How do you stay anchored in the middle of the healthcare chaos?

As-salamu alaykum,

Picture this: You're a very successful Muslim healthcare professional. By all measures, you're a leader. Colleagues look up to you, subordinates seek your advice, and patients always want you to care for them. 

But life has not always been easy and the past few weeks have dealt you an even more challenging blow. 

There's anxiety at home around a family member’s health; a looming financial crisis at work due to the economic squeeze in healthcare, and you're worried about your health which you've neglected for the longest time. 

Thinking about all these challenges, you decide to double down on work and taking care of your family. But in doing so, you continue to neglect yourself and your spiritual needs. 

You've gone through many cycles where good eating habits and even Salah disappear from your routine altogether. 

And your best efforts don’t resolve the issues…rather they seem to be escalating…

Then a friend checks in with you…he/she asks: “how are you doing?” So you share your struggles, and your friend listens intently. They think about how to be a good friend, not by falling into the advice trap, or worse, judging you. 

Rather, they ask insightful questions that help you make the connection between where you are today with your struggles and the missing piece…your Salah (your 5 daily prayers)!

Allah, the Most High, made this connection for the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) during the journey of Isra wal Mi'raj where he received this special gift of Salah.

Salah became the ultimate source of strength at Prophet Muhammad’s lowest human point having lost 2 key pillars of his worldly support system, his wife, Khadija (RA) and his supportive uncle, Abu Talib amidst public shame, persecution and torture at Taif. 

Your friend embraces you in agreement that the connection between the gift of Salah and the timing is precisely what you need right now. A gift that connects you with Allah in the middle of life’s inevitable ups and downs and the chaos of a busy healthcare career.

Salah is an obligation that when given its Haqq on your busy schedule can anchor you and multiply the impact of your efforts across your integrated healthcare work-life bolstering your resilience and your capacity to work through life’s inevitable struggles with grace. 

Salah is our connection to Allah. It brings us tranquility amidst the chaos of healthcare work and is the central stabilizing pillar of our days if only we give it its due. 

Prophetic Wisdom

It was narrated that Anas said: “The Messenger of Allah said: 'In this world, women and perfume have been made dear to me, and my comfort has been provided in prayer.”  Sunan an-Nasa'i 3939

As the month of Rabi’Al-Awwal slowly fades away and the noise of the celebration of the birth of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) quietens, his quintessential legacy—the practice of the 5 daily prayers, should be ever present for us and never be relegated to something we do as a microtask in our daily routine or in extreme cases completely absent or limited to a weekly appearance in the dying minutes of the Friday sermon leading up to the Jum’ah Salah.

I invite you to revisit your why of Salah today and to re-establish a more meaningful prayer and connection to Allah as the anchor for your days as a busy healthcare professional.

Here are a few things that I've learned over the years through self exploration and working with mentors, teachers and scholars as well as in my own work with other colleagues;

1. Spiritual Reset in the Midst of Chaos

You know that feeling after a really stressful shift? Your heart is still racing, your mind won't stop replaying what happened? Salah works like taking deep breaths—it actually calms your nervous system down. 

Our commitment to Salah also gives us permission to slow down amid the chaos—before, after or even during the shift. 

This recalibrates our spiritual heart grounding us through our connection to Allah

2. Emotional Unloading

As a community, we often carry unspoken grief, anger, and emotional residue from the myriad patient encounters that may remain unresolved for days, weeks or even months on end. 

In sujood, we have the opportunity to unload that burden before Allah—in a space where we can “debrief” without the fear of being judged  or seen as weak. .

We come out of it renewed and regrounded to continue our mission of service to humanity with Ihsan.

3. Barakah in Time and Energy

Salah aligns us with Allah’s will by answering His call and dropping everything short of emergent patient care to turn to our creator. 

Think of it like this: when you skip meals during a busy shift, you crash later. When you skip Salah, your whole day feels off. But when you pray on time, somehow you get more done in less time. You experience the profound impact of Barakah in your work and life outside of work!

4. Identity Anchor Beyond the Healthcare labels

The core identity takeover that happens to many of us in healthcare is well established: “I am only valuable when I’m productive, seeing patients, fixing problems.” Salah can help us recalibrate this core identity, first as Abd of Allah, and secondarily as healthcare workers serving humanity.

That identity shift protects us from the burden of unrealistic self-expectations that often drives burnout while giving us the permission to lean on Allah, the ultimate healer in the work we do. 

5. Build the keystone habit of Tahajjud and Get Intimate with Allah

Just as Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) received Salah as a gift in his Year of Sorrow, Allah commanded him to stand in prayer at night to build intimacy and strength to carry the burden of prophethood. 

While the weight of our calling is nothing like that of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), there is a reality to the high stakes of what we do in healthcare where human life, in some form, is always in the mix of the decisions and actions or inactions on our part. 

Creating space to meet Allah in private through Tahajjud  will in sha Allah take your relationship with Allah to a whole new level with elevating your resilience and your work by Allah's will. 

So friends and colleagues, while it can feel like you have to fix everything and know everything in your healthcare work. Salah reminds you that Allah is the real healer—you're just trying your best to help.

If you are struggling with Salah at work, try creating a system around your Salah; you could set reminders for the prayer times on your phone like any other important reminder and if you miss one, don't give up—just catch the next one and build forward until it becomes an established muscle for you.

As a final thought for today—if you wouldn't skip giving medication to a patient who needs it, why do you keep skipping the one thing that could heal your own heart?

May Allah, the Most High, keep us anchored in what is pleasing to Him so that we can find and bring our best selves to the service of humanity and continue to grow and stay resilient on our journeys of service. Amin.

Sincerely,
Sulyman

P.S. If you’re seeking a space to cultivate resilience, deepen self-mastery, and thrive in your career and life—grounded in faith—join us in the SakeenahMD Community. Together, we are committed to faith-driven excellence in healthcare and beyond.

Let’s navigate this journey together. 💙