S7E3 Ramadan begins, and I have news. This is not a test.

Salam Ali.

This is not a test. This is real life.

In the time that I've been away, I've met some people who really reminded me of what I got into this business for. And it's humbling.

There are so many people out there who have lives every day, which would put our hardest days of fasting to shame.

They will put our most difficult days of coping with life to shame.

And yet, they seem to find

joy, and satisfaction, even amongst their own difficulties.

And perhaps there's a message in there for us. In fact, I know there is. Ramadan is about understanding that the stuff that you think makes you happy and satisfied, is not going to make you happy and satisfied.

Amazon is a holiday

life isn't a test, I don't quite subscribe to the idea that it's all a test. Like you're in an examination conditions, and I do believe that life is evaluated,

which is different. Life is evaluated by Allah, because

he's trying to see how much you're able to bring yourself to your finest character.

And in Ramadan, when you strip away the yearnings you have for the material, when you face a bit of difficulty with some hunger or thirst, when your patients might be tested a little bit. But also,

that is the time when you get to really feel and connect with what it is to be human on this Earth right now.

And what it's like to go through some difficulty knowing that there will be rescue and relief at the end of it tonight, when you eat.

And you'll be able to really connect with Allah. If you pray, draw, we stand and just feel

feel the presence of a lot just listen out

to the man's voice and take some slow breaths.

And so this brings me to what I talked about in my last video, which is how to find a sense of understanding of yourself. And really, there isn't

too much difficult.

maneuvering going on, all you have to do is just hold on to the idea that you are facing Allah.

And he is right next to you. And especially in Salah, just take some slow breaths and just pay attention to the voice of the Imam or just to the the act of praying. The surah is that you're praying. And when you're standing, let yourself feel connected to the earth.

And when you're moving to it with grace,

with slow movement consideration,

I promise you when you do this when you actually feel it, and you don't feel like you're

being punished or struggling without any purpose. The one thing I found is when I speak to these people who've been in very difficult situations, they all want the same things as you and I.

They just want to feel a sense of meaning a sense of happiness and connection.

And of course they have the same yearnings. They might, especially the younger ones dream of having nice cars and nice clothes. But really, I think they have a wisdom about them, which sometimes comes from having faced hardship, which is you don't need those things. What really matters to them is their families and their loved ones.

And feeling that they are looked after by a force that's much bigger than your eye or what is immediately in front of us.

So keep that in mind.

And we'll talk more tomorrow

about how to understand yourself and I will be putting out these little videos

ideally two or three times a day just as little islands of rest and recreation and consideration.

consider them to be little breaks

and work with me and inshallah as we get through this root zone you'll find it really helps to sort of contextualize your process of going through Ramadan and really making the most of it as far as your personal development is concerned.

Ramadan Mubarak