

Deep in my heart, I have a people-pleasing tendency.

It has been inherently buried in me. Whatever I do — when people appreciate it, I become happier.

Writing this newsletter, some part of me is quietly craving more likes and more comments.

Walking into a gathering, part of me wants other people to recognise me.

Making decisions, I put extra effort into pleasing as many people as I can around the decision — sometimes even more than the decision itself.

None of these urges is “bad” on its own. We are human. We are wired to seek belonging.

But if that people-pleasing sits deep in my heart — it can quietly lower my intention. From pleasing Allah ﷻ… to pleasing the people around me.

Do you recognise any patterns in yourself?

A Hadith That Shook Me

The Prophet ﷺ described three people who will be among the first thrown into the Hellfire on the Day of Judgment:

• A scholar who taught knowledge — but did it so people would call him “a learned man”

• A martyr who fought in battle — but did it so people would call him “a brave warrior”

• A generous person who gave in charity — but did it so people would call him “generous giver”

Each of them will say: “Ya Allah, I did this for You.”

And Allah ﷻ will reply: “You lie. You did it so that they would say (the titles mentioned above) about you. And it has been said.”

Then they will be dragged to the Fire.

— Sahih Muslim 1905

Subhan’Allah.

Every one of those three did what looked — from the outside — like the best of deeds. Teaching, sacrificing, giving. The action was the best. The intention wasn’t.

Where Did My People-Pleasing Come From?

I asked myself how I can overcome something that runs deep within me and affects the quality of my intentions.

On further reflection, I saw a pattern.

I’ve been used to receiving praise from those around me — at school, in my family, from my neighbours — my whole life. I did well consistently in my school days. Recognition became my quiet reward system.

As life went on, I noticed the moments I stressed the most were the moments when people didn’t recognise my efforts — the moments I felt invisible.

Subhan’Allah. My upbringing. The culture I grew up in. My childhood experiences. All of them planted something deep in my heart that, if left unchecked, could quietly deteriorate the quality of every intention I set going forward.

Do you think the pattern you observed was influenced by your upbringing and cultural background?

So — What Can I Do?

Intention is the spiritual compass placed within us.

As we move forward through the year, it keeps us moving in the right direction. It also acts as fuel when we feel exhausted, bored, or on the verge of giving up.

If my deep-seated people-pleasing dominates my compass — there is a high chance I will give up on many of the projects (Amanahs) Allah ﷻ has placed in my life. Because when the praise doesn’t arrive, the fuel dies.

So how do I upgrade my intention — and stay ahead of my culture, my childhood, my inherited defaults?

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The One Shift That’s Helping Me

Last week, I stumbled onto something simple. Alhamdulillah.

I stopped calling my to-dos “tasks.”

I started calling them “ibadah.”

That single word change does something my system responds to immediately. When I say “task”, part of my brain moves into performance mode — get it done. Tick it off. Move on. If I don’t feel good, delay it.

When I say “ibadah” — my spiritual heart wakes up. Sometimes I even go make wudu before I begin. I start with a conscious Bismillah. When I’m done — or have made some progress — I ask Allah ﷻ to accept whatever I have done, and to forgive my shortcomings within it.

If I’m able to do it this way, it keeps me at the best version of myself in that moment. Because I’m doing what I was actually created for.

Allah ﷻ says:
“And I did not create the jinn and mankind except to worship Me.”

— Surah Ad-Dhariyat, 51:56

Every task. Every email. Every conversation. Every moment with my kids. Every meeting. All of it can become worship — the moment I upgrade the intention behind it, to please Allah ﷻ alone.

My favourite quote from the book A Journey to Success by Shaykh Dr Sajid Umar is this:

Having a clear intention to please our Creator in all life roles keeps us ahead in our journey — where every action in these roles becomes an ibadah, not merely a task to tick off.

Anas ibn Malik (RA) narrated:

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

“Whoever makes the Hereafter his goal, Allah enriches his heart, organises his affairs, and the world comes to him whether it wants to or not. And whoever makes the world (Dunya) his goal, Allah places poverty right before his eyes, disorganises his affairs, and the world does not come to him, except that which has been decreed for him.”

— Jami at-Tirmidhi 2465

May Allah ﷻ purify our intentions, protect us from the whispering of the nafs and Shaytan, and gather us among His sincere servants — the ones whose deeds are for Him, and Him alone. Ameen.

If reading this has stirred something in you — and you’d like to sit with your own intentions for 1448 H, quietly and thoroughly — send me a message here on Substack.

I’ll happily share the full workshop recording and worksheet with you, free, insha’Allah. Watch at your own pace, set your upgraded intentions, and sail through the year with clarity across every role you play in life.

May the year ahead be filled with barakah for you and yours.

Duaas,
Haneef Shijaz
TaQwa Minds

As-salaamu ‘alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu.

Three days from now, insha’Allah, a small group of us will sit together — quietly, behind our screens — to set our intentions for 1448 H.

Before we do, I want to share a story I heard this Ramadan from a fellow trainer. It came back to me again and again as I prepared for Sunday’s workshop, and I think it explains — better than anything I’ve written this past week — why this work matters.

It’s a story from Sheikh Muhammad AlShareef — may Allah grant him Jannatul Firdaus.

The Swimmer and the Rubber Duck

The Sheikh said:

Imagine a person who falls from a boat into the vast ocean while the boat sails away.

If that person spots land — even from far, far away — he will swim toward it with determination. He checks every few minutes to make sure he is still heading in the right direction.

Take a breath with that image.

The boat is gone. The water is cold. The land is barely visible on the horizon.

But the swimmer swims. And he checks. And he corrects. And he swims again.

Then the Sheikh continued:

Now imagine, instead, a rubber duck.

It floats. It bobs. It is carried wherever the waves take it.

And then he said:

Every choice should bring us closer to the vision we have for our lives.

Otherwise, we become like the rubber duck floating in the ocean, carried aimlessly wherever the waves take us.

Subhan’Allah.

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Which One Are You — Right Now?

I want you to sit with this for a moment.

Before you scroll, before you close this tab, before you check your phone — ask yourself honestly:

Right now, am I swimming toward something — or am I the rubber duck?

There is no judgment in the question. Most of us are some mixture of both — in different roles of our lives.

Maybe you are swimming hard at work — and floating in your relationships.

Maybe you are swimming with your family — and floating in your relationship with Allah ﷻ.

Maybe you have been floating everywhere this past year, and you haven’t admitted it to yourself yet.

That honest answer is the doorway.

This Is What Intention-Setting Actually Does

The difference between the swimmer and the rubber duck is the work of intention-setting.

Without intentions, our days drift. Months pass. Years pass.

We wonder why life feels like it is moving us — instead of us moving through it.

With intentions — with a clear vision of the land Allah ﷻ has placed in our heart’s horizon — even when storms come (and they will, insha’Allah), we know which way to keep swimming.

When you ask the question we’ll be sitting with on Sunday —

“How can I please Allah ﷻ this year — across each of my life roles?”

— You are not setting goals. You are setting direction.

And direction is the difference between a year that drifts and a year that moves.

This Sunday — A Quiet Invitation

On Sunday 28, June (12 Muharram 1448H), insha’Allah, I’m holding a free 2-hour live workshop for anyone who wants to do this work together.

We will:

• Reflect honestly on 1447 H — what blessed us, what broke us, what we learned

• Set intentions across every life role we carry — believer, spouse, parent, child, professional, community member, seeker of knowledge

• Craft a du’a for each intention — so that what we plan, He helps

• Map our intentions across the twelve Hijri months of 1448 H

• Build a simple monthly/quarterly review to keep us swimming all year, insha’Allah

If you’ve recognised some rubber-duck moments in the year just past — this is your invitation to come.

It’s free. The workbook is yours to keep. The recording will be in your inbox within 24 hours if you can’t join live.

Just a small group of believers, behind their screens, doing the quiet work of orienting their year toward the One who created it.

📩 Register in 3 minutes →

📒 Download the free workbook now — yours to keep, share with anyone who might benefit, even if Sunday doesn’t work for you:

A Du’a for Each of Us

May Allah ﷻ make us among those who swim toward Him — even when the ocean is wide and the land is barely visible.

May He give us the determination of the swimmer in our daily decisions.

May He give us the clarity to keep checking the horizon as we move.

May He give us the mercy to correct course when we drift.

And may He gather us this Sunday — for His sake alone. Ameen.

Remember TaQwa Minds, me, my family in your duaas.

Duaas,
Haneef Shijaz
TaQwa Minds

P.S. — If a friend, sibling, or someone in your family came to mind while you read this story, forward this to them. May Allah ﷻ make you the means by which they swim a little more this year, to the right direction. Ameen.

As-salaamu ‘alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu.

A new Hijri year has begun, masha’Allah. Welcome to 1448 H.

May Allah ﷻ accept every act of worship, every quiet du’a, and every small effort we made through 1447 H. May He forgive our shortcomings — what we know and what we don’t. And may He fill the year ahead with barakah across every life role He has placed in your care. Ameen.

A new Hijri year is more than a date flip. This is the beginning of another chapter, on our own journey toward Allah ﷻ.

