My Health Profession

Your twenties are a time of self-discovery and trying to figure out what you want out of life. Many 20-somethings are finishing up college and university studies or are embarking on such studies. Most 20-somethings are determining what they want to be in life, and what kind of life they want to live. In the process it is easy to develop useful and helpful habits that will last you for the rest of your life. Whether you are studying in school or working a full-time job, you will learn necessary life skills such as time management, organization, and leadership. Skills like these can only be cultivated when you are independent and on your own, which is what many 20-somethings experience after “flying the coup” they have been accustomed to for many years. Concurrently this is also a time where you develop not so useful habits and activities. Being out on your own offers you a freedom unlike any you have ever had. Your 20-somethings is the perfect time for you to explore...

Sometimes life takes such a turn that the very earth beneath our feet is shaken. We scramble around blindly to make sense of what is happening to us. In doing so, we pass from stages of shock, denial, incontrollable grief to acceptance or numbness. Despite all our courage, we are at times helpless in taking charge of our feelings; involuntarily, we seem to sink deeper and deeper in to a dark abyss of self-pity, pessimism and worthlessness. In times like these, we feel akin to a tree in winter that has shed all its leaves, leaving it branches stark and barren in the cold wind. We are able to relate to this image of an entity that has nothing to give any more; frozen in stagnation and purposelessness—in, so to speak, death. Our suffering distorts all our senses, seeping little joys in life, colouring everything in dark. We find it hard to fathom how everything around us can be so normal when there is a storm inside us. In those moments of despair, there are certain things that...

She felt a knot in her stomach. Her husband was about to come home from the fajr (pre-dawn) prayer, and once again, there was no food. She was upset for him, considering how hard he worked and all the responsibilities he had, and upset at how helpless she was. But they had no food. He came in, cheerful as always, and greeted his beloved wife. “Do we have anything to eat?” he asked, and she replied, “We have nothing.” And he said, “Well, in that case, I am fasting today!” This conversation occurred between the Prophet ﷺ (peace be upon him) and his wife Aisha radi
 Allahu
 `anha
 —may
 God 
be pleased
 with 
her—(narrated in Muslim). Had the Prophet ﷺ focused on the fact that there was no food, he would have probably felt starved the whole day. But by taking a different attitude, he turned the situation around completely. His mind could now be occupied with something useful, something other than food. Oftentimes, when we focus on a problem, we are not actually focusin...

Here is an inspiring narrative of a woman who was married through an arranged marriage, who grew to love her husband with passion and compassion, and who was there for him—as he was there for her—through the thick and thin of life. “ AlhamduliLah (praise be to God), I’ve been married for many years, despite all our ups and downs we never left each other’s side. Within three weeks of being married, my husband was diagnosed with cancer. We laugh about it now and say our honeymoon destination was the hospital!  By the way, we never did end up going on a honeymoon. We were just starting off our marriage which was forcibly arranged but alhamduliLah we grew to like one another after our long distance nikah (marriage contract). During that time, we wrote letters to one another and waited weeks for a response! Long gone are those days now. But they were beautiful hand-written letters full of love and passion for a stranger—in western terms— that we wrote to one a...

While we were growing up, my mom always promised my brother and I something that she fully intended to practice – she told us that if we ever grew too proud, too arrogant, or started going in the wrong direction, she would break us. Our mother – the one who carried us in her womb for months, spent her days and nights taking care of us and worrying about us, the one who would do anything and everything to protect us and make us happy – promised to break us. This did not mean break in the physical sense; she meant to crush our false fantasies in order to help us grow in a way that was better and more beneficial to our own well-being . She wasn’t concerned about what we wanted or what made us feel good; she wanted what was best for us. Often times this is exactly what Allah subhanahu wa ta`ala (Exalted is He) wants for us; and to Him are the highest of examples. We often  go out seeking guidance and get ahead of ourselves—perhaps ...

The path of success is often littered by our own trash, obstacles that we place ourselves. Habits, by definition are behaviors that are so ingrained that we no longer become conscious of them; actions that turn into autopilot. The power of habit is severely under-recognized as driving force toward success. When the incredible Brian Tracy was asked about the key to success, he replied, “Successful people are simply those with successful habits.” While there are many people that possess many successful habits, these habits are being undermined by toxic habits- it is taking one step forward but then two steps back. Breaking the bad habit could be the game-changer that you are desperately needing. Here are 10 of the worst habits that are holding you back from success: 1 . Waiting for the ‘right’ moment How many times have you said, “I’m just going to wait until I have enough money saved up,” or “I need to research more.” As the Chinese proverb goes, “The best time to pla...

