On The Quran

Image by Mohamad mmk

I get an extraordinary amount of peace from the Quran these days. I've been fortunate enough to have access to a Teacher who takes me weekly for Quran lessons where I'm slowly learning how to recite the Arabic words with correct pronounciation, in the same way the Prophet (peace be upon him) recited the words that the Angel Gabriel revealed to him.

In the past few months something has clicked for me. My fluency has improved and I'm no longer stumbling over the letters like I used to. I can hear the melody in my voice when I recite, and I'm appreciating the sounds so much more.

I don't understand the majority of what I am reciting (I read the translation in English afterwards) but I still find peace in it.

When I recite I concentrate on each letter. I recite slowly, paying attention to the sounds, the rhythm, the melody. It's this focus that relaxes me - it calms me down.

I've struggled for years with managing my emotions, and I admit that I've had some unhealthy ways of dealing with them. 

But since I've made the practice of Quran a higher priority in my daily life I've discovered that I'm better handling my more intense emotions. When I get sad or angry or overwhelmed, it's easier now for me to slow myself down and breathe.

I have a Quran app on my phone that I use regularly throughout the day, just to recite a few verses when I have some spare moments. The simple act of stopping everything and focusing for a few minutes has become so helpful to me. I can feel the effects of those few moments lasting longer and longer, even after I've put away my Quran and gone back to work.

I'm working hard to keep up this habit by committing to short but consistent moments of recitation. I want this serenity to stay.

Be Proactive, Not Reactive

There has been a few complications getting our things moved up from Dunedin. I've mentioned a few times that I'm living out of a suitcase at the moment, despite being in my new home already. Everything should have arrived after New Year's but actually, they won't get here for another 2 weeks. This means we've been living in our home, without our things, for 3 months. It's been a bit frustrating to say the least.

I've been reading Stephen Covey's The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People; I'm only a few chapters in, but already I'm seeing a huge change in the way I think. The lesson that has stuck with me the most so far is be proactive, not reactive.

Reactive people are at the mercy of their conditions. If things are bad, they feel bad. If things are good, they feel good. 

Proactive people on the other hand recognise that their conditions don't control them - they can choose how to respond. 

I was getting very stressed trying to sort out what was happening with our moving company. I couldn't get hold of them and I had no idea what was going on. It would have been easy for me to completely lose it, but then I remembered what I'd been reading. Losing it wouldn't help me get our things back. Getting stressed wouldn't help me figure out what was happening.

So instead I focused on my Circle of Influence. Rather than becoming upset about all the unknowns, and the what ifs, and the I don't knows, I started thinking about what I could actually do to help this situation. I started thinking proactively.

Having that moment of calm and clarity helped me immensely. Because of it, I remembered that our original moving company had worked with another company on our job. 

I tracked down the other company, emailed them all our details, and they located our things. It turns out there had been a mix up with orders, and our things had been sitting in storage in Dunedin for the past few months. They then booked us a truck which should arrive in the next few weeks. That was a huge relief!

I can't imagine how much longer our things would have sat in storage if I hadn't tracked down the other company. If I had been reactive instead of proactive, it might have been ages before we got our things back.

Being proactive in that moment allowed me to think outside the box - and it made me realised that my Circle of Influence is much bigger than I give myself credit for!

I'm loving this book, and I have a feeling this won't be the last reflection I post about it.

Have you read Stephen Covey's Seven Habits? What did you think of it?

Tidy Versus Messy

The other day my husband and I were sitting down to eat dinner and he pointed out that I had white paint all up my arms, on my lips (?!) and in my hair. 

"I've just realised a difference between us," he said. "When you're in the middle of something - painting, sewing, baking, etc, - you don't care much about the mess you're making. You'd rather focus on what you're doing and clean up later."

My husband is the exact opposite. When he cooks, he cleans as he goes. When he paints, he doesn't get it all over his face. He prepares before he starts and tidies as he goes. This means at the end of the task he's pretty much all cleaned up and done, whereas I most likely have mini-catastrophe to deal with.

I thought it was an interesting observation. I don't necessarily think one way is better; sure, it's more practical to be prepared and clean as you go, but I'm usually so excited about starting something that I'll just jump straight in! I get so involved in what I'm doing that I don't mind too much about the mess I'm leaving behind. That being said, now that I've got my own art studio I'm not leaving a mess in anyone's way, so it's okay!

I think having a balance is key. I've found that if I'm working on a big project I need to take a break every so often to straighten things up a bit. That way I can find what I need and actually have some space to move around! But at the same time a mess is just a mess - it can be cleaned up later. If the task at hand is fun, why not relax and enjoy it? 

What about you? Are you an organised, clean-as-you-go sorta person? Or do you just jump in and not worry about the mess?

Assalamu Alaikum - Peace To You

Art Print by Stephanie Ryan

Today a man said Assalamu alaikum to me, as he walked by. Assalamu alaikum is an Islamic greeting in Arabic that is essentially wishing peace on the other person. I smiled and responded, Wa alaikum assalam - and peace to you too.  I didn't know this man, I'd never met him before. I don't even know if he was Muslim. 

It's a beautiful thing, to have strangers wish you peace. When that greeting is exchanged I feel as though a small connection is made - there's something in our souls that just responds to it. We crave peace. 

This happens to me quite often. It's one of the many blessings of wearing hijab - I am recognisable as a Muslim, and strangers will greet me as such when we pass each other by.

It's in those small, quick moments that I am reminded of God. 

With each greeting I feel as though God saying to me: 

I am here. 

In amongst all your rushing. I am here. 

I am As-Salam. I am the Source of Peace.

Peace to all of you.