Allah ﷻ says;

Indeed, the number of months ordained by Allah is twelve—in Allah’s Record since the day He created the heavens and the earth—of which four are sacred. That is the Right Way….
(Surah At-Tawbah, verse 36)

Now is the perfect time to reflect on your journey and renew your plans for the upcoming Hijri year. Barakah flows into everything when we align ourselves with Allah’s ﷻ commands. There’s no better moment to take a step back and ask yourself how you can please Allah ﷻ in the year ahead.

So before we step further into 1448 H, I want to share something I started doing in the last Muharram — and an invitation to do this work together this Sunday.

Why I No Longer Set New Year Resolutions

Last Rajab, I published a 3-part series on the three mistakes I used to make every December — and the three shifts that changed everything.

Each one took years for me to see. I’m sharing them again now because at the start of a new Hijri year, they matter more than they ever did in January.

Part 1: Follow what drives your soul.

Most New Year resolutions are driven by two quiet voices: peer pressure (everyone is doing it) and guilt (I wasted the last year). Neither one is enough to move the soul.

In Part 1, I share why we should reorient our lives by the Hijri calendar — not January 1 — and why the seeds you plant in spring take root, while the same seeds in winter never do.

Read full article →

Part 2: Build for barakah, not burnout.

Why I stopped chasing goals and started designing a process.

Goal-attachment used to make me restless and anxious. In Part 2, I share why this fights against our fitrah — and the two questions to ask before any plan:

What is one clear process step I can build into my everyday life? How can I invite barakah into that process?

Read full article →

Part 3: Planning beyond the self.

Why “You own your destiny” may be the most spiritually dangerous productivity slogan we’ve internalised.

In Part 3, I share the shift from ego-centered resolutions to intention-based planning — and the single question I now ask every Muharram:

“How can I please Allah ﷻ this year — across each of my life roles?”

This is the question I’d love to walk you through this Sunday.

Read full article →

A Free Annual Review & Planning Session — This Sunday, Bismillah

For the same reasons I shared in the series above, I’m holding a free online annual review and planning session this Sunday, insha’Allah.

Over 1.5 to 2 hours, we will pause together — reflect on the year just closed (1447 H), and set our annual intentions for the year ahead (1448 H), mapped across our life roles (the Amanahs) Allah ﷻ has placed in each of our care.

When I did this last Muharram for the first time in my life, the year still came with ups and downs — but my intentions kept me focused, flexible, and at peace through every season of it. And subhanAllah, some of the intentions were fulfilled even without the means that I thought were necessary to have.

Salim ibn Abdullah رحمه الله once wrote to the Caliph Umar ibn Abdul-Aziz رحمه الله:

“Know that Allah helps a servant according to their intention. So whoever’s intention is complete, Allah’s help will fulfil it. And if his intention decreases, Allah’s help decreases accordingly.”

If you are ready to set intentions that please Him across every life role — join me this Sunday.

We will work together. You will leave with your own plan for barakah in the year ahead, insha’Allah.

It doesn’t matter what you’re going through. It doesn’t matter what feels impossible right now.

Let us take this moment together — to reflect, re-orient, and elevate our plans for the year Allah ﷻ has gifted us.

Register in 2 Minutes

Free for everyone: Download the workbook and use it on your own, or share it with anyone who might benefit, insha’Allah.

Already registered for Sunday? Don’t worry if life intervenes — the recording will be sent to you within 24 hours. Joining live will make a clear difference, though. God Willing.

May Allah ﷻ accept from us, place barakah in our 1448 H, and let it be the year our intentions and our actions align — for His sake alone. Ameen.

Duaas,
Haneef Shijaz
TaQwa Minds

As-salaamu ‘alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu.

I pray and hope you are at the best of your energy — spiritually, physically, socially.

After my last two posts on managing your energy through long summer days, and the free energy tracker, I received a number of DMs with the same set of questions:

When should I take a nap? How long? Every day?

I went on to study it more, and I would love to share what I found with you today — the practical tips, the prophetic wisdom, and the hidden benefits of one of the most underrated tools placed in your modern day.

A Story That Changed How I Think About Naps

In one of my sessions with my teacher and mentor in Islamic Productivity — Mohammed Faris, author of The Barakah Effect and The Productive Muslim — he shared the story of one of his coaching clients.

The client was a brother who started his day with Tahajjud, was successful in his profession, and was a deeply valued member of his community. But at the moment, he was struggling with one thing: his conversations with his teenage daughter.

Their daily exchanges were filled with arguments, emotions, and — from his side — a lot of anger.

After going through his story together, Mohammed asked him a question the brother did not expect:

“Do you take a nap during the day?”

The brother was puzzled. “A nap? What does that have to do with this? Also, I can’t — I am busy with work and projects.”

Mohammed convinced him to try. Just take a nap. Come back in a few days.

A few days later, the brother returned: “It worked. My conversations with my daughter are gentler. Less anger. The relationship is improving, masha’Allah.”

What happened?

This hardworking, practicing brother was always ON. He woke at 4 AM for Tahajjud. He went straight into work. The conversations with his daughter happened in the late evening — by which point his body was drained and his patience was empty.

He didn’t have a relationship problem. He had an energy problem.

And the solution had been there all along — placed into his day by Allah ﷻ, taught by the Prophet ﷺ, and almost completely forgotten by most of us.

Subhan’Allah. A power nap is a quick and powerful recharge.

• Could it be a solution to our burnout?

• Could it be a solution to our relationship struggles?

• Could it be a solution to the days we waste sitting on one task because we are too tired to finish it?

It is more than a ritual. Let’s go deeper.

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Sleep Is a Sign — Allah ﷻ Placed It in You

Allah ﷻ says:

“And one of His signs is your sleep by night and by day ˹for rest˺ as well as your seeking His bounty ˹in both˺. Surely in this are signs for people who listen.”

— Surah Ar-Rum, 30:23

Allah ﷻ does not call sleep merely a function. He calls it a sign.

Anything called a sign by our Creator is meant to help us travel in the right direction. All of us are on a journey — started from Allah ﷻ, passing through this short route in the world, eventually returning to Him alone. If we read a sign correctly, it orients us toward our true destination: a step closer to our Rabb.

So before you read further, let’s upgrade our intention together:

Anything I learn from this article — and apply to my life — is to get a step closer to my Rabb.

Pause. Repeat it. Until you feel it.

Notice in the ayah: Allah ﷻ mentions sleep both by night AND by day. This is divine validation — given before any sleep study, before NASA, before circadian rhythm research — that rest in the day is part of His design for us.

The Prophetic Practice

The Companion Sahl bin Sa’d narrated:

“We used to offer the Jumu’ah prayer with the Prophet ﷺ and then take the afternoon nap.”

— Sahih al-Bukhari 941

Some scholars have explained that the mid-day nap — known in Arabic as Qailulah — was the daily routine of the Prophet ﷺ, as Tahajjud was obligatory upon him. On Fridays, the Prophet ﷺ and his companions delayed their nap until after the Jumu’ah prayer so they would not miss it by oversleeping.

This is the soul of Qailulah:

A mid-day nap with sincere intention — recognising the power of Allah ﷻ who needs no sleep, the favour of Allah ﷻ who placed sleep within us to recharge, and the Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ to stay energetic in fulfilling our Amanahs across every life role.

And the Science? It Has Finally Caught Up.

Modern sleep research is now catching up with what the Prophet ﷺ practiced 1,400 years ago.

Your body carries a built-in circadian dip — a biological wave of low alertness that hits between 11 AM and 3 PM (varies according to your routine), regardless of whether you have eaten lunch. It is not laziness. It is design. Listen to your body next time.

In a landmark NASA study, pilots who took a 26-minute nap improved their performance by 34% and their alertness by 54% (Rosekind et al., 1995).

UC Irvine sleep researcher Sara Mednick — author of Take a Nap! Change Your Life. — has shown that even 10 to 20 minutes of rest improves memory, mood, and creative problem-solving — while avoiding the grogginess that comes from longer naps.

When and How Long?

The sweet spot for a power nap is short, intentional, and ideally taken just before or after Dhuhr — which is exactly where the Sunnah placed it. Subhan’Allah.

Sleep researchers note that the optimal nap window opens around 7 hours after you wake. For a believer who rises for Tahajjud or Fajr, that lands right around Salat ul Dhuhr — masha’Allah, perfectly aligned with the Sunnah.

And the duration?

Aim for 20 minutes. Not an hour.

If you sleep longer, you enter a deeper phase of the sleep cycle — and your alarm pulls you out mid-cycle. Have you ever felt more tired AFTER a nap? That’s why.

(If you want the full science of sleep cycles, the Qur’anic wisdom of how they were designed, and a practical framework for managing them, we go deeper into all of this in our self-paced TaQwa Habits Program.)

So the plan is simple:

20 minutes. Right before Salat ul Dhuhr — ideally.

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Three Hidden Benefits of Qailulah for a Believer

1. Get the most out of your morning.

Most of us think a nap is for staying alert in the afternoon. That is true — but a believer should not miss the hidden gem: knowing you can rest before Dhuhr lets you push hard in the morning.

