“The treadmill is, in fact, an appropriate metaphor. By some estimates, about 40 percent of people who buy home exercise equipment later say they ended up using it less than they’d expected. How hard we push ourselves in a given workout matters, of course, but I think the bigger impediment to progress is that sometimes we stop working it altogether. As any coach or athlete will tell you, consistency of effort over the long run is everything. How often do…
I have undying love and respect for people who have every reason to give into circumstance but choose not to. Like the sister who had a miscarriage but a few weeks later chose to show up for tafsīr classes to learn about her Rabb. Or like the elderly lady who cannot walk unsupported but dutifully arrives at the masjid for tarāwīḥ and prays till the end. Or like the mother of five, who despite being a mother of five, pursues…