By It this poetic musing, Muslim Girl writer Jessica Daqamsseh reflects upon self-care for the soul during these anxious times. She asks the vital question, “We talk so much about self-care in terms of rest, spa days, eating right, and exercise — but how do we nourish our souls?”
What do you do when the world as you know it is put on stand-by?
Schools, sacred spaces, shopping centers-closed.
Livelihoods lost.
How can the soul bear the burden of such widespread chaos?
When social distancing breeds self-isolation for the health and well-being of our communities, how can we nurture our inner being?
How can we tend to the soul?
In Islamic tradition, Abu Huraira narrated:
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “Allah says: ‘I am just as My slave thinks I am, (i.e. I am able to do for him what he thinks I can do for him) and I am with him if He remembers Me. If he remembers Me in himself, I too, remember him in Myself; and if he remembers Me in a group of people, I remember him in a group that is better than they; and if he comes one span nearer to Me, I go one cubit nearer to him; and if he comes one cubit nearer to Me, I go a distance of two outstretched arms nearer to him; and if he comes to Me walking, I go to him running.’ “
Our anxious minds must race to a higher power. Our fulfillment must come from Divine Love. We are not alone when the Creator is omnipresent.
It’s time for self-care of the soul.
Find your peace in the eternal rhythms of night-and-day,
the beauty surrounding us despite communal pain,
An adhan to re-call our spiritual pathways
toward prayer, reflection and remembrance.
There’s peace present within your soul,
if you seek it,
then you will know,
the transcendent nature of the soul.
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