The Prophet ﷺ made du’a for our community: "O Allah, bless my Ummah in their early mornings." The early hours of the day are the most blessed. Qailulah is what lets you ride that barakah without burning out by Asr.
(The merchant Sakhr — the narrator of this very hadith — built his wealth by sending his trade goods out early, applying the du'a he had heard from the Prophet ﷺ.)

Imagine finishing the most important tasks of your day before Dhuhr — and then resting in the prophetic way. Then waking up fresh, into the second-best window of your day.

That is two days in one.

2. Stay steady — spiritually, physically, socially.

Qailulah does not only recharge you physically.

The Dhuhr prayer after a nap feels different than Dhuhr without one. After a nap, you are more attentive in conversation with the people you love, and you work with. You feel like another day has just begun.

This is also why it is wise to do something meaningful right after your nap and Salat ul Dhuhr. You are at your best again. What a waste it would be to spend that gift scrolling on your phone.

3. Build the next best version of yourself.

In The Barakah Effect, Mohammed Faris writes:

“The beauty of serving Allah with excellence is that it is an all-encompassing personal development journey.”

What truly makes a human happy is continuing to grow into the potential Allah ﷻ placed in them. Skills. Knowledge. Spiritual depth. Relationships.

If you have a barakah-filled morning and then a nap, use the afternoons to develop yourself into your next best self:

• Read.

• Write.

• Learn.

• Build.

• Reflect and more…

All for the sake of Allah ﷻ. All so that you can benefit the people around you — and humanity at large.

Whoever You Are — This Is For You

Whether you are…
a busy professional, struggling to keep your energy steady,

a parent of a newborn, whose sleep has been all over the place,

a mother who is the axis of her home,

or a student trying to study deeply through the long days

…what you need is 20 minutes before or after Dhuhr.

Set your intention to revive a forgotten Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ.

Take the nap.

Rest your body. Strengthen your soul. Show up at your best — spiritually, physically, and socially — for every Amanah Allah ﷻ has placed in your care.

Have you tried Qailulah? Drop a reflection in the comments. I'd love to hear what you discover when you make 20 minutes sacred this week.

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May Allah ﷻ revive this Sunnah in our lives, accept from us, and let our days become a quiet act of worship across our life roles. Ameen.

Duaas,
Haneef Shijaz
TaQwa Minds

As-salaamu ‘alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu.

If you’ve been with me these past two weeks, you’ve heard me talk about the 3 S’ framework — Salah, Sleep, Screen — for managing energy through long summer days.

Many of you have written back with questions, especially about sleep. The feeling I read from you all was like, “Where do I begin?”

I’ve made you something to help.

A Free Energy Tracker

For the next 3 days, take 30 seconds every 90 minutes to log how you feel — on a subjective 1 to 10 scale. 1 is empty. 10 is fully charged. There are no right answers.

The tracker plots your energy across the day automatically, showing you three things you can actually use:

• Your peak time — when to do your deepest work

• Your valley time — when to rest, take a qailulah, or reset

• Your hours awake — how long your day actually is right now

Sleeping during a time slot? Just leave it blank. The tracker skips empty cells.

Free, for everyone. I hope you use it and find it beneficial.

Download the Energy Tracker

Why I Built This

Before you can change your energy, you have to see it.

Most of us tell ourselves stories about our day — “I’m a morning person”, “I crash at 3 PM”, “I’m useless after Asr” — but the truth is we are guessing.

Three days of honest tracking turns the guesses into data.

Data turns into design.

And design, insha’Allah, turns into a summer where two days fit into one.

What’s Extra for the Summer Challenge Cohort

For those joining the 30-Day Summer Challenge starting 13 June, inshaAllah — your tracker becomes the foundation of our Day 1 conversation.

We’ll look at each other’s energy curves together, share what we’re noticing, learn from one another’s patterns, and design our summer routines from real data — not assumptions.

That deeper conversation, the small cohort of 20 walking alongside you, and four live sessions you keep for life — see the full details on our challenge page.

TaQwa Summer Challenge

If you’re not yet subscribed to my Substack, this is a beautiful moment to start so I can share what's next with you.

May Allah ﷻ make this summer one where we grow rather than survive.
Ameen.

Duaas,
Haneef Shijaz
TaQwa Minds

Here are the posts from last week that you may want to revisit.
My Battery Dies at 3 PM!
Why Isn't My Heart Excited for Arafah?

As-salaamu ‘alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu.

Eid Mubarak. I hope you had a blessed Day of Arafah, a beautiful Eid, and the kind of days afterward that stay in your hearts.

One of the quiet gifts of this Eid for me was your response to last week’s reflection. Alhamdulillah — the Amanah framework resonated with so many of you, and it brought me great joy to read your comments and du’as during Eid. May Allah accept from each one of us. If you missed the last post, you can read it here.

This week, I want to address a very specific group of you.

If You Live Where the Days Are Getting Long

Sunrise at 5 AM — or earlier.

Sunset close to 10 PM — or later.

Yes — summer.

Beautiful days on the outside. But quietly draining when it comes to your energy levels during the day.

I remember one of my coachees telling me: “When summer is approaching, I get really anxious.” She feared missing prayers, shorter sleep, sluggish mornings, low energy through the afternoon — and on top of all that, having to stay alert and present until late at evening.

For Muslims, the day starts even before sunrise and ends well after sunset. We open our days with Fajr and close with Isha. When the season stretches its daytime, that requires more effort than others to balance our prayers, rest, and fulfilling our responsibilities in life roles.

If we take this back to last week’s Amanah framework, here’s the question for all of us:

Are you worried that summer will drain your energy — and that you’ll quietly fail your Amanah as the believer, parent, spouse, professional you want to be?

My Battery Dies Around 3 PM

I live in the Netherlands — going through the same season- Long days, short nights.

I have to wake for Fajr, get the kids ready for school, go to work, do my part for TaQwa Minds, call my mother in India, plan food, learning, movement — every one of these is an Amanah from Allah ﷻ.

And by 3 PM some days, I can feel my battery dying. But the day is still long to go.

How can I charge others when my own battery is empty?

This summer, I’ve been experimenting with some of the tools I teach in the TaQwa Habits Program, and adapted them for long summer days. Honestly, some days my plans worked, some days they didn’t. But when it worked, it genuinely felt like two days fit into one. Subhan’Allah. How perfect is our Lord, and how powerful is His guidance.

What I realized is simple, and a little obvious: I can’t do everything.

But there are a few things I can do consistently that have an outsized effect on my energy — and on my ability to fulfill my Amanah.

I call it: Manage the 3 S’ for a Productive S.

Salah · Sleep · Screen → for a productive Summer.

These three show up in our day, whether we attend to them or not. And in summer, each comes under pressure:

• Salah — harder to pray on time, especially Fajr and Isha.

• Sleep — shorter nights, less rest, longer demands.

• Screen — more daylight, more idle moments, more scrolling.

If we ignore them for the next 3–5 months, the cost compounds — spiritually, mentally, physically.

If we manage them intentionally and consistently, summer can be a season of growth, not just survival. And it lays a strong foundation for the other seasons, making them feel easier. Inshaa Allah. God Willing.

Let’s walk through each one of them.

1. Salah — Anchor Your Day to Prayer, Not the Clock

Allah ﷻ says.

Indeed, performing prayers (salah) is a duty on the believers at the appointed times.
— Surah An-Nisa 4:103

Allah ﷻ spread our five daily prayers across the entire day — from Fajr at the moment we wake to Isha just before sleep. It is His mercy that we are reset, again and again, in a world full of distractions.

The prayer times also change with the seasons. Our Deen is the most flexible with the rhythm of the seasons — which means our routine was meant to be built around our obligatory prayers, not around a fixed mechanical clock.

So ask yourself honestly:

What controls my daily routine — the clock, or my prayers?

Are you feeling stressed in summer because you can’t do things at the same time you used to? You can’t sleep at 9 PM. You can’t sleep past 7. You can’t gym at 8.

Or you eat lunch at 12, not because you’re hungry — but because that’s “lunch time.”

When the clock runs your day, every seasonal shift feels like a disruption and comes with a huge amount of stress every single day.

When your prayers run your day, every season feels like a different gift from Allah ﷻ. Make the obligatory prayers your top priority, and everything else will come before or after it.

Try this:

• Wake before Fajr. Begin the day with remembrance.

• Do your deepest work before Dhuhr. Your mind is freshest.

• Continue building until Asr. Asr is the natural wind-down signal.

• After Asr — family and community time. Slow, present, warm.

• Before Isha — time for your own growth. Read. Reflect. Journal.

• Sleep after Isha. Close the day where it began — with remembrance.

When you anchor like this, summer stops feeling like a disruption. It starts feeling like a gift of extra time — more focused mornings, more family hours, and a clearer rhythm of rest.

Structure your day around your prayers. Everything else fits around them.

2. Sleep — Aim For Quality, Not Hours.

Many of us feel puzzled in summer: how do I sleep less at night and still stay alert all day?

Allah ﷻ tells us:

“And of His signs is your sleep by night and day, and your seeking of His bounty. Surely in this are signs for people who listen.”

