Ramadan Notes 1446AH #3: The Barzakh Lens

As-salamu’ alaykum,

The SakeenahMD community chose to follow The Other Side: Barzakh series by Sheikh Omar Suleiman this Ramadan because of its unique relevance to us as healthcare professionals—we encounter death more than the average person.

Despite our often, intimate engagement with patients and families around the subject of death and dying as a community of caregivers, we rarely pause to recognize the import of this repeated exposure for ourselves, the choices we make today and the eternal implications starting with our inevitable transition to the Barzakh—that intermediate realm between this life and the hereafter, where the soul resides after death until  the Day of Judgment.

Sheikh Omar Suleiman posed a question that I reckon we all ought to slow down to as we navigate our spiritual trajectory more intimately this blessed month;

How does reflecting on the Barzakh affect the choices we make every day?

In the very least, recognizing this reality is essential. It reminds us that every decision we make today, however small, has consequences beyond what we perceive. Not only does it shape our experience in this life, but it also impacts our reality in the next.

Prophetic Wisdom

The Prophet ﷺ said: "Verily, the grave is the first stage of the Hereafter. If one is saved from it, whatever comes after it will be easier for him. And if one is not saved from it, whatever comes after it will be harder for him. I have never seen anything more frightening than the grave." (Sunan al-Tirmidhi, 2308)

This hadith places before us a sobering reality: we are all heading toward this transition. And what we bring into that realm—our deeds at home and at work, the choices we make at the bedside and beyond, and most importantly, our state of servitude to Allah—will define what follows.

Broadening Our Reflection on Daily Choices

So, as you reflect on the Barzakh, ask yourself:

What choices am I making today that will shape my experience in the next realm?

• When you discuss a patient with a colleague, do you uphold their dignity and speak with respect?

• When interacting with nurses and other healthcare colleagues, do you recognize and elevate their role in patient care? Do you "manage them up" with your patients, reinforcing a culture of trust and teamwork?

• When speaking to patients and their families, do you engage from a place of deep empathy, knowing that your words and presence hold weight in some of the most vulnerable moments of their lives?

Our choices in these daily interactions are not just about professionalism; they reflect our mindfulness of Allah in our roles in healthcare as much as it impacts how we show up across all of our roles in life.

This Ramadan, let’s slow down to the reality of the Barzakh so that the choices we are making today are an intentional investment in optimizing for this inevitable future. As healthcare professionals, we have a unique opportunity in the service of humanity to earn Allah’s pleasure when we approach what we do everyday with the end in mind.

In the next newsletter, I will share a reframing matrix that can help us all on this journey of optimizing ourselves and transforming to our next best versions this Ramadan and beyond by Allah’s will.

May Allah, the Most High, bless us with an akhira mindset that sets us up to operate today with the end in sight and find our best selves on this journey. Amin

Sincerely,

Sulyman