Is God on Your Invite List: How to Make Sense of Our Hardships w/ Halima Jama

05/04/21 • 49 min

Sometimes Allah (swt) wants a certain level of Jannah for someone and when their good deeds alone can't get them there, He gives them hardship.
These are such powerful words that I was fortunate enough to come across in a moment of need. In today's episode, I sit down with Halima Jama to discuss how we can better focus our lens on the blessings threaded within our hardships, how we can include Allah in every aspect of our lives and how to trust the next chapter we are embarking on because Allah is the author.

Some silver linings can be much more difficult to find than others, but there is always goodness and khair in everything that we endure. Subhanallah, how Allah grants us the strength to face the most difficult of hardships in this dunya.
In this life, you will have moments where your face hurts from smiling too much, moments where your eyes can't shed anymore tears, tireless nights where you find yourself surrounded by darkness, moments that are memorable and others that you try your hardest to erase.
You will meet people who will love you deeply and others who will hurt you and may leave a scar behind, but through all of this, you will find that silver lining.

Know that through all of these moments, Allah is right there with you. So, ask for His guidance, pray for better days, soften your heart and open your eyes to the beauty in this dunya and the rewards of Allah's mercy.

As always, be gentle with one another. Most of us are going through something that we are choosing to only keep between us and our Creator. I only pray that Allah showers you with ease and patience.

I intentionally chose to keep this conversation as the last discussion of Ramadan. Halima Jama is someone who you will find yourself indebted to Allah for allowing you to cross paths with her. Her words always touch me and leave an imprint on my heart for more reasons than one.
She is a well known wedding photographer in Toronto, Canada and a Muslim woman everyone should know. She showers us with her beautiful duas that are accompanied with her contagious smile.

And in this episode we dive into the notion of cultivating a strong bond with Allah and focusing our lens, no pun intended, on the many ways Allah has chosen to provide us with rizk, mercy and blessings we could have never imagined for ourselves.

Enjoy and follow the pod on Instagram:
@unsweetenedandunfiltered
Follow Halima Jama on Instagram:
@halimajama
Follow Tawheed Community Centre here:
@tawheedcommunitycentre
Book Halima for your next Photoshoot here:
www.halimajama.com

As always, be gentle with one another. Most of us are going through something that we are choosing to only keep between us and our Creator. I only pray that Allah showers you with ease and patience.

Previous Episode

Loss and Grief: What Death Teaches Us About Life w/ Chaplain Sondos Kholaki

We say that if we knew our expiration dates, we would live life differently. Yet, it's written that tomorrow is not guaranteed and we still go on living our lives no differently.
In today's episode, I sit down with Sondos Kholaki, who is a Muslim Chaplain and author, to discuss a topic most of us intentionally avoid and that is Death. But, what if we chose to view death as a gift? What if we realized that there is so much more to learn from loss and grief?
In this discussion we come face to face with our own mortality and the art of grieving.
Death, loss and grief are some of the things we struggle with navigating. It can be a journey filled with a rollercoaster ride of emotions and one that we may never know how to proceed without a generous amount of caution.
We realize that losing a loved one is a reality check that we were never prepared for and grief becomes a part of us, something that we will never be able to escape.

It's truly a wake up call when you realize that death is written for every one of us. But why is it that we avoid talking about it? What do we truly fear when it comes to this concept? Is it the fact that we will one day leave our loved ones behind or is it that we fear we are not fulfilling our soul's purpose?
I want to thank Chaplain Sondos Kholaki for taking the time to share with us what it means to be a Chaplain and what death has personally taught her. We dive into the process of grieving and the many forms it takes on. This is a discussion that Sondos beautifully leads with compassion and understanding. She teaches us to not fear death but to embrace this reality and to not become overwhelmed when we find ourselves at the intersection of joy and grief, and life and death.

I would like to also take a moment to give my condolences to the family of Chaplain Sohaib Sultan, who was Princeton's first Muslim Chaplain and Sondos's first mentor. He is someone who has led a life of inspiration, compassion, kindness and so much more. May Allah grant him the highest of heavens inshallah.

Enjoy and follow the pod on Instagram:
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Purchase 'Musings of a Muslim Chaplain' here:
Musings of a Muslim Chaplain

Next Episode

A Conversation w/ Alana Hadid: My Palestinian Identity, Philanthropy and Becoming an Entrepreneur

In today’s episode, I sit down with Alana Hadid, one of the many gems of our Palestinian community and her family is just as admirable as her.

Recently, we have seen Alana and her sisters, including Bella come out full force and show their love for their people and their identity, from raising awareness to attending protests.

In today’s discussion, Alana and I had sat down to discuss our Palestinian identity and what role it has played in who we have become today. We also discussed her business, La Detresse and how one can bring their dreams into reality.
We also spoke of the people in our lives who influence us the most and how critical it is to surround ourselves with the right people. This episode was recorded before the recent events that have taken place, but I hope that you enjoy hearing Alana speak so passionately about Palestine and her roots.

Once again, thank you to the Hadid family, for their resilience, their support and their endless love for their people.
Enjoy and follow the pod on Instagram:
@unsweetenedandunfiltered
Follow Alana Hadid on Instagram:
@lanzybear