— Surah Ar-Rum 30:23

Allah ﷻ mentions sleep both by night and by day. Hustle culture taught us that day-sleep is laziness — but it is sunnah. The Prophet ﷺ practiced Qailulah — a short midday nap, often just before Dhuhr (except on Fridays, he ﷺ did after salah). He ﷺ also rose for Tahajjud every night and the midday rest was His way of recharging for the second half of the day (Send your salawat upon Prophet Muhammad ﷺ now.)

This summer, with the intention of fulfilling our Amanah, let’s follow the prophetic sunnah.

• Use the night for deep rest — even if it’s shorter.

• Supplement with short, intentional naps — e.g. a sunnah Qailulah of 20 minutes.

  Think of it as fast-charging an EV when the battery is dying.

  

Quality matters far more than length. So in continuation with the Salah rhythm:

• Rush to bed after Isha — don’t linger.

• Make wudu before you sleep — every night (easy if you go to bed right after Isha).

• Recite what you can: Ayatul Kursi, the three Quls, Tasbeeh, Tahleel, Hamd, Takbeer.

And this summer, spend a little time learning about the science and sunnah of sleep. The more you understand the Sign Allah ﷻ has placed in our biology, the closer you get to the One who installed them. Inshaa Allah.

Fewer hours, higher quality. night and day, with intention.

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3. Screen — Disconnect to Recharge

You can plan your Salah perfectly. You can plan your sleep beautifully. And still — you will find yourself scrolling between the two.

We live in an era where almost every app is designed to take our attention.

Have you ever made wudu, walked toward your prayer mat, then “just checked one quick message” — and emerged half an hour later, prayer un-prayed?

Have you climbed into bed early, only to give every blue-light second to a feed that took your sleep with it?

Every second of mindless scrolling is a lost opportunity to fulfill our Amanah.

There are many ways to take back control. The one that’s worked for me — especially in summer, when the day feels long and idle moments feel abundant — is the simplest one:

Disconnect.

Have deliberate hours every day when you are not on your phone. Not just muted. Not in your pocket. Off the field of attention entirely.

Phones drain energy at every level — emotional, mental, spiritual. Scrolling fatigue is real, and on long summer days, it accelerates.

Start with 3 disconnected hours a day. Build slowly from there.

The more you disconnect, the less recharging your body needs. Place those hours where they matter most (Amanahs):

Some of the best times of your day that you can disconnect are following;

• In the morning — your sharpest, most precious time.

• When you are with family — the hours they will remember.

• Before bed — the hours your sleep quality depends on.

Four levels of disconnection — try the next level up if the other doesn’t work for you.

1. Mute notifications.

2. Switch off the internet.

3. Turn off the phone.

4. Put it out of sight entirely.

If you can hit 3 hours a day and slowly build, you will feel your stamina returning within weeks, inshaAllah. God willing.

There are many ways to manage energy in summer. These three are the ones I keep returning to because they shape everything else. When I fail in any of them, I pay a significant price_spiritually , physically, and socially.

What resonated with you from the above 3 S'? And what else are you doing to manage your energy this summer? Drop it in the comments below. May Allah reward your share and let many benefit from it.

Leave a comment

A 30-Day Summer Challenge — For a Small Cohort

If you’ve been nodding through this piece, and you’d like a structured way to put the 3 S’ into practice with people walking alongside you — I’m opening a small cohort.

The TaQwa Summer Challenge — 30 days. Max 20 participants.

Here’s the plan, Bismillah:

Day 1 — 13 June (27 Dhul Hijjah), 16:00 CEST. Live 90 mins teaching session on the 3 S’ framework. We go deeper into the science, Qur’anic wisdom, and Sunnah practices behind managing Salah, Sleep, and Screen.

Day 2 — 14 June, 16:00 CEST. Working session for 90 minutes. You take the driving seat and design your own summer routine — supported by guided reflections and live coaching from me.

Week 1 — Experiment. You run your plan for a week. We meet again on 21 June, 19:00 CEST — the longest day of 2026 in the Northern Hemisphere — for a review-and-reset session together.

Weeks 2 & 3 — Two challenges:

• The Tahajjud Challenge (week 2) — taste the strength of waking before Fajr in summer.

• The No-phone Challenge (week 3) — feel the focus of full disconnection during your day for a week.

Day 30 — 12 July (27 Muharram). Final review. We map what worked, what to keep, and the small habits that will carry you through this summer — and inshaAllah, the rest of your life.

Throughout the 30 days:

• A private cohort of max 20 participants — confidential and supportive.

• Direct access to me through the community for any question, and in live sessions.

• Daily accountability with people walking the same path.

• Lifetime access to recordings of all 4 live sessions, hosted on our Thinkific platform — revisit and rewatch any time.

Investment: €99 for the full 30-day cohort.

Early-interest gift: fill in the Interest Form before this Thursday, and you’ll receive a special cohort price of €79 (a €20 saving) along with full registration details — sent to you on Friday, inshaAllah. God willing.

Express your interest

May Allah ﷻ make this summer one where we grow rather than survive. Ameen.

Duaas,
Haneef Shijaz
TaQwa Minds

As-salaamu ‘alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh.

Tomorrow is the Day of Arafah — followed by the celebration of Eid al-Adha.

On the day of Arafah, pilgrims will gather at Arafah and stand before Allah ﷻ, calling upon Him as the sun goes down. Believers around the world will fast and pour out their du’as.

By now, our feed is probably already filled with reminders about the virtues of this day. But the question I want to ask first — to myself, and to you — is:

How excited am I for the Day of Arafah? Am I really preparing for it?

The Promise of Arafah

The Prophet ﷺ said:

“There is no day on which Allah frees more people from the Fire than the Day of Arafah. He draws near, then He boasts about them before the angels, saying: ‘What do they want?’”

— Sahih Muslim 1348

How perfect is our Lord, subhan’Allah. Allah ﷻ — the Owner of everything — is asking what we want.

The Prophet ﷺ also said:

“The best of supplications is the supplication of the Day of Arafah, and the best of what I and the Prophets before me have said is: None has the right to be worshipped but Allah, Alone, without partner, to Him belongs all that exists, and to Him belongs the Praise, and He is powerful over all things. (Lā ilāha illallāh, waḥdahu lā sharīka lahu, lahul-mulku wa lahul-ḥamdu, wa huwa `alā kulli shai’in qadīr)”

— Jami at-Tirmidhi 3585

And about fasting this day, the Prophet ﷺ told us it expiates the sins of the previous year and the coming year
(Sahih Muslim 1162 — for those not performing Hajj).

So on this single day:

• Our du’as are the best of du’as.

• Allah ﷻ is boasting about His servants and asking what we want.

• Sins of two years can be wiped clean.

• We can be among those freed from the Fire.

The Harder Question

As all of these are the promises from Allah SWT through the words of His beloved Messenger ﷺ, I would ask with a little awe and a little fear:

Why isn’t my heart moved by this?

Why do I feel like neglecting the day, staying busy with 'life'? Why don’t I give everything I have to benefit from this opportunity?

If your heart is not moved either, sit with me on the bigger question that follows:

Is my heart attached more to Dunya, or to Akhirah?

Am I belittling the Day of Arafah because of an over-attachment to this world?. Are even the du’as I’m preparing only about Dunya? Have I quietly told myself, “Life seems okay — I don’t really have anything serious to make du’a for right now” ? Am I unmoved by Allah’s ﷻ offer to forgive my sins and free me from the Fire because my heart is somewhere else?

If that resonates — even a little — then today, the day before Arafah, the work that we need to do is clear:

Reset our hearts back to Akhirah mode.

I once heard a scholar say something I cannot forget: if you place anything or anyone other than Allah in your heart, it will eventually disappoint you. Whether it’s our job, our wealth, our family, our ego — anything placed in the center will let us down. Only Allah ﷻ belongs there.

Closing the Gap Between Dunya and Akhirah

I hear it often, from community members and clients:

“I’m so busy at work — I feel like I’m doing less with my ibadah.”

“I have small kids — I can’t even focus during my salah.”

“I’m just trying to provide for my family. I hope Allah forgives my shortcomings in ibadah.”

Many of us are quietly stuck in this crisis: trying to balance Dunya with Akhirah, and feeling like we’re failing both.

But here’s where the Day of Arafah — by its very name — offers a beautiful reframe.

The Arabic word Arafa means to know, to recognize, to be aware.

Scholars have explained that the Day of Arafah reminds us of our beginning — when Allah ﷻ gathered all the souls before Him — and our destination — the Day of Judgment, when all souls will be gathered again. The day, by its very name, points us back to the truth: that we are on a journey in this world, and that journey has a higher purpose.

The best day to remember this and reset is right now — these ten days of Dhul Hijjah, and the Day of Arafah within them.

The Amanah Reframe

Here is what I want us to ponder together:

Anything we have is from Allah ﷻ. Our life, our health, our time, our family, our wealth, our opportunities — all of it. It is meant to be used to please Him alone. If that center is replaced with anything else, we’ll spend our lives trying to please that thing instead.

The moment we recognize this — everything is from Allah ﷻ — something quiet shifts. We stop feeling entitled to what we have. We start to feel responsible for it.

This responsibility is rooted in a beautiful value of our deen: Amanah — a sacred trust.

Suddenly, each of my life roles becomes an Amanah from Allah ﷻ:

• My job is an Amanah.

