“how are you still happy after everything you’ve gone through?” is something that’s often asked of people who have endured a lot in life and still come out on the other side feeling positive, happy, and lovers of life.
there are different kinds of secrets told in response to that question—different ways people feel ease after and during hardship. my secret is gratitude.
i remember i first started making gratitude lists every night in june 2022 before going to bed. i initially started being grateful for basic things like having a roof over my head, for waking up. but as the days progressed, and i started cultivating gratitude as a habit, i started noticing so many more things to be grateful for—aspects of my life i wouldn’t have clearly seen as a blessing. some examples from june-july 2022 are:
the second hand bookstore at the park :’) and the books that i got. alhamdulillah. and the sweet old ladies in there who owned the shop
instagram for showing me those posts when i was bawling my eyes out
my shift manager for being so funny and loving all the time and the hug she gave me as she was leaving
the aunty for killing the spider for me during jumu’ah cos i was scared for my life
PASSING my driving test alhamdulillah:’))) AHHHHHHHHHH
barbie for existing and giving me nostalgic pleasure — barbie and the 12 dancing princesses
my outfit today
waking up and realising mama ironed my work clothes which saved me the stress, alhamdulillah for her
having money to do grocery shopping and extra to buy whatever snacks and pleasure food i want
driving alhamdulillah and going on 70 mph and how fun i found it
for those yummy yummy deeelicious glazed donuts today that i am very much missing
two years have passed since i have been practising gratitude and my life has significantly changed for the better. i’ve learnt that desiring a dream life while simultaneously being grateful for what you have now is not only possible but is an integral way to help you avoid getting so consumed over the chase that you forget and neglect everyone/the things you already have around you. how many successful people at the top think back to their journey and say, ‘i should have paid more attention to xyz’ or, ‘i was so focused on the end that i forgot about what i already had’? or worse—how many are still wanting more and more, so much so that their success and everything/one that they have feels like nothing to them? practising gratitude and thanking Allah for the things i have has not only provided me with contentment, but has also opened up my eyes to ways i can improve too.
gratitude has also given me more—something that Allah confirms in the Qur’an:
‘If you are grateful, I will, surely, bestow more favours on you; but if you are ungrateful, then know that My punishment is severe indeed.’ (14:8)
lately, i’ve realised that gratitude is a great trick to getting what i want in life by being grateful for things as if i already have them. for example:
i want to be a successful blogger. a famous author who has her books turned into movies. i want love, a mutual, fairy tale kind of love that feels like laying on the softest mattress after a tiring day. i want to be so close to Allah سُبْحَٰنَهُۥ وَتَعَٰلَىٰ that i know Him like the back of my hand and even the hardest trials feel comforting knowing He’s there. i want to be present and live completely in the moment with no anxiety about the future and no dwellings on the past. i want to be healthy, i don’t want bedridden days where i have to put on sunglasses inside because even the light that peeks through my closed curtains makes my migraines worse, i don’t want to be unable to get out of bed without almost fainting.
but you’re reading my words right now so i’m already a successful blogger. the fact that i have people who want to read my words and are here for my words alone is success to me. alhamdulillah. i’m studying creative writing and honing my skills so i’m already on the path of becoming an author. my recent novel draft has been called ‘cinematic’ by every single person that has read it—teachers, classmates and friends—and have told me that they can see it being a movie. i am so loved by my friends and it is completely mutual; spending time with them is one of my favourite things in life, they are truly a blessing, an answered prayer, and it indeed feels like the softest mattress. my family loves me, and the love we have is strong and tough—something i didn’t know i needed. Allah blesses me so much and is always providing for me, i can already notice when things are so clearly His doing for a specific purpose and it makes me laugh. i’m already practising mindfulness and, although the effects don’t stay with me 24/7, i already stay present and grounded during the practice each day. i’m alive, learning how to take care of myself and my health and, over the years, it’s actually been during my bedridden moments that i’ve picked up a religious book or i’ve read the commentary of the Qur’an or watched youtube videos or researched specific things to learn more about islam and gain the knowledge i probably wouldn’t have acquired otherwise, which now helps me help others on my blog.
contentment, recognising how, in a way, i already have what i want, while still wanting more nonetheless. wanting healthily. saying alhamdulillah and praying.
but i think my favourite part of practising gratitude is when i’m in the middle of hardship. sometimes it’s hard to see the good because we naturally tend to focus on the negative. it takes a bit of work sometimes to acknowledge and see the good in life. but i’ve found that, hidden under the rubble, right underneath where i’m standing, are many gems i’ve had the whole time. there have been so many moments in my life where i have been going through it—but when i ended my day and my month with gratitude, i discovered that, the whole time, i actually had so many blessings that i was overlooking and neglecting.
