Dear Heart: A Must Read For Everyone

Dear Heart,

The year is slipping away. 2024 is almost over and here we are again, standing at the edge of another year, asking the same questions, feeling the same ache. What have you done, truly done, for your deen this year? What knowledge have you pursued? What pages of the Qur’an have you imprinted on your heart? What have you built in your soul that will last beyond this fleeting world?

You tell yourself you’re moving slowly. You cling to “slow and steady” like a shield, but let’s be honest: sometimes that pace is too slow. Sometimes it’s no pace at all. Time doesn’t pause. It doesn’t care about excuses, distractions, or the stories we tell ourselves. One day, your breaths will stop—perhaps much sooner than you think—and then what will you bring to your Lord? Years in this dunya with nothing substantial to show for it? Nothing to carry into eternity?

Don’t you see, Heart? This world moves on without waiting for you. You call yourself busy now, but this might be the freest you’ll ever be. When more responsibilities come—when the weight of family, children and life’s endless demands settle on your shoulders—how will you make time then if you can’t make it now? How will you pour knowledge and deen into your children if you’ve spent years neglecting your own soul?

You dream of raising scholars, of leaving a legacy of light—but dreams without action are nothing but wishes. The last time you finished a book on fiqh feels like a lifetime ago. The knowledge you once craved is gathering dust. Your hifz wavers. Your intentions are good, but intentions alone won’t carry you forward.

This is not the time for soft pats on the back. This is the time for hard truths. You’re capable of more, Heart. So much more. Stop spinning in circles. Stop waiting for the “right moment.” The moment is now.

Here’s what I need from you: Find a teacher next year. Commit to them. Be patient when it gets hard. Finish what you start. Pick up the books you’ve abandoned. Memorize if you want to—but do something. Just do it. And when the year ends, and Allah grants you life, I’ll be here again, asking these same questions. Will you have answers then? Will you have progress to show? Or will it still remain stagnant until you meet your end?

Dear Heart, don’t fail. Don’t let this life pass you by in a haze of good intentions without action. Pray for strength. Pray for barakah in your time, your energy, your focus. Pray that your efforts—no matter how small—are accepted by Allah. And above all, pray that you leave this world with something to your name, something that speaks for you when you can no longer speak for yourself.

Let 2025 be the year of movement, of momentum, of real change. May Allah guide you, forgive you and never leave you stagnant.

With love,

Your owner.

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To everyone reading this, let the weight of these words settle deeply. Feel the guilt—not as a punishment but as a reminder of your purpose. How much longer will you continue wasting your time? How much longer will you delay? Allah has given you every reason to act and every warning about what happens if you don’t.

Remember the words of Surah Al-Asr:

By time,

Indeed, mankind is in loss,

Except for those who have 
believed and done righteous deeds

And advised each other to truth

And advised each other to patience.” (Qur’an, 103:1-3)

Time is slipping through your fingers. Every passing moment either brings you closer to Allah or leaves you further behind. There’s no standing still; there’s only moving forward or falling back. So choose forward. Choose faith, righteous deeds, truth and patience.

Bi’idhnillah, I’ll be here this time next year, to hold us all accountable. Make sure you have something to show for it then. May Allah make it easy for you! You’ve got this.