Length: 2,162 words

Read time: 8m 39s

"Why didn't I sleep well today?"

"Why wasn't I productive today?"

"Why don't I have enough money?"

It's because you don't have barakah in your time, money, or sleep.

When we talk about barakah, we mean blessings. Divine blessings.

Let's look to its 3 other meanings to get a deeper understanding.

1. النمو والزيادة — growth and increase.

2. الاستمرارية — continuity.

3. ابتركت الجمل — translates to "the camel has kneeled" and refers to the fact that when camels kneel, they usually remain in the same position for lengthy periods.

You plant a single seed. You expect one tree. But instead you get ten trees.

You cook a small pot of food. You think it will feed only a few people. But it ends up feeding the whole party.

You buy a sturdy piece of furniture. You think you'll have to replace it in 5 years. But it lasts 20 years.

Barakah makes things grow.

Barakah keeps things ongoing.

Barakah makes things stay.

Ibn al-Qayyim summarizes the meaning:

والبركة: هي ثبوت الخير الإلهي في الشيء

Barakah is the presence of divine goodness in something

فإنها إذا حلت في قليل كثرته

if it settles in something small, it increases it

وإذا حلت في كثير نفع

and if it settles in something large, it benefits it.

ومن أعظم ثمار البركة في الأمور كلها إستعمالها في طاعة الله عز وجل

One of the greatest fruits of barakah in all matters is using it in obedience to Allah, the Almighty.

Barakah is not about having more. It is not something you can measure.

It's being able to do more with less.

Think about it this way.

We all have 24 hours in a day.

How can some people do so much more than others?

They work full-time. Build a side-business. Raise a family. Seek knowledge. Exercise. Eat healthy. Read Qur'an. Pray 5 times.

Others struggle just to survive the day.

Some people can accomplish in a day what others do in a week.

But how?

Barakah In Your Time

Time can be expanded.

A time warp is phenomenon that changes the flow of time by speeding it up or making it run more slowly.

They exist.

If any of you have been to Madinah, you know exactly what I'm talking about.

An hour feels like a day.

A day feels like a week.

A week feels like a month.

A month feels like a year.

A year feels like a decade.

It felt the same way when I was in the Sahara Desert back in 2018.

But it's the complete opposite in the West.

The West is filled with immorality and sins.

It's no wonder there's no collective barakah in our time.

Time slips through your fingers like sand.

The first thing you need to do is stop sins.

There is a correlation between barakah in time and the output of good deeds as the Prophet ﷺ said:

"Time will pass rapidly, good deeds will decrease, and miserliness will be thrown (in the hearts of the people), and the Harj (will increase)." They asked, "What is the Harj?" He replied, "(It is) killing (murdering), (it is) murdering (killing). [Bukhari]

Time is an amānah.

We all have a limited amount. We are being tested with how we spend each second.

Most people do not realize the value of their time until its too late:

• their health deteriorates

• they regret wasting their youth

They wish they could go back in time and do more.

It may seem nearly impossible to create barakah in our time with constant pressures from work, school, and family.

But it's not about the amount of hours.

It's about where you focus your consciousness.

Islām gives us the cheat codes to tap into these time warps.

1) Read More Qur'an

[This is] a blessed Book which We have revealed to you, [O Muhammad], that they might reflect upon its verses and that those of understanding would be reminded. [38:29]

Reading the blessed book brings divine blessings.

The more time you give the Qur'an, the more time it will give back to you.

Anyone doing hifdh (memorization of the Qur'an) experiences this.

I recently adopted an aggressive memorization style. 1-3 pages a day. I went in knowing it would cut into my work time.

The complete opposite happened.

I had finished my portion for the day and it was only 9 AM.

What in the world.

I felt like I had more time than before.

My experience is a drop of what's possible.

The salaf (pious predecessors) read a great deal of Qur'an.

Scholars in the past would attend 12 lessons a day with teachers, then review and implement them.

Where was the time for sleeping? For eating? For praying? For tahajjud?

