Month: May 2020

A fast, easy and super yummy iftar is what we all dream about (for those who cook). Stuffed peppers is a great solution for you if you’re really struggling with what to prepare for iftar. It is easy and you can use almost everything you want. You can fill the peppers with any combination you prefer; meat, beans, sauces and so on. And the beauty of this recipe is that you can also easily prepare it for suhoor alsa if you have any leftover food from iftar such as beans,roast chicken or quinoa.

The preparation time of this recipe is 20 minutes while cooking one hour. And while it is cooking, you can take advantage of pre – iftar precious time and make duaas. 

For this recipe you will need:

• 8 medium red, yellow, or orange bell peppers (about 4 pounds total)
• 2 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon dried Italian seasoning
• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for seasoning
• 1 1/2 cups cooked rice
• 1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
• 1 cup shredded Italian blend cheese (4 ounces)
• Cooking spray
• Thinly sliced scallions, for garnish (optional)

Instructions:

• Start by heating the oven and then prepare the baking dish. Heat the oven to 375°F and meanwhile, prepare the peppers and filling.  

• Use a small knife to cut a wide circle around each bell pepper stem to remove the tops. Chop the tops and set aside because you’ll use them in the filling. Season the inside of each pepper generously with salt and pepper. Place the peppers into the baking dish, wedging them together as needed to fit in one layer; set aside.
• Now cooking the filling. Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat until shimmering. Add chopped onion, season with salt, and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 8 minutes. Add the Italian seasoning and chopped garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute more. Add the ground beef, diced pepper tops, and 1 teaspoon salt and cook on medium-high heat, breaking the meat up with a spatula as it cooks, until cooked through, about 6 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the rice and drained tomatoes. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed.
• Now is time to stuff the peppers. Evenly divide the mixture among the peppers. Sprinkle the cheese over the peppers. Carefully pour 1 cup of water between the peppers into the baking dish.
• Cover and bake until tender. Spray one side of a large sheet with aluminum foil with cooking spray. Place it sprayed-side down over the peppers and cover the baking dish tightly. Bake until the peppers are softened but not mushy and the filling is heated through, about 1 hour. Sprinkle with scallions if desired before serving.

Enjoy it!

One of the most special things in Islam is about celebrating. It is special because this concept is applied when you really have something to celebrate about. And Eid al Fitr is not an exception. We will be celebrating for fasting 30 days for Allah’s pleasure. 30 days fasting with the hope of having our mistakes forgiven. 30 days full of hope and fully committed to have our worship the best way possible. Eventually this kind of celebration is very amazing and feels so special. It really makes you proud cause you reached something so worth it. 

“So for this let the competitors compete.” (83:26)

 This ayah says it all. Aiming high, means aiming about the hereafter, the pleasure that Allah will provide for us eternally.

With that being said, you might love sharing some gifts with your beloved ones to celebrate what you’ve reached so far during this Ramadan.

• Mugs. This is a cute souvenir and most people love it and are kind of addicted to it. Luckily you can easily personalise them by adding any cute element or even reminder quotes you’d like to have for a long time to your loved ones. 
• Laptop Sticker. You can get some nice geometry style laptop stickers. Maybe find some elegant designs, based on Zalij geometry and make your laptop addicted friends feel happy!
• Books. We all have book lovers in our friends and relatives circle. So find an amazing, inspiring and special book, for your most book addicted person, and surprise them this Eid. It’s very true that book lovers might have tons of books on their bookshelves, but still love having more and more. Make their wish come true, this Eid!
• Prayer Mat. You know, there are a lot of people who love having cute praying mats. If you give them a nice one, you can really amaze them. And maybe come through their mind whenever praying and have the chance to be mentioned on their duas!
• Beauty Box. Self care is very liked in Islam. We are required to take care of ourselves, stay clean and healthy. A beauty box can be a nice gift for your sister, friend, spouse, parents, for any one, both genders. You can buy one, or even buy separated products, and beautifully organise them in a box. 
• Perfume. Since we’re at the beauty stuff, a perfume can be an ideal gift. We all love nice scents, just like our beloved prophet (pbh). Make people remind you and increase love among you. 
• Rainbow Qur’an. Gifting a colorful Quran to your friend can be very significant, especially if they made it to complete the reading of this special book during the month when it was first revealed.
• Beard Oil. Encourage our muslim brothers to take care of their beard. It is an encouraged act in Islam to keep you beard and yeah, nowadays it’s trendy also.

