Do you love laughing?
A Hilarious Look Back at Suhoor Regret
﷽
Okay, let's talk regret. It's not the kind from missed prayers (although, been there!). It's the lighter, funnier kind. It involves bad food choices at 3 am. This particular story takes place a few Ramadans back. Fueled by a well-meaning but slightly overambitious Pinterest board, I decided to impress my Suhoor Squad with a batch of "Healthy Zucchini Fritters." Healthy? Probably. Delicious? Well, that's a whole other story.
The recipe, in all its flowery glory, promised crispy fritters packed with flavor and goodness. What I ended up with resembled something closer to…well, let's just say the smoke alarm did a pretty good impersonation of a wailing banshee that night.
Here's the thing: in my pre-dawn haze, I may have forgotten a crucial ingredient – binding. As a result, my "fritters" resembled a sad, mushy pile of disappointment.
One of my fears during Ramadan is messing up the meals. Everyone is dependent on me to get it right and that is a lot of pressure. In a panic, I dashed around the kitchen scrambling to put a meal together realizing I had no time left to prepare something new. "Maybe oatmeal," I thought, only to remember that would take at least 30 minutes since I had only steel-cut oats.
“How can I save this pile of mush?” That is when my creativity kicked in and within 10 minutes I managed to turn the disaster fritters into a soup, don't ask me how! I barely remember myself.
Learning from the Fritter Fiasco:
After fajr, I sat with myself and I had a little giggle. Everyone praised the soup, and since then every meal that has turned out badly has ended up being turned into another delicious meal.
The lesson I learned from the suhoor fritter fiasco is :
Don't let the fear of regret hold you back.
I thought about all the opportunities I had been too afraid to pursue. The wasted dreams and roads not taken and the regret it left me with. Fear had fueled my inaction.
Sure a failed meal isn't the same as a dream left unfulfilled but there is a lesson in it. Regret isn't in trying, rather it is in not trying at all.
Working through fear is hard. Sometimes I have been paralyzed by fear. But throughout the years I have learned it is better to face my fears than live in regret.
That nagging regret that buzzes in your head like a pesky mosquito will only go away once you forgive yourself and take steps toward your dreams.
Allah has said in the Quran:
39:53 ۞ قُلْ يَـٰعِبَادِىَ ٱلَّذِينَ أَسْرَفُوا۟ عَلَىٰٓ أَنفُسِهِمْ لَا تَقْنَطُوا۟ مِن رَّحْمَةِ ٱللَّهِ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يَغْفِرُ ٱلذُّنُوبَ جَمِيعًا ۚ إِنَّهُۥ هُوَ ٱلْغَفُورُ ٱلرَّحِيمُ ٥٣
Say, ˹O Prophet, that Allah says,˺ “O My servants who have exceeded the limits against their souls! Do not lose hope in Allah’s mercy, for Allah certainly forgives all sins. He is indeed the All-Forgiving, Most Merciful.
I've changed the newsletter up a bit and below you will have a short poll, I'd love your feedback because this is your newsletter. Thanks for voting last survey.
Allah swt forgives us. We can continually turn back to Him. So I wonder why then do so many of us have a hard time forgiving ourselves? I have come to realize it is because we tend to want to do things perfectly and worry about what other people think. These days I think about what will please Allah. And being too afraid to use the talents and opportunities He has given me is not an option.
Allah swt is ever present and He never leaves my side. Knowing that has helped me to overcome many fears. The next theme I will explore in upcoming newsletters, is how learning the value myself helped me grow my confidence and bring high value people into my life.
Before I leave you to ponder the following coaching question remember that you are right where you are meant to be.
Coaching Question:
Imagine you could have a laugh with your past self about a time you felt regret, like the Great Fritter Fiasco.
What advice would you give your younger self, knowing what you know now?
Much love,
Nour Cauveren
P.S. Love to hear your opinion on the new format, share you opinion below. You’re awesome!
I had the honor of spending all day yesterday with the lovely Ola my Arabic teacher who flew in from London. She has a new Arabic class starting in May, InshaaAllah. I have loved being part of her Arabic Gems class and Ola loves teaching and wants you to learn.
What sets Arabic Gems apart from other Arabic courses is the interactive element, the support, the weekly homework, and Ola.
Ola’s love for Quranic Arabic and want you to be able to open Allah’s book and pick out the gems made me fall in love with Arabic and appreciate Allah’s Book more deeply.
Be sure to sign up to her newsletter and you’ll be informed once registration is open.
