justmebreathing

Maaria Lohiya

searching for sunrise ⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀ justmebreathing.wordpress.com
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"Sometimes, we get so caught up in the hype surrounding Ramadan that we don't realise that the moments that are actually worth waiting for are the quiet ones we let slip past us everyday. So here's to the tissue that wilts with the weight of the tears it carries after a terrifyingly beautiful Duaa. And to the almost indistinguishable creaking of bones under the weight of decades of life spent by she who prostrates to the One who has allowed her to be. And to the velvety prayer rug that yawns open, warmly embracing each humble prostration day after day. Here's to the involuntary, sharp inhalation of breath upon hearing an Ayah vividly describing his greatest fear. And to the gentle crinkling of a normally smooth forehead at the thought of not being with her loved ones on that Day. But most of all, here's to the voice that trembles due to the heaviness of the knowledge of the One whose words are being recited-- here's to the aching heart that yearns to be a part of the Paradise it was made for." ⠀ — Hareem Mannan
"Two thirds of Ramadan are almost over. The next ten days are still left. If you feel like you have not taken advantage of them or feel discouraged; don’t. Ramadan is not supposed to be a spiritual and religious euphoria from start to end. It could be a calm, it could be a wake up call, it can be a change for the better. Just remember Islam is a lifelong journey and so is faith, eman goes up and down. We should stop trying to treat religion, Islam, like an overnight solution, rather a process to get closer to the Most Just, the Merciful, the Benevolent. You will not always get an epiphany for a purpose in life and for it to carry with you, if you do, Alhamdulilah. But it is okay that you do not. Make little goals like patience, and understanding. Make dua'a for a kinder mind, a softer heart, a calmer demeanor."
"The question arises: if this month contains so many restrictions, why do those who fast find it so liberating? ⠀ Throughout the year, we get so caught up in the humdrum of daily life that unknowingly, brick by solid brick, we build around ourselves a prison that cages us and our potentials. We limit our vision to the glimpses of sky we can see between the bars; we make ourselves prisoners to our egos and grudges, notions of pride and self-importance. ⠀ Instead of making our desires the mounts upon which we ride, we make ourselves the mounts, and hand our passions the reins. Our bodies curl inward, bowing down to the illusions of life. We forget that the world was made for us, not the other way around, and by giving it this superiority, we allow it to tell us, “Jump,” while asking, “How high?” ⠀ And then the Month of Ramadan comes around and tells us—be the master of your desires, not the slave. Through fasting, we do not engage in “doing,” but rather, constantly engage in “undoing.” ⠀ We untie knots of anger, envy, impatience; untangle ropes of lust, jealousy, ingratitude; unchain ourselves from every fetter that chains by prioritizing the body over the spirit. When our eyes seek to see that which would harm our intellectual development, when our hands seek to do that which would harm our fellow humans or ourselves, when our tongues seek to speak or our ears seek to hear the hidden faults of a brother or sister—we refrain and reflect. ⠀ We reflect and understand the sacredness of the intellect and mind of the individual, and the sanctity of the body and character of every human being (no matter their race, nationality, or creed), and understand why they must be protected at all costs." ⠀ — Aqeela Naqvi
"You'll need coffee shops and sunsets and road trips. Airplanes and passports and new songs and old songs, but people more than anything else. You will need other people and you will need to be that other person to someone else, a living breathing screaming invitation to believe better things."
"But if these years have taught me anything, it is this: you can never run away. Not ever. The only way out is in."
"You could rattle the stars," She whispered. "You could do anything, if only you dared. And deep down, you know it, too. That's what scares you the most."
"to receive the light / and return it" — jorie graham
"Human beings are works in progress that mistakenly think they’re finished. The person you are right now is as transient, as fleeting and as temporary as all the people you’ve ever been. The one constant in our lives is change."
"We live in an age where we feel guilt whenever we have to cut someone off but the reality is that some relationships do need to die, some people do need to be unfollowed and defriended. We aren’t meant to be this tethered to the people in our past. The Internet mandates that we don’t burn bridges and keep everyone around like relics but those expectations are unrealistic and unhealthy. Simply put, we don’t need to know what everyone else is up to. We’re allowed to be choosy about who we surround ourselves with online and in real life, even if it might hurt people’s feelings." — ryan o'connell, you don't have to be friends with everybody
"our hearts have the most integral job out of all our organs and yet it doesn't plan ahead. it doesn't plan out the rhythm of the future on scribbled dates and crossed out schedules and meetings with the liver and journeys to the brain. no. it has the most important job you can ever think of, and yet it beats. thud. thud. thud. it beats one single beat at a time. surely there's a lesson to be learnt from that?"
"lungs - the capacity of our organs by this name baffles me. Its capacity to hold, to let go, to endure, to go steadily on until its last breath." — favourite words, @_navk
"Breathe. ⠀ You, who takes oxygen from the universe, and gives back carbon dioxide in return. ⠀ You, who basks in sunshine at seven in the morning, and solidifies your bones with it. ⠀ You, whose parts are organs and tissues and cells and elements and molecules and stars. ⠀ One day, you will return the dust you’ve borrowed from this old, old universe. ⠀ But until then, Breathe. ⠀
You are a piece of this moving everything. 
And everything is not everything without you." ⠀ — N.T
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