A Little Bit About Me
Assalamo alaiqum all,
So, I think you can tell a lot about a person from her choice of beverage. A decade ago, young naive me absolutely loved a daily vanilla latte, this changed to a mocha a few years later, and as I slowly became the wise and wonderful woman I now am, I cannot begin the day without a cup of tea. A simple, wholesome and no-nonsense cup of tea. So make of that what you will, but basically, I’m a tea person.
Okay, I lied a little. My day actually starts with the recitation of Surah Yaseen (with a cup of tea on the side) after Fajr prayer. So many virtues, as I’m sure many of you are aware, but simply, in a hadith related by Hadrat Ata bin Abi Ribah RA, Rasulullah (saw) said: “Whoever reads Surah Yaseen in the beginning of the day, all his needs for that day will be fulfilled”. How amazing is that? 7 minutes and you’re prepped for a productive day in ways that (non-muslim) productivity ‘gurus’ will never quite understand.
Naturally, this should follow with me making a statement of sorts about how I consider myself to be practicing. But what does that actually mean? To me, its means, I try to incorporate Islam into every bit of my life. So yes, I wear the triad of Hijab, Jilbab and Nikab. Im a practical sort of person, so I’ve adjusted it a little so that its both modest and, well, practical. I don’t tend to wear black, and do allow myself a pop of colour. Masks are now mandatory at work so I swap out my Nikab and I carry on with my day. No one bats an eye. (Although yes, i get several raised eyebrows, grimaces and comments when wearing my trusty grey nikab in my every day non-working life but it no longer bothers me as much).
At this point, it probably goes without saying that prayers are the bare minimum. I have a loyal pocket prayer mat that pretty much stays by my side whenever I’m out - whether it be at work, a conference, out shopping or trekking up a mountain. May Allah swt keep us all (me firstly) steadfast in our prayers. Ameen.
Okay, what else? I guess I’m also someone who tries to do a bit more than the bare minimum. I’m not saying I’m always successful in my attempts to be a more productive muslimah and general human being, but I always give it a try. Ive previously studied 2 years of a part-time Alima course. It was a 10yr course. I didnt manage to complete it unfortunately as was unable to balance this with other commitments at the time, but its still on my checklist and I hope Allah swt gives me the opportunity to complete this in the future inshallah. At the moment, i’m working on my Tajweed, trying to memorise certain Surahs of the Quran (small steps) and learn the Arabic language (p.s. I’m struggling).
When I mentioned being mature and wise beyond my years, I guess I should probably also mention that this was partly spurred on by my previous marriage. It was an arranged marriage, cut short because we quickly realised that our way of living, our practice of Islam, our short/long term goals were very different and despite multiple attempts to work on our differences, we were unable to move forward.
So, now a little about me as a person. I’m a Smiler. An optimist, always looking for the best in a person/situation. An introvert (which is not synonymous with quiet or lonesome. I do enjoy being with people somewhat). Someone who doesn’t like to argue, although happy to discuss differences in opinion in an open, quiet, mature and respectful manner. Absolutely not someone who swears (& tries not to roll my eyes when someone in the vicinity does). And although this might sound a little fluffy, I believe that being kind to one another, even in a midst of a disagreement, is something we should all be mindful of.
I should probably add something here about my interest in health and nutrition. In the recent years I’ve become more active - a health conscious, intermittent faster and celery juice drinker (I still prefer tea). I like to walk, preferably hiking up a mountain. If I have a free weekend, I plan my own hikes and force/cajole someone to join me. I’m a part of several hiking groups actually - ladies only/ mosque organised family hikes - so most of the time, I let them do the organising, and I just join in the fun.
That probably sounds like I tend to let others do all the hard work, but I promise its because I just have to be super-efficient in my use of time. As a doctor, I generally do have a busy lifestyle, although a recent switch from Head and Neck Surgery to GP might help with that a little. I’m currently working full time, but the plan is to reduce this to ‘less than full time’ over the next 3-5years inshallah. At present, I’m pretty much stuck in London for the next 3 years, hence relocation would not be ideal, at least not outside a reasonable daily travelling distance.
Okay, I think thats probably enough for you to get an idea of me and (mostly) everything I deem important at present. If you find that we have a few similarities in our way of life, interests etc, and that we could fit into each others lifestyles, please feel free to contact me and start a conversation.
Please note, although i am happy to converse via the messaging system briefly, I would prefer getting family involved as soon as we’ve decided to sincerely consider one another as a potential partner.
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What I Am Looking For
Briefly:
• Someone who values deen and is actively trying to improve themselves (even if its something ‘small’)
• Prays all 5 prayers of the day within the allotted time rather than all at once on returning home from work (sorry, very specific I know! Just have seen this become a norm)
• Not considering polygamy in the future
• Never-smoker (incl Shisha)
• Agrees to live separately in rented/own home
As above, but also someone who is mature in their thinking, light-hearted and kind-hearted, open-minded and respectful. Someone who has a similar approach to deen, with possibly some common goals/interests.
I am looking for someone who appreciates that we are both independent individuals with our own goals in life, with a lifestyle that has developed over many years. So, as a 36yr old, and thus in a slightly older category than most, it should come as no surprise that I am already travelling down a certain path, and would consider being a spouse/parent as a blessed addition to my current roles rather than a replacement inshallah. So someone also open to non-traditional roles of a husband/wife partnership would be ideal.
Following on from this, I think it's important to note that I am looking for companionship and friendship in addition to a life-partner. Whether children enter the mix or not, I would like to have found someone I could appreciate the company of, who will support and encourage me in my deen and general life goals, and I, of course, in theirs.
*I will only accept photo requests once we have started a conversation and have run through our ‘deal-breakers’. As you can imagine, as someone who wears a nikab, it would be a little odd if I accepted photos requests from just about everyone or anyone before at least considering whether we may be compatible. Appreciate everyone has a different approach, but this is mine - sorry!
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