• My spouse is an Amanah.

• My children are an Amanah.

• My neighbours, my community, my time — all Amanah.

And Dunya and Akhirah are no longer two separate worlds I’m trying to balance. They become one question, asked in every role:

How can I fulfill my Amanah in this role — for the sake of Allah ﷻ?

What to Do Before the Day of Arafah

Here is the practical work, insha’Allah. About 30 minutes today is all it takes.

1. List your life roles.

Write down every role you carry. As a believer. As a son or daughter. As a spouse. As a parent. As a sibling, a friend, a colleague, a neighbour, a community member.

2. For each role, ask one question:

“What is one thing I want to do, in fulfilling my Amanah in this role, over the next year?”

It doesn’t have to be huge. Just one small, specific, intentional step — for the sake of Allah ﷻ.

For example:

If my kids are spending too much time on social media, one step I will take to channel their energy into something beneficial — or to cut off the distractions from their way — would be my effort to fulfill my Amanah as a father.

Now the time I spend with them is no longer “just Dunya.” It is active worship — actively fulfilling my Amanah.

3. Turn each one into a du’a.

Alongside your du’as for forgiveness on the Day of Arafah, add a specific du’a for each role. Refer to this post if you need a prophetic framework of Duaa. Seek Tawfiq and Barakah from Allah for each of your Amanah.

“Ya Allah, grant me Tawfiq and Barakah to fulfill my Amanah as a [role] to [specific need], for Your sake alone.”

Please spend 30 minutes today, insha’Allah, preparing this list. Recognize your Amanahs. Then, on the Day of Arafah, ask Allah ﷻ consciously — with specifics, with intention, with a heart that has been turned back toward Him.

May Allah ﷻ make us among the servants He frees from the Hellfire on this day. Ameen.

Let your Eid this year be a celebration — of recognizing who we truly are, of the Amanahs Allah ﷻ has placed in our care, of the du’as we made with sincerity, and of the new energy to live the best version of ourselves in this world, for the sake of Allah ﷻ alone.

Which Amanah are you praying most for this year? Drop it in the comments — your du'a may inspire someone else's. Inshaa Allah.

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Let this day of Arafah gift you a clearer way of walking forward.

Reset your heart to Akhirah mode, while functioning actively in this temporary world.

Duaas,
Haneef Shijaz
TaQwa Minds

As-salaamu ‘alaikum.

How many of us feel that if just one thing gets solved, life will finally settle?

Getting that job.
Marrying someone.
Healing a relationship.
Recovering from illness.
Paying off debt.

These are real and important matters, and we should actively work towards solving them. But beneath all of this, our generation is also facing a deeper crisis: the crisis of instant gratification.

We want answers immediately. Relief immediately. Success immediately.

And when we scroll through social media, watching everyone else seemingly thrive, the pressure compounds. We begin comparing our behind-the-scenes with everyone else’s highlight reel, and slowly, the heart grows restless.

Life Is a Journey

There’s a famous saying:

“Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards.”

Islam reminds us that each of us is on a journey, and Allah ﷻ has designed a unique path for every soul. SubhanAllah.

Whenever I drive somewhere with my kids, they constantly ask me: “Are we there yet?”. I have to explain that we still need to cover the distance, pass certain places, maybe stop for fuel — and only then will we reach the park, museum, or friend’s house.

Pause for a second — what's the destination you've been pushing for?

Our lives are no different!

Nothing is random.

Every turn, every delay, every closed door, every detour is part of the route Allah ﷻ has written to bring us where we need to be.

Allah ﷻ says:

SubhanAllah — Allah has destined each of our journeys. Often, the change we wish to see requires time for Allah’s plan to unfold.

A Conversation I Couldn’t Forget

About a year ago, I needed help with a deep clean at home. A friend referred me to a service, and on the day of the appointment, a man appeared, and he was a brother of Palestinian origin.

As he worked, we spoke about Palestine, his story, and life in general. Then, in the middle of the conversation, he said something I still think about often:

“Everything you see right now and think is yours — it will go. This house, this family, this car. All of it.”

That sentence stayed with me.

What is the one thing you're holding on to right now?

This dunya was never meant to be the problem-free part of our journey. In reality, it is the bumpiest stretch of the road — and it is the stretch that determines where we ultimately end up.

The tests will keep coming.

But every test is also an invitation to grow into the next, better version of ourselves.

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How Do We Live Through Constant Tests Without Constant Stress?

Allah says:

The scholars explained that this “good life” refers to tranquility in this world, halal and wholesome provision, the ability to continue doing good in every circumstance, and ultimately success in the Hereafter.

In other words:

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Try Reframing the Test

Pick one difficulty you're carrying right now.

Now, instead of asking:

“Why is this happening to me?”

Ask:

“How can I please Allah ﷻ through this situation? What good can I do from inside this test?”

For example, if you are carrying heavy debt, instead of drowning in stress day and night, you could:

• Reflect on Allah’s Names: Ar-Razzaq (The Provider), Al-Fattah (The Opener), Al-Ghaniy (The Self-Sufficient)

• Increase in istighfar — Allah opens doors through it

• Earn more through halal means: your job, a side hustle, or wiser financial decisions

• Give in sadaqah, even if small, to bring barakah into your wealth

• Make things easier for someone else financially — Allah will ease matters for you

• Spend properly on your family and fulfill their rights

• Make sincere du’a to Allah ﷻ to free you from debt

…and the list can continue.

Debt is a test, and one day — bi’idhnillah — you may repay it fully.

But while you are inside the test, you earn the reward through how you walk through it.

Then Allah ﷻ grants contentment, opens the way out, and replaces hardship with something better.

Allah knows best.

A reminder to myself first: This life is never about our achievements or losses; it’s about how we navigate the journey between those outcomes. The true reward lies in every moment of this journey, in the choices we make (doing our part), and in fully surrendering to Allah’s timing for the eventual outcome.

What To Do Practically

Whatever season of life you are in, seek knowledge about how to please Allah ﷻ specifically within that struggle.

Learn:

• What Allah has commanded in this area

• What He warned us against

• Which actions bring barakah into the situation

Then build a simple system around those actions.

It does not need to be some massive self-improvement overhaul like modern productivity culture often pushes.

Keep it simple. easy to do. Repeatable.

The Prophet ﷺ said:

The Real Point

That is the real work.

That is the journey.

The Sacred Window We’re In Right Now

While the world around us is noisy, let us not forget the sacred season we are already passing through.

We are at the end of Dhul Qa’dah — one of the four sacred months — and entering the once-a-year sacred sequence of:

• Dhul Qa’dah

• Dhul Hijjah

• Muharram

These are months in which good deeds carry greater weight, and sins become more serious.

This is the season to prepare your best self for the journey ahead.

So ask yourself:

How can I move through this test with less stress, more barakah, and greater closeness to Allah ﷻ?

Take a few quiet minutes. Reflect deeply. Seek beneficial knowledge. Write down action points.

Start small — but start sincerely.

Build what matters with your time.

An Invitation: The Productive Muslim Cohort

If you’d like a practical, time-tested framework built specifically for Muslim professionals — one that helps you live with less stress while continuing to grow spiritually — I’d love to have you join us.

The next live cohort starts next Monday, during the first ten days of Dhul Hijjah, insha’Allah.

The Productive Muslim Program was founded by my beloved mentor, Mohammed Faris — author of the bestsellers The Productive Muslim and The Barakah Effect. Hundreds of professionals around the world have walked through it. I am teaching it as an amanah, as a certified Productive Muslim trainer, to bring it to as many of you. insha’Allah.

This is for you if…

– You’re a Muslim professional juggling work, family, and deen — and feeling thin.

– You’ve tried productivity systems before and they didn’t fit your spiritual life.

– You want a framework built from Qur’an and Sunnah, not from Silicon Valley.

“I realised that much of what we consider normal — stemming from hustle culture — is why we feel so drained. I learnt that deep inner peace is itself a form of barakah, and that it comes from Allah ﷻ. Now I have practical tools to build toward it. Alhamdulillah.”

— Past student at TaQwa Minds, Productive Muslim Program

What you’ll walk away with

In five days of live teaching followed by five weeks of guided practice, you’ll have a system you actually use — and a clearer sense of how every part of your life is connected to Allah ﷻ and how to bring Barakah into it.

Save my spot in the cohort

This sacred season is your chance to reset. If you’re ready, I would love to walk with you.

May Allah ﷻ make these days a turning point for all of us.

— Haneef Shijaz
TaQwa Minds

If this post inspired you, share it with someone who could benefit from it. May Allah reward your efforts. Bismillah.

A quote that continues to guide me in everything I do is: “What you focus on will grow.” If you focus on fear, it will expand; if you concentrate on exhaustion, it will intensify.

I would like to invite you to our upcoming workshop tomorrow: How Islam Will Prevent Burnout In A Busy Life. During this workshop, we will discuss three Barakah mindsets that we Muslims should embrace. These mindsets will help us remain confident, productive, and balanced, regardless of our external circumstances. Inshaa Allah. If you want to benefit from it, take a moment to reserve your spot.

Reserve My Spot

Today is 8 Dhul Qaáda 1447 H.

