11th February 2024 / 1st Sha'ban 1445 AH

As Salaam alaykum

Ibn Abbas reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “Take advantage of five before five: your youth before your old age, your health before your illness, your riches before your poverty, your free time before your work, and your life before your death.”

Source: Shu’ab al-Imān lil-Bayhaqī 10250

Grade: Sahih (authentic) according to Al-Albani

, in the first quarter of 2021 I got seriously ill and after 4 long months of suffering, I was diagnosed with a hyperthyroid. In those months, I saw my life, dreams, and hopes flash before my eyes. The Hadith above had never resonated more with me than during that period.

Alhamdulilah, I got better.

During my recovery, my husband got gifted a book whose message I believe had my name stamped on it.The name of the book is Reinvent the wheel by Meghan McNealy. The insights from this book was amazing and I have held on to them for years now. Like atomic habits, it is book I intend to read every year in shaa Allah.

Today, I will share some of the lessons from this book with you.

1. Your body, mind and soul are three key components that must be nurtured and protected for success.

2. Taking care of your body gives you stamina, energy, and glow. It makes you feel alive, rejuvenated and calm.
3. Good actions to incorporate into your life to nurture your body are: eating right, exercising, drinking water (and may I add minding your business 😁🏃🏽‍♀️ ), being mindful of the products we use on our bodies, sleeping well and most of all resting. No, sleeping is not same as resting.
4. When your mind is properly taken care of, you feel a sense of peace, you exude more positivity, you feel free, you are grounded in your beliefs, you are in alignment, and you have the drive to do the things that matter.
5. To take care of your mind; you must adopt a positive attitude, meditate and practice silence, deal with your emotional baggage, align with your values, hone your focus, and speak your truth.
6. Tending to your soul would do you a whole lot of good. When your soul is tranquil, you can form genuine connections with your creator and others, you operate in flow, you feel gratitude and joy, you are vibrant, and you are aware of self and the beauty around you.
7. Nurturing your soul involves: establishing a connection to a higher source which for me is Allah SWT, creating an intimate relationship with your spouse, children, family, friends, having uplifting hobbies, prioritising your personal growth and tapping into your different expressions.

, I hope you read over the above points again and ask yourself these questions:

• Where am I with the suggested action points? What is my current reality in relation to them.

• Where do I want to go? Which do I need to tackle first?

• How do I get there? What do I need to do?

There is a popular saying that experience is the best teacher, but I believe there are many things that are best left unexperienced. As Dr Haifaa Younis said in one of her talks, our religion is one of prevention. So, do all you can to protect your well-being. Do not wait till it falls apart like a pack of cards.

As I end my letter to you today, I leave you with this hadith:


The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: You will not be given anything after the word of sincere faith like wellness, so ask Allah for wellness.”

May Allah SWT grant us Aafiyah. Ameen


Quick one: I am considering running a wellness challenge in Ramadan, but I would like to get your opinion, could you please spare 2 minutes of your time to answer this survey. Jazakillahu khairan!

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p.s: don’t relent on praying and donating to our brothers/sisters in Palestine and all over the world experiencing oppression.

May Allah keep us safe and enveloped in his overwhelming mercy. Ameen!