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“Am I Doing Enough?”
“Am I Doing Enough?” 1280 800 Nadir Keval

This weekend was quite the experience, to say the least.

Over the last month and a half or so, since around the beginning of Ramadan, I’ve been making a lot of dua (supplication) for pretty much everything important to me, including the things I’m hoping to accomplish with my life and Aakhirah, and making dua for those I love, from here in Vancouver, to Texas, all the way to Madinah. Alhamdulillah (Praise be to Allah), I began to notice a lot of these supplications being answered, as I would see people that were struggling with some major steps and phases in their lives overcome these difficulties and find peace. In fact, just the other day, a dua that I had not even said out loud, but was merely a whisper from my heart to my soul, was accepted, Alhamdulillah! It was an incredible feeling!

Then, these last few days, I began to really plummet with my own faith, and began to stress out. I began to worry about things that I never worried about before because I had recognized that I could only do my best towards them and then leave them to Allah. All this time, I believed that “my best” meant to merely make dua and keep up with the basic essentials of Islamic obligations, such as Salah (prayer), Dua, and maintaining a decent level of good character.

Boy, was I wrong.

You know how sometimes, no matter how much you know something and its value, you don’t recognize it until you have somewhat of an epiphany and are completely taken aback with it? Yeah, that was me and my deen this weekend.

On Saturday, I was practically knocked out, metaphorically speaking. And, alhamdulillah for that. I realized that I wasn’t really applying everything I knew I could in regards to my Deen (religion). I realized that my Imaan (faith) had been very weak recently, which was making me stress over trivial things. So, I took the rest of the weekend, whenever I had some time away from family or work obligations, to reflect and really think about what I’ve been doing, and how I can do more, so that Allah would grant me what I’m seeking, would answer my dua, and would enter me into Jannah with ease one day, insha Allah (God-willing). I recognized some lifestyle changes I could/should make, and started to apply them, and alhamdulillah, it’s been going well so far. My taqwa (roughly translated as a deep and complete awareness of Allah) was weak, and that needed to change. I remembered how my close friend and cousin would often tell me, “If you’re not willing to do whatever it takes to make a change or to get what you want, then you really don’t want that thing or that change as much as you say you do. So, evaluate your sincerity, strengthen it, and then bolt towards taking the steps needed to get what you want.” (That was paraphrased to reflect the lesson I learned from it.) Then, I remembered this verse, and it all came together:

And whoever fears Allah – He will make for him a way out. And will provide for him from where he does not expect. And whoever relies upon Allah – then He is sufficient for him. Indeed, Allah will accomplish His purpose. Allah has already set for everything a (decreed) extent. – Quran (65: 2-3)

That changed everything for me. I realized that if I wanted the marriage, the career success, the academic success, and the health and fitness condition, that I’ve been seeking, I’d have to work harder. But much more importantly, if I wanted any of those things, alongside even the slightest chance at an entrance into Heaven, I’d have to push myself towards being a better Muslim. We take for granted the ONE CHANCE Allah has given us to do right by Him and to prove to Him that we deserve Jannah (Paradise/Heaven). We act as if we have an eternity to earn that key into Jannah, when in truth, none of us know if we’ll even last for another minute, let alone another 20-30 years. When opportunities come our way, when we feel inspired, or if we have a chance to change our lives, we should jump at those opportunities. We should take the leap (as discussed in a previous post – Find Your SELF!) and trust in Allah, on the condition that our intentions are sincere. He will show us the way. I can say that with confidence not only because of the truth of Islam, but I can say that because I just experienced it, Alhamdulillah, as you can see.

Many of us fear the future because we have no concrete control over it, and we fear pain, hurt, difficulty, and struggle. But, we should recognize that the future is in the care of the Almighty, Most Compassionate, and Loving, Allah. He gives us opportunities for a reason: to bless us and to test our faith in Him. Opportunities lie in both good and not-so-great times. If you go through a struggle, be thankful to Allah, because He is testing you with an opportunity to prove to Him that you have faith in Him and rely on Him. If you go through an experience of success, be thankful to Allah because He is testing you with an opportunity to prove to Him that you have faith in Him and rely on Him. Both situations result in similar tests. Think about that.

