The Soul That Never Grows Old

DAILYREFLECTION

Before you ever entered this world, you existed in the Realm of Souls ʿĀlam al-Dharr.
It was there that Allah asked, “Am I not your Lord?” and we all replied, “Yes, You are.”

Then came ḥayāt al-dunyā, this physical life, where your body joined your soul and you became a nafs, a self, pulled between desire and devotion. When the body dies, the soul moves on to al-barzakh, the in-between world — still tethered to its body, even as the body returns to dust.

Then comes al-ākhirah, the next life when Allah sends down a rain that strikes the tiny remnant of bone at the base of the spine, and a new body grows from it, joined once again to its soul. That body and soul will live forever, shaped by everything it did in this life.

That’s the physical story. But spiritually, your soul can be renewed many times before death ever comes. A person can die at eighty years old but have a soul only eight days old, because every return to Allah strips away the layers of the old self.
Each repentance, each moment of awakening, each act of surrender births something new inside you.

We often live chasing more, doing more, having more, being more. But in truth, renewal in Islam is not about addition; it’s about returning. Letting go of excess, releasing attachments, and trusting Allah to fill the spaces we’ve emptied. Every return is a kind of rebirth.

But rebirth isn’t painless. When you’re born again, you shed the comfort of your old life like a womb, and that never happens without struggle. Every new stage of faith requires sacrifice. But every sacrifice opens the door to a new life.

That’s why the two most destructive sins are shirk and despair. Shirk disconnects you from your Creator. Despair disconnects you from His mercy. If we stop believing we can be renewed, we close the very door Allah keeps open. No matter how much we’ve aged, or how long we’ve been away, Allah’s mercy is not a one-time chance, it’s a door that never closes.

Every act of remembrance, every prayer performed with presence, every sincere return to Him is a new birth. Our souls were created to renew, to revive, to rise again.

REFLECT ON THIS:

When was the last time you felt your soul come alive again, and what did you have to let go of for that renewal to happen?

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

WATERMELONWATCH

• Turkey’s MIT intelligence agency chief met with Hamas’ negotiating team in Istanbul to discuss next phases of the cease-fire in Gaza, signalling diplomatic momentum even as many on the ground remain in limbo.

• Aid agencies report that thousands of displaced Palestinians in Gaza are living in tents that are torn or worn out and that food supply is still insufficient as winter sets in, despite the cease-fire.

• A draft UN resolution circulated by the US envisions an international stabilisation force in Gaza, with a mandate of at least two years, yet key issues such as Palestinian self-determination remain unaddressed.

• Access to food has improved for many households in southern Gaza thanks to commercial and humanitarian deliveries, but northern Gaza continues to receive no aid convoys since 12 September, leaving large areas underserved.

• Despite the cease-fire, violence continues. Israeli forces reported to have killed Palestinians in central Gaza for allegedly crossing the “yellow line”, emphasising the fragility of the current calm and the ongoing risk to civilians.

QURANCORNER

Each day, you’ll be introduced to one of the 300 most common Qur’anic words. The Qur’an has about 77,430 words in total, all built on just 2,000 root words. By learning these frequently recurring ones, you’ll recognize 70–80% of the Qur’an’s vocabulary and begin connecting more deeply as you read.

Aḥad (أَحَد) — One / Absolutely One

Aḥad is not just one; it is One like no other. Used only for Allah, Aḥad means indivisible, eternal, without equal or comparison. Qul huwa Allāhu Aḥad Say: He is Allah, the One. In a world full of numbers, forms, and names, Aḥad stands alone beyond time, beyond space, beyond need. To believe in Aḥad is to free the heart from everything else.