These are some suggestions, but of course you can come up with more ideas depending on the preferences of your beloved ones and your possibilities. But still, even if it is something small, it is meaningful. Get connected more with each other and never give up on gifts because they bloom love among you.  Our beloved prophet says: “Give gifts to spread love to one another. “ And Eid is just a perfect time!

Valbona Brahaj

Known as the Night of Power, this is a very special night and definitely needs a very special treatment and attention from each one of us. 

Whoever establishes the prayers on the night of Qadr out of sincere faith and hoping to attain Allah’s rewards (not to show off) then all his past sins will be forgiven.

And this information provided by our beloved prophet, tells us that this is a life event. It is a night when we should really consider adding effort more than ever before and take advantage of the greatness of this night. To pray more, to connect more with Allah(swt), ask from Him to forgive us and make our life better. Staying organised would be a good idea in order not to miss any of the rewards of this special night. Here’s our list of suggestions:

Make a list of duas

Think of what you want to ask from Allah and write it down. It is important in order not to get distracted and forget about your desires. Allah loves to listen to your voice asking from Him, so don’t feel ashamed to ask. Ask what you need the most, but always start your prayer by thanking Him for what you already have. We often become so ungrateful and take most of our good things, for granted. Make sure you also ask for forgiveness and seek Allah’s guidance about reaching the best in the next Dunya, and that is what truly is worth it. 

Put your effort tonight

First feed your mind with the idea that this night is not as every other night. It is rare and living it, means so great. Once you feed that mindset, work on your To Do List and stick to it.Make every moment counted, because we never know if we will be able to reach this night again. Rather do we know that we will be alive even the next coming day. It is worth it so much, to give your all, this night!

Pray longer

Take some more time when praying. Talk to Allah and pass some more time with Him. Stay longer, and feel it deeper. Strengthen your connection with Almighty and really important – take some time before starting your prayers. Take a moment and reflect more about Who is Allah, in front of Whom you’re staying during salat? It is something that we often forget about and it turns into a speedy salat for most of us. If you really follow this approach during the whole Ramadan, not just during the Night of Power, it can become a habit and it is definitely worth it.

Make this dua

Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, said: I asked the Messenger of Allah: ‘O Messenger of Allah, if I know what night is the night of Qadr, what should I say during it?’ He said: ‘Say: O Allah, You are pardoning and You love to pardon, so pardon me.’ “(Ahmad, Ibn Majah, and Tirmidhi).

The transliteration of this Dua is “Allahumma innaka `afuwwun tuhibbul `afwa fa`fu `annee”. Make it part of your list of duas and train your tongue to often repeat Istighfar. It will open to you many doors.

Valbona Brahaj

Many of us might struggle to wake up for suhoor and some might not know and understand the wisdom behind. That’s why this article will focus on the benefits and importance of having suhoor, by giving you also at the end some tips on how to motivate yourself to wake up.

Suhoor is the Ramadan early breakfast and it is the moment to energize ourselves before starting a day of fasting. Some of us might skip it since it requires waking up very early before the sunrise and eat, or some might not be hungry or not feeling to eat at a very early hour; they then just wake up for fajr and then go back to sleep. 

It is comprehensible to have those sort of feelings or thoughts, but if there was no wisdom in suhoor, why would then the Prophet (swt) recommend us to wake up from our sleep and perform this important sunnah? He in fact would recommend his companions to have suhoor as he said: “ Have Suhoor for verily there is a blessing in it.”  

