A
Allah
THE MONTH OF THE BOOK
Ramadan is the month of the Quran. It is also the month of literacy.
Islam has a rich literary tradition that stretches back to its inception. The faith was not only founded on a book. It was ushered in with the word: Read!
The holy month also has the best system for behavioural change, and one critical behaviour we must address, if we are sincere seekers of Laylatul Qadr, the Night of Power, is the first command issued on the most auspicious night of the year.
Just as we own the mantle of God’s earthly vicegerents, so too are we God’s literary keepers. Unfortunately, we have reneged on our covenant and forsook God’s legacy. In Surah al-Furqan, the Prophet (s) laments to Allah: ‘My people have migrated from Thine book’ [25:30].
Today, the omnipresence of screens has seduced us away from books to the extent that we now live in an age of metaphorical libricide.
This Ramadan, we must decolonise our screen-settled spaces and return the book to its rightful place.
Islam is beautiful, and reading embellishes every aspect of our faith.
Fostering relationships with books can never begin too early or too late. Aspiring or soon-to-be parents should already begin their literary journey in utero.
Ultimately, reading should begin in the womb and end in the tomb.
And since we are on our way to the tomb, all we must do this Ramadan is take ‘reading’ with us.
Go on! Make reading a daily non-negotiable habit this Ramadan.
P
The Prophet (s)
MAKE IT EASY
Behavioural science teaches us that the easier something is to do, the higher the probability that it will get done.
The prophetic statement: ‘Make things easy for the people, and do not make it difficult for them, and make them calm (with glad tidings) and do not repulse (them)’ [Sahih al-Bukhari 6125], proves this axiom.
Allah has wired our psychological architecture this way. However, this natural tendency to incline towards ease is a double-edged sword that can be manipulated, and the masters of our consumer culture do just that.
Predatory capitalists exploit the harmful side by creating products that are so convenient that we devote most of our time to them. Unfortunately, these products are perfidious and have the potential to co-opt us. This is not by accident, but by design. The intention is to make us materialists and market captives. Autoplay keeps us glued to the screen without us needing to lift a finger. Now we can fulfil every whim almost exclusively through a single device.
If we want to steer ourselves and those we lead in a better direction, we must make the good things easy to do and the bad things hard. We can supplicate: ‘O Lord, incline my heart towards that which you love and repel from my heart from that which Thou hate.’
It’s Ramadan, and everyone arrives with different levels of spirituality and also varied circumstances. Some have never performed tarawih (special evening prayers), others have never once completed the 20-prayer cycle, and then there are aspiring devotees who wish to complete all 20 cycles every night for the entire month.
Unfortunately, many fail in their attempts because many mosques are guilty of repulsing attendees with long, drawn-out prayers. Worshippers must feel buoyed after tarawih, not dispirited.
So, make things easy, not hard, not even for yourself, nor anyone else.
M
Safe Words
We must choose our words carefully. But to do so, we must think before we speak.
To excel at speaking safely, we must master our emotions by cultivating character and critical thinking. Good books can supply us with both.
P.S. A prayer for Ramadan
O, Allah! You are Al-Hadi, the Guide; make us the most guided and quickest to Thine guidance.
Until next week, InshaAllah
Zaahied Sallie
Author of The Beloved Prophet – An Illustrated Biography in Rhyme
Join Allah, the Prophet, and me
Inspiring thoughts and ideas to deepen your connection with Allah and the Prophet (s).
Join me on this journey—enter your email now.
Follow me on Upscrolled, Instagram and X for short but powerful APM excerpts, quotes, and reminders throughout the week.
ABOUT THE NEWSLETTER
The APM Newsletter is a weekly Friday feature, sharing thoughts and ideas to help cultivate the link between Allah, the Prophet and me (meaning YOU).
- APM: Objectified Women, Limitless Generosity, and Organised Power
- APM: The Losers, Building the Base, and Scrambling Genocidaires
- APM: Halal but Un-Islamic, Friday Etiquette, and Encyclopaedias are Dangerous
- APM: A Self-Willed Rebellion, Let’s Prepare Now, and Losing Yourself
- APM: Confederate Temptations, Idol Worship, and Killing Shame
A
Allah
THE MONTH OF THE BOOK
Ramadan is the month of the Quran. It is also the month of literacy.
