Okay, this post is going to be kind of sprawling but I don’t care.

I landed in Saudi Arabia just before Fajr on the 10th of October 2010. Today marked a full year in Saudi. 365 days. I’ll write a post about my year here tomorrow but this isn’t about that.

Let me give you some back story and then tell you about what I achieved today. Before I came to Saudi I wasn’t the best Muslim in the world. I never stopped believing in Allah or even doubted my faith but I didn’t pray much at all. I used to pray Jumma and that was about it - and that was in a good week.

I decided to make sure I got my salah in order in Saudi and it started right away. As soon as I checked in to my hotel I prayed Fajr. In the first few days after I landed I maintained praying five times a day and realised that I had prayed more frequently in those days, weeks, and months since landing in Saudi than I had at any other point in my life.

I just finished praying Isha. That prayer signifies 365 days since I missed my last prayer… Isha on October 9th 2010. I have prayed five times a day, every single day, since then.

Alhamdulilah.

I feel my faith is stronger now than it ever has been at any point in my life before. I feel my understanding of what God means to me is better now than it ever was before. I feel I’m a better Muslim now than I ever have been before. I’m not saying I’m perfect, I’m not saying my journey is complete - this is just a first step, but I can see the path in front of me and I know what I need to do to walk it.

Something that has been on my mind for the last year since I started on this journey of spiritual renewal was a Hadith that I would like to share with you now. On the authority of Abu Harayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: Allah the Almighty said: I am as My servant thinks I am. I am with him when he makes mention of Me. If he makes mention of Me to himself, I make mention of him to Myself; and if he makes mention of Me in an assembly, I make mention of him in an assemble better than it. And if he draws near to Me an arm’s length, I draw near to him a fathom’s length. And if he comes to Me walking, I go to him at speed.

I walked towards Allah and I am testament to the fact that Allah embraces those who open their hearts to Him.

The best piece of advice I can give any of my Muslim brothers and sisters out there who struggle to pray is that you should just start praying and not stop for anything. It might be hard at first, especially waking up for fajr, but if you maintain your resolve you can do it for sure.

I feel like my life has been in extremes in so many ways. I used to be extremely fat until I resolved to change my situation and I lost 45kg/100~lb. I used to be extremely lazy when it came to education until I changed my resolve and started working which helped me get very good bachelors and masters degrees. I used to be off the path of Islam until I changed my resolve and Allah blessed me, like He has over and over, and now I’m working towards becoming a better Muslim everyday.

Who knows what I’ll resolve to do next and how that works out for me…

(I know there are so, so many people who haven’t missed a single prayer in years and years but when you compare the me now to the person I was a short while ago the changes are very drastic and I feel like my whole life has changed)