You might wonder now, what is the blessing that the prophet is talking about?

These are some of the blessings: 

1. Following the Prophet’s sunnah;
2. Differing from the People of the Book;
3. Strengthening ourselves for worship;
4. Repelling bad characteristics that are usually associated with hunger such as anger;
5. Opportunity to engage in charity by providing suhūr for others;
6. Opportunity to make dhikr and Du’ā at a blessed time.

You can see that within performing Suhoor you will only be benefiting from it, as you will not only revive one of the prophet’s beloved sunnah, but you will also receive Allah’s and the angels’ prayers as it is said in the following hadith: “Indeed Allāh and his Angels send Ṣalāh upon those who have Suḥūr.” The prayers of Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) means that He mentions the person who has suhoor amongst the highest gatherings and the Angels’ prayers means that they ask for istighfar (forgiveness) for that person. Imagine, Allah mentioning your name and the Angels asking for istighfar for you just because you are having suhoor while everyone else is sleeping. That is a really big blessing and an opportunity that none should ever miss!!! Hence, we understand how valuable and precious is suhoor for Allah and now we have no excuses for skipping this important moment before praying fajr. Everytime that you don’t feel motivated to wake up for suhoor, just remind yourself of the big virtues that you will benefit from and tell yourself that you should never lose this great blessing that Allah is giving you. And remember that you will be rewarded and that you are not alone, that other Muslims are eating at the same time and that you are also having the Angels and Allah’s company. Moreover, waking up for suhoor is essential in order to make the intention of fasting, as the prophet said:” Whoever does not have the intention of fasting before Fajr, there is no fast for him.” So, if you want your fasting to be valid, you will have to wake up and  make the intention. You can make this dua to renew your intention: “Bi saumin ghaddan, nawaito min shahri ramadan” (translation: I intend to keep the fast for tomorrow in the month of Ramadan).                                                                                                If you do not feel hungry, just drink some water and eat dates or fruits. It is very important to follow this sunnah as it has blessings.                                                                                                                                            

Now that we understand the wisdom that comes with suhoor, let me share with you some tips that will help you to get the energy to wake up for suhoor:                                                                                                                  

1. Sleep as early as you can, after you finished your prayers and the recitation of Quran
2. Set up your alarm and if you are worried that you will not hear it, ask someone of your family or friends to call you and wake you up
3. Prepare your meal before you sleep: knowing that your meal is ready will motivate you to get up from bed and it will be easier for you, as you will not have to worry about what to prepare when you are still half asleep
4. Before sleeping, ask Allah to give you the energy and strength to wake up for suhoor and have the right intention.

I hope that these tips will be beneficial for you and that this article has given  you a different perspective on suhoor and that it has encouraged you to follow this blessed sunnah of our beloved Prophet (pbuh).

By Zaineb

No doubt that all over the globe, the month of Ramadan is the heart of the year. It is the month of spiritual revival, Ibadah, prayer, forgiveness, supplications. It is the month of self-improvement, of getting closer to God, of becoming a better person for yourself and others around you. Apart from that, in Ramadan we get closer to our relatives, friends; mainly through iftars, and meeting during the Teraweeh prayer in the mosque. So far, I have experience fasting in two countries, respectively; Albania and Malaysia. Even though some elements might be the same, still there are a lot of other practices and traditional activities dissimilar. If in Albania the Ramadan atmosphere can be felt and witness among Muslim community only, in Malaysia you can see it everywhere; in streets with Bazaar Ramadan during afternoon, masjids (mosques) full of worshippers, working places closing earlier than 6pm, etc. The way how Malaysia celebrate the Ramadan, makes us all to experience e very special pleasant and unique practice.

First of all, for some cities the first day of Ramadan is a public holiday. Besides, all companies’ directors are very sensitive about fasting, therefore the offices will close minimum 1 hour earlier than usual working hours. This is due to Iftar preparation.