Islam has a rich literary tradition that stretches back to its inception. The faith was not only founded on a book. It was ushered in with the word: Read!
The holy month also has the best system for behavioural change, and one critical behaviour we must address, if we are sincere seekers of Laylatul Qadr, the Night of Power, is the first command issued on the most auspicious night of the year.
Just as we own the mantle of God’s earthly vicegerents, so too are we God’s literary keepers. Unfortunately, we have reneged on our covenant and forsook God’s legacy. In Surah al-Furqan, the Prophet (s) laments to Allah: ‘My people have migrated from Thine book’ [25:30].
Today, the omnipresence of screens has seduced us away from books to the extent that we now live in an age of metaphorical libricide.
This Ramadan, we must decolonise our screen-settled spaces and return the book to its rightful place.
Islam is beautiful, and reading embellishes every aspect of our faith.
Fostering relationships with books can never begin too early or too late. Aspiring or soon-to-be parents should already begin their literary journey in utero.
Ultimately, reading should begin in the womb and end in the tomb.
And since we are on our way to the tomb, all we must do this Ramadan is take ‘reading’ with us.
Go on! Make reading a daily non-negotiable habit this Ramadan.
P
The Prophet (s)
MAKE IT EASY
Behavioural science teaches us that the easier something is to do, the higher the probability that it will get done.
The prophetic statement: ‘Make things easy for the people, and do not make it difficult for them, and make them calm (with glad tidings) and do not repulse (them)’ [Sahih al-Bukhari 6125], proves this axiom.
Allah has wired our psychological architecture this way. However, this natural tendency to incline towards ease is a double-edged sword that can be manipulated, and the masters of our consumer culture do just that.
Predatory capitalists exploit the harmful side by creating products that are so convenient that we devote most of our time to them. Unfortunately, these products are perfidious and have the potential to co-opt us. This is not by accident, but by design. The intention is to make us materialists and market captives. Autoplay keeps us glued to the screen without us needing to lift a finger. Now we can fulfil every whim almost exclusively through a single device.
If we want to steer ourselves and those we lead in a better direction, we must make the good things easy to do and the bad things hard. We can supplicate: ‘O Lord, incline my heart towards that which you love and repel from my heart from that which Thou hate.’
It’s Ramadan, and everyone arrives with different levels of spirituality and also varied circumstances. Some have never performed tarawih (special evening prayers), others have never once completed the 20-prayer cycle, and then there are aspiring devotees who wish to complete all 20 cycles every night for the entire month.
Unfortunately, many fail in their attempts because many mosques are guilty of repulsing attendees with long, drawn-out prayers. Worshippers must feel buoyed after tarawih, not dispirited.
So, make things easy, not hard, not even for yourself, nor anyone else.
M
Safe Words
We must choose our words carefully. But to do so, we must think before we speak.
To excel at speaking safely, we must master our emotions by cultivating character and critical thinking. Good books can supply us with both.
P.S. A prayer for Ramadan
O, Allah! You are Al-Hadi, the Guide; make us the most guided and quickest to Thine guidance.
Until next week, InshaAllah
Zaahied Sallie
Author of The Beloved Prophet – An Illustrated Biography in Rhyme
Join Allah, the Prophet, and me
Inspiring thoughts and ideas to deepen your connection with Allah and the Prophet (s).
Join me on this journey—enter your email now.
Follow me on Upscrolled, Instagram and X for short but powerful APM excerpts, quotes, and reminders throughout the week.
About The Newsletter
The APM Newsletter is a weekly Friday feature, sharing thoughts and ideas to help cultivate the link between Allah, the Prophet and me (meaning YOU).
Previous Posts
- APM: Objectified Women, Limitless Generosity, and Organised Power
- APM: The Losers, Building the Base, and Scrambling Genocidaires
- APM: Halal but Un-Islamic, Friday Etiquette, and Encyclopaedias are Dangerous
- APM: A Self-Willed Rebellion, Let’s Prepare Now, and Losing Yourself
- APM: Confederate Temptations, Idol Worship, and Killing Shame