Ibn Taymiyyah رحمه اللّه died at the age of 67, leaving around 500 written books.

That's near impossible for someone today.

The secret to their productivity is barakah.

They dedicated their lives to Allāh and experienced the blessings that came with.

Create a wird(a portion) of the Qur'an to read in the morning and evening.

Allāh swears by Fajr and 'Asr.

Two times of the day when people are sleeping in or winding down.

Take advantage of these times and recite your portions of the Qur'an.

Even if it's just 5 minutes or a few verses.

The more regular you get with doing it, the more you'll notice the blessings in your day.

2) Du'a For Barakah

Make du'a.

We are told to make du'a even if for something as small as breaking a shoelace.

This du'a below is part of a longer supplication. It is often recited in Witr prayer. It asks for Allah's blessings in what He has given and protection from harm.

اللَّهُمَّ بَارِكْ لِي فِيمَا أَعْطَيْتَ وَقِنِي شَرَّ مَا قَضَيْتَ

O Allah bless me in what You have bestowed, and save me from the evil of what You have decreed. [Sunan an-Nasa'i]

Another powerful du'a to protect you from laziness:

اللّهُـمَّ إِنِّي أَعْوذُ بِكَ مِنَ الهَـمِّ وَ الْحُـزْنِ، والعًجْـزِ والكَسَلِ والبُخْـلِ والجُـبْنِ، وضَلْـعِ الـدَّيْنِ وغَلَبَـةِ الرِّجال

O Allah, I seek refuge in you from grief and sadness, from weakness and from laziness, from miserliness and from cowardice, from being overcome by debt and overpowered by men (i.e. others). [Bukhari}

There are 5 parts of seeking refuge in this du'a. We will focus on the first 2.

1. Worry and Grief (الهمّ والحزن)

Worry is anxiety about the future. Grief is sorrow over the past.

Both disrupt peace and productivity.

Humans have 80,000 thoughts a day. 95% is the same as yesterday.

“I wish I did that differently.” When am I gonna get married?" "When am I gonna have kids?" "How will I pay the bills?"

How much time do we spend worrying about the past and regretting mistakes?

The awliyā (friends) of Allah do not worry or grieve.

"{Unquestionably, [for] the allies of Allāh there will be no fear concerning them, nor will they grieve - Those who believed and were fearing Allāh." [Surah Yunus 62-63]

Repeat this du'a to seek refuge from the whispers of Satan who fills your mind with these thoughts.

2. Incapacity and Laziness (العجز والكسل)

Incapacity is when you can't do good deeds or fulfill responsibilities due to physical, mental, or situational limits.

You want to do something but have no energy.

Laziness is when you can do something but lack the will or motivation.

You have the energy but don't want to do it.

Repeat this du'a to seek refuge from these barriers that prevent you from doing good.

If you want a book with all the du'as from the Qur'an check out Qur'anic Du'as here. It includes who said the du'a, why it was said, and recommended times for supplication. All early supporters get freebies.

3) Pray on Time

Al-Hasan al-Basri commented that if you are experiencing delays in your rizq, marriage, work, or health → you should examine your Salah.

Ask yourself: are you delaying your prayers?

How can you expect to have time and blessings when you don't make time for the One who created time?

4) Get Up Early

"O Allah, bless my nation in their early morning." [Tirmidhī]

There's no denying this one.

Anyone who's stayed up after Fajr knows this.

By 12 PM it feels like you're entering part two of the day.

What a beautiful feeling it is to complete the most important tasks before most people get up.

Barakah In Your Sleep

People who do deep dhikr need less sleep.

Even non-Muslims who practice meditation (entering a theta wave state) need less sleep.

Everyone tells you to sleep for 8 hours through the night but I don't find that productive.

I'm a big fan of biphasic sleep.

This is a pattern where sleep is divided into short naps throughout the day instead of one long sleep (monophasic sleep).

Humans practiced this throughout history as a way to beat the midday heat or as a cultural tradition. Mediterranean cultures still close shops in the afternoon.