A very special distinguishing aspect of Ramadan is the Ramadan bazaars. Ramadan Bazaars can be found at every corner all over the city, offering a huge array of mouth-watering delicacies to break the fasting during the Iftar with a very economic prize which can be affordable for the rich and poor too. No one should miss the Bazaar, because there is a variety in food and menu, especially on “kueh” (traditional desserts) that are cooked only during this month.

Ramadan is the Month of sharing the food with the needy. A very unique tradition regarding this point is the distribution of Bubur Lambuk. Bubur Lambuk is a creamy rice porridge which is cooked in the mosques by many volunteers and it starts distributed after Asr prayer. You can see very long row of people queuing to get this kind of soup for free. Some volunteer will stand to train/bus stations just to give one cup of soup to the passengers.

Apart from that, the mosque offers Iftar, open to everybody. It’s amazing when you find there rich people too. When I asked one of my directors: “Why do you break the fast here?” She replied: I want to make the Doa with imam, pray congregational, and wait for the Teraweeh prayer. I feel much better in mosque sitting to eat at floor among other Muslims.” A sense of friendship is obvious as everyone sits close together and shares the meal.

A festive atmosphere can be felt throughout the month. The roads, major shopping malls and houses would be extravagantly decorated with twinkling fairy lights or traditional paraffin-fuelled lamps made from bamboo sticks and Local Eid songs are played.

Even though fasting in a hot and dry climate can be quite challenging for some, Ramadan in Malaysia is an irreplaceable experience which I am gonna miss if I decide to leave this country one day.

Brunilda Basha

Istanbul, where continents clash, is a place where you can find anything. This meeting place of East and West is a union of beauty, poetry, mysticism, history, and several cultures. Napoleon Bonaparte once said: “If the world were a single state, Istanbul would be its capital”. Love for this city is destined to last forever. Amidst the streets, bazaars, and metro stations, greetings echo from Merhaba to Bonjour, Hola, Guten Tag, Ciao, Namaste, Salaam, Ahlan Bikum, Shalom, Selamat Patang, and Hello.

In the Kadıköy neighborhood, history resonates through its ancient Jew quarters, Armenian and Orthodox churches. One reminisces the Byzantine Empire and the Romans through cathedrals and the Muslim Ottomans through mosques, hammams, and Islamic schools. The link in the city’s architectural language articulates the peaceful solidarity in the past, as our Prophet’s (صلى الله عليه وسلم) words,

“Whoever killed a person having a treaty of protection with Muslims, shall not smell the scent of Paradise, though its scent is perceived from a distance of forty years.”[Sahih Al Bukhari]

has framed the essence of all-embracing behaviors for centuries.

From the majestic domes built by Sinan, one of the most celebrated architects, to bird nests across the walls of Saray palaces and the colorful calligraphic compositions engraved on mosque walls; Istanbul- the city of stones, the city of triumphs, home of martyrs like Sahabi Abu Ayyub al-Ansari, and the victory over oppression from Mehmet Fatih- resonates firmness and strength as much as it is has come to be a hearth of mercy for mankind. Every night stories of the wise are read, from anecdotes of Nastradin, to Rumi’s proverbs. The city’s melody is in its nostalgic poetry, birdwatching, fishing nets under the Galata Bridge, the sounds of ships passing through the Bosporus. Istanbul does not sleep, it speaks.

Seagulls fly over the ocean

In a cloudless sky tune.

Their breath sails over the bluish serenity

Merging with my heart’s cheerfulness.

Sun light warms up the soul

Passing through East & West.

Bosporus!

Everyone remains apart!

Half of the heart beats in the city’s liveliness.

The other half in memories left hostage.

