The Four Colors of Your Heart

DAILYREFLECTION

Some of the early scholars in Central Asia used images and colors to describe the inner journey of a believer. One teacher spoke of four inner stages that keep returning in a Muslim’s life.

Green. Red. Black. White.

The Green Stage: What You Wear And What You Love

The first stage is green, the color of life and growth. Here you begin by looking at what you wear and how you present yourself in the world.

Sayyiduna Umar was once seen with many patches on his garment. You do not have to be that threadbare. The Sunnah is to be clean, dignified, and presentable. The problem is not having nice clothes or a good home. The problem is attachment.

Green asks a simple question. Can you be content if your appearance is not impressive? Can you dress with care and still keep your heart free from pride and showing off? In this stage you learn to enjoy blessings without letting them define your worth.

The Red Stage: How You Walk Through Pain

The second stage is red, the color of heat and trial, like a blacksmith’s fire where metal is softened and shaped.

This is the stage of enduring harm and hardship without letting your faith break. Illness, loss, disappointment, humiliation. Red is not simply about surviving. It is about meeting these events with patience, du‘a, and a quiet dignity that refuses to turn against Allah.

Here you learn to say from the heart that what Allah chooses is better than what you would have chosen for yourself. The same fire that burns can also refine.

The Black Stage: Saying No To The Ego

The third stage is black. Not the darkness of sin, but the color of a quiet, empty space.

At this point the believer starts to go against the lower self. The ego loves color and noise. It loves to chase every bright thing that the world offers. The black stage is when you begin to turn away from those temptations, even when nobody is watching.

From the outside, this might look like less fun. Inside, it is a clean, calm emptiness where new light can enter. You are no longer driven only by what feels good in the moment.

The White Stage: Hunger And Clarity

The final stage is white, linked to hunger and restraint. Leaving some space in the body so the soul can breathe. Ramadan teaches this every year. When the stomach is not constantly full, the heart hears better. When desire is not always satisfied, prayer feels more alive.

White is the stage where you begin to taste the sweetness of simplicity. You eat a little less, you speak a little less, you consume fewer distractions, and in return Allah gives more presence, more softness, and more light.

How The Colors Connect

Seen together, the four colors form a gentle pattern.

Green loosens attachment to your outer life.
Red shapes your response to difficulty and deepens trust.
Black turns you away from empty pleasures and strengthens your will.
White disciplines desire and opens space for light.

You may move through these stages many times in one life. Sometimes in one year. Sometimes in one month. The point is not to label yourself. The point is to notice where Allah is working on you right now, and to ask Him to let every color bring you closer to Him, not further away.

REFLECT ON THIS:

In the last disagreement we had, which of Hatim’s three rules did we ignore, and what would that moment have looked like if we had followed it instead?

^{Share your reflections in the poll at the end of the email.}

WATERMELONWATCH

• Israeli forces continued operations in northern Gaza as families fled deeper south, and volunteers in Khan Younis organized community kitchens that served warm meals to displaced children despite shrinking supplies.

• UNRWA teams reported severe overcrowding in shelters with limited clean water, while teachers-turned-caregivers created improvised play circles to help younger children cope with fear.

• Reuters journalists noted that fuel shortages again disrupted hospital generators, yet doctors in Deir al-Balah shared that local youth groups are helping transport patients and supplies by handcarts when ambulances cannot run.

• BBC News highlighted new diplomatic pressure urging expanded aid access, and international student groups announced campaigns to fund winter clothing and blankets for Gaza’s displaced families.

• OCHA updates described rising food insecurity across central Gaza, even as small community bakeries resumed limited bread production with flour donated by neighborhood families pooling resources.

QURANCORNER

سوف (Sawfa) — Will / Soon

From the root س–و–ف (s-w-f), which relates to postponing or delaying, sawfa is used to indicate something that will happen in the future, often with a sense of certainty. In the Qur’an, it is a reminder that Allah’s promises and warnings will come to pass, whether soon or after some time.