Where I found Barakah this month

This month, I found Barakah in places where I least expected, in responsibility, service, and showing up even when I was stretched thin.

Recently, every day has felt overwhelming. Between university, tutoring, hospital volunteering, mentoring younger students, and involvement in community spaces, my days sometimes blur into one another. There were times when I questioned whether I was doing too much, whether it was better to step back, and whether the things I was doing were of a high enough standard. However, somewhere between the intention and the exhaustion, Allah (swt) placed barakah.

I found barakah in quietly serving others. Sitting with patients in hospital wards, listening without rushing, offering reassurance without having the perfect words. These moments reminded me that being there itself is an act of worship. Sometimes, giving someone your time fully and sincerely can be the most meaningful thing. 

I found barakah in tutoring others and supporting students who felt anxious or unsure - whether it was first years navigating their first-hand experience of university life or younger pupils who are struggling to grasp the concepts at school. Watching their confidence grow, even if it was slowly, felt as if I was witnessing a du’a unfold in front of me. It taught me that knowledge carries weight and sharing it simply multiplies its reward. There is so much barakah in putting in the effort and time to help others excel, even when it feels overwhelming. In fact, Allah (swt) replaces it with more blessings we can never imagine. 

I found barakah in consistency, not perfection. Of course, as a student, it is normal to feel overwhelmed and not pick up a pen and paper. However, the consistency of returning to my Salaah or reading one ayah from the Qur’an restored me and grounded me. It reminded me that barakah does not require flawless effort but requires returning to Allah (swt) again and again. Allah (swt) places a greater reward when we show up to him repeatedly. 

This month has taught me that barakah isn’t always loud or obvious, but it can touch many. It can be hidden in showing patience during the most difficult times or in small moments of sincerity. Sometimes, it can even be when you realise that Allah (swt) carries us through more than we ever thought we could handle. 

May we continue to find barakah in serving others, in showing up with good intention and in trusting that no sincere effort goes unseen by Allah (swt).

Barakah is rarely loud. It doesn’t always arrive as answered prayers or dramatic turns of fate. More often, it settles quietly into our days—into moments we might have overlooked if we weren’t paying attention.

Barkah finds you when you least expect it.

Sometimes it’s in times of need, times of comfort, times of peace and times of calamity.

Personally, where I have found barakah this month was during times of anxiety. Feeling like one small thing will impact my life in unimaginable, catastrophic ways. Feeling like everything will go wrong.

But where barakah found me was through praying tahajjud, and immediate peace fell upon me.  I was reminded that what I was going through is through Allah's plan, and he is with me through every step. My barakah this month was realising that no matter what, Allah is always with me, his presence, his love and his ultimate plan. My barakah was realising that no matter what Allah has blessed me with so much, including peaceful moments, moments where you know Allah is with you.

Barakah is what Allah sends that gives us a little bit more blessings throughout our day, week, month and years. We have big moments like laylatul qadr, the 10 days of Hajj, the day of Arafat, but we forget that even with the smallest duality, a smaller whisper of dirk, we get Allah's barakah.

I would like to start with a question. Have you ever abandoned a New Year's resolution? 

Yeah, I’m guilty too.

Many of us are in a continual spiral of making and breaking New Year’s resolutions. So, why do we make them in the first place? During the new year, with the promise of a fresh start, we often hear the phrase “new year, new me”. However, our need for self-improvement and a fresh start is often cut short because we haven’t planned for any transition and immediately shoot ourselves with lofty ambitions that we haven’t truly prepared for.

My New Year’s resolutions from last year also revolved around self-improvement. I am proud to say that I stayed consistent with one particular resolution, and it’s now an integral part of my daily routine. 

If you’re anything like me, you probably hoard a concerning number of pretty, mainly untouched notebooks at home. If this is the case for you too, this practice will not only help you address self-improvement but also help you use up those notebooks!

So, what I’ll be teaching you in this article is how to ease yourself into the world of self-improvement via reflective journaling.

As a Medical Student, I’m continually reminded to reflect. I need to reflect on exam results, reflect on patient experiences, and reflect on how well I’ve performed in the anatomy lab. My aim today is to prove to you that reflection doesn’t have to be complicated and critical. Many of you will have heard of reflection cycles and systems, such as the Gibbs reflective cycle or the STARR acronym. I’m here to tell you that it doesn’t have to be that complex.

 All you need to remember is the number 3.

If you know me personally, you would know that I am a big English Literature nerd, so I love the use of a triple. This reflective practice is a bit of a triple threat, as we have three sets of three to focus on.

Our first set of three is the three phases of time: the past, the present, and the future. These are going to be our focal thought points.

Let’s go in chronological order. 

The first thing we’re going to do is list three things we want to leave in the past. That sounds pretty deep, but it absolutely doesn’t have to be! Maybe it’s something that you’ve been pretending to like because it’s trendy, or a show that you’ve been watching only because a friend recommended it, or a habit that you’d like to slowly ease yourself out of. An important thing to bear in mind is that these should be things that you have the control over to remove. One of the great lessons of life is that sometimes, things aren’t in your control, and once one accepts that, a lot of unnecessary grief is prevented. This practice allows us to subconsciously set healthy boundaries for ourselves by reducing disturbing, distracting, or negative factors we have in our lives. 

The next phase of time is the present. For this section, we are going to focus on the practice of gratitude. According to the Ancient Greek philosopher Plato, “a grateful mind is a great mind which eventually attracts itself to great things.” By taking time to focus on the things you are grateful for, you instinctively focus on the positives in your life, regardless of how the day went.

The final three things we’re going to focus on are the future. You should list three things you want to achieve the next day. By focusing on the near future, we erase the possibility of disappointment by having goals that are too lofty. By making a list of three things, we don’t have the breadth to overexert ourselves with “must-dos.” I’m often guilty of having too much on my plate, but by making a list of three obligatory things to get done, I’ve learnt how to prioritise and split my time better to improve my work-life balance.

Just in that simple practice of three things about three things, we’ve established healthy boundaries, practiced gratitude, hence, are inherently focussed on the positives and set achievable goals for the future. All of these contribute to a motivated, productive mindset. This practice takes a maximum of ten minutes for me every evening, but leaves me prepared for the next day and with a fresh mindset everyday.

So, I hope these daily prompts may be a step into consistent self-improvement practices for you! Think of the three threes and I hope this ritual serves you well as it has for me in the last year!