From Barakah Effect to Barakah-Centered Life Design: When a Moment Becomes a Movement

As-salam alaykum,

"I won't recognize myself."

We were wrapping up the Barakah-centered life design workshop this past Saturday when one of our colleagues in the room shared this profound reflection, after I'd just asked the group: Who will you become one year from now if you implement the Barakah Week anchors you committed to today?

It was a reflection that stopped me in my tracks and nudged others in the room to dig deeper, to see what was possible only a year from now with doable commitments that renew you while aligning your workview and lifeview. 

It was a realization that the person he'd become would be fundamentally different from the one who walked into the room that Saturday morning. Alhamdulillah!

This was Barakah unfolding before our very eyes — the “divine attachment of goodness to a thing that causes it to increase, stabilize or continue’ (or all together) in a way that strengthens your relationship with Allah SWT.

Ten Clinicians. Barakah Energy

There were only ten clinician attendees in the room. 

But it felt like the room had barakah energy — a multiplier of the 3 layers of energy: spiritual, social and physical energy in space and time.

People felt safe. Connected. Ready to challenge their own assumptions.

And that's exactly what happened.

One colleague came in with a clear position: "Work is work. It allows me to make money, which lets me do whatever I want outside of it."

No judgment. That’s how many of us survive healthcare.

But then we walked through the Hierarchy of Intentions — and something shifted.

He paused. You could almost see the internal recalibration.

Then he said (paraphrased):

“I can live with this reframed position that it’s not really about what I do. It’s about why I do it. My intention matters.”

That’s the aha moment. That's when barakah transformed the conversation.

A Seed Planted Ten Years Ago

Watching him process that took me back to my own “seed moment” about ten years ago—sitting in Mohammed Faris and Omar Usman's "Barakah Effect" workshop.

It was a moment that quite frankly shifted my perspective on life and got me hooked to the whole concept of Barakah. I had no idea that a singular moment would plant a seed that would grow into our mission today: spreading barakah culture among healthcare professionals globally.

That's the nature of barakah. A single reframe—a shift from "work is work" to "my work can become worship", cascades into years of transformation. One conversation changes how you see your entire career. One framework redesigns how you approach patient care, family time, and spiritual growth—all at once.

This weekend was one of such opportunities, Alhamdulillah.

The Barakah Week Anchors: From Framework to Action

Here's what made this workshop different: people left with something concrete.

The Barakah Week anchors gave everyone a clear, actionable deliverable they could implement immediately. Not vague inspiration. Not "try harder." But specific practices they could integrate into their actual lives starting Monday morning.

And the commitments people made? They were deeply personal:

"I'm going to finally set boundaries that allow for my own renewal and nourishment."

And one of the first whatsApp messages I received Sunday morning was this; “I find myself asking, will this make me leak barakah or not?"

When a good friend and colleague who was a part of this inaugural cohort checked in to share how the framework was already reshaping their daily choices.

That’s the barakah effect. Alhamdulillah.

Rajab: The Quiet Chance to Plant Seeds

The sacred month of Rajab is slipping by quickly, and Ramadan is fast approaching.

If you’re reading this with that familiar internal whisper —
 “I need a reset… but I don’t know where to start” —
consider this as a seed to plant now:

Your work can become worship.

Not automatically. Not by exhaustion.
But through intentional design grounded in the Barakah paradigm.

Allah SWT reminds us in Surah Yunus (10:61):

"There is no activity you may be engaged in ˹O Prophet˺ or portion of the Quran you may be reciting, nor any deed you ˹all˺ may be doing except that We are a Witness over you while doing it. Not ˹even˺ an atom’s weight is hidden from your Lord on earth or in heaven; nor anything smaller or larger than that, but is ˹written˺ in a perfect Record." — Dr. Mustafa Khattab, The Clear Quran

What activity are you often engaged in as a healthcare worker?

We are all too familiar with the reality of the long hours, irregular days, periodic on-call duty and sometimes even night shifts that punctuate our days in healthcare work. 

Allah witnesses everything—your Qur'an recitation, your duas, and yes, your patient consultations at 3 AM. Your documentation. Your difficult conversation with a colleague. Your moment of compassion with a frightened family.

None of it bypasses Allah's gaze.

So why not take your healthcare work as a station of worship—because, frankly, that’s what it is.

That shift can align your life view grounded in your Islamic values and your workview and protect you from the tension that often drives burnout and even, moral injury.

The Barakah Paradigm: Decreasing Misalignment

Here's what I've learned after years of wrestling with work-life alignment myself:

We'll never achieve perfect balance. It really doesn’t exist.

Healthcare doesn't allow for it. Life doesn't work that way either.

But with intentionality, the right frameworks,  and anchors—we can decrease misalignment.

We can curate our lives so that our workview (why our work matters) and our lifeview (what gives life meaning) point in the same general direction more often than not.

The more aligned these are, the less the tension and the more resilient (and less fragmented) we tend to be—not to mention what becomes possible in terms of your capacity to achieve “haqq balance” — fulfilling the haqq of across all of your roles in life (including work).

That's the Barakah paradigm.

Upgrading your intentions consciously so that you can achieve more with less. 

You show up differently with patients and families. Your presence shifts with colleagues. Not because you're working harder, but because you're working with divine blessing.

The result? You draw closer to Allah while excelling in your professional calling.

This is a work in progress for all of us. It will always be a balancing act. But it's work worth doing.

Join the Next Cohort: Elevate with Barakah

Our flagship program—Elevate with Barakah: The Resilient Healthcare Worker—launches a few weeks after Ramadan 1447AH, insha'Allah.

To protect depth and accountability, Cohort 2 is intentionally small with only 10 seats.

Planned start: Sunday, March 29, 2026 (Shawwal 10, 1447 AH), inshaAllah.
If you’d like to be considered early, join the Cohort 2 Priority List (details first + early-bird bonuses).

But before you click that link, pause and ask yourself honestly:

• How are things really going in my integrated work-life?

• Am I satisfied with how I'm showing up professionally and spiritually?

• What would transformation look like for me one year from today?

• Am I ready to commit to my own nourishment and growth instead of always saying yes to everyone else?

If you're not completely satisfied with your answers, it's time to redesign.

What you cannot do is enter Ramadan (the ultimate season of bounty) without exploring the possibility of transformation for yourself. Don't let the healthcare treadmill carry you past this moment of clarity. Act on it now.

May Allah, the Most High, place barakah in our time, energy, and intentions.
May He allow us to reach Ramadan with hearts that are ready.
And may He grant us tawfiq for consistency, sincerity, and transformation.

Ameen.

Sincerely,
Sulyman

P.S. Ready to experience what our workshop participants experienced? Join the waitlist for Elevate with Barakah and be the first to know when doors open for Cohort 2.

(I'd love to hear from you—hit reply and tell me: What's one area where you need to decrease misalignment in your healthcare work-life?)

P.P.S. If this message resonated with you, I invite you to join our SakeenahMD Community, where we're intentionally cultivating the habits of highly successful, spiritually intelligent Muslim healthcare professionals. Together, we're learning to thrive in our careers and lives—grounded in faith. Join us here or book a free coaching conversation to explore how to anchor your healthcare journey in barakah and resilience.