Project Bucket LIst: Finishing Qur'an for Ramadan and Updates

Asalamu Alaykum folks!

Artwork by Moi!

ALhamdoolilah I can't stop smiling as I am proud to announce I met one of my most important goals I set this Ramadan...

I finally finished the Quran in 30 days!

and the crowd goes wild!!!


My most ardent dua this month was asking ALlah swt to give me the strength and fortitude to meet this goal, to make what I read stir something in me and to send it forth as a benefit for me. And yet I feel a bit shocked.....

I can't tell you how many times throughout the past few years I said I wanted to do this...and the even fewer times I attemped...and it finally happened.

The first few weeks I was reading 1 juz daily (1/30th of the Quran) but in the middle of this month I retracted in my habits and fell behind. At one point I counted I was 7 juz behind! It was tempting to give up and say alas I can't finish.

Sometimes you feel like giving up on your goals before you gave yourself a chance to succeed them.

Sou sou Age 2.

It was indeed stressful taking care of the chunky butt aka my daughter and doing a kijilion other things. The hunger from fasting set in, it felt like I was falling apart....but again I asked and He answered. I pulled some really Long long nights, after being nearly worn down from cooking, cleaning, tending to the child and all the other schtuff I had to do I started staying up in the night and reading as much as I could. I should have been too tired, I should have had a less sound mind, but surprisingly after a week of minimal sleep I was able to catch up as well as meet some of the other goals I set for myself.

I wrote a post before Ramadan of all the goals and habits I wanted to achieve.

Here are my brutally honest updates!

(Religious Goals-tangible and specific)

1.       Finish the reading of the Quran (Al7amdoolilah ya rabb!! Now I get to cross it off of my bucket list...does fist pump*)

2.      Memorize Surat Naba (my favorite) (No, not even close! Going to start memorization post ramadan)

3.      Practice Tajweed (recitation) daily for at least an hour minimum (Somewhat half way met, worked for the first few weeks and then my main focus turneed into catching up with the Quran)

4.      Performing Prayer (Al7amdoolilah :)

5.       Daily Tasbee7 after prayer (Not so much, again another thing to work on!)

6.      Important Dua memorization (will search for my favs soon) (Just a few...needs improvement)

7.       Watch Islamic lectures/movies (Yes, movies and lectures definetly helped motivate me this month)

8.      Increase my knowledge overall with extensive reading (Yes, al7amdoolilah, I read a considerable amount and should be coming out with interesting book reviews)

(Spiritual/Emotional Goals)

1.       Revive a love and desire, if not need to maintain my Salah (khushoo) (I have a stronger desire and better appreciation that can always be improved upon even more)

2.      Feel greater trust and reliance on Allah (Twas improvement here)

3.      Decrease my anger and bitterness (Yes!)

4.      Abstain from wasting time on things that don't benefit me during this month, like mindless TV watching, music, chatting, phone convos...etc (My fast consisted of more than abstaining from food, I realized the more I forced myself away from idle time it was a lot easier to address my spiritual goals and habits)

5.       Reflection, contemplation, looking at my faults and what I hope to achieve in this life.. (This will never stop inshallah)

(Personal Goals)

1.       Increase my Signing ASL vocab (Learned some new signs and taught them to sou sou as well!)

2.      Teach and read to Sou sou  Daily (Sou sou was a happy child this month)

3.      Daily Physical Activity (Badmitton) (Not daily, but did a lot more than usual!)

4.      Update my bucket list (Not yet!)

5.       Create a review policy for this blog (Not yet!)

6.      Refrain from unneeded purchases and save the mess out of my money (Hell yeah! Whoo hoo)

7.       Get rid of Sou sous old clothes (Not yet!)

8.      Practice my Spanish and Egyptian Arabic (I started practicing just this week and will be continuing to do so..)

9.      Blogging (posts that I have been itching to get out) (Yes, a few posts this Ramadan, and more to come inshallah)

Folks I will be continuing my All about 3rabee posts, as well as more on fashion, updates on Sou Sou, and tons more...

 Forgive me for not answering the previous comments! I read them all, but my computer was funky and trying to answer them on my ipod was like trying to pull out my hair. Lots more to come inshallah stay tuned!!! I hope you all had a blessed and beneficial Ramadan. I hope you met your goals (if you set them) or became ever closer to achieving them.