Using Prayer and Meditation to Heal

 How does one heal their mind?

A lot of people like to believe the saying, “If you don’t use it, you’ll lose it.” And while this is true to certain extent, keeping your mind sharp and ready to learn is a great trait to have. I believe it helps keep the mind young and fresh. However, it’s important to realize the effects of having an over active mind, over a long period of time. 

I know meditation and self reflection are associated with almost a hippie-like belief system, but hear me out. Even in Islam, we are required to stop and pause 5 times a day. Yes, I am once again talking about prayer. What is the actual act of Salah (prayer?) It is moments cut out of your day that God Himself says stop and be present with me. 

Now I don’t know if you have ever tried to be present or meditate, and if you already meditate and you’re good at it, well just know that you are a minority. Because even I myself, who knows the benefits of being still and present, find it exceptionally hard to meditate. I think it’s the way we’re so attached to our devices and over-consume all day every day. All day long we are processing on average 70,000-90,000 different thoughts. With social media and scrolling, and the addiction I see developing in everyone, young or old, I truly believe that number is growing as well. 

Lets just say our poor brains never get a proper break. And what eventually happens when you overwork somebody? They get burnt out. Lets think of our minds as that one overwork, over burdened and over relied on employee who is doing 10X as much as their normal duties because of lack of employees or even a lack of competent employees. Eventually this person will build up so much stress and resentment that they will either fall in, explode, or eventually quit the job, knowing that they need a break and can’t keep operating at such a level.

Your mind needs breaks. It needs still. It needs quiet time. 

A lot of “healthier” people in the health and fitness world who have found success often speak of limiting their screen times and some even go to lengths of sleeping with their phones outside of their rooms. This is the same concept. We have to learn to shut our brains off. Let our brains just be. Let our brains get a break. There’s only so much it should be consuming. And with phones and devices changing all of our ways of life so quickly over such a short period of time, we really don’t have adequate studies of how this will affect our minds and bodies over a long period of time, however, knowing that our minds are very much over worked employees, we can safely say, our brains need a rest.

So, if you’re not Muslim and things 5 times a day to stop and meditate is a little much, at least maybe limit screen time and sit still in the mornings when you wake up and right before bed. And if you are Muslim, lets try to be a little more present and focus on the gift of Salah for the blessing that it is really is. 

The Call to Success (Adhan)

 Prayer, the success timeline. 

If you’re Muslim, you’ve probably heard the adhan (the call to prayer) referred to as the “Call to Success.” 

Now I’m also going to refer to Marvel series called Loki. 

What in the world do these two things have in common?

Well, I believe that when you are on time and consistent with your 5 daily prayers, you automatically align with your success timeline. You find your blessings naturally coming to you. You don’t have to chase or worry. Success and whatever you want or need now belongs to you. That is why observing prayer and making it on time is so pressed upon in Islam. Growing up my dad would always say, no matter what, do not lose your prayer because then you have lost everything. And let me tell you the difference I see day to day when I do miss prayers versus when I make all of them. Especially when I can make them on time. All of my blessings and needs just naturally flow to me when I am on time and consistent with my prayers. 

If you never watched Loki, I’ll give a little back story. Loki steps into this world of quantum physics where all different versions of himself exist at the exact same time. But its the choices that you make that aligns you with the timeline that you are currently experiencing. I’m sure you’ve heard that to achieve your dreams or get something that you truly want, you must first become the person or the type of person who has those things or become the person who achieves such things. 

Thank you Ya Allah for creating me to be Muslim. The gift of prayer is real. Thank you Ya Allah for allowing me to be a part of this Deen and taking me on this journey of my life to understand and try to perfect my Deen. May Allah SWAT protect us all and continue to guide and bless up. Rabbi inni Lima anzalta ilaya min khairin faqir. Ameen. 

5 Spiritual Growth Practices That Actually Work in 2025

     A lot of people are in spiritual turmoil. There is so much unwarranted violence and grief being spread in today’s world and we as a people are hurting internally which affects the energetic output being released into this world. 

    One spiritual growth practice that actually works in 2025 is that of being still. Easier said than done, I know. In a world of over consumption, every where you turn, there is more and more information being hurled at us, causing not only mental fatigue but emotional fatigue as well. Being still can help to undo some of the strain overconsumption can cause. 

    How does one be still you ask? You find something that works for you beginning with asking yourself what is your biggest distraction, and what can interest you enough to focus on it?

1. Yoga - If you’re an active person who loves to challenge their body, yoga is a great way to master the mind through body movement. The more you can still your mind and be present during yoga practices, the easier you will find it is to hold a pose. Along with consistency, not only does the body get stronger but you will notice the mental presence that shows up gets better too. 

2. Breath Work - Breathing exercises work well for people who tend to have anxiety. There are plenty of breathing technique videos on YouTube that can help guide you. As someone who tends to hold anxiety in my body, I notice that when I’m overthinking, I’m also holding my breath. Becoming more aware of your breathing will also help you to be more present and focus internally. 

