Whether Muslim, non-Muslim or newly Muslim we have all seen the ebb and flow of abundance in our lives, and though we may not have connected this to ALLAH’S names because we may have felt that ALLAH’S names are a rather overwhelming abstract list of 99 attributes that we must study in a class on belief, I hope that in this modest piece I can share a journey with you and show you how Allah, Al-Qaabid and Al-Baasit manifested Himself in my life. I hope it enables you deeply connect to these two attributes of ALLAH, to feel their presence, submit to them and rely on them to create positive change for yourself.

In basic translation, Al-Baasit means: The expander, the releaser, the one who stretches out; and Al-Qaabid means The constrictor, the withholder, the restrainer.

The journey:

It’s only been one year but what a journey you’ve had, and what a path you’ve travelled!  Your chest feels tight and your heart feels sad, and yet within...

There is one thing that is so vitally important when we are going through an emotionally difficult time because it is the only thing that keeps us going, that makes us seek help, that helps us heal and helps us to ask ALLAH for help and support.

That ONE THING is HOPE. Without hope, there is no path to healing and there is no light at the end of the tunnel.

So today I want to share with you a reflective piece I wrote and a painting I did while I was healing and it is about hope:

A REFLECTION:

The other day I was reflecting on life and I saw this picture in my mind. I took the cue and started painting.

It represents hope.

It’s about looking upwards to ALLAH, appreciating the light around you that comes from HIM and shining bright in the darkness. It’s about standing tall and standing in your your own power and beauty regardless of what surrounds you and what the naysayers say. It’s about keeping faith in yourself and in ALLAH.

It is remembering that “surely...

One of the habits I have really cultivated and held on to in my journey to self-improvement and self-discovery is journaling/writing.

Sometimes though I can’t find the right words to express what’s inside myself and so I do art instead, and once I do that I miraculously find the words for it too.

So this is a piece I did on ‘calm’ or ‘my calm’ and as I look at it, ‘calm’ speaks to me.

Calm stands alone. It doesn’t need support and it's powerful. As I was doing the page I intuitively felt that the word ‘strength’ had to go on the page too and maybe that’s because ‘calm’ is strength. Maybe our strength comes forth when we’re calm or maybe we need to be calm to be strong but strength definitely leans on calm.

The white flower is so delicate yet it stands alone so calmly. It has a dignity and strength in its calm that says ‘I’m strong, I’m scared. Don’t touch...