DAILYREFLECTION
Mention the Name of Allah when you start drinking and praise Him when you finish.
In the Sunnah, the Prophet ﷺ taught us to drink while seated, in several small sips, pausing to breathe between them and avoiding blowing or breathing into the vessel.
It sounds like a small detail, almost too simple to matter.
Yet this small habit carries layers of mercy for the body and the heart.
When a person is rushed and gulps water quickly, the body often treats that sudden flood as something to defend against.
Drinking very large amounts in a short time can temporarily disturb the balance of fluids and electrolytes in the blood, especially sodium, which plays an essential role in nerve and muscle function.
In healthy people day to day this is rarely dangerous, but the body still reacts with safeguards, sometimes by pushing much of that water straight back out.
Slow, mindful drinking works very differently.
Taking water in a few measured sips allows the body to absorb it more comfortably, to distribute it through cells and tissues at a calmer pace.
It better supports temperature regulation, circulation, and the gentle transport of minerals and nutrients.
In simple terms, the same amount of water can serve you more when it is received slowly.
Then there is what happens inside the heart.
Sitting to drink and pausing between sips turns a reflex into a moment of presence.
The act stops being background noise and becomes a small, conscious meeting with a blessing.
Bismillah before the first sip.
Alhamdulilah at the end.
A brief awareness of how dependent this body is on what Allah sends it, and how easily He could have withheld even this.
In a life that pulls us toward speed and distraction, the Sunnah often calls us back through tiny, repeatable acts.
Drinking water in the prophetic way is not only healthier.
It is an invitation to slow down, to remember, and to let even the smallest routines become a doorway to gratitude.
REFLECT ON THIS:
When was the last time we turned a simple sip of water into a moment of real remembrance of Allah, from “Bismillah” to “Alhamdulillah,” with our heart fully present?
Share your reflections in the poll at the end of the email.
WATERMELONWATCH
A displaced Palestinian man clears muddy water in a flooded tent camp on a rainy day in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip.
Flooded tents are leaving hundreds of thousands of displaced families exposed as crucial items like sandbags and water pumps remain blocked from entry. Humanitarian teams are still rushing what winter supplies they can to the worst hit sites, trying to keep people warm and dry through the storm aftermath.
OCHA reports that heavy rain and cold are worsening daily survival, with at least 465 households affected by flooding in tents on December 10 and shelter distributions constrained by entry challenges. At the same time, partners have expanded winter relief and child protection steps, including blanket and tarpaulin distribution and reunifying separated children with families where possible.
MSF warns Storm Byron has flooded large parts of Gaza, raising urgent concerns about illness and the lack of safe shelter. MSF teams say they are keeping medical services running where they can, sharing on the ground updates and continuing care through the worst weather.
Gaza amputees are facing severe shortages of prosthetics and slow medical evacuations, leaving many people unable to regain mobility after life changing injuries. Yet the remaining rehabilitation centers and specialists are still working, and every new shipment of supplies can restore real independence for patients.
West Bank tensions rose after Reuters reported Israel granted legal status to 19 settlements, a move the Palestinian Authority condemned as damaging prospects for a future state. Community organizers, rights groups, and diplomatic actors continue documenting impacts and pressing for accountability through legal and international channels.
QURANCORNER
Bi (بِ) — With / By / In
Just one letter, yet it carries the weight of beginnings. The Qur’an opens with it: Bismi-llāh, In the Name of Allah. Bi connects the action to its source, the servant to his Lord. It tells us nothing begins on its own. Every breath, every success, every blessing comes by Him, with Him, through Him.