It was the same when I was in Yemen. Towns are quiet during Dhuhr.

Human circadian rhythms naturally include a period of reduced alertness in the early afternoon suggesting a biological basis for biphasic sleep.

There are recommended and non-recommended times to sleep in the Qur'an and sunnah.

Positive and negative sleep.

Fajr to Dhuhr - Double Negative Sleep

• You miss early morning barakah.

• Sleep after Fajr doesn't feel restful.

• 1 hour of sleep = -2 hour of sleep.

Dhuhr to ‘Asr - Double Positive Sleep

• This is a prophetic practiced also known as qaylūlah.

• It rejuvenates the body and mind helping to maintain productivity throughout the day.

• 1 hour of sleep = +2 hours of sleep.

‘Asr to Maghrib - Negative Sleep

• Most people are in a state of ghaflah (negligence) during this time.

• Stay alert.

• Guard the ‘Asr prayer.

• Read your adhkar.

• 1 hour of sleep = -1 hour of sleep.

Maghrib to ‘Isha - Negative Sleep

• It is recommended to stay in constant worship until ‘Isha.

• 1 hour of sleep = -1 hour of sleep.

‘Isha to Midnight - Double Positive Sleep

• Midnight is halfway between Maghrib and Fajr.

• The Prophet ﷺ would sleep right after isha with little to no talking.

• This is the time we get the deepest and restful sleep.

• 1 hour of sleep = +2 hours of sleep.

Midnight to Fajr - Positive Sleep

• It's not as effective as sleeping earlier in the night but still beneficial.

• 1 hour sleep = +1 hour of sleep.

If possible (even for 10 minutes) I recommend taking a short nap during dhuhr.

"Take a siesta, for Satan does not sleep in the midday." [al-Mu'jam al-Awsaṭ lil-Ṭabarānī 28]

Follow the prophetic guidelines for sleeping.

Barakah In Your Money

Some people win millions of dollars through the lottery but end up losing it all.

Why?

There's no barakah in it.

1) Do a halal check on your income 

I used to work at a hedge fund and found out they were making millions through riba (interest).

It felt wrong working there but as a 21 year old I didn't want to leave the high-paying job.

Fast forward — I lose all the money I saved. No surprise.

Was it because there was no barakah in it?

Some people make thousands a month but still feel "broke".

Others make less but feel content.

There is barakah in their wealth.

Allah is Ar-Razzaq (The Provider).

How can you disobey Him and still expect blessings in your money?

2) Give charity

If you can't spend a dollar in charity for the One who controls your wealth

You need to rid yourself of the scarcity mindset.

The example of those who spend their wealth in the way of Allāh is like a seed [of grain] which grows seven spikes; in each spike is a hundred grains. And Allāh multiplies [His reward] for whom He wills. [2:261]

I make it a rule now to donate a % of all profits every month.

My business grew when I stopped being stingy with money.

It was hard at first but I realized none of this is mine.

Allāh is letting me borrow money while I'm here in the dunya.

Everything in this life is borrowed.

We are being tested with what we have.

You have two choices:

• Spend money in the way of Allāh

• Spend money in the way of your nafs

3) Keep family ties

"Whoever wants an increase in their life and provision should maintain ties with their family" (Bukhari).

Many of us say: "I don't have time for my family because I have important things to do."

But we find time for scrolling. Watching TV shows or movies. Playing video games. Shopping. Going out to eat. Attending social gatherings with friends.

The Prophet ﷺ taught that spending time with family increases barakah in our earnings and time.

He ﷺ balanced his duties with family time. Silat ur-Rahm (maintaining family ties) starts with our parents, then spouses, children, and extends to relatives. This brings blessings from their du'a (prayers) and their pleasure.

Let's not neglect family ties for the sake of making more money or better use of our time.

Remember, the opposite is true — spending time with family brings true blessings.

That's all I got for you lots.

Thank you for reading this letter.

And as always:

مع حبي (with love)

— Saufiyah ♡