Assalamualaikum my dear,

How are you? Can you believe we’re already in the 2nd month of 2025, weeks away from Ramadan? Subhanallah.

How is your Ramadan prep going?

I actually wanted to make a small announcement in today’s newsletter!

If you are wondering how to incorporate reflecting on the Quran into your Ramadan (and into your life), or you struggle with building a connection to the Quran, or you’ve always wanted to Quran journal but just don’t know how to start...

Then this might be for you!

The small announcement

InshaAllah, I’m planning to hold a Ramadan Quran Journaling guided circle for this years Ramadan, and I’d love for you to join!

If you’ve been following me on social media, you might have noticed that I’m sharing more about the journey of starting Quran journaling, practical guidance and tips.

Alhamdulillah, I was also given the opportunity to run a Quran journaling workshop to a lovely group of sisters, where I walked through the 6 steps to Quran journal.

But while preparing the workshop and also while writing scripts and filming for my social media, I constantly find this nagging thought at the back of my mind -

How beneficial is this really?

Because the thing is, we all have scrolled past amazing tips and life hacks on instagram about fitness, our din, and even how to fold that t-shirt.

We’ve all been to amazing workshops where we were given the most golden advice about how to have better khusuh in Salah, etc.

And we leave instagram so sure we’re going to start working out today, or the workshop so sure that our salaah will be like the sahabahs.

But then reality and all its obligations, from family, life, work, gets into the way and soon the reel or workshop becomes a distant memory.

The thing is, honestly, trying to start something new and stay consistent with it is… just plain tough.

That’s why I was trying to figure out if there was a way I could help you really incorporate Quran journaling and building a relationship and connection to the Quran in your life.

And I really pray this might help 🤍

Sooo…what exactly is the plan?

The plan is for us to work our way slowly and Quran journal the whole of Surah Maryam over the course of Ramadan (in your own time)!

Here's the breakdown:
- Once you sign up, I'll add you to our Telegram chat and here’s what you’ll get each day:
📖 A daily voice note (from me!) of a short tafsir of the day's verses
✍️ Specific reflection prompts to guide your journaling for the day's verses
💭 My own reflections to help your journey
💪 Aaand a beautiful sisterhood, where we all hold each other accountable, motivating each other to His Word 🌷

- Surah Maryam has 98 verses and so we'll cover just around 3 to 4 verses a day.
- Every day, you'll read a few verses and journal about them based on the daily journal prompts and tools provided.

Plus:💻 Live online sessions to provide you Tadabbur Tools (details TBC! This is not daily but rather a few sessions over the whole of Ramadan)

The aim of the circle is to help you:

🌻 build consistency in engaging with the Quran,
🍃 find accountability through sisterhood,
🌹 develop confidence in your ability to reflect and journal
all without feeling overwhelmed.

Here’s the sign up link (plus there’s more details!)

But I really didn't want this to be just another free group that people sign up for and forget about. That's why I've added a small fee!

But inshaAllah, for the first 10 sisters who reply to this email saying ‘I’d like to join’, I’ll send you a special discount code link that drops the price to £4! But that’s only for the first 10 sisters, so do reply quick to secure your space.

Honestly, I’m so excited for this 😊 I’m excited to just start really digging into this Surah more, but also so excited to be able to do it together inshaAllah!

—

But why Surah Maryam?

When I mentioned I wanted to do this circle on Surah Maryam, a few people asked me why this Surah?

Subhanallah, for anyone who has even just read the translation, you immediately realise what a powerful surah of hope and trust it is.

From the story of Zakariyyah (as) asking Allah for the impossible, to Maryam (as) being granted the impossible without asking, to the story of Ibrahim (as)’s struggle with his father, to the beautiful descriptions of the believers in the Hereafter.

There’s just so much warmth and beauty in this surah!

But my main reason why I so want to explore and connect to this Surah with you all is because of the woman this surah was named after - Maryam (as).

The Prophet (s) told us that Maryam (as) was the best woman of her time. And Allah preserved her story for us in detail in His Book. As a woman, I can’t help but be curious to just learn more about her because…hey, I kind of want to become a little bit like this awesome woman!

Plus, there is a specific scene of her in this surah that I absolutely love. It is of her in the middle of the desert, completely on her own. She is heavily pregnant with Isa (as) and as the pains of labour overcome her, she drags herself to a nearby palm tree.

Alone, in pain, tired she cries out into the desert -

It’s such a raw human response to the situation Maryam (as) was in. And I find it profound that Allah, our Lord, preserved her words in His Book for me and you and every single woman (and man) to read till the end of times.

I can’t help but wonder what Allah’s wisdom was for preserving this statement - a statement of raw emotion, of pain, of helplessness for us.

Was it to show us that these types of human emotions, the ones we feel guilty about, the ones we want to hide away, are experienced by everyone, even the best of woman in Islam?

Or was it to show that with every moment of pain is followed by a moment of intense relief and blessing?

There’s so much to unpack, to learn about and reflect on. I pray Allah allows us to really benefit from this Surah!

—

Until next time,
Thasneema 🌻

PS. I really apologise for the shorter reflection this week. There was actually a specific reflection in the verses of Surah Maryam I wanted to share with you. But these past few weeks have been extremely busy (I know it shouldn’t be an excuse!), and I still wanted to make sure I didn't miss a week of writing to you🥺

PPS. Remember, if you’d like a discount, feel free to simply reply with ‘I’d like to join’ and I’ll send it to you inshaAllah 🫶