Reset with Intention: Gentle Steps to Anchor Your Life in Allah’s Mercy

Even if you’ve stumbled or paused along the way, discover how small, consistent actions—rooted in Rahma and compassion—can guide you back to purposeful living.

﷽

Photo by Anna Tarazevich

Dear friend,

If you’ve paused or stepped away from this journey, know: You’re still welcome—right where you are. This space isn’t about perfection; it’s about return, gentle steps, and living each moment with intention. Maybe you found the idea of starting the PAUSE Framework too daunting, or perhaps you got afraid or discouraged once you started—whatever the struggle, I gently invite you back. No matter how many times you stumble, remember there is virtue in starting over and continuing perfectly imperfect.

Here is Week 1 and remember, my friend, you can do this because Allah is with you.

Mayya’s Struggle

Mayya sat crosslegged on the edge of her bed, the room dim except for a soft pool of lamplight. Her journal lay open, pen resting between her fingers. She stared at the blank page, then whispered to herself, “What went right? What went wrong?”

She let the question breathe. Slowly, memories of the week replayed.

On the mornings she had protected her Fajr from the destruction of using her phone before fajr, she remembered moving with clarity. The night before, she had switched her phone completely off, slid it into the drawer, and placed her athan clock on the dresser. She remembered the way the light roused her gently, guiding her to wudu’, her musalla (prayer area) waiting. Those days, her chest felt lighter, her prayer softer.

Photo by Anna Tarazevich

Then came the other mornings. The ones where the phone sat glowing on her nightstand. She hadn’t made a firm intention before bed. Halfasleep fingers reached for the screen. A scroll here, a glance there—and before she rose, her heart was already restless, the quiet of Fajr disturbed.

Her pen moved now. Two columns. On one side, she wrote: “Locked phone. Off. Alarm. Intention.” On the other: “Phone near. No intention.”

The pattern was almost too clear. She set the pen down, closed her eyes, and whispered: “Ya Allah, my intention was for You. When I failed, I thought it was over. But it isn’t over… the Prophet ﷺ taught us to continue at the next chance.”

Her chest softened. Shaitan had told her she had failed, but here, with her journal open, she could see she hadn’t. She just needed to reset. To keep the intention alive.

Her pen hovered, then moved deliberately across the page. She wrote a single line: “Tonight, I intend for You, Ya Allah. Even if I falter, I return with love.”

Photo by PNW Production

She closed her journal, breathing in the quiet. The phone was off, tucked away in its drawer. She placed her hands over her heart and whispered softly, “I begin again, gently, with You.”

The weight of yesterday’s missteps eased. Her shoulders softened, her chest lifted. She felt a small but certain warmth, a spark of hope, a reassurance that her striving—even imperfect—was not lost.

Mayya smiled at the lamplight’s glow. Each flicker seemed to echo her intention: patient, tender, resolute. Tonight, she would anchor herself—not in perfection, but in compassionate persistence, by the will of Allah.

Your Turn - Week 2 of Anchor

Now it is your turn, dear reader.

The Prophet ﷺ’s example: when he forgot a regular act of worship, he did it at the first opportunity that followed. That’s faith anchored, even through missteps. Evidence for this can be found in the hadith: “Whoever forgets a prayer or sleeps and misses it, let him pray it when he remembers. There is no expiation for it except this.” This is recorded in both Sahih al Bukhari and Sahih Muslim.

“Actions are judged by intentions…” The Prophet ﷺ said: “Verily, deeds are only with intentions…”. Now let’s do this!

Seeds for You to Grow

Reflect Back:

• What small anchor did you choose last week?

• Where did it take hold?

• And where did it drift?

• On days it blossomed, what did you do differently?

• On days it slipped away, what shifted—intentionally or unconsciously—in your evening setup?

Step Forward:

1. Reaffirm your intention tonight, plus a backup promise. Example: “Even if I miss Fajr without my phone, I will uphold the next prayer phone free.” Remember this is for your small anchoring behavior.

2. Prepare your environment. For example, turn off your phone, place it physically away, and set a gentle analog alarm.

3. Awaken with the heart! And invite the barakah of Allah by beginnig with a tranquil moment of Istighfar or “Bismillah.”

Remember this is tazkiya in practice and that you are struggling with your nafs and the enemy of us all, Shaytan.

Imam Ibn alQayyim (rahimahullah) explained that the greatest struggle is the struggle against the self (jihad alnafs), for without it one cannot strive against Shatann or uphold the commands of Allah. He said:

“The jihad of the nafs comes before the jihad of the enemy, for one who cannot struggle against his own self to obey Allah and refrain from disobedience will be unable to struggle against an external enemy.”

— Zaad alMa‘aad

And remember that Allah warns us in the Quran:

Originator (35:6) Surah Fatir: 6

إِنَّ ٱلشَّيْطَـٰنَ لَكُمْ عَدُوٌّۭ فَٱتَّخِذُوهُ عَدُوًّا ۚ إِنَّمَا يَدْعُوا۟ حِزْبَهُۥ لِيَكُونُوا۟ مِنْ أَصْحَـٰبِ ٱلسَّعِيرِ ٦

Surely Satan is an enemy to you, so take him as an enemy. He only invites his followers to become inmates of the Blaze.

May Allah make anchoring yourself in Him easy. Ameen.

Much love,

Nour Cauvern

P.S. This week I would love to hear your reflections on the above ayah. My reflection is related to the past month and a half, which has been a real struggle as I tried my best to help a family member in need. I found myself going back to Week 1 of the PAUSE Framework, Purify, and cleared out a lot of old documents—but as I did, I took a long time and struggled to get my mile long todo list done, beating myself up.

Then I remembered that Shaytan, my sworn enemy, wants me to feel I am a failure. I turned back to Allah and increased my dua, and Allah gave me an opening and grounded me. I also remembered that we were created by Allah in struggle, so this struggle of life is rewardable when we strive for His sake. It has been hard, but Allah is with me.

And what about you? I may be the one writing these articles, but hearing from you, your experiences, helps me too, because I am a simple servant of Allah trying to reach Jannah Firdous by His mercy. Click below or hit reply and share your story with me. I need to hear from you because I too struggle and love to reflect on the experiences of others. I promise to reply with care and love.