SakeenahMD Newsletter

As-salam alaykum dear friends,

A few weeks ago, as I was exiting from my local mosque, I was approached by a physician IMG (International Medical Graduate) seeking a U.S. residency position about doing a mock interview to help my new friend prepare for the residency interview season. I had not had a deep conversation about the U.S. residency process in a good while. Interestingly, I had just learned that one of my local friends who was also a medical student was applying for residency and was going through the interview season in tandem with my new IMG friend.

I was excited to connect both of them appreciating the divine execution of what was unfolding in one vein and to also take a few minutes reminisce about my own journey to U.S. residency and all the folks from family and friends to mentors that contributed to my eventual success with that process by the will of Allah.

There was more to it though, as with many scenarios in our lives that are divinely designed just for each of us to learn and grow through them. One such insight in this scenario for me was about the power of intentions and a deliberate approach to life!

How so?

The IMG that approached me had an intention - a niyyah - to migrate to the U.S. and seek out U.S. residency; the IMG also had an accompanying intention to preserve their connection to the masjid and to the Qur’an and to the ummah while seeking U.S. residency.

I am drawing these conclusions based on the beautiful actions of the IMG that I have witnessed consistently since our first acquaintance several weeks ago.

Our sincere intentions are most evident in the vigor with which we translate them into actions!

In a powerful and famous hadith that many of our pious predecessors have leveraged in their bodies of work including Imam Bukhari and Imam Muslim, prophet Muhammed SAW made this connection clear

This hadith, on one hand, draws our attention to divine accountability and its connection to our intentions which is not the focus of today’s newsletter; it also addresses the immense opportunity to turn seemingly non-devotional endeavors into a means for the remembrance of Allah SWT such that they can be potentially rewarded as devotional acts when the intention is carefully thought out and acted upon!.

We can appreciate that our IMG friend is seeking U.S. residency beautifully in a deliberate and intentional manner. We also know that preparing for the application and interview season takes time as with many things in healthcare. The status of this seemingly worldly endeavor can be elevated by upgrading the niyyah (intention) behind it and attracting barakah along the way like our IMG friend is already doing by staying connected to the masjid and prioritizing their relationship with the Qur’an despite the pressures to only focus on their worldly pursuits!

Let’s see how we can upgrade our intention in this case.

• Approach 1 - seek U.S. residency and follow a checklist of things to do (without seeing the bigger picture and brining Allah SWT into the equation)

• Approach 2 - Start the application season with a carefully curated intention that factors in the pursuit of success in this life and the hereafter. For example, “O’ Allah, I intend to apply for a U.S. residency position with Ihsan (excellence) in order to advance my career in Medicine in the service of humanity and earn your pleasure on this journey”.

The long hours that we work as healthcare professionals are ripe for this approach so that we are not at a loss when the stakes are high on the day of judgment for investing so many hours in dunya and not getting meaningful/rewardable credits for them in this life towards the eternal life of the hereafter!

This intentional approach is sure to nudge us to perform at a much higher level because it takes on a new meaning and transcends the transaction between us mere creations of Allah and brings Allah SWT into the equation!

I, therefore, invite you to consider 2 things today;

When we prioritize and carefully curate our intentions, it not only elevates our actions, it also transforms the inherent potential of the act in a way that attracts barakah and helps to continue our journey of cultivating resilience grounded in faith.

Sincerely,

P.S. As we gear up for the new Gregorian calendar year 2024, I encourage you to prioritize investing in your growth and consider joining me for a FREE Live webinar on Monday, 5th Jumada Al-Thanni 1445 AH (December 18, 2023) in sha Allah where I will help you optimize your approach to managing your scarcest resource, your time, as a healthcare professional so that you can be more productive in 2024 by the will of Allah!

Additionally, mark your calendars for the upcoming 6-week live online Peak Performance Masterclass for Healthcare Professionals starting Sunday 11th Jumada Al-Thanni 1445 AH (December 24, 2023) in sha Allah.