3. Journaling- Taking a pen to paper and releasing your thoughts is a very underrated form of therapy that one can do for themselves. You can Pinterest self reflection and journaling prompts to help you unloading thoughts you never even realized you were storing. The act of physically unloading your thoughts onto paper can literally unburden your mind and alleviate some space in your brain to decompress. Gratitude lists and affirmations are also great in journaling.

4. Digital Detox- Setting aside 1-2 hours before bed without screen time is a great way to detach from your phone addiction. We don’t realize just how much we consume through our phones, over burdening our brains with useless information and other peoples feelings. Taking time out before bed to read or journal or sit with yourself without any devices is a habit found in a lot of successful people. They have said that they notice a difference in not only their sleep quality but also their energy levels throughout the day.

5. Eco-Spiritual Practices- The act of grounding and connecting with nature is another popular way to disconnect from people and connect with the vibrations of the earth itself. If you don’t live by a beach or body of water, you can always go barefoot in the grass or take a walk through a forrest or park. 

No matter what practice you choose, or if you want to practice all of them, remember that consistency is key in all that you do if you want to see results. Great things take time and practice and if you truly want to heal and unlock pieces of yourself to find peace, you must be patient with yourself and go within. Practice spiritual growth without the use of devices and without seeking approval or attention from others. Spirituality is something very personal and unique to everyone. What works for your friend may not work for you. Connect with yourself and listen to that inner voice that’s been suppressed for so long. Listen to what you have to say. But in order to hear this voice, you have to be still.

Entry #1: Islam Through Rose Colored Glasses

    Growing up, a very big trend in my interests was that of beauty. I fell in love with Surah Rahman from an early age. And in going to Jummah every week, I remember one day the Imam stating that Surah Rahman was the beauty of the Quran. The words, the beautiful yet powerful question repeated over and over to accentuate its subtle power; “Which of the favors of your Lord will you deny?” I used to be obsessed with reading and listening to this Surah over and over. I have this intuition and way of seeing the beauty in everything. I can look at a person and find their best attribute while seeing the beauty of their aura while not even realizing it. Please understand that I’m not bragging about this ability, it’s simply something I started doing as a little girl and didn’t even realize it until much later in my adult life. 

    Beauty, aesthetics, and seeing the positive have become a mastery skill in my life. I do it without even thinking about it. So when I became analytically aware of my gift, I began applying the concept of beauty to controversial topics. 

    A major controversial topic in my family seemed to be the debate of what time is the right time to break your fast during Ramadan. We know that you must stop eating before sunset and then you break your fast just after sunset so that you go and pray Maghrib Salah, and then have dinner before you head to mosque for Taraweb Salah. Whenever we had iftar (the breaking of fast) in a congregational setting, you could feel the tension in the air of those who went ahead and broke their fast and those who were waiting until the “correct minute” of when you should break the fast according to the color of the sky and the position of the sun. The analytical perspectives of the argument used to break my little brain. Remember I love peace and beauty.

    Along my journey of rediscovering Islam, I began to ponder on the reasons why God would command us to do certain things. In my heart, I believed that there had to be a rational reason and explanation why we do everything and why God is so specific. 

    Believe it or not, social media lead me to great thought. On my healing journey of dealing with a lot of grief that I had stored up in my body, I found the concepts of spirituality and quantum physics to give me some sort of insight into how energy works. Energy is frequency. And frequency creates the physical realm that we see in this world. I started to peace together some  answers to my “whys.”

    One day while driving home around sunset time, I couldn’t help but to be amazed by how gorgeous the sky looked. The colors, the blending, the clouds, the gradient of the sun fading into the side of the earth, it took my breath away and I began to cry. Looking at this specific sunset allowed me to recall Surah Rahman, and I questioned myself. Which of the favors of my lord can I really deny? The Lord who created all of this beauty surely loves beautiful things. And then I knew God has blessed me with part of His very own ability to see and appreciate beauty. 

    Another thought hit me, and I said all God wanted us to do before we break our fast, before we pray Maghrib, we must be aware of the position of the sun as it sets. And God commands us to not pray Maghrib while the sun is still up. Why though? But again, in that moment, I knew it was because He wanted us to see the beauty. Because when you can acknowledge the beauty, the peace, and the gratitude that comes with looking at sunset, it changes the actual chemical way your body will break down and digest your food and also, when you go to pray and can hold that gratitude in your body while being present, which is what Salah is all about, you can literally heal your mind, heart and soul. As a byproduct you will also heal illnesses, stress and diseases that are being stored in your body from the trials of living this life. 

    There are studies that show that to being grateful before taking a mouthful of food into your mouth for consumption, it changes they way that your body digests and breaks down the food. And if you know anything about health, what you put into your body and the way you body breaks down food is essential in the overall health of your body. 

    So again, which of the favors of your Lord will you deny?