Monday 30 January 2023

as Salaamu Alaykum

Welcome to the Weekly Newsletter bringing together some useful content on all things self-development from a Muslim's perspective.

A special welcome to all of the brothers and sisters who recently signed up (thanks to a push by Ustadh Gabriel al Romani).

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Recommended Course - (affiliate)

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Qur'an Ayah

وَإِن تَعُدُّوا۟ نِعْمَةَ ٱللَّهِ لَا تُحْصُوهَآ ۗ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَغَفُورٌۭ رَّحِيمٌۭ

If you tried to count Allah’s blessings, you would never be able to number them. Surely Allah is All-Forgiving, Most Merciful. [16:18]

Note: Try to make gratitude your default state. Practise it. It can become more habitual than you think.

Ahadith on cultivating gratitude

“Whoever among you wakes up secure in his property, healthy in his body, and he has his food for the day, it is as if he were given the entire world.” (Hadith in Tirmidhi

“When one of you sees another who is superior to him in point of wealth and creation, let him look to him who is below him. That is more proper that you hold not in contempt the favour of God towards you.” (Hadith in Bukhari, Muslim)

Prepare for Ramadhan - about 50 days away!🤲🏾

❝Rajab is the month to sow the seeds. Sha'ban is the month to irrigate the crop and Ramadan is the month to reap the harvest.❞ ~Imam Abu Bakr Al Warraq Al Balkhi رح

Charity = growth 

“Those who (in charity) spend of their goods by night and by day, in secret and in public have their reward with their Rabb (only God and Sustainer). On them shall be no fear nor shall they grieve.” (Qur’an, 2:274)

Optimizing Cortisol💪🏾

"In the morning and until the mid-afternoon, use bright overhead lights to facilitate the release of dopamine, norepinephrine, epinephrine (molecules associated with motivation, attention and drive) and optimal amounts of cortisol to maximize your alertness and focus for work or other activities" Andrew Huberman

Note: For more on this, you can check out Huberman's full podcast on the topic. I have been using a ring light for this. I wake up quite early (ideally) and I do notice an effect from doing this albeit it's not the most "cosy" thing to do lol. I also end showers with cold water - a post for another week.

Interesting links to make you smarter and recommended content🤔

• Blogging Theology Podcast: Did You Know The Last Ottoman Caliph Just Died? Link A nice easy listen that I found fascinating. An important reminder at the end about the eschatological inevitability and Ijma on the issue of the Caliphate

• Beautiful mujawwad (slow) recitation from A UK born Hafidh: Link

• Study on breathing: Brief structured respiration practices enhance mood and reduce physiological arousal: link

Note: For those interested see Jaws and The Oxygen Advantage for more on the harms of mouth-breathing (which everyone kind of does but is historically a fairly new phenomenon)

Question to ask ourselves

If I was to have a completely sin-free day - how close could I get?

Some quotes from my readings:

That hormone is insulin. In other words, insulin is the primary gatekeeper of body fat. If your insulin levels are consistently high, fat usage is effectively blocked.

(The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Performance by Stephen Phinney)

“Distancing” refers to the ability to view one’s own thoughts (or beliefs) as constructions of “reality” rather than as reality itself"

How to Think Like a Roman Emperor by Donald Robertson

Stealing Fire by Steven Kotler, Jamie Wheal

When we check our email or Facebook or Twitter, and sometimes we find a response and sometimes we don’t, the next time a friend connects, Sapolsky discovered that we enjoy a 400 percent spike in dopamine.

Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport

A philosophy of technology use in which you focus your online time on a small number of carefully selected and optimized activities that strongly support things you value, and then happily miss out on everything else.

Recent content:

🎥 Latest Podcast with Ustadh Daniel Haqiqatjou

Ustadh Daniel joined me for the second time to discuss a variety of topics starting from the developments in his work over the last two years, debating effectively, managing emotions, the power of social stigma, apostasy laws, hijab, importance of tasawuf, hijrah and more

🎥 Learning Arabic whilst working 10hr manual labour - Power of barakah

Imam Tom Facchine shares how he started learning Arabic whilst working 10 hour days as a manual labourer..

Click here to watch the video

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Aadil (Optimizedmuslim.com)