Muslim Life Hackers
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Muslim Life Hackers
Achieving Life Goals with Dua: Insights from Mifrah’s 15-Year Journey
In this episode, host Mifrah Mahroof explores her 15-year journey with a dua habit focused on achieving her goals. She discusses how this practice, inspired by the late, Sheikh Muhammad Al Shareef (may Allah have mercy on him) has shaped her life. Mifrah talks about the emotional journey of dua, the lessons learned in connecting with Allah, and the link between personal growth and bigger duas. Join her to discover how to incorporate these insights into your own dua journey.
Timestamps:
00:00 Introduction
00:15 Understanding the Dua Habit
01:48 The Influence of Sheikh Muhammad Al Shareef
02:58 Examples of Personal Duas
03:19 The Emotional Journey of Answered Duas
04:34 The Deeper Connection with Allah
05:40 Leveling Up to Receive Duas
06:49 Personal Growth and Realizations
13:10 Upcoming Growth Retreat
14:30 Conclusion and Invitation for Questions
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🏖️ This episode is sponsored by Sisters Explore, a company I founded to offer guided small-group travel for Muslim women to connect, explore, and enjoy faith-centered journeys. Learn more at http://www.sisters-explore.com
Disclaimer: Some links in this description are affiliate links.
Hey everyone, Asalamu Alaikum and welcome to the show.I'm your host, Mifrah Mahroof. And in today's episode, I'm going to be sharing with you my journey and the lessons I've learned from 15 years of having a dua habit. So when I mean a dua habit, I'm referring to the duas that I have made, which were more goals based duas, things that I wanted to achieve or things that I wanted to have in this world and not just, the ones that we make in the hereafter. So, before I start this, I just want to say that having duas for the hereafter is the foundation. It always has to be there. I mean, just because I don't speak about it in this particular video, it doesn't mean that it's non existent. So make sure you always have that even if you do none of this stuff, it doesn't matter because nothing really matters in this dunya. And what really matters is our life in the hereafter. But, in saying that, we are here to grow. We are here to achieve our goals and to live the best lives for the sake of Allah. So that's what I want to share with you in this episode, how I have been using duas as a means of getting to these stages of my life that I wanted to achieve. So, in putting together this video, I went through all of my past dua lists, from like years and years ago, and it was really beautiful to see, how many duas that Allah SWT has answered. And also, how much I've grown since then, because the things that you want in your life when you were younger, and then when you grow, your duas grow with you, Also, when I refer to as Dua Habit, I don't really mean like I'm making duas every single day. It's just a habit, meaning I have been on and off, but I keep returning back to that and using that as a way to be able to keep moving forward in my life. So since I was young, I was making duas on and off, but my dua habit started to get serious when I was learning from Sheikh Muhammad Al Sharif, Rahimahullahu. So he actually taught this, whole thing that you can do where you can write up your dua list during the last 10 nights. And make your duas, the things that you want for yourself in this life in the hereafter, of course, and ask them in every single night in the last 10 nights of Ramadan. And so that was something I would do before those last 10 nights. So I just write a list of all this stuff that I wanted. And then last 10 nights come, I'll just make the duas. And they didn't have any fancy wordings or anything. So they don't have any fancy wordings or anything. Then my dua, making habit took another level when Sheikh Mohammed Sharif actually released this program called Visionaire. And that was about turning your goals and visions and making them into dua. So we've like formalized that process, something that I was intuitively doing. So once I started incorporating those teachings that I learned from Visionaire, my dua habit also started to step up more. So, you might be wondering, okay, Mifrah, what are these duas, we're already a couple of minutes in, that you are talking about? So things like, you know, I want to go hajj, I want a car, I want to move into my dream house, I want to have a dream job, I want a scholarship to pay for my degree, I want to travel to multiple places. All of them are answered and Allah SWT is the most generous. And obviously it didn't happen overnight. I am talking over a decade and more, right? So keep that in context. And so what I noticed in this journey was that something happens, right? So when you set your duas, you're like really excited. You're like, I want to make it every single day. So you have this high and then something comes down and you know, when that actually happens is when your duas actually get answered. So you feel like, Oh my gosh, what's next in my life? Like, I just got this. And you think that everything gets better when you actually achieve that goal that you want. But what I learned is that it was never about the thing that you're making dua for. It was always about the connection that you got through making that dua. So it's just that connection you had with Allah SWT and that was a thing that was missing. So once those duas were answered, I felt like, Oh, I