Ultimately, my lesson was that success and the answers to our prayers will ONLY come when we submit completely to Him, and when we put our acts of worship above everything else. EVERYTHING we do in life is an act of worship if done with the right intentions, and as long as it’s halal (permissible).

Reevaluate your lives, my friends. Run them through the filter of Islam. Build a love for Jannah and a hatred towards Jahannam (Hell). And ask yourselves: “Am I doing enough to get into Jannah?”

Might have gone a lil too far…
Might have gone a lil too far… 1698 1131 Nadir Keval

So, when I was in high school, I was nicknamed BFG (Big Friendly Giant). Over the years, I continued getting similar nicknames, and eventually, I just adjusted to it, and figured that I must be a pretty big guy in the eyes of others. When I walk around and see others, it’s honestly really rare for me to notice the height or size difference. I guess I’ve gotten used to it, and it’s not noticeable to me anymore. That was the case, until I was looking through some old pictures and saw a picture of me standing beside my dad, looking like I was Sasquatch and he was the tourist  taking a picture with the beast. Not a good feeling. As time progressed, I began to fall into somewhat of a self-diagnosed, self-imposed, nonchalant depression. What’s that mean? Well, I was so down on myself at how big I had gotten (we’re talking weight here now, not height), that I stopped caring and just stopped taking care of myself. That led to more weight gain, and it just completely knocked me out. Eventually, I had gained about 65 lbs, and was so overweight, I couldn’t look at myself in the mirror, and became ashamed to be in pictures with people. Yeah. It was bad.

Anyways, to avoid making this sound like some sob story of me seeking out attention, I’ll get to the point. I had had enough of this nonsense, and wanted to make a change. So, a few months ago, I began to watch what I ate, as I had learned over the years that what you eat is 70-80% of the formula for weight loss (that number changes from person to person, ’cause everyone’s an expert once they start dieting, so I just went for a ballpark figure). I’m not one for tracking things, because if something becomes tedious, I get bored and annoyed, and thus, stop bothering with it. So, I just made sure that before eating something, I took into account whether or not it was me eating out of sincere hunger, or out of the desire to merely eat because I could.

My dietary choices weren’t all that bad in the first place, so eating the right foods wasn’t as much of a challenge as was eating at the right times and for the right reasons. You’ll probably see a lot of pictures posted by me on here or on my instagram (nadirkeval) of food, so you’ll see that I like to eat haha. THAT won’t change. I decided to continue to eat, but to savour my food, and to be cautious of the times and reasons for my eating. I allow myself to do so, on the condition that I exercise to balance it out. In trying to lose weight, I try to limit my food to what’s necessary, and focus on proteins, fibre, and good fats and carbs. Insha Allah, this sticks.

As for my exercise plans, I will be going full throttle in the coming week, and will begin my regimen to shred weight, and gain and tone muscle in the most beneficial and quickest way (while maintaining healthy steps to achieve these goals). A friend of mine gave me his copy of the Insanity Workout, and a cousin gave me his workout from when he pursued a similar goal to mine. These are the two workout regimens I will be using, insha Allah, as well as the basic body weight exercises for the days I will be fasting.

My ideal shape:

I’m not putting a timeline on reaching this goal (obviously, it will be this, customized to my body type), but I refuse to quit until I get to this point, insha Allah. If it takes 1 year or it takes 5 years, I won’t quit, insha Allah!

So, those are my plans, those are my goals, and insha Allah, I will be keeping you all up to date at least once a week with my progress. I will post updates at the top of each of my updates that look like this:

As of August 30th, 2012…

Weight lost:

Body fat decrease:

Updated: August 30th, 2012

I hope you guys can join me on my journey, and if any of you have some beneficial and positive tips, comments, etc., please let me know! Looking forward to making this dream a reality, insha Allah! 😀

My First Real Vacation Ever!
My First Real Vacation Ever! 640 480 Nadir Keval

Last week, I took the opportunity to finally go on a vacation. Never before have I gone on a trip without thinking about work, school, or any other responsibilities of my every day life. This was an opportunity to just get away from everything and really take some time out to relax, reflect, and come back stronger, more focused and centred.

