Level Up Your Islam

As-salam alaikum my beautiful sis!

I hope this meets you in the best of iman and health in sha Allah.

“Indeed, Allah will not change the condition of a people until they change what is in themselves.” (Qur’an 13:11)

This was a verse I heard at what I would consider one of the lowest points of my life. This test quite literally changed me, and elevated me, by the will of Allah. Sis, it was one of the best things that could ever happen to me. It’s so ironic because, at the time, I couldn’t see the benefit in it. I knew it was my test and was trying to trust Allah, but I was so focused on getting out of it that I failed to realise why I was even in it to begin with.

We often wonder why our situation isn’t changing. We make du’a, we tie our camel, but there is no result - or so we think. What if I told you that you had it wrong all along? That you simply need to start by looking inward, rather than focusing on what you have no control over - your external environment.

In this period of my life, Allah made me realise the importance of healing, mindset shifting, and mindset building. Oftentimes, we don’t realise how our life experiences have shaped our belief system. These beliefs may have once served to protect us, but as we grow into new environments, they start to become harmful, and they can start to limit your potential without you even realising. What do I mean?

Okay, incoming extremely vulnerable moment. Sis, it was through this time that Allah made me realise that I struggled to believe that I could be loved. It was something that was hard for me to accept at the time, and it was heartbreaking that I thought of myself this way. I could start to see the patterns in which I displayed actions that reinforced this belief. I never fully believed anyone that expressed their love for me. I would downplay any love with thoughts like “they’re just saying it to be nice”. To the extent that I wouldn’t even allow myself to receive love. I didn’t believe that I could receive love nor did I allow myself to fully enjoy it.

You may be wondering, how does this connect to levelling up my Islam? What is the correlation? You see, the profound thing is that healing, self-development, and doing the inner work, is really only just healing your relationship with Allah, it’s allowing yourself to believe the truth about Allah. When Allah made me realise that I didn’t think I was loveable, Allah also made me realise that I was harbouring this thought about Him too. I didn’t think Allah loved me. I didn’t think I was worthy of it. And if I didn’t think Allah loved me, how could I see all the displays of Allah’s love for me? How could I allow myself to receive His love?

Think of something that you need to heal from. Maybe you struggle to accept help from others or maybe you don’t believe good men exist. Whatever it is, try to think of how this has altered how you view and perceive Allah. If for instance, you struggle to accept help from others, you may also struggle to accept help from Allah. When you do this, you go in with the mindset of resistance, which reinforces your subconscious belief that Allah isn’t supporting you. The whole time, sis, you were the one resisting His help.

The moment you decide to do the work to change your inner state is the moment you get ahead in sha Allah. Your external environment will truly shift to reflect this inner change. If you don’t believe me, believe Allah, the One whose speech is always truthful.

Sis, healing and levelling up your Islam isn’t a linear journey. Sometimes, you fall into old habits and it seems like all the work you’ve done has disappeared into thin air. But don’t let the shaytan deceive you. You’re no longer the person you once were when you started. You’re slowly, but surely getting better, by the will of Allah. Keep going, keep pushing, and know that it is a journey that is worthwhile in sha Allah.

The secret to levelling up your Islam lies in healing yourself. Look inwards, and watch how everything changes beautifully for you, in sha Allah.

With love,

Latifah.

Founder, Tifah & Co.