I was not a conscientious Muslim. As I entered my freshman year of high school, I had one very specific goal which I was determined to accomplish: to become popular. “Piety” was not consistent with this goal – at least not in my perspective. It was for this reason that I expressed disdain when my dad announced we would be undertaking the religious journey to Mecca in the summer following my freshman year of high school. I recall telling a friend, “Man, I’m scared. I don’t want to change!” I knew people went to Mecca and then became super religious. I didn’t want that to happen to me. Mecca As we entered the Grand Mosque, my dad told my mom, my brother, and me to keep our eyes down until we reached the opening of the Masjid, until we were in a space which would allow for our first glimpse of the House of Allah, the Ka’ba , to be in our full view. As we walked through the halls of the Grand Mosque, I heard my mom and dad crying. I knew this was supposed to be a spiritua...

I remember the last time it happened to me. I was driving my daughter to preschool, something I do several times a week. Traffic was heavy and I was preoccupied. Deep in thought, I drove amidst the hundreds of cars on the highway and suddenly, or maybe it was after several minutes, I realized that the exit I was supposed to have taken was miles behind me and I was merging onto another freeway altogether. Panic struck me for a moment as I took the next exit, unfamiliar road signs all around. How had I missed the exit that I was so used to taking? What had distracted me for so long? And now, how long was it going to take me to reroute and ultimately reach my destination? Distractions on Our Journey In life, we are all on a journey. We know the ultimate destination we are trying to reach is jannah (Paradise) and Allah subhanahu wa ta`la (exalted is He) has clearly laid out the route we are supposed to take. However, dunya (the worldly life) is distracting. Like me o...

Think back to the last time you caught a glimpse of yourself in the mirror when you were stressed.  Did you look approachable?  What message did you send to others around you with your distressed facial expressions?  What type of reaction did your family or co-workers have when they engaged with you while you were in such a state?  Ever ponder the misunderstandings that may have arisen because your friend or spouse interpreted your frustration as directed towards them?  Let us reflect on the power of the smile not only in the face of adversity, but also during prosperity. The concept of spreading good cheer in Islam is, at times, neglected and/or forgotten.  Abu Dhar, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated that Prophet Muhammad ﷺ  (peace be upon him) said, “Don’t underestimate any good deed, even meeting your brother with a cheerful face.” (Muslim).  Prophet Muhammad ﷺ also said, as narrated by Abu Dhar, may Allah be pleased wit...

A man once complained to the Prophet ﷺ (peace and blessings be upon him) that he had a hard heart. The Prophet ﷺ  replied, “If you want your heart to soften, (affectionately) rub the orphan’s head (with your hand) and feed the needy.” [narrated by Ibn Abi Dunya] For the entire week, you were waiting for the weekend. You desperately needed to sort your life out.  I mean things were getting ridiculous. Not only were you really far behind on your lectures and assignments but you still hadn’t cleaned your room and that book you needed to buy? Well that’s going to have to wait. Oh and let’s not forget that you still needed to renew your Oyster Card, pay your tuition fees, pay back the money you owe your friend, sort out plans for going out this Wednesday, clean your car, memorize a page of the Qur’an, organize a dinner for this Friday, go shopping for some new clothes and erm…*scratches head*…did I mention that you desperately needed to sort your life out? Yo...

I finally reached the elevator of my apartment building. It was my first week studying abroad in Cairo. After a long walk from the Arabic center in the hot sun, I was thirsty. I hadn’t eaten since breakfast, and after five hours of Arabic class my head was spinning. I just wanted to get home. The elevator came. I entered. Elevators in Egyptian apartment buildings often look makeshift; the small window in the elevator door gave me a fleeting glimpse of each floor, with concrete walls in between. It finally arrived – almost. The elevator was stuck midway between concrete wall and the actual floor. No problem , I thought, I’ll just push the door open, take a big step and I’ll make it insha’Allah (God willing) . But the door did not budge open. And no matter how much I yanked it, it would not open. It was completely shut. I pushed, jerked and rattled the door until I was faced with the horrifying realization that I was stuck. I began to panic; I was trapped in a dilapidated...