This is the final article in the Sustaining Your Ramadan Habits series. In the last two newsletters, we explored how to design a protective system against the traps of Shaytan and our own nafs—so we can preserve and build on the progress we made in Ramadan.

If we think of Shawwaal as the month of istiqāmah (steadfastness), then Dhul-Qa’ada—one of the four sacred months—is a time of preparation for Hajj. Whether you are going for Hajj this year or not, there is something powerful about connecting these seasons:

30 days of Ramadan → followed by steadfastness in Shawwaal → then preparing in Dhul-Qa’dah → leading into the best 10 days of the year, including the Day of ‘Arafah → and celebrating Eid → entering the next Hijri year (Muharram 1448 H)

Imagine moving through all of this with intention. We should emerge into the new year as a better version of ourselves.

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In this final part, I want to connect everything we’ve discussed so far. If you haven’t read the previous articles, feel free to revisit them.

Part 1- One Week After Ramadan: Feeling the Slip?

Part 2- The Hidden Battle After Ramadan

We discussed that the nafs becomes a playground for Shaytan only if we allow him to enter. Today, we focus on the cornerstone of our protection system:

Our environment.

In my work as a process design engineer, I made virtual models that predict the performance of manufacturing processes at an industrial scale. One principle we always return to modelling is:

Garbage In = Garbage Out.

These models are only as good as the inputs we feed them. So we carry the responsibility to choose those inputs carefully.

Now reflect on this:

Our nafs is like that model.

There is always input—whether we realize it or not. And those inputs determine our outcomes.

Imam Al-Ghazali (r.a) beautifully described this reality, and he said.

The five senses—sight, hearing, touch, taste, and smell—are pathways into the heart. Whatever enters leaves an imprint. And whatever settles in the heart shapes whether we incline toward or resist the desires of the nafs.

If we constantly follow those desires, the nafs becomes a playground for Shaytan.

That’s why guarding the senses is not optional—it is essential.

What we see, hear, eat, drink, and touch does not stay external. It defines our inner state.

And all of this is heavily influenced by our environment.

Think about it:

You come home after work. The first thing you see is a big pack of fried chips. Will you reach for it?

Now imagine instead seeing a fresh bowl of salad.

Small difference. Completely different outcome.

Your environment quietly decides your choices.

Today, I would like to zoom in on one of these senses: vision or eyesight.

In his book: Atomic Habits, James Clear explains that vision is our most dominant sense. Out of roughly 11 million sensory receptors in the human body, about 10 million are dedicated to sight. Some estimates suggest that half of the brain’s resources are used for vision.

SubhanAllah.

Now think about those minutes spent scrolling—what kind of impact does that have on our heart, our focus, our life?

James says:
A small change in what you see can lead to a big shift in what you do.

Let’s take it one step further here:

A small change in your environment can lead to a big shift in who you become.

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Designing a Better Environment

Since visual cues are so powerful, how can we intentionally shape our environment? Let’s discuss three types of spaces that we all encounter.

1. Physical Space

We often overlook how clutter accumulates in our homes and workspaces. A cluttered space is a constant distraction.

Every piece of paper unattended is a source of distraction and will affect the quality of our being! Imagine the difference between working in a tidy place and a cluttered desk. Where do you feel more energy to be productive for a long period?

Clean your space—especially where you spend most of your time. Keep it minimal. Remove what doesn’t belong or doesn’t serve you.

2. Digital Space

The moment a pop-up appears and I see it, it is difficult to resist clicking on it.
A friend once told me, “Open a maximum of three tabs while working.”

It changed the way I work.

Our digital environments can easily become a jungle—just because no one else sees them doesn’t mean they don’t affect us. Keep minimum in your digital space while working..

3. Mental Space

Even more importantly, unattended sensory input clutters the mind.

One simple way to declutter: write.

Take 5 minutes and let your thoughts flow freely onto paper. No filtering.

Once your thoughts are visible, you can begin to distinguish what is useful and what is not.

A personal habit I’m building is writing three pages every morning—whatever comes to mind. It gives me clarity and energy to focus on what truly matters on that day because my brain got some extra space!

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We just discussed simple steps to enhance our immediate environment. Each of these steps creates a supportive environment, provides positive input to our sight, and helps us to create a stronger protective system to sustain our Ramadan habits.

But as always, how do we please Allah SWT with this?

Allah reminds us:

We are accountable for our senses—especially our eyesight.

So the next time you clean your space, remember:

You are not just organizing your room.

You are guarding the gateways to your heart.
You are using your free will to protect what enters it.
You are doing it for the sake of Allah.

Next time you clean your immediate space, do it with a higher purpose.

Moving Forward

In shā’ Allah:

• Less clutter

• Less mindless scrolling

• Fewer unnecessary thoughts

And more:

• Focused environments

• Intentional living

• Sustained Ramadan habits

This brings us to the end of the Sustaining Your Ramadan Habits series. I truly hope it has benefited you.

I would love to hear from you—what impacted you most from these three articles?

And don’t miss the opportunity to attend the free workshop tomorrow, where we’ll explore three mindsets every Muslim needs to prevent burnout in every season of life.

May Allah allow us to protect our hearts, refine our environments, and continue growing long after Ramadan.

Duaas
Haneef Shijaz.
Founder, TaQwa Minds.

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TaQwa Minds is a faith-centered wellbeing platform designed to help Muslims build consistent habits that bring the remembrance of Allah into their daily lives—balancing productivity, purpose, and overall wellbeing.

As-salaamu alaikum,

Did you ever wonder why people still fall into sins or disobedience of Allah even in Ramadan?

In my last newsletter, we discussed the first part of sustaining our Ramadan habits. Our focus was on the biggest distraction: the traps of Shaythan, who works 24/7 to misguide us from the truth. We also spoke about daily actions we can take to actively protect ourselves. Did you try them? Let me know in the polls.

Today, we will discuss another major distraction that can derail us from our Ramadan progress. This will also help answer the question: why do people still commit sins and disobedience when Shaythan is chained?

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The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ taught us the following duaa, which is part of the morning and evening remembrance:

Apart from the traps of Shaythan, another major distraction is our own Nafs. Understanding it helps us recognize its powerful influence on our well-being, Ramadan habits, and the actions we need to take. God willing.

Nafs is mentioned several times in the Qur’an, and scholars translate it as the soul, self, or ego. For our discussion, let’s think of it as the inner self that controls our thoughts, emotions, actions, and decisions.

Allah ﷻ, in His mercy, has given us insight into our inner self and mentioned three types of Nafs in Quran.

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1. Nafs al-Ammarah (The commanding self)

This is the inner self that commands towards evil when left unchecked. It follows desires without hesitation.

A person in this state has no remorse while falling into disobedience, delaying responsibilities, wasting the resources (for e.g. time), as the Nafs constantly pulls toward its desires.

Allah ﷻ says:

The first step is to seek the mercy (Rahmah) of Allah and slow down to reflect: Where am I right now?

2. Nafs al-Lawwamah (The self-reproaching self)

This Nafs pushes back when we fall into sin. It doesn’t let us sin in peace—it regrets, reflects, and turns back.

Even if it slips again, it feels remorse again. It is a constant inner struggle.

Allah ﷻ says:

This Nafs helps us stay on the path. Regular self-checks and strengthening our taqwa can elevate it. Ignoring it, however, can pull it back toward Ammarah.

3. Nafs al-Mutma’innah (The tranquil self)

Allah ﷻ says:

This is the state where the Nafs submits to the will of Allah. It finds peace in obedience and contentment in what Allah has decreed.

At this level, the Nafs desires what pleases Allah. It is at peace with itself and with Allah.

Many of us may have experienced glimpses of this during Ramadan.

Do you recognize all three within yourself?
The intention is not to blame or shame ourselves, but to understand where we are and become more aware of the inner battle within us.

You’re not alone. All of us are on this journey. Sometimes, we may experience all three in the same day.

The goal is not perfection—but awareness.

Ramadan was a reset. We disciplined our Nafs by holding back from even permissible things. Now the question is: how do we continue that journey?

Once we recognize our state, we must tune our Nafs when needed—and more importantly, build habits and an environment that nurture it toward Mutma’innah, or at least keep it from falling into Ammarah.

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Quick self-check

Give a guess—which type of Nafs is active in these moments?

• I continue watching Netflix when it’s time for salah

• I know something is wrong, yet I fall into it again

• I am facing financial difficulty, but I feel calm

• I speak about someone behind their back and feel it’s okay

• I have conflict at home, and I feel I am always right

• I regret disobeying Allah yesterday

• I pray, but I don’t feel present

It’s not about getting the “right” answers—but becoming more aware.

All of us are on a journey to purify our Nafs. Ramadan was a huge blessing and reset. Let’s not lose that momentum.

Allah ﷻ is Most Merciful, Most Forgiving.

So what can we do?

We need to constantly check our Nafs, make small adjustments, and stay on track.

Allah ﷻ tells us what Shaythan will say on the Day of Judgment:

This reminds us: Shaythan can only invite. The response comes from within.

Our Nafs can become his playground—but only if we allow it.

