Living as Travelers
Reflections on Ramadan and Purification
Bismillah
Eid Mubarak, My Dear friends,
Ramadan has come and gone. The days of fasting, the nights of standing, the whispered du’as in the quiet hours before dawn—all have now settled into memory.
What remains?
Maybe for some of us, a sense of peace. A connection that feels stronger. A heart that feels lighter.
But maybe for others, there’s a quiet regret. A feeling that we could have done more. That distractions still stole too many moments. That we did not live this Ramadan as if it could have been our last.
Halfway through the month, a realization hit me with force: I am not living as if today is my last day. And I wonder—have you felt that too?
The Prophet ﷺ said:
“Be in this world as if you are a stranger or a traveler passing through.” (Bukhari)
How often do we live as if time is infinite? As if we will always have another Ramadan to do better, another year to seek forgiveness, another moment to turn back?
We delay tawbah, assuming tomorrow will come. We hold onto grudges, thinking we have time to let them go. We let distractions pull us away, believing there will be space later to return.
But time does not wait for us. And for many, this was their last Ramadan.
The Quiet Walls Between Us and Allah
Allah makes an oath by:
The Sun (91:7-10)
91:7
وَنَفْسٍۢ وَمَا سَوَّىٰهَا ٧
And by the soul and ˹the One˺ Who fashioned it,
91:8
فَأَلْهَمَهَا فُجُورَهَا وَتَقْوَىٰهَا ٨
then with ˹the knowledge of˺ right and wrong inspired it!
91:9
قَدْ أَفْلَحَ مَن زَكَّىٰهَا ٩
Successful indeed is the one who purifies their soul,
91:10
وَقَدْ خَابَ مَن دَسَّىٰهَا ١٠
and doomed is the one who corrupts it!
Part of purification clearing what stands between us and Allah.
What are the walls between you and Him?
For me, they were grudges I thought I had released but still held onto, just a little. Mental noise that filled every quiet moment, drowning out remembrance. A heart that was sometimes too distracted, even in Salah.
What is it for you?
The Prophet ﷺ lived differently. His worries did not pull him away from Allah—they pushed him toward Him. He ﷺ carried concern for the ummah, for his family, for his companions, but he ﷺ carried them to Allah.
And he ﷺ moved through the world with sincerity, with taqwa, with a presence that was deeply rooted in his ﷺawareness of Allah.
There is a hadith where he ﷺ took the hand of a little girl and walked with her wherever she wanted to go (Ibn Majah). Such gentleness. Such presence.
And it made me realize something: If the Prophet ﷺ could be that kind to others, why are we not that kind to ourselves? And by extension to others?
Why do we speak to ourselves with harshness when we struggle? Why do we think purification must be a forceful, painful process instead of a gentle return to Allah?
A Different Way Forward
Maybe we don’t need to push harder. Maybe we need to slow down. To breathe. To clear the noise so that our hearts can hear again.
Washing dishes can be dhikr. Eating can be gratitude. Standing in prayer can be love. If we begin with Bismillah, if we remember why we are doing what we do, then even the mundane becomes sacred.
And this is the habit I want to keep:
• To start everything with Bismillah, invoking barakah.
• To reflect daily: What have I done today to purify myself for Allah? What have I done today that a purified soul would not have done?
• To take every struggle back to Him.
Because in the end, purification is not about perfection. It is about sincerity, ikhlas. It is about continuing to return, over and over, knowing that Allah loves those who turn back to Him.
And what if we truly lived that way? What if we lived every day as if it were our last?
One day, it will be. Inshaallah!
A Final Du’a
Before I close, I ask you to make du’a for my dear friend Feride.
May Allah grant her complete shifa and ‘afiyah. May He heal her body and her heart, and may He bless her with ease in this life and the next. I love her for Your sake, Allah, and I ask You to envelop her in Your mercy, Ameen.
May Allah grant us all sincerity (ikhlas) purification, and the ability to live as travelers in this world—until the day we finally, truly return home.
Ameen.
Much love 💕
Nour Cauveren