Between you and transformation is not a new year's resolution.
The illusion of a new year, a new you.
Assalamu'alaikum wr wb my dear friend!
Here are 2 Ideas, A Verse to Reflect Upon & One Question for you 👇
Two Ideas this week
1. Having a true resolution…
often requires a change deep within.
“Allah will not change the condition of a people until they change what is within themselves.”
Surah Ar-Ra’d 13:11
A new year by itself cannot make a change in you.
Although certain times can be more encouraging, we should not wait for a date or time to declare change. Change begins when we set an intention with full consciousness and awareness. It usually requires humility and repentance to Allah, in which case we are recommended to be quick to return to Allah.
But one thing we overlook is urgency.
Yes Allah wants us to return to Him as soon as we recognise our errors so He can forgive us. But what actually stops us is perhaps from what the prophet ﷺ said:
Verily, in the body there is a piece of flesh; if it is sound, the whole body is sound, and if it is corrupt, the whole body is corrupt. Indeed, it is the heart.
Sahih Bukhari & Muslim
But what does it mean by having a sound heart?
It is not a heart that never slips, but a heart that returns. A heart that recognises Allah as The Lord. A heart that feels discomfort when it sins or is far away from the remembrance of Allah.
A sound heart does the right thing even when it is uncomfortable. Even when the timing feels off, the sound heart returns to Allah quickly hoping for His forgiveness.
This is the inner correction we need:
Realising the urgency involved in rectification of ourselves
Not waiting/delaying repentance and correction for a “better time“
Being just and honest to ourselves when we have wronged
Changing inwardly does not begin with a new year’s resolution or writing a list of things. It begins with the heart choosing Allah.
Sometimes we are praying our daily prayers without even realising the magnitude of who we are praying to and who we stand before… Allah… Allahu Akbar.
2. Time is your ultimate currency.
Every resolution we make is ultimately a decision of how we we want to spend our time.
Money, energy, opportunities, which we seek, can still be sought again tomorrow. But the time we have, once spent, has no refund. You cannot bring back that hour on doomscrolling, that hour on binge watching, etc…
Time is so important that Allah swore by it clearly in Quran. But what is even more interesting is the statement right after swearing by time:
By Time. Indeed mankind is in loss.
Surah Al-’Asr 103:1-2
Loss is not just about sinning. It is about the moments that pass without awareness of Allah and our purpose in dunya. Every hour is either drawing us closer to Allah or quietly pulling us away from Him.
If there’s something to keep in mind from today, that is to not let time go to waste.
A Verse to Reflect Upon
And no messenger would come to them except that they ridiculed him.
Surah Al-Hijr 15:11
This verse is not just about the mockery of messengers. At a deeper level, we can reflect on what was the inward state of the people and how they spent their time… such that when the truth came to them, they mocked it.
Maybe we don’t mock the truth like them, but how fast do we catch on to the truth?
When we receive reminders from friends or social media, how attentive are we towards seeking the truth?
Or have we reduced religion to “just for aesthetics and debate”? May Allah protect us all. Ameen.
One Question for you
What was the most uncomfortable change you made for the sake of Allah in 2025?
And Allah knows best.
For any feedback or questions, do drop us an email at digest@hourofqadr.com