these days, i’ve been feeling grateful for a heartbeat. i’ve been closing my eyes and focusing on my heartbeat in the silence, listening to and feeling it pumping. and i feel so alive. we’re alive but how many times a day do we actually acknowledge that we’re alive right now? lately, i’ve been feeling grateful for the sky, the clouds. the sky has always been one of my favourite things in life. i’m grateful for my family, to be with my family again. lately, i’ve been feeling ever so grateful for myself. there are so many things that i am yet to learn about myself, i’m still figuring everything out. i am still so young. but i’m enjoying the process and the moment. i’m enjoying getting to know myself more and spending time with myself. i always thought i knew myself well and i do—i am quite self-aware. but it’s been surprising and fun to discover so many new things about myself and to see myself in a new light. it makes me feel so grateful and happy to know that Allah knows me more than i know myself. it’s incredibly comforting and has been encouraging me to enjoy the unknown.
practising gratitude is a part of who i am now and has shaped my identity. by doing so, i’ve realised that it’s the things i’ve always had and loved that still make me the happiest in life.
saying alhamdulillah with every breath i take would still not be enough to cover the amount of things Allah has blessed me, and you, with. but we can try our best :) alhamdulillah.
Grab a Blessing:
alhamdulillah x3
(all praise belongs to Allah)Allahumma a'inni 'ala dhikrika wa shukrika wa husni ibaadatik
(O Allah, help me to remember You, express gratitude towards You, and to worship You in the best manner)
Attribute of the Month — Al-Mu’izz, The Honourer:
healing is so strange sometimes. and definitely not linear. some days i’ll be doing fine, and the next day i won’t be. such is life. but i’ve been learning to allow my own understanding and Allah’s (even greater) understanding of myself be enough. i’ve been remembering this month’s attribute, which has been helping me manage my emotions. some journal excerpts over the past few days…
21 june 24:
i need to let the ego go. i don’t need to prove myself bc i’m already proven. by myself. by Allah SWT. i will let that be enough. i’ll let Allah be the one who punishes or pardons others and will focus on myself instead to get closer to Him and be honoured by Him as a result of it.
23 june 24:
i’m more mad at myself for making myself seem that way. cos i don’t want to be perceived like that. ugh. what can i do tho? remember that Allah SWT is the Honourer. who cares ab being misunderstood? i need to let my own understanding and Allah SWT’s understanding be enough.
sometimes, i find it hard to not care about what people think about me. not in terms of appearance and looks, but my character, the way i think, the person i am. sometimes i feel like i have to prove myself as worthy, force myself to be seen so that i’m not mistreated, so that i’m understood. i end up people pleasing. i’ve been learning to surrender and accept the fact that i’ll be misunderstood, recognise that not everyone has the same heart as me and redirect my focus on the way Allah honours me in life and looks after me, rather than people. i’m also learning to be kinder to myself as a result of it by realising that i’m at least on the right track by recognising what i need to work on, rather than beating myself up for not being there yet. after all, i’m just a 21 year old who will probably look back at this part of my life when i’m 35 and smile at how all the pieces came together, how i was almost there. i’m feeling grateful for the way Allah has been helping me on my journey ♡.
how are you all? sending a lot of love. life is crazy, please take care of yourselves and be kind to yourselves. and remember Allah. if you really look, you’ll realise you’re being guided 24/7. i see everything as a sign. some people have looked at me weirdly for doing so, thinking i’m delusional but i believe it with my whole heart. everything is guidance, everything is a sign to me. truly.
a few months ago, i went into this bookshop that had the most rubbish, useless books, which made me go to another one. there, i found a book there that has been helping me so much lately with my self development and my faith. that book was written to land in my hands. if the first bookshop was good, i never would have gone to the second one and i never would have found it. then i probably wouldn’t have gotten the insights i now have and wouldn’t have gotten even closer to certain aspects of my faith. these things might seem so minuscule but they mean everything to me. i find it incredibly fascinating. i’m feeling so grateful for Allah’s guidance and knowing that He is there, helping me every second of the way :) how have you been guided lately?
jazakallah for reading! wishing you all eternal sunshine,
— SabrGirl ♡
I love this so much🥺🥺. I read a book (I don’t remember the name) but the author mentioned that it’s also important to thank Allah for giving you the ability to be grateful and aware of His favours. Allah has truly blessed you beyond measure. Your perspective is making me see life in colour, jazakallah khairan sabrgirl💓💓💓💓
this is beautifully written. love how real & heartfelt it is. barakAllahu feeki, keep doing what you’re doing 🩷