I went with my best friend and his younger brother (who is like a brother to me as well – known him since he was born). We drove down to Portland, Oregon to watch the Vancouver Whitecaps play against the Portland Timbers. But that was just the cherry on top of the incredible weekend we had! High quality hotel overlooking a small lake, great food for REALLY cheap prices, food trucks, incredible scenery, and shopping with no sales tax!

I’ll be posting more pics on Instagram (follow me: nadirkeval) tonight of the things I bought there, but in the meantime, check out some of these pictures from our trip by clicking on the image below 🙂

Note: Yes, I like greenery, nature, and clouds, so expect a bunch of pics of those things 😛 haha

 

The Hiatus Is Over!
The Hiatus Is Over! 720 500 Nadir Keval

Hey everyone!

It’s been quite a while, eh? Life has been a crazy rollercoaster, but I’m finally back, and am ready with much more to share with you! In the last little while, I’ve been through a bunch of ups and downs, have grown a lot, and have really worked towards finding myself again. Sounds cliche, I know. But, the truth of the matter is, I’ve been on a path towards accomplishing my goals, and though it hasn’t been easy, every moment of it has been worth it.

“There is no difficulty or calamity that strikes a believer, even as small as the prick of a thorn, except that it expiates the sins of that believer.”

– Prophet Muhammad (Peace and Blessings be upon him)

So, here’s what the plan is. I will be posting at least one new post every day. What that post will be depends on my mood, what I experience, or whatever comes to mind. As time progresses, I may organize a schedule for the post categories and days of the week, but that will come later. I’d really like to just get the ball rolling. Right now, you may find that the blog is pretty empty, but rest assured that it will quickly be filling up with more and more content for you to enjoy, and for me to enjoy sharing with you 🙂

The world is a REALLY BIG library….
The world is a REALLY BIG library…. 2480 1910 Nadir Keval

Spending my work days in the library, getting lots done, I’m noticing how many different stories there are in the lives of people. For example, I just saw a man put away a “Do-It-Yourself” Divorce Kit book. I wonder what he’s going through. Is he contemplating getting a divorce? Or, maybe he’s just trying to help someone else out? Who knows what his story is. Makes you think, how many libraries we could fill with the story of everyone’s individual lives.

So, that was just a few words for a blog post, but the weight it holds seems monumental. Anyways, I’d love to hear what you think of my thought. And hey, if you have a story you’d like to share, or if you’d like to just vent out something your experiencing, leave a comment and just make it anonymous. OR, email me at mail@nadirkeval.com, and I’d be more than willing to hear you out and be that shoulder to lean on, as much as I can. Looking forward to hearing back from you guys and girls! 🙂

Overwhelming Beauty
Overwhelming Beauty 2560 1920 Nadir Keval

As I sit in the library, working away, I look out the window and see a rose bush that brought the words, “Overwhelming Beauty” to mind. It made me realize how often, if we place too much effort or emphasis on physical beauty, it can become overwhelming and return to its roots of natural appeal. Just as this bunch of roses fell to the ground due to possessing too much beauty (ie. too many roses in one bunch), eventually, too much “stuff” on our skin in attempts of making ourselves appear more beautiful or handsome will eventually hurt our skin. And that effect on the skin will begin to show, regardless of what we do.

I have NO IDEA if any of that made sense hahaha but I thought I’d just share my random thought with you guys haha. I included the original picture I took of the bush, and then an edited version. It was a quick edit, and my amateur attempt at editing a picture haha.

Original

 

Edit

Vancouver – There’s no place more amazing!
Vancouver – There’s no place more amazing! 2560 1920 Nadir Keval

So, my cousin’s in town, and we’ve been doing a bunch of fun stuff with him. On Saturday, I took him and my sisters to a place on Commercial Drive in Vancouver called Brado Pizza. These guys have HALAL poutine, and it’s probably the best poutine I’ve ever tasted in my life! I’ve heard nothing but great reviews about this place. They’ve got everything you could want, they’re open late, and if I’m not mistaken, they deliver! Anyways, I’ll stop promoting the place haha. It was just THAT good, I couldn’t help but tell you guys about it!