don't really have anything that I'm excited to make dua for. And that was something that I started to feel. And when I didn't have those duas, I didn't quite understand why I was feeling that way at that point. And I thought it was just a matter of, okay, I need to go back to the drawing board and start making duas and it didn't come. Like it was actually quite difficult at a point when you have everything you want. You're like, okay, what more? it, occurred to me that, it was really the connection that making dua gave. That gave you that kind of peace in your heart. What I learned was that you don't just need to make dua to get that connection. Like you don't have to just say, Ya Allah, I want this, I want that. And then when all that's done, you go like missing in action, right? Like dua is actually a conversation between you and Allah SWT. So even you just like talking to Allah and say, like, Ya Allah, I have all my duas answered, I don't know what's next in my life, guide me, and just having this conversation, that is also dua as well, having that conversation, and when we look at the story of Musa AS, when He first spoke to Allah SWT and how, when Allah SWT asked him, Oh, what's in your hand? And he started making, some conversation and saying more than just answering what's in his hand, right? And so there is this beauty and this peace in our heart and this sweetness that comes when we just converse with Allah SWT. So that was one lesson I learned when my duas got answered and I felt like, oh, you know, I feel empty. Like, I don't know what's going to be happening next. So the second point which I realized and recently have been able to put to words is that when you start making duas that feel like they're not getting answered, because they're like really, high up there or something, they feel like they're far away. One of the reasons is that, are you the person who can receive that dua? And so when you actually think about that, the best way I can explain that is like, your growth is like in levels, right? So your dua making habit is actually in levels. So like in like level one, like say you're right over here and you're making all your dua. So it'd be like, I want this, I want that, I want this. And then what happens is that you start reaching a ceiling at that point. So you might be at this point of your growth, but you're making a dua that's over here, but you don't realize that, right? Because you're over here. So you haven't become that person, to be able to receive that dua and in order for you to progress up to the next stage, there has to be some change in you that has to happen, some pushing of your comfort zone in order to get to this level to be able to receive that dua and I'll give you some examples to help you understand what I actually mean by that. So I'll take one, out of my own experiences when I actually look back and think about it. I made dua for, which I thought was pretty cool, was to be able to get into ocean swimming. So, open water swimming. And the thing is, I learned how to swim when I was young. And then, it was just like, swimming pool kind of swimming. And you have those two, rails at the side, like you have those two floating thingies, the lanes, the lanes at the side. And so whenever you get tired, you can just hold onto that. And also you can also control how deep you go. So I always felt comfortable to be in that level of water where I can stand up, or if I was getting deep, then having the rail next to me so I can just grab onto that. So making that dua to get into open water swimming and really having fears around getting out of this environment of the swimming pool actually was that dua like it was over here, the dua was here, but I was over here. So I actually had to push myself a lot and out of my comfort zone. And there were moments of like, I was terrified, really. Like I remember jumping into a pool of water and it was deep and it was like, I looked down and my legs were dangling and it was so deep underneath and that was scary and I'm not going to even kid you, but soon enough, as I kept pushing myself, as I started putting myself in environments where it was normal, being a part of swim groups and everything, then I was able to progress up to the next level over here. And I was able to receive that dua and Allah SWT allowed me to just make it a part of my life. Now, if I was in like a somewhere deep or something in the back of the ocean. It's actually fine. I'm comfortable with that. Alhamdulillah. So another example of making a level up dua when you're in a level below that and you're not ready to receive it can also be a dua like, Ya Allah I want to have an amazing marriage for example. So this amazing marriage like you can be a single or you can be a married person and this is a common dua that comes up and so if you're in that stage and it's not getting answered, then it could be that, are you someone who actually loves yourself? how is your relationship with yourself? Have you started giving yourself the love that you're seeking? Because sometimes we're trying to seek it from external, but we're not giving that to ourselves. And if we're not giving that to ourselves, then how can we have a loving marriage, for example, so it's like you're over here, but you need to level up here in order to get that answered. Another example that comes to mind is also around money or things that you want in your life. So this is also a very common dua as well. So for example, you want to invest