The Best 10 Days of the Year: An Opportunity to Choose Wisely

As-salamu alaykum,

The best 10 days of the year need little or no introduction especially because they coincide with the season of Hajj.

The following hadith highlights the prominence of these days as described by Prophet Muhammad PBUH;

Ibn Umar reported: The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “There are no days greater and more beloved to Allah than these ten days of Dhul Hijjah, so increase in them your declaration of the oneness of Allah, your exaltation of Him, and your praise of Him.” [Source: Musnad Aḥmad 5446]

The question of how you and I will spend our time during these blessed days does require some deeper exploration.

Many of us will be at the bedside taking care of patients and attending to their families needs, while a select few will be blessed to make a once in a lifetime journey to Hajj (May Allah, the Most High, count us all among those that will experience this transformational journey at least once in our lifetimes. Amin). 

For a good number of us though, the case will likely be a mixed bag of work among all the other inundations of our life outside of work. And hopefully, we can make some time to be intentional about including some of the best forms of engagement that our teachers and scholars have recommended in these best 10 days of the year regardless of our unique situation.

For busy healthcare workers, we often struggle to find (make) time to pause to deeply engage in some of the most rewarding times of the year such as these ones. Yet we are as much in need of the mercy of Allah as the rest of the global community, if not more so, given the critical undertakings of healthcare work. 

Imam Ibn Rajab (May Allah have mercy on him) in his work, Laṭāʾif al-Maʿārif, highlighted one of the less prominent recommendations for this time of the year; he referenced the import of reflection given that the month of Dhul Hijjah is the last month of the Islamic calendar.

Would you rather reflect on the past year and plan for your growth professionally and getting closer to Allah, in the best 10 days of the year or at another time of the year?  

The choice is obvious but execution can present unique challenges given the often uphill design of healthcare work in many cases. 

Having said that, it is certainly doable if only you and I will choose wisely and commit to 1 - 2 blocks of 60 - 90 minutes over the course of these best 10 days to spend time in self exploration.

In two prior newsletters, we explored the steps involved (links embedded)

1. Annual Review

2. Praiseworthy planning

As you read through these, wherever you come across “Gregorian calendar”, replace it with “Hijri calendar”. 

Even though I had gone through this process in Ramadan, I will be reviewing what has transpired in the last 2 months since Ramadan and things that I may have missed from the annual review process as well as in the planning.

I am inviting you to choose wisely as we do with clinical decisions in line with the American Board of Internal Medicine’s Choosing Wisely Campaign to spend just 1-2 hours during these best 10 days of the year to pause and reflect.  

Over the course of the best 10 days in sha Allah, I will be sharing practical reflection nuggets with friends and colleagues starting U.S. residencies and fellowships with the #ResilientResidency. 

The story of Prophet Ibrahim (AS) and his family is full of lessons on submission, sacrifice and resiliency as much as what we are witnessing in Gaza today (May Allah alleviate their pain and suffering and grant them victory. Amin). It behooves us to tap into the profound wisdoms in order to cultivate vicarious resilience relevant to our own unique journeys. 

Here’s a sneak peek of some of the words that will feature in sha Allah.

#Intention #Bismillah #Rest&Recovery #Salah #BeginnerMindset #Quran #DistractionCheck #Du’a #BurnoutProofing #Ihsan #SuccessFraming and more

While the focus is on the transition to residency, this is as much about our every work-life integration at every season in life making it relevant to all of us. 

May Allah, the Most High, enable us to benefit maximally from this opportune time of the year and to aspire towards growth in aspects of our lives in ways that are pleasing to Allah and bring us closer to true success in the hereafter. Amin. 

Sincerely,

Sulyman

P.S. If you were forwarded this email, then please click the link below to subscribe to the newsletter: https://sakeenahmd-newsletter.beehiiv.com/subscribe