Choose your hard

Waking up for Fajr is hard. 

Living with the guilt of missing it is harder.

Choose your hard.

Raising righteous children is hard. 

Watching your children grow up without the deen is harder.

Choose your hard

Lowering your gaze is hard.

Protecting your heart from the consequences of what you chose to look at is harder.

Choose your hard. 

Leaving what is haram is hard.

Living with the consequences of disobeying Allah is harder.

Choose your hard.

Being consistent in salah is hard.

Standing before Allah with neglected prayers is harder.

Choose your hard.

Seeking knowledge is hard.

Remaining ignorant of the deen is harder.

Choose your hard. 

Being a good role model is hard.

Watching those who look up to you follow the wrong example is harder.

Choose your hard.

Life will always have its struggles. You don't get to choose whether life is hard. But you can choose which struggle you are willing to bear. Choose the hardship that brings you closer to Allah,  not the one that takes you further from Him.

Choose wisely. Choose for the sake of Allah ﷻ.

Eating with the Hands

Eating with the Hands – A Beautiful Sunnah of Rasulullah ﷺ

Abu Hurayrah رضي الله عنه narrates something to this effect:

"Meat was presented to Rasulullah ﷺ. The forequarter was offered to him, as he loved this portion. Rasulullah ﷺ tore the meat with his teeth and ate it."

(Shamā'il Tirmidhī)

In an age where cutlery has become the norm, many overlook this beautiful Sunnah. Yet every Sunnah of our beloved Rasulullah ﷺ carries immense wisdom, whether we understand it or not. By eating with our hands out of love for him ﷺ, even an everyday habit becomes an act of worship and a means of earning reward.

🌿 A Sunnah with Purpose: Rasulullah ﷺ would eat with his blessed hands, teaching us simplicity, humility, and gratitude. Islam encourages us to appreciate Allah's favours rather than become attached to unnecessary luxuries.

🌿 Mindful Eating: Eating with the hands naturally encourages us to eat more slowly and with greater awareness. This helps us savour our food, recognise when we are full, and avoid overeating.

🌿 Preparing the Body for Digestion: Scientists explain that touching food activates the nerves in the fingertips, sending signals to the brain and digestive system that food is about to be eaten. This helps prepare the body for digestion.

🌿 Natural Portion Control : Taking food with the fingers generally results in smaller bites, encouraging proper chewing. Thorough chewing aids digestion and allows the body to absorb nutrients more effectively.

🌿 Following the Sunnah with Love: Whether the worldly benefits are many or few, our greatest motivation is to follow the example of Rasulullah ﷺ. Every Sunnah revived is a sign of love for him ﷺ and a means of drawing closer to Allah ﷻ.

🤍May Allah ﷻ grant us the tawfeeq to revive the Sunnah in every aspect of our lives and make our love for Rasulullah ﷺ evident through our actions. آمين

Aḥibbā an-Nabī ﷺ

Honour food... Avoid Wastage

 

🌿 A Forgotten Sunnah... A Forgotten Blessing

Sayyidatuna Aisha رضي الله عنها narrates:

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ entered the house and saw a piece of bread lying on the floor. He picked it up, wiped it clean, ate it, and said:

«"O 'Aishah, honor your food, for when the blessing of food leaves a people, it rarely returns."»

📖 Sunan Ibn Majah 3353

Now pause... and look at our lives.

At weddings...

At buffets...

At parties...

Plates overflowing with food...

Only to be scraped into the dustbin moments later.

We take more than we need...

We leave behind what others would treasure...

We waste what millions make du'a for every single day.

While our tables bend under abundance...

There are families who sleep hungry.

There are children who don't know where their next meal will come from.

The tragedy is not that we have food...

The tragedy is that we have stopped seeing it as a blessing.

Every grain of rice...

Every crumb of bread...

Every drop of water...

...is a gift from Allah ﷻ.

The Sunnah is not merely to avoid waste—it is to honour every blessing.

Before filling your plate, ask yourself:

"Will I truly eat this?"

Before leaving your plate, ask yourself:

"Would this action make my beloved Nabi ﷺ smile?"

On the Day of Qiyamah, our wealth, our status, and our lavish feasts will not matter.

But our gratitude...

Our restraint...

And how we treated the blessings Allah entrusted to us...

will.

May Allah ﷻ fill our hearts with gratitude, make us among those who honour every blessing, revive this beautiful Sunnah in our homes and gatherings, and protect us from the loss of barakah. Āmīn.