After devouring the poutines, we wanted to eat some more just because we could haha, so, I had a sub sandwich, my cousin had a bacon cheeseburger, and my sisters had some pizza slices. AND, it was ALL halal! Because we’re talking about food here, I’ll admit that we went for some gelato and for some cupcakes (which were INCREDIBLE considering they were the ones from the Women’s Network show, “The Cupcake Girls“).

Anyways, we then decided to walk around the city (did us good, with all that we’d been eating that day), checking out the great weather, the scenery, and all the sculptures we climbed haha. Honestly, even though I’ve been living in Vancouver for almost my entire life (born in Toronto, moved here in ’92), this incredible city never ceases to amaze me.

Check out more pics from my day enjoying beautiful Vancouver on my Flickr page here.

Organized Chaos
Organized Chaos 840 1000 Nadir Keval

Someone once told me that my mind works like that of a woman (I’ll take it as a compliment…) – “so many thoughts running through my mind at once, and having the ability to organize every one of those thoughts.” I still can’t tell if I was being called a woman, but either way, it was quite the compliment to say that I was someone able to maintain my sanity, despite my completely and utterly insane work ethic. I call it insane because it is something uncontrollable thus far, and so, overtakes the approach I take to completing all of my projects.

That said though, I think that every successful entrepreneur holds at least some degree of sanity-confusion. People often tell me, “Nadir, you need to focus on just one thing at a time. Get it done with, and then move on to the next thing.” I understand where they’re coming from, but personally, I just can’t do that. I’ve never been that great at school, but the time I was able to boost my GPA the most was when I was taking 5 courses, working 40 hours at one job and a little over 20 hours at another job. As long as I can maintain my zone (which basically just means not being interrupted with other thoughts), I can handle many things at once.

My system is to have a plan, to enjoy what I’m doing, and to just have fun with my work. Try it, I’m sure you’ll love it! Then, come tell me what you think and if it works for you. I’ll probably post another article soon, to tell you about how I management my time. 🙂

I’ve been inspired
I’ve been inspired 3008 2000 Nadir Keval

Alhamdulillah, the last two days have been spent with two brothers that have been inspiring in their humility, modesty, and personalities. After the I-SLAM event, myself as well as some other brothers enjoyed eating some pizza with Boonaa at his hotel room, before we decided to part ways at around 1am, for some sleep ’till the morning.

I stayed at a brother’s apartment, on the campus where the events were being held. Alhamdulillah, I had the opportunity to then meet Sheikh Navaid Aziz before we walked together to Jumaah, alongside Boonaa and the MSA president of the school. The Sheikh gave an inspiring speech about how we should work towards leaving behind a legacy, and truth be told, the examples of the Malik ibn Dinar really made me realize that I’m not doing enough to expand with my current projects.

I started talking to Sheikh Navaid about what I do, and how I’d like to expand and he was pleased with what he heard, Alhamdulillah. We then moved on to discuss how I could start to expand my audience and allow my goals and aspirations to become known virally throughout the world, Insha Allah. So, he suggested YouTube. I know, I’ve said many times before that I will start doing the videos again, but truly, I haven’t been sticking to my word, and for that I apologize. It’s been quite the journey thus far, trying to build my projects, but I will now be working towards going and getting a camera, and then starting some shows/series on YouTube, where I will be advising people on topics I feel I have some experience with. In addition to that, I will be posting my poetry, and anything else I can think of. What do you folks think of this idea? I’ve been working with people here in Vancouver, counselling, mentoring, public speaking, performing poetry, and running my own little projects on the side. I’d like to now expand my audience through YouTube, and eventually have an impact on the world as a whole, both Muslims and non-Muslims. I’m not a scholar or anything like that, but feel that I’d like to build on the things I have experience with, and just sincerely help people the best I can with whatever I know.

Anyways, I’d love to hear what you all have to say about this, and what you’d like to see from me. I’ll try my best to address those things and fulfill what you’re all expecting from me 🙂 Insha Allah.

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