Today I have been reflecting on all of the different highs and lows in my faith journey over the past decade or so.
As I was considering different ways to incorporate more connection with Allah in my day to day life, I thought about all the times where I had a lot of free time and felt a deep connection with Allah and all the extra worship felt so easy, and then all the times, like more recently, that I have felt a little more disconnected and overwhelmed here in this dunya.
I think about the things that carried me through both of those times - my five daily prayers, my dua, and my time for reflection.
Those things are my non-negotiable acts of worship. If I feel like I can do anything else during the day, if I barely have the energy to get out of bed, salah, dua and reflection are the baseline acts that carry me through.
I have come to realize over the years (as the passionate iman high of a new convert finally began to come down and to ebb and flow) that having a couple of non-negotiable acts to keep me spiritually grounded not only makes me feel better in the present, giving me those vital moments of connection to Allah, but they also make it easier to bounce back from an iman-low going forward.
Because the goal isn't a constant iman high.
That is impossible in this dunya, just like being constantly happy or constantly 100% on your game every day.
The goal is actually a steady baseline that you can always fall back on, no matter what else is going on in your life.
As we grow in our faith this baseline can grow with us - from a couple non-negotiable acts of daily worship to a few more daily non-negotiables. When the low inevitably hits, we have a plan and know exactly what we can do going forward.
For me, a big one of my non-negotiables (beyond our five daily prayers) is reflection, and the best way for me to do that is by writing. I love long-form, stream of consciousness style writing to help me untangle my thoughts, and then following up with my Dua Journal to reconnect to Allah.
Do you want to try making reflection one of your non-negotiables?
The Dua Journal - Dear Allah is designed to give you a safe, judgment-free space to pour your heart out to Allah. Write your duas, your thoughts, and your feelings—exactly as they are—and reconnect with Him in the most personal way.
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