Issue 010: Ramadan Line-Up and Links Galore

In this Letter: New rules for Instagram, a video that hit close to home, my Ramadan line-up, in the kitchen and new partnerships

Assalam o Alaikum friend,

Ramadan Mubarik 🙂 I pray that you had a beautiful beginning to this month. If it is difficult for you to “get into it” still (point 4 down below is for you), then I pray that today is when things start to take a turn insha’Allah. For us, it came as we sat in the balcony, with a kitty in my lap, among our new container garden, twinkling globes in the railing and a cool desert breeze.

This will be yet another non-fasting Ramadan for me. There will be an added challenge this month not including grad school, which is taking a significant amount of time from me nearly every day. This is the first time in many years (if ever) that I am going to be traveling elsewhere with many people around me during the month. I have always had the blessing of staying home without much excitement to be able to focus on balancing life and ibadah. This time, there will be a few days where I will be balancing a lot more than that.

Alhumdulillah that Allah ﷻ in His Loving Mercy has made intentions to be the crux of worship so that we can be doing a worldly task that becomes elevated to be one for the aakhirah.

01 // I’m back on Instagram!

I meant to share this news with you the week of my return but alas, here it is. One of my concerns was not being able to manage time and my already-unreliable-energy to be able to address studies, home life, and everything “Sunnah Living.” My fears were valid. It has been challenging to dedicate time to instagram so I have been using it very intentionally while employing some new rules:

Only be there for 30 minutes at a time, unless more time is needed to post reels, no more than twice a day.
One such check-in needs to be to answer DMs – the Sunnah Family on Instagram is everything. Sending you all love!
Do not share anything on stories that is not created by me – The only reason for that is sometimes it becomes about sharing this and that and the other without any meaning. I feel it also contributes to social-media-group-think and that is another topic for another day.
Share only authentic, happy, mood-lifting content – Instagram became a heavy place for me more and more before I left and I intend to lighten it for everyone who chooses to follow me insha’Allah.

02 // Inferiority Complex

This video was amazing and it hit home for me. Tazzy talks about the “Desi Inferiority Complex” which is a feeling I always had at the tip of my tongue but could not articulate it so perfectly. Growing up here in the US as a Pakistani-born American, this has been a real struggle which I only began to overcome in my late 20’s. Can you relate?

03 // Ramadan Line-Up

The content on Muslim YouTube during this month is unlike any other before. The quantity of videos and programs has been overwhelming, to say the least. I have decided to pick a few series to inject into my daily routine that I wanted to share with you today:

The Manners of Believers – As soon as I saw this on my feed, I knew this would become a daily part of my life in the upcoming days. This series deals with what manners we should be having with those around us and it is everything we need ever. Am I right or am I right? (~13 minutes)
Quran 30 for 30 – This is season 3 of the beloved series all about Quran. I must admit, I have not been as dedicated to it this time around as before even though the content is amazing. This year they are looking through the Quran with the focus on the aakhirah. It has been difficult for me to carve out this much time for it but I have been squeezing it in as much as I can. (35-50 minutes)
Illuminated – Taraweeh Khatira – This is my listening companion while I work around the kitchen upon waking up. The topic is discussing the concept of “noor” in the Quran. What can be expected but awe? With just around 10 minutes and as a podcast, my day begins with a dose of Noor. Alhumdulillah. (Included is the episode link, you can find the series in the Qalam Podcast) (~12 minutes)
Traversing the path to Allah – Adding onto my bite-size deen nuggets, this is another such series which needs only a headphone while completing daily tasks. I listened to it for the first time yesterday and it moved my heart enough to add it to the list. (Also find the series in the Qalam Podcast). (~13 minutes)

04 // Heart Prep

If you are still waiting to feel the Ramadan-excitement in your heart, this specific episode might just be what you need. The ending where the speaker reads those verses from the Quran are enough to shake any heart into desiring His Love ﷻ.

05 // In the Kitchen

I realize that this is not the best time to talk about food. For me, cooking is taking on a new form where I am trying new recipes almost weekly during my day off from everything and it brings just the right amount of excitement in my life. Is this what excitement is in a small town? Am I finally accepting my fate? Call it by whatever name you’d like, my stomach and taste buds were happy with these two recipes (one of which we made together over on Instagram stories):

👉🏼 Jamaican Black-Eye Peas Curry

👉🏼 Jamaican Curry Chicken

05 // New Affiliate Partners

Paper Wrld – This is for all journaling supplies. All of them. Use code “SunnahLiving” for 15% off

Bookshop – This is my personal store where I have added book from my bookshelf and on my wishlist. Each purchase supports local bookstores!

This was it for today! Just know that I am making dua for you during this month and please, if you remember, make dua for me, my family and the rest of the Sunnah Family during these precious days.

With love,

Samia