Therefore, it is upon us to design our lives in a way that helps us take control of our Nafs—keeping it in Lawwamah and striving toward Mutma’innah.

I invite you to try a free assessment: TaQwa Minds’ Muslim Well-being Assessment. It takes just 5 minutes and gives you a snapshot of how you are doing spiritually, physically, and socially.

Use it to reflect on the habits you’re already doing well—and identify small ones you can build to keep your Nafs in check and sustain your Ramadan progress.

“ Hold yourself to account before you are held to account.” — Umar ibn al-Khattab (RA)

To my Muslim wellbeing score

Let me know how you find it, in the comments.

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May Allah grant us the ability to purify our Nafs and keep us steadfast. Ameen.

Duaas,
Haneef Shijaz
Founder, TaQwa Minds.

TaQwa Minds is a faith-centered wellbeing platform designed to help Muslims build consistent habits that bring the remembrance of Allah into their daily lives—balancing productivity, purpose, and overall wellbeing.

As-salaamu ‘alaykum.

A week since we celebrated Eid. May Allah accept our Ramadan and forgive our shortcomings.

This week, I had a weekly halaqa with a group of brothers, and we discussed the topic of how to sustain our Ramadan habits. What stood out for me was the discussion after the short presentation, because its impact still remains with me. Brother Shahin asked all of us a thought-provoking question: We know all this, and we are aware of the benefits of sustaining our habits. Why are we still falling short? What is distracting us?

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How are you feeling a week after Ramadan? Are you already feeling the slip? Do you find yourself entirely different from your Ramadan version?

First of all, Ramadan is so special. It is a gift from Allah SWT, where He showed us how good we could be. Iblis was chained, the nafs was trained, and the environment was encouraging everywhere. Alhamdulillah, Allah SWT set up everything we needed to recharge our taqwa and our spiritual hearts.

It is expected to feel the slip right after Ramadan, as the system of distractions is back in place and actively trying to pull us back to where we were before Ramadan. At the same time, Allah SWT gifted us with some new habits in the blessed month. If you do something for 30 days, it becomes a habit. It is our responsibility to sustain them for at least the next 11 months, or even for a lifetime.

For 30 days, you woke up earlier, prayed tahajjud, prayed on time, recited Qur’an, fasted every day, prayed extra at night, and gave in charity. Ask yourself: what are 1–3 habits that you developed during this Ramadan? Pause reading and write them down.

Back to our halaqa, our discussions about distractions touched upon several points. But one of the main discussions was the influence of Shaytan. And no doubt, Shaytan is back and has started right away in his duty: to misguide us from the straight path and from all the progress that we made in Ramadan.

Allah SWT reveals to us the strategy of Shaytan by explaining his words when he was expelled from Paradise:

Shaytan wages a war against us, and he attacks from all directions. He never gives up on his mission to keep us away from the straight path and our connection to Allah SWT.

In Ramadan, Allah SWT gave us extra protection from the tricks and influence of Shaytan, and we witnessed how good we could be. The same person, the day after Eid, feels like they are no longer in that bubble and is constantly pulled into distractions that slowly degrade those habits.

Shaytan will try everything to mislead us. It does not have to start with major sins. Rather, he slowly diverts us from the habits that we built and weakens our spiritual hearts.

It can start with watching one “harmless” video, which leads to more. Or talking about others in a joking way, delaying salah without reason, or just passing a day without Qur’an. These feel normal, but they slowly take away our progress and lead to bigger distractions.

Therefore, we need to actively protect our spiritual hearts that were recharged in Ramadan.

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What can we do?

Let us reflect on how we can consistently fight against Shaytan and his strategies, in light of the Qur’an and Sunnah, and continue growing our Ramadan habits.

1. Seek refuge in Allah.

The protection from the traps of Shaytan is ultimately from Allah SWT. Allah says:

Regularly seek refuge in Allah SWT from Shaytan. Repeat it as much as possible, especially when you recognize that you are drifting.

أعوذ بالله من الشيطان الرجيم
(I seek refuge in Allah from the outcast Shaytan.)

Here is another Qur’anic du‘a:

It was narrated that Ibn ‘Umar said that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ never abandoned these supplications morning and evening:

Overall, increase your seeking of refuge from Shaytan, especially in this month of Shawwal, and make it a habit to protect your Ramadan practices.

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2. Upgrade intentions.

In Surah Al-Hijr, Allah SWT reveals a similar conversation of Iblis, where he mentions an exception:

The word used for chosen is Mukhlaseen, from ikhlas (sincerity). Shaytan has no control over those who sincerely seek the pleasure of Allah SWT.

So actively upgrade your intentions, even in mundane tasks. Ask yourself: how can I please Allah SWT in what I am doing right now? The more we do this, the stronger our protection becomes.

3. Be grateful to Allah.

As we discussed earlier, Shaytan wants us to be ungrateful. The world constantly pushes us to want more and never feel satisfied. As this system of distractions returns after Ramadan, resist it.

Take a few moments in your day to pause and ask: What am I grateful to Allah for today? Create your own “Alhamdulillah moments.”

4. Recite Surah Al-Baqarah at home.

Try to recite even a portion of Surah Al-Baqarah, especially Ayat al-Kursi and the last two verses, every day at home. Encourage your family as well.

I hope you find this practical and can apply it right away. May Allah keep us steadfast and guide us to sustain our Ramadan habits.

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An exercise for you:

All that we need to do is plan our day! Create a daily routine to protect yourself from the traps of Shaytan. Ask yourself where you will place these steps in your day. Share your personalized plan in the comments and identify one non-negotiable that you will commit to from today.

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Ya Allah, Ya Waliyy, protect us from the traps of Shaytan, guide us to sustain our Ramadan habits, make us among Your sincere servants, make us grateful for Your blessings, and make us companions of the Qur’an.

Duaas,
Haneef Shijaz
Founder, TaQwa Minds.
haneef@taqwaminds.nl

As-salaamu ‘alaykum,

The blessed month of Ramadan is departing from us in just a few moments.
Did Ramadan expose you—in a good way?

Ramadan has shown you the best version of yourself.

For a whole month,
you woke up every single day before Fajr.
You fasted throughout the day.
You stood late in the night for prayer.
You went to bed with the intention to worship Allah the next day.

SubhanAllah… Ramadan didn’t create a new you — it exposed the best version within you.

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You have been worshipping Allah 24/7 — through fasting, prayer, and above all, through the intention in your heart: “I do this for the sake of Allah.”

Remember how you responded to: “Not even water?”……………..

Now, as life will move on, those moments will return — when you may feel overwhelmed, forgetful, stressed, busy…
But they are not there to break you anymore — they are reminders.
Signs calling you back to your best version… back to your fitrah.

Whatever small, you were able to achieve, Ramadan has laid your foundation for living your best version in this world.

Now the choice is yours:
Will you build on it… or abandon it?

Listen closely to your heart.
Does it say: “Finally, I’m free — Ramadan is over”?
Or does it say: “I want to remain free… by staying in my best version beyond Ramadan, by submitting only to my Lord.”

That quiet inner voice — that’s your intention.

Allah granted you the power and free will to choose.

The moment you become conscious of continuing even a small part of your Ramadan progress, Allah will take care of the rest.

So keep your direction firm — towards getting closer to Allah every single day.
Whether you are at your busiest at work, relaxed at home, on a workday, a holiday, in times of ease or difficulty…

We don’t control our time.
We don’t control how the world unfolds.

But Allah has given us control over our choices.
And we are accountable for them.

When you manage your choices — within the time and the world you are placed in — He will take care of the rest.

Have complete trust in Him.

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Take a few moments in these last moments of Ramadan and ask yourself:

What went well? How can I continue it?
What went wrong? How can I stop it?
What did I not do enough of? How can I improve it?

And seek the help from Allah SWT, ask what you need, and present your plans to Him.

And if you feel like you can’t carry it forward alone…

You don’t have to.

If you need support in building your system to sustain your best self, join us and continue building on your Ramadan foundation.
In the TaQwa Habits Program, you will be introduced to Qur’an and Sunnah-based frameworks to help you manage your time, energy, and focus — and stay grounded with a TaQwa mindset across all your life roles.

You’ll get immediate access to the program and tools.
You’ll be part of a community walking this path with you.
And I’ll be there to support you along the way.

TaQwa Habits Program

Let this not be the end of Ramadan —
let it be your beginning, with a sincere intention.

No matter what comes your way, stay in your best version — the one Ramadan revealed to you.

Sincere du‘aas,
Haneef

I Want to Join Now

As-salāmu ʿalaykum wa raḥmatullāhi.

As we enter the last five days, may you fill your time with acts of worship, constant dhikr of Allah, and inspire your family and friends to make the best of these blessed moments in our lives.

At the same time, are you feeling like you’re not doing enough these days?

Feeling that familiar thought again: another Ramadan… and I’m wasting time — on phones, checking the news, dipping into social media, feeling internally scattered? Not able to stay up at night because you are simply too tired from everything?

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I feel it too.

Especially when there is so much unrest in the world, affecting all of us. Externally, war and instability increase pressure in our daily lives. Resources feel uncertain, and the news is everywhere. Internally, it affects us even more — seeing injustice in the world, thinking about the brothers and sisters in affected regions, and worrying about what the future might hold.

