Tag: #islam

Gratitude for Life
Alliyah Dawud
March 4, 2019

Note: this article was written on the day my daughter was discharged. It is being published after.

I am writing this is a state of pure thankfulness. Today my 5 year old has been given the all clear from Hospital.

My youngest was born with a Heart Murmur. I knew before she was born that she had a Heart defect and it was a dark dark time in my life. At the time my marriage was ending and I felt alone. The darkness lead to a lot of self discovery so even though it wasn’t the most memorable time of my life I am grateful for what I felt and what it led to.

Still I soldiered on as Mamas do and when Hiffy was born she looked normal. Smelt normal. Acted normal. I just assumed the Heart thing would pan out. I was grateful for having what looked and felt like a healthy baby. She opened her eyes and I’ve got to say it was love at first sight. I guess at the time I didn’t know this little person would become my doppelganger but I felt it was even more important to me to protect her and give her the best of everything. She is perfect. And always will be.

For a lot of babies a hole in the Heart ‘fixes’ itself. The human body is a bloody amazing thing! However in some cases human intervention is needed via an operation.

I was given the news that Hiffy would need surgery as she neared her first Birthday. It was a hard piece of truth of hear. Sadly my daughters specialist passed away from a Heart problem which resulted in her Heart Surgery (Key hole surgery) being delayed and transferred to another Hospital.

In October 2014 my daughter was operated on in one of the best Hospitals in the world; Birmingham Children’s Hospital. Maybe it’s the fact it’s my hometown but I felt there was no better place for my little one to be treated.

Once the procedure was done we were free to return home. We went in on the morning of the operation and discharged the same day.

That’s how awesome modern day medicine and science is. We’re blessed. The NHS is an awesome organisation. We focus on their bad side but what about the GOOD they achieve? What about the staff that does more than their job calls for? What about those midwives that stay on after their shifts to deliver a baby because they’ve bonded with the Mama?

The Cardiac Specialist told me that Hiffy would be no different to any other child so I shouldn’t treat her any different to her sibling.

That was back in 2014. Recently I received a letter asking for Hiffy to attend a clinic for a check up. Firstly four years in a huge amount of time. Secondly Hiffy understands she was born with a ‘dodgy ticker’. Explaining to her we were attending a check up freaked her out.

On the day of the check up we went about business in the normal way. I must have lost a few nights sleep wondering about the ‘what if’ but then remembered that at each and every step of Hiffys life I’ve been eternally grateful for everything. Her improving health. Her milestones. Her epic personality. Her sparkling smile. Her memorising eyes. Her quirky ways. I am eternally grateful for it all. And when you are in a state of gratitude you ATTRACT more to be grateful for.

When we attended the appointment I must admit I just painted on a brave face because the last thing you want a 5 year old to detect is you are slightly fearful of what the Specialist might say.

The staff were simply awesome with Hiffy. They offered to change the DVD for her (after she mentioned she hadn’t watched Peppa in a long time because she’s FIVE) and the Specialist (who just so happened to be from the great Birmingham Children’s Hospital) complimented Hiffy on her good behaviour and manners.

The tests instantly showed what I knew deep down was the truth: Hiffy has a strong and healthy Heart. Her ticker has mended to the best of it’s ability. It’s supporting her to be the awesome spirit that she is.

And after her tests the Specialist gave me the news that he was discharging Hiffy from the Cardiac department. He said she’s just like anyone else who was born with no problem. He reassured me that if I ever felt something was wrong their doors were open; but as it stood Hiffy is happy, healthy and just like the normal five year old. He also said I could treat her like a normal kid.

Isn’t that what I’ve been doing for the past 5 years?

And with the information Hiffy asked if she could be rewarded with a BIG chocolate for her good behaviour and the fact her ticker is fixed. Not today kiddo but yeah; Mama can stretch to giving you a BIG bar of chocolate tomorrow; because my gratitude for you as my child is never ending Hiffy.

I can now sleep easy knowing Hiffy is well, I didn’t do anything wrong for her to be born with a Heart defect and that the NHS are an awesome organisation that need to be given more credit.

Gratitude is attitude; and my attitude is I’m thankful eternally for my blessing that is my pint sized doppelganger.