in a program, like you want to sign up for a program with a coach that you really admire, but they've got really expensive packages, like say for example,$10,000 or something, right? And you're like, I want to work with them, but I don't have the money, but you make that dua, Ya Allah, please open up a way for me to be able to get into that and work with that person. Now, at that point, the reason why I mentioned this point about. Being able to be a person of receiving. Sometimes we might be making that dua, but it's not happening. But then if Allah SWT actually gave you that$10,000 for example, would you be someone who says, okay? Well, I'm gonna take that money and I'm gonna buy that program that I've been making dua for, or would you be someone who's saying, Oh, I've got this extra amount of money. I'm going to go spend it on this. I'm going to go spend it on all of these things, or I'm going to go save it for a rainy day. So there is something happening there around the relationship of money, which needs to be worked on. And this is a real problem, I use someone that when you receive money, you're not actually spending it on yourself. You don't feel yourself worthy. Like there are all these different problems and issues that we face within ourselves that we might not be a person who's able to receive that. So that's one example around money. So if you are making dua for something and Allah gave you the money, do you have the ability to spend that money? Is it something that comes easy to you or do you find yourself prioritizing something else or saving up that money or just not doing anything within it and letting it just sit there really. And there are so many more examples I can give of levelling up so that you can be able to receive that dua. But that is a reflection that I've had and that I've been really thinking about myself. Because like when I was going through all of my old duas and I was wondering, Oh, how come that didn't get answered and this didn't get answered? Well, I was able to connect the dots together and see that, oh, I was making that dua when I was younger, but that dua came to me many years later when I was in the state to receive it. Which actually brings me to a dua that I want to share with you. So one dua that I had, was actually back in 2019. So this was, this during COVID time. No, not COVID time. COVID didn't start yet. It was actually one year before COVID and travel and everything was still open. And. I had this dua that came up, which was around, travel, inspiration, sisters, taking them all out and being able to do something that can connect us back to Allah SWT and we can grow. And when that dua came up, it was just like something I ignored, really. Like I wrote it down. I found this dua in the brainstorm of my duas. So I would brainstorm it, then I'll select the ones which I want to make. And I left it there because I was like, I don't know if this is something it's in my life right now. Cause I was studying at that time and also it's just the circumstances at that time didn't really seem to make sense. So then the next year COVID happened and then I had a baby and then it just didn't make sense this dua really. But then last year I actually launched Muslim Life Hackers back again. And then this year, as I got back into the whole personal development space, I started to invest more in myself and I started to work on myself and what happened, and I was totally not anticipating this, but this dua came back up again and it came back to the surface. So it was as though I was like, no, no, no, I don't think I can do it, I don't think this really makes sense for me, but as I started to grow as a person, it came back again. And now. It's actually happening. So I'm organizing a retreat called the growth retreat, and this is for sisters anywhere in the world to join me in Sri Lanka in this upcoming February, 2025. And we will be growing with each other with the intention of being in gratitude to Allah. The whole idea of this retreat is to awaken your senses and foster personal growth through experiential travel. So that whole thing about disconnecting from our day to day life and connecting with other sisters that are growth minded like you and connecting with the beautiful world that Allah SWT created and using that as a means to get close to him. And I've also intentionally made this retreat just before Ramadan, so that the inspiration that you get and start allowing you to discover things about yourself that you might have just kept covered and just ignored because of the busyness of life. I want to help you get them out. And InshaAllah, I hope that you can be able to take all these inspirations and You can go back home, and then turn them into your duas that you want to make when you go back home. So, I hope you can join me. I'm only going to be taking five sisters, that's right. So, only five sisters. I've kept it small, and this was in line with my dua that I had as well, and I really hope you can be one of them. I have left a link to that in the show notes below and that's about it with the reflections from my dua journey, I think maybe when I hit the stop button, I'll get more ideas. And I've actually been thinking about the different lessons that I've learned, but you know, we can't make anything perfect, right? So if you do have any questions, please let me know in the comments below. I'd love to hear it. And until next time, I'll catch you soon. InshaAllah. Take care and Asalamu Alaikum.
