:عن أنس بن مالك رضي الله عنه قال: كانَ أَكثَرُ دُعاءِ النبيِّ

Putting in some work

You’ve grown into someone who would have protected you as a child. And that is the most powerful move you made.

Ibn Kathīr (رحمه الله) said,

فلا ألفة بين روحين أعظم مما بين الزوجين

"No love [or intimacy] between two souls is greater than that which is between the spouses."

[تفسير ابن كثير]

Motivation is overrated. What you need is discipline.

Discipline doesn't require motivation, happiness, nice weather, cute hair, the right clothes, the latest equipment, that one inspirational video that will change it all. Discipline only requires you.

Discipline requires you in pieces, too: bits of you, bare minimums, daily littles, step by steps. Motivation is always calling up big moves, 3 A.M. transformations, Monday makeovers, bonfires that quickly sizzle; but discipline keeps you warm through the thickest winter.

Discipline only wants you in return. It's always you, and only you, over and over.

Let’s be real. All of us are struggling in some ways. As imperfect human beings, we all have imaan swings.

There are days when our imaan is high, and there are days when we find even praying the fard salaah a heavy task — but we force ourselves anyway to fulfil the obligation out of taqwa of Allah.

There are days when we want to read and study the Qur’an for hours, and then there are days when we don’t feel like reading a single aayah at all — but we read 5, 10 aayat anyway, because we don't want a single day to pass without reading His Book.

And your striving in and of itself is an indication of having imaan.

Know that for every striving, every desire we control to not fall into the impermissible, and every effort we put into doing a small good deed are seen and appreciated by Him subhanahu wa ta’ala. Let these aayat encourage us to keep on going:

🌺 ❛And whatever you do of good, Allah certainly knows it.❜ 【Surah al-Baqarah 2:197】

🌺 ❛And whoever performs a good deed, We will increase for him goodness therein.❜ 【Surah ash-Shura 42:23】

🌺 ❛Is there any reward for good other than good?❜ 【Surah Ar-Rahman 55:60】

🌺 ❛[It will be said to the people in Jannah]: This (i.e. everything in Jannah) is a reward for you. And your effort has been very much appreciated.❜ 【Surah Al-Insan 76: 22】

Your sister in Deen, Aida Msr ©

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Al-‘Allāmah Ibn Bāz - may Allāh have mercy on him - said:

“Difference in age between the husband and wife is not an impediment; whether he is older than her or she is older than him, it is not an impediment. The only thing that is important is that she is religious. If she is religious then take her even if she is older than you.”

📖 [Fatāwā Nūr ‘alad-Darb 20/137]