Istanbul sometimes resembles a young, playful girl, with a noble woman with white hair whose face never wrinkles. Its nature changes like that of a girl’s moods. In the morning the sun rises, at lunch it may rain and at night the stars illuminate the sky.  Its parks are tulip-like rivers, which evoke the desire to swim in them, adorned with pink, red and white roses. The narrow and steep cobbled streets are decorated with small colorful flower pots on every wooden window and white painted houses.

Voices of children buzz over the neighborhood streets. Old grannies who cannot go down the stairs to the markets, throw their baskets to the men selling fruits and vegetables beneath their windows. They place the money inside the basket and the men replace it with food for them. “Ablacim-abicim” (My sister- my brother) are words exclaimed in every market and stores.

-“Where are you from?” a taxi driver asked me one day.

-“Albania”, I replied, annoyed at his question. “We are neighbors“, I added.

-“Neighbors?! No.” he replied, with the “nooo” really prolonged. “Kardesh! Kardesh!” (We are brothers!) He pointed out twice as he took the turn to drop me at my destination.

He was right, all Muslims are brothers…

إِنَّمَا الْمُؤْمِنُونَ إِخْوَةٌ فَأَصْلِحُوا بَيْنَ أَخَوَيْكُمْ ۚ وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُرْحَمُونَ

“The believers are but brothers, so make settlement between your brothers. And fear Allah that you may receive mercy.” (Surah Al-Hujurat: 10)

During the holy month of Ramadan, the city takes to another atmosphere. Its spirit knocks on all families, streets, mosques and parks. It’s as if everything freezes- fatigue, boredom and all your worries have escaped. You become so happy by giving. At the Sultan Ahmet mosque, Taksim Square, Süleymaniye Mosque Park and everywhere else, you can find rows of tables covered in white. Iftar invites every fasting person to join and break fast together.

The food in Ramadan fragrances

Brotherhood for God’s sake!

Round bread with black seeds,

Warm tea and dessert.

Sincere prayers in the light of the candle.

Every fasting persons knocks

for forgiveness,

on the door of the most Merciful.

In this month you experience Ramadan like the Sultan of all other months. Across the minarets of each major mosques are hung string lights with the script “Hos Geldin Ramazan” (Welcome Ramadan) which illuminate the nights of Ramadan. This tradition called “Mahya” reminds each fasting person: calm your troubled souls.

During the summer, fasting falls like a breeze under the positive atmosphere of the terraces illuminated by the magical full moon on the 15th night. The days of fasting arrive and pass one by one as the night leaves the day. In the end, Lord remains, Who, on these days has opened the gates of forgiveness for all His servants.

Every night in Istanbul,

The lamps light up the city

Adhan calls from all corners,

“Allahu Akbar”.

–Brunilda Basha

Smoothies can be a great idea for a very healthy iftar and since it does not require a lot of time of preparation, you can use the time before iftar best for making duas, asking for istighfar and taking advantage of every Ramadan special evenings. Smoothies can be best prepared for breakfast, but we are suggesting them for iftar because it is not a heavy meal for your stomach. Because when you are fasting and have your stomach empty for hours, it is not a good idea going with a meal that is overloaded into fats or carbs. Keep it simple, just something to break your fasting and take it easy before getting into a huge meal.

With that having said we are sharing with you three smoothie recipes with ingredients that you can easily find by this time of the year.

Smoothie #1 Banana Dates Smoothie

For one person you will need:

One banana;

3 Dates;

2tbs Oats;

1 cup of milk;

Preparation: Into a blender add the banan, dates, oats and milk. Blend till smooth. Then pour into your smoothie mug and enjoy!

Smoothie #2 Banana – Strawberry Smoothie

For one person you will need:

One banana;

Frozen Strawberries;

Ice;

1 cup of milk (any type of milk);

Preparation: Into a blender add the banan, dates, oats and milk. Blend till smooth. If your smoothie seems too thick, add in a bit of extra milk or water.If it seems too thin, add in more strawberries or banana.Then pour into your smoothie mug and enjoy!

