Reminder: Being your best

March 14, 2014 — Leave a comment

“Here’s a little career advice, Tabby.”

Naturally, my ears perked up as I looked up from my enormous bowl of salad.

“We are auditioning for our next gig every day of our life with everything we do. ”

Of course, this law partner from a national law firm was talking about work product but it struck a chord deeper than that for me.

“You’ve gotta think about who is going to see this, how will your efforts translate? Other people are not going to know that you were up all night with a sick kid nursing an ear infection, all they are going to see is you stumble through your presentation.”

This has served as a reminder for me to always do my best, be my best and, yes, look my best so that my presentation isn’t sloppy, my words aren’t a waste of breath and I am not doing things without a true and meaningful purpose behind them. This is an evaluation, I hope to do all the time and in every aspect of my life whether it is my career or my personal life.

The truth is that not everyone is going to know your back story or, frankly, care about it. All that matters is who you are in the moment, so be good.

Be the best you!

Stay blessed xoxo

Take care

March 8, 2014 — Leave a comment

This past week has been draining. The constant headaches, accompanied by self-loathing, were entirely exhausting.

To what do I owe this displeasure? Winter. The cold. Sunless days.

No, it is the spaces in between where I didn’t feed myself positivity, and instead loaded up on bad carbs and other refined sugars. It’s those days where I chose to skip my morning prayers, thereby missing out on a sense of gratitude which connected me with God. It’s those times where sluggishness won and I reasoned myself out of a much needed workout which would have revived me.

And, so when I decided to take control of my thoughts and feelings, I started with my morning prayer and reading the Quran. I could feel the light switch turn on. I went to the gym that morning and sweated out all the negativity on the treadmill. A quick shower to wash away any residue of regret, guilt and melancholy and I felt brand new! A brisk walk to work and the cold wind seemed to lift my spirits higher and higher. I looked up to the clear blue sky and the smile emanating from my heart lit up my face.

Alhumdulillah for everything!!

Stay blessed xoxo

Unsolicited advice on well-being

February 26, 2014 — Leave a comment

Life is exactly what you think of it. The relationship you are in is exactly what you think you deserve. The way you treat and think of other people is exactly how you view yourself.

Be careful of limiting your possibilities with all your complaints. Love unconditionally and without expectations but don’t forget to respect yourself. Take some responsibility for your thoughts and judgments about other people, it is never fair to project your own insecurities on others.

Live well. Stay blessed xoxo

Why don’t you look like a Muslim??!

February 24, 2014 — Leave a comment

“Why don’t you wear a hijab? How will people know that you are a Muslim?” This woman berated me with these types of questions after learning of my first name and asking me whether I was a Muslim. All I wanted to do was pay for my coffee.

I was baffled and grew more impatient as she continued to warn me of the men that will attempt to rape me because I did not cover my head. I have my own personal views on this topic and modesty in general that I will not discuss now.

What I want to focus on is people’s obsession in looking or seeming like a Muslim. It is much easier to put on a hijab or dress and look like a Muslim. It is, however, much harder to think and feel like a Muslim. This is something that requires constant concentration, unlike a piece of cloth you place on your head. To not lie, to not gossip, to not judge others and to refrain from “playing-God” to others is something I wish people would focus on more.

I work so tirelessly it seems with as much vigor as I can gather to seek God’s guidance in my daily life and in every moment. My efforts are always focused on being a better person, a just person, a patient person and a compassionate person. After Islam, it is much easier. The Quran, turned out to be the manual I desperately sought as I devoured self-help books and consumed well-being articles. Even today and all the time, I still seek more and more knowledge and try and try to live according to the rules because I want to be a good Muslim for God and not for anyone else.

I think you get it, I definitely did not appreciate this woman, working for a casino in Vegas (where most of her income is probably derived from gambling – a big no-no in Islam) discounting all the progress I had made in my religion, all because she didn’t think I LOOKED like a Muslim. I tried to explain to her that she can’t possibly know of my struggle as a Muslim and so she has no right to judge me. But of course, she wanted to save me from the Hellfire, I would argue that she do that for herself. And that goes for anyone trying to judge other people’s outward appearance and life choices in criticizing and trying to configure their spiritual progress.

Allah knows best.

Stay blessed xoxo

Meeting the man of my dreams, aA!

February 21, 2014 — Leave a comment

I would like to attribute some responsibility to this wonderful individual and recognize him for his contribution to my well-being.

Some people are put in your life to teach you lessons while others are placed exquisitely in your life at that perfect moment when you are fully receptive to love, this man is the latter.

I met this amazing person by chance through people I don’t regularly acquaint with during the Holy month of Ramadan, just days before my submission to God as a renewed Muslim. It was a true blessing and a pleasant surprise.

Dear husband-to-be:
You have multiplied my gratitude by a million billion gazillion times. You are the reason I constantly look up to the heavens with thanks. You are the reason for my smiles and all those fuzzy feelings, all it takes is the thought of you. You are a true miracle in helping me complete my Deen. You are the reason for my growing closeness to God and appreciation for all His blessing.

I only pray that I can and do the same for you.

Everyone waiting on their miracle:
Have heart, be patient, stay grateful and give thanks. Pray with sincerity and watch your life change, one miracle at a time, iA!

Stay blessed xoxo

An excerpt from #myfirstnovel

February 20, 2014 — Leave a comment

“My insides are exhausted. My head is cloudy. As I tilt my head back on the pillow and sink further into my bed, I am overwhelmed with a guilt. This feeling that just by existing this far into life, I have done something wrong.
Sometimes I am never enough and mostly worthless. The devil, I know, he lives in my mind imploring me to question the whys of tragedies of the past. To question God, I cannot. Patience, I tell myself. I have always believed that with time all the reasons come to light.

So I wonder not, why, ever. All I want to know is the whole truth hiding in my memories. The snippets of flashbacks are torturous,yes,but they make me question their reality. I feel like a fool that maybe I experience this angst and rage for no reason except for the devil’s game in an attempt to distance me from my God. But then I hear a faint and tired whisper from my heart, reassuring me that the daggers thrusted into my innocence were real. I feel my insides crumble as my eyes swell and an instant lump forms in my throat. I fall apart. “

Changes and a thanks

February 12, 2014 — Leave a comment

I can sense Your guidance and I can feel myself change my ways.
My heart is calming and I am learning this virtue called “patience.”
The critic in my mind has silenced and has stopped spewing hatred.
My love for simple and pure things is growing and the fog has lifted to a bright view.
My soul is craving peace and I can feel the enlightenment breaking through all my barriers.
You are my Provider, my Preserver and my Protector.
Alhamdulillah for EVERYTHING!

An ode to my love for nature and all its healing

January 30, 2014 — Leave a comment

My true inspiration: the Quran

And the earth, We have made it plain and cast in it mountains and We have made to grow therein
of all beautiful kinds,To give sight and as a reminder to every servant who turns frequently (to Allah). Surah al-Qaf [50:7-8]

The beauty in nature not only served as a reminder for me but it helped me find myself and therein, I found God.
Here’s something I wrote when I was craving that serenity, part of which is captured perfectly in the picture above of Lexvegas 😉

To all the places that gave me the piece of mind that let me indulge in the serenity; my heart is forever grateful.

The wind that stirred my emotions and lulled them into place, setting them with a cool whisper of a breeze, I need you again.

The green of the trees and speckles of colors from the flowers, a great pleasure to my sight, awaken my spirit and cheer me up again.

The smell and sound of water nearby, directing me along, hold my senses and guide me once again.

To all the places where I found myself again and again, I long for you once again.