70 days left until Ramadan 2019…
Alliyah Dawud
February 24, 2019

70 DAYS until we are greeted by the holiest month of the Islamic year. As promised here is a breakdown of goals I am setting to get best out of Ramadan.

Life & Spirituality:

Break down your responsibilities over Ramadan and sort out your time table for the Holy month. Then you can plan your time WISELY. But the first step is to sort out your calendar/dairy.

Ideally you only want to keep the responsiblities that cannot be moved or take a back burner until post Ramadan.

These in my opinion are:
Work, responsibilities towards family (School runs etc), College/Education and of course your development as a Muslim (prayers, meditation etc).

For some these may include community volunteering and even the gym. But you get the idea.

What can be delayed/moved?
Meeting up with friends, sleep overs for the children, other social events, binge watching box sets…you get the picture.

Knowing how much time you have to commit to Ramadan activities exclusively will help you map out what you want to achieve better. It helps me not over commit and under achieve.

Long fasts….Iftaar parties are so tiring….

As Ramadan 2019 is during the hotter months (with a long day) organising Iftaars is a lot of work and can be very tiring.

  • Instead of organising Iftaars consider the following:
  • Donating food to a Food Bank
  • Volunteering the time to a Soup Kitchen
  • Send a Food Hamper to close family
  • Send cookies/Fruit platters for Iftar to friends (you can bake the cookies with children before Ramadan and package them and distribute them on the first of Ramadan).
  • Send a box of dates. We actually do this. We also send ‘fancy a date’ cones to the School for the Teachers. It’s a nice gesture and includes those that are around your children for such a long period of time to enjoy some of the festivities too.

So what are your goals for Ramadan? Why not leave us a comment below and inspire others too.

#100days left until Ramadan 2019…are you ready for it?
Alliyah Dawud
January 25, 2019

Admit it; even though you know Ramadan is an annual thing you feel it creeps up on you and the panic stricken you promises to devote themselves to nightly prayer sessions, healthy eating and committing to cleansing yourself of this world.

However time gets the best of us and before we know it things are not going to plan.

And every year POST Ramadan we promise next Ramadan will be different. But is it?

Nope!

So this year I will be posting a practical countdown to the Holy Month and hope this helps you get in control of life so you can get the best out of those 30 days and nights.

I’ll also be posting things on Social Media so don’t forget to follow us on there too.

Are you ready for this?

#100daysuntilRamadan

What can you do 100 sleeps before the Holy Month?

Answer: PLENTY.

By being practical and thinking ahead we can do a lot this far in advance.

Health:

Medical issues are one of the biggest reasons we miss fasts and taking part in the nights of blessings. So if you have pre-existing medical problems and need a check up get it done now. Need blood tests for something? Book it and stop putting it off. Give your health an MOT.

Are you a Smoker? Now is the time to consider your options to QUIT.

Have another addiction? Again now is the time as you have ample time to work towards it.

Spirituality:

Have lots to ask Allah for? Make a list of those Duas and update as the month approaches.

Give your life an MOT. Are you happy with life? Is everything going the way you want? Think about what you want to achieve and start making realistic plans now.

Life:

Got plans for big DIY projects around the home? Get organised now. You don’t want workmen in the kitchen banging away at 10AM if you are trying to fit sleep in after a night of reciting Duas and you need to be at work later. Trust me it’s an unproductive mix.
My advice is to AVOID having work done during the month. Sometimes it’s not avoidable but if you can plan as much as possible to have a peaceful Ramadan.
Declutter NOW. That’s right. NOW. The more stuff you declutter now the less stuff you have to worry about later on.

Need to book Annual Leave to give you some space in Ramadan? Do it now (the sooner the better).

Let your children’s School know when Ramadan is…chances are they already know but if you have children that may wish to take part in fasting it’s always good to give the School a heads up and vice versa.

Confident Speaker? Why not offer to read a Ramadan/Eid book at School and explain what Ramadan is to younger children so they understand why their friends celebrate it?

Top Tip: avoid booking play dates, shopping trips and other things in Ramadan. Mark Ramadan and Eid (both) on a Calendar and in your diary so that when you do go to pencil something in you can see it’s Ramadan.