Smoothie #3 Kiwi – Banana – Spinach Smoothie

For two persons you will need:

Three kiwis;

1 sliced banana;

2 cups of spinach or 60g;

1 cup of milk 

1 cup of yogurt;

Preparation: Add milk and spinach into the blender first. Blend until the spinach is fully incorporated into the milk. Then add Greek yogurt and the fruits (banana and kiwi) and mix until consistency is smooth. Then pour into your smoothie mug and enjoy!

Fasting is a wonderful practice when it comes to health improvement. Whether you’re suffering from any illness or you’re just committed to self care. We should all take into consideration taking care of our health in order to be more energetic and eventually will be more available in fulfilling our objectives. The Ramadan month is very special to Muslims in terms of spiritual grow and at the same time so beneficial to the health and wellbeing. And it is amazing seeing so many benefits of fasting.

It promotes a strong discipline of controlling your actions when dealing with food, even though this is a deeper issue, but is a very educational process. It can really equip you with a stronger awareness about taking care of your heart and body, being healthy and grateful. In many of my posts, I’ve often mentioned the importance of a healthy lifestyle. It is totally related with your overall productivity, because your availability about doing great things, it really depends on your health state also. Even though there are people who’ve lacked the great health condition, and still did very well, you can now take control of your health. And fasting is a great option because:

PROMOTES HEART HEALTH

One of the leading causes of death all around the world is heart disease and one of the best ways to reduce the risk of it, is switching your lifestyle and your diet. There is research proving that the incorporation of fasting into your diet can be very beneficial. Fasting regularly can really reduce levels of cholesterol. It also decreases blood pressure. 

BOOSTS BRAIN FUNCTION

Fasting improves brain function and structure according to some studies. It is wonderful since it can also help in preventing neurodegenerative disorders.

WEIGHT LOSS

It is a great way for weight loss and especially that belly fat, since it allows the body to burn fats due to continuous calorie restriction when fasting. It helps you build a great eating discipline by improving your eating pattern. Not allowing yourself to eat between some hours, can really help. And since this discipline during Ramadan will last about 30 days, it will become a habit. Usually when you don’t eat for about 4-5 hours, you’d think you’re hungry. But actually true hunger is filled when you don’t eat for about 12 to 24 hours. So when fasting you’ll train your body to really know when you’re hungry and avoid consuming food without a necessity. Actually this is the main problem of obese people. They don’t recieve correct signals to know when they are full. Maybe because of eating too frequently and quickly. 

A BETTER METABOLIC SYSTEM

Letting your digestive system rest for a while, it can really energise your metabolism and the burning calories process can become more efficient. So at the end of Ramadan, you’ll end up with some nice eating habits and a stronger metabolic system.

COULD EXTEND LONGEVITY

Lot of studies have shown how many people’s lives have become longer (in terms of not facing any illness or health problems) just because of their diet. Having an efficient and faster metabolism, can eventually lead to a healthy body and a better life. 

PROMOTES A BETTER LIFESTYLE

It is amazing seeing how come that when you’re having no food into the digestive system, this creates more space for energy. This makes you feel more connected when dealing with something. Maybe reading, practicing meditation or even any physical exercise. You know, you feel easier and this is beneficial physically and consciously.

CLEAR SKIN

When the digestive system is taking a break, the body will be able to regenerate energies even in the other body systems. There are proofs that even fasting for a single day helps the body clean up toxins and also regulate other organs functioning. . 

CANCER PREVENTION

Lot of studies show that fasting can help a lot when it comes to cancer prevention. Fasting is mentioned even in The longevity diet book of Valter Longo, an italian biologist. It shows how periodical fasting every month helps in preventing and even treating cancer. There are also few studies showing that fasting could block tumour development and even increase effectiveness of chemotherapy. 

As you can see there are some amazing benefits when fasting. It can be a great way to fast regularly not just during Ramadan, but even some voluntary fasting too. We can become more disciplined when talking about eating and being more aware of what we’re adding into our body. Remember, your body is where you live, so take care of it.