Sometimes we even ask ourselves: why is no one stopping the aggressors and their evil actions?

Allah says:

“Do not think, ˹O Prophet,˺ that Allah is unaware of what the wrongdoers do. He only delays them until a Day when ˹their˺ eyes will stare in horror.”
(Surah Ibrahim 14:42)

Allah ﷻ is fully aware of the actions of the wrongdoers. He allows them respite for a time, but their accountability will come. May Allah have mercy on those who have lost their lives and ease the suffering of all those affected.

So how do we navigate times like these?

How do we make the best use of these last days in this blessed month — despite worldly distractions, inner struggles, and daily pressures?

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Today, I would like to discuss one of our TaQwa Minds frameworks for converting distractions into meaningful duaas, and help you create many of them in these last five days of Ramadan.

Here we go. Bismillah. A five-step framework to convert your distractions and worries into powerful duaas.

1. Find the ease within your difficulties

Allah says in Surah Ash-Sharḥ:

“So surely with hardship comes ease. Surely with that hardship comes more ease.”
(Surah Ash-Sharḥ 94:5–6)

Our difficulties (and their distractions) always come with ease within them.

Scholars often mention that in these verses one hardship is paired with two eases. Ease is always present — we simply need mindfulness to notice it.

For example, if you are going through financial difficulty, you might still have food on the table and a roof over your head.

So take a moment and write down two forms of ease within a difficulty you are currently facing — something that has been distracting you from worship and mindfulness during these last ten days.

2. Be grateful for the ease

Once you identify the ease within the difficulty, pause and say a conscious, heartfelt Alhamdulillah for each one.

It is Allah’s mercy that gives us balance and relief even within hardship.

Allah says:

“If you are grateful, I will certainly give you more. But if you are ungrateful, surely My punishment is severe.”
(Surah Ibrahim 14:7)

Gratitude brings more ease. It gently shifts our focus from what is missing to what Allah has already given us.

3. Submit to Allah as an empty container

When Prophet Zakariyyā عليه السلام made duʿāʾ for a child, he began by acknowledging his limitations:

“My Lord, indeed my bones have weakened and my hair has turned grey, but I have never been disappointed in my supplication to You, my Lord.”
(Surah Maryam 19:4)

Remember that Allah ﷻ is our Master — the All-Seeing and the All-Knowing.

Present your limitations, your struggles, your shortcomings, and your circumstances before Him. No one understands your situation better than Allah.

Approach Him with humility, like an empty container ready to be filled.

4. Connect to the Source — and ask for the impossible

Once we submit to Allah, we reconnect with the Source of everything.

Call upon Him using His beautiful names.

Allah says:

“Allah has the Most Beautiful Names, so call upon Him by them.”
(Surah Al-Aʿrāf 7:180)

Like Zakariyyā عليه السلام, ask for what feels impossible, do not limit your duʿāʾ to what seems rational. You are asking the Lord of all worlds, the One who controls everything.

A beautiful reminder I recently heard stayed with me:

“Don’t lower your standards — raise the level of your duʿāʾ.”

5. Seek acceptance

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

“The supplication of Dhun-Nūn (Prophet Yunus) when he supplicated in the belly of the whale was:
‘Lā ilāha illā anta, subḥānaka innī kuntu minaẓ-ẓālimīn’
(There is none worthy of worship except You. Glory be to You. Indeed, I have been among the wrongdoers).
No Muslim supplicates with it for anything except that Allah responds to him.”
(Jāmiʿ at-Tirmidhi 3505)

Finish your duʿāʾ with this duʿāʾ of Prophet Yunus عليه السلام and ask Allah for acceptance.

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Imagine being able to transform every moment of distress, distraction, and difficulty into a beautiful duʿāʾ — one that Allah accepts — during these final blessed days and nights of Ramadan.

Bismillah. When you feel distracted, turn that feeling into a dua. When you encounter difficulties, transform them into a dua. If you are anxious about the future, replace that anxiety with a dua. Let’s fill our last days and nights with duaas, reflecting on our various roles in life. Continue to be consistent with what has worked for you so far. Even if the actions are small, take steps towards other good deeds you wish to accomplish. Let us strive to finish Ramadan at its best, as we cannot be certain we will reach another Ramadan. May Allah give us long life, with the tawfiq to do more good.

Allah SWT is Al-Mujeeb; He will respond to all our duas.

What would be a duʿāʾ you make using this framework?

And how did it feel when you tried it? Let me know. Inshaa Allah.

Remember in your duaas.

Sincere duʿās,
Haneef

P.S. Ramadan is a time when small intentions lead to lasting change. If you were planning to benefit from our tools and frameworks in the TaQwa Habits Program, the Ramadan discount will end in 5 days. Inshaa Allah.

Today is the 17th of Ramadan, and the third Jumuʿah of this blessed month. Let us pause and appreciate the blessing of these moments, and seize them with remembrance of Allah, seeking forgiveness, and doing good deeds.

At this point in Ramadan, many of us may feel a slump. We might feel that we have not done enough so far.

But remember: the best ten days are yet to come.
And within them lies the most blessed night — Laylatul Qadr.

Imagine if your employer told you:
“If you work one night with dedication, I will pay you the salary of more than 1,000 months.”

Would we say, “Maybe next time”?
Or “I am not good enough, I have not done well so far, so I cannot do it now”?

Of course not.

Allah is Ar-Raḥmān, the Most Merciful. Despite our shortcomings, each one of us has equal access to Laylatul Qadr and the opportunity to catch its blessings.

So how can we prepare for it and make the best use of these coming nights?

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Double down on your Kahf

In my first Ramadan newsletter, I talked about building our Kahf during Ramadan — our protection mechanism for the spiritual focus.

Now is the time to double down on it.

If reducing social media was your Kahf, try to completely eliminate it in the days leading up to the last ten nights. Protect your heart and your time.

Who is in control — the heart or the mind?

In the second newsletter, we reflected on who is really in control of our lives: the heart or the mind.

We discussed the importance of letting the heart take the lead, strengthened by faith and remembrance of Allah.

So keep checking:
Who is in control?

Strengthen your heart with dhikr of Allah.

Protect your energy

Another important preparation is managing your energy.

Many times we lose momentum not because we lack intention, but because we are exhausted, and our nafs stops co-operating.

Ask yourself:

What foods gave me energy?

What foods drained my energy?

Plan your suhoor and iftar with energy-giving foods.
Maybe replace that heavy fried food with something lighter and energy-filled- as simple as an avocado.

Also, think about people:

Who gives you energy?

Who drains your energy?

Spend these days with people who remind you of Ramadan and its purpose.
Try to avoid large social gatherings where we may lose focus - even iftar gatherings.

Manage your sleep

Sleep management is extremely important for making the most of the last 10 nights.

If you want guidance on this, you can watch the video where I discussed how to manage sleep during the last ten nights in last year’s Ramadan.

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Plan your good deeds

Once you strengthen your heart and protect your energy, it is time to plan your good deeds.

Plan the last ten days of Ramadan as if this is your last Ramadan.

Because it might be.

May Allah grant us long lives filled with good deeds.

But while planning, ask yourself an important question:

Who do I want to become?
Not just how much do I want to do?

Focus on identity, not just to-do’s

Planning based on identity helps us remain consistent.

For example:

If your goal is to become someone who prays extra prayers regularly by praying Tarāwīḥ, then even on a difficult day, you might pray fewer rakʿahs — but you will keep the habit alive.

But if your plan was “I will pray every Tarāwīḥ in the mosque for the last ten days,” then missing one night might make you feel like you failed — and you might give up the rest.

So ask yourself, even powerful questions:

Who do I want to become by next Ramadan?

Who do I want to become in my life?

Because the habits you build in Ramadan should extend beyond this month — into the coming year and beyond.

Plant Your Seeds In Ramadan

Ramadan is the month to plant the seeds of the person you want to become.

Ask yourself:

• What seeds can I plant in these last ten days?

• What duʿāʾs should I make for these seeds?

If we plant these seeds sincerely in the last ten nights — and if they coincide with Laylatul Qadr — Allah may allow them to grow far beyond our plans and expectations. Let us not lower our standards, let’s aim high through our intentions and duaas.

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Annual Planning Workshop

This Sunday, I will be hosting an Annual Planning Workshop: Plan Your Life Like A Gardener In This Ramadan.

In this workshop, I will help you:

• Set intentions across the different roles in your life

• Plan your year from Ramadan to Ramadan

• Build a simple system to track and live by your intentions

If you feel the need for a pause & reflection and want to prepare intentionally for the last ten nights & beyond, I invite you to join us this Sunday

If you are part of the TaQwa Minds Community, you will find the event listed in the Community → Events section.

If you are not yet a member, and consider joining the workshop. A tiny one-time investment in planning your year and setting meaningful intentions can be life-changing, bi’idhnillāh.

May Allah accept our deeds during this blessed month and forgive our shortcomings. May He help us make the most of the final days of Ramadan. I pray that Allah protects those who feel oppressed around the globe and weakens all oppressors. May He inspire each of us to reach our best versions in the last ten days of Ramadan and beyond.

Duáas
Haneef