On the last day of Ramadan, we had the opportunity to organize a group coaching with family members and friends. We go through the usual GROW with SMART Maqasid together.
Ramadan is a good opportunity to refocus our life goals and aspire to grow more. This is because Ramadan is when we’re at our best!
Annual Intention Masterclass
Recalling back, I joined the Productive Muslim’s Annual Intention Masterclass (AIM) in 2023, and it has made significant changes to my life.
At the time, I had an easy life, working full-time as a lecturer in Islamic Governance at a local university and having a supportive wife by my side. Many challenges and opportunities helped both of us grow. COVID-19 pandemic hit everyone, but Alhamdulillah, we weathered it true.
But as time passed, I realized I was losing focus. I had many intentions.
At the beginning of the masterclass, everyone had to write down their initial intentions. Mine was 1) to grow out of my comfort zone, 2) to connect with more Muslims around the globe, and 3) to provide more value to the world. These are aspirations rather than concrete goals with actionable steps.
The masterclass was about setting high-himmah intentions. As Muhammad Faris explained it, himmah “refers to high aspiration, determination, and zeal. It’s about setting your aspirations toward the highest possible goals – not just in dunya (worldly matters) but primarily in your relationship with Allah (SWT) and preparation for the Akhira (afterlife).”
The Himmah
My high-himmah intention is “to globalize heart-based Islamic governance.” This is Sollu’s mission. After two years, I am more focused and my drive is still high, building my company slowly alongside my full job.
Feedback from Participants
Fast forward, we successfully conducted another group coaching using the GROW with SMART Maqasid framework. This time, it was specifically for friends and family, intending to give back to our loved ones.
With an overall satisfaction of 91.1%, the participants’ takeaways from the event are as follows:
- How important it is to be clear and focused in what you intend to do for Allah’s sake
- Putting my goals down in writing in a holistic way like this was eye-opening
- The importance of realizing and putting our goals down to put the higher purpose in life.
- That good things take good time, make the most of what you can, and no matter what, look at every problem as an opportunity.
- Through this sharing session, I gained a clearer understanding of the Maqasid Shariah in a simple way. In particular, the GROW SMART framework can be applied in daily life. At the end of the day, it is all about seeking Allah’s pleasure. With this sharing, awareness, life becomes more meaningful and balanced, in shaa Allah. And more CLEAR.
I am thankful to have done this session for those close to me. I had done the group coaching for corporate clients and students. However, I realized I have not done anything for our close friends and family members!
I am thankful to the participants for their active engagement. They also gave suggestions on how to spread the knowledge on GROW with SMART Maqasid to more audiences. One specific comment was to offer for different groups and professions, e.g., teachers, doctors. Additionally, the participants would also like to have specific sessions for each Maqsad and some role models to emulate.
I am thankful to my wife for pushing me to run the event. Her administrative support is a cornerstone for the company. Without her, none of this would have happened. I am reminded again that she is one of the reasons I need to keep going and growing. Slowly, but surely, inshaAllah.
My Ramadan & Shawal Reflections
I am sharing my current goals for greater accountability:
- Preservation and Promotion of my Faith: Ramadan has always been a turning point for my personal development. This time, I focused on building the habit of reading the Qur’an more frequently. Before Ramadan, I only aimed to read around two pages per day. But now, my daily habit is to read a minimum of 10 pages. The reason is to build the habit of reading the Qur’an, so that I can achieve my long-term goal of memorizing the whole Qur’an by 2035. Overall, I hope to get closer to the Qur’an, know it by heart, practice it, and become like the Walking Qur’an.
- Preservation and Promotion of my Life: Shawal is a time for celebration. Also, it is a time to continue the fight from Ramadan, particularly in maintaining a healthy diet. In relation to the preservation and promotion of Life, my wife and I decided to lose 10kg to achieve our optimal weight. Over the years, we faced many challenges to achieve our ideal weight. Obstacles came in various forms: our own laziness, dog attacks around the neighborhood, occasional heatwaves, unsolicited unhealthy food offerings, lack of companionship, and many more. We tried many classes and workout styles, but none fit our lifestyle. The only routine that worked was our weekly brisk walk at the Empire Brunei, accompanied by a stunning sunset, and eating lesser portions in all our meals. We hope to continue this lifestyle.
- Preservation and Promotion of my Mind: Intellectual growth has always been key. Now, the focus is on completing several academic journal articles in the short-term and publishing the heart-based Islamic governance book in the longer-term. There may be useful courses in the coming future, and I need to be selective about them. Ideally, the courses will help Sollu to grow and globalize heart-based Islamic governance. Alhamdulillah, I have been selected to participate in the upcoming Prophetic Summit from 14th to 19th July in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Do subscribe for more updates on the conference! Click here to subscribe.
- Preservation and Promotion of my Family: My parents and my wife have always been there to support me in my journey. I am truly grateful to them. Alhamdulillah. I wish to support them as much as I can. This has been my goal for the longest time. However, it is difficult to make this goal SMART-er. Other than the monthly financial support to maintain the house we are living in together, the additional support has been random. I need to be flexible and just take any opportunity to be of service to them.
- Preservation and Promotion of my Wealth: At the end of last year, I did another round of using the GROW with SMART Maqasid framework. In it, I planned to relaunch Sollu website, online training, and online coaching. Additionally, I also intended to run the GROW with SMART Maqasid in Ramadan.
Alhamdulillah, all of these important goals have been achieved! I also achieved the targeted revenue for the year 2024.
Moving forward, I plan to double my revenue this year by offering more products and services, while improving the marketing strategy.
Take Action Now!
Using the GROW with SMART Maqasid framework has provided me and other participants with a structured, holistic approach to achieving the Maqasid al-Shari’ah. If you don’t yet have clear short- or medium-term goals, I highly recommend using the free framework for self-coaching.. To further support your self-development journey, feel free to reach out to us for a discovery call to explore how we can assist you.