Valbona Brahaj

References: www.healthline.com

The best way to make your dreams come true is trough planing. You can make lifetime goals, break those on shorter periods of time and achieve one by one. So, at the end of this marathon called life, you can pick up fruits of a meaningful life.

Sahabas (companions) of Prophet Muhammad s.a.w.s used to make duas (prayer in a form of request) during the month of Ramadan and then they would track down fulfilment of those duas during the year. We can do the same thing, as well. Our long term goals generally need to be cut in a shorter period of time goals, for example, five-year goals, two-year goals, one-year goals. These yearly goals can be between two Ramadans. You can make them as your Ramadan resolutions and track down accomplishments during the year. Why do this at the month of Ramadan, and not at the beginning of the year? Well, because you can use blessed moments of this month and make specific duas for your every goal. You have already planned things you want to achieve no matter is it a personal, professional, spiritual, relationship or any other goal. Now, help yourself with duas made in the time of Ramadan, in its blessed moments of days and nights.

We are not far away from the beginning of Ramadan. Many people set their goals for Ramadan, what they plan to do during this period of time but they don’t do the same thing for the rest of the year. With each day of Ramadan we are closer to the blessed night of Lailatul-Qadr, the night in which many sins are forgiven, many dua’s are accepted and the destiny for new year is determined. Wouldn’t it be great that you specifically ask Allah to give you all the things you have put in your yearly plan to accomplish? Not only you can ask for those things in this blessed night, but you can also ask for them every night during the Ramadan. Use this period of time, you never know are you going to wait for the next one. The very important thing to have in mind is that believers are never on a loose. You can make perfect plans and ask for those things whole Ramadan, but things suddenly go into totally different direction. That’s the mercy of Allah and be grateful. Sometimes, we can ask for things that are not good for us or for our hereafter. Allah promised one of three things when you make dua: He will accept it, He won’t accept it but will forgive your sins in the amount of asking or He will keep you safe from harm in the amount of your asking. At that moment, you accept that things are not going on your plan but on Allah’s plan, and He is the best of Planners. Be patient then and do redefine your goals. Don’t ever lose hope, do your best and never doubt on the power of your dua, since it is ibadat as itself. You are by making it putting your plans, ideas, dreams and longings to Allah’s will, testifying by that your humbleness and acknowledging your need for Allah’s help. When you combine the power of dua with a blessed period in which you are making it, you can only witness how Allah s.w.t. in the most authentic, the most specific and the best suitable way for you is giving you meaningful life.

Not only you can make yearly goals in Ramadan, but you can also define a mission for yourself for that period. We all have visions of ourselves in Jannah, but only through specific lifetime goals, broken in short-term goals and action plans we can leave a legacy of good deeds. Praying for implementation of these goals and by asking Allah’s love and forgiveness, by Allah’s mercy we can accomplish our vision of entering the Jannah.

Let me put you an example here:

My lifetime mission:

“…and I do not intend to differ from you in that which I have forbidden you; I only intend reform as much as I am able. And my success is not but through Allah. Upon Him, I have relied and to Him, I return” (surah Hud, 88) – this is place where I find my motivation

My yearly mission:

To spark a light in every human being by complimenting and emphasising good I see on them. – this is a daily reminder

My lifetime goal (one of them):

To become an expert in (specific field).

My five-year goal:

To get a degree needed to become an expert in (specific field) as a Magna Cum Laude student.

My yearly goal:

To get the best grades in this year of study.

Now you can put this yearly goal into action plan and make dua very sincerely and wholeheartedly to your Almighty Lord to help you have the best grades in this year of study.

Let us have a positive, productive and proactive approach to life so we can leave a legacy of doing good and improving lives, a legacy that will last until the Judgment day, as a result of a meaningful life.

Melisa Žigonja Peljto