down her spiral of depression and
misery.’ I pause for a moment,
and then look directly at the
sister. ‘Sumayyah is young and
misguided, she does not have the
wisdom and experience to know
how to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
She wants an overnight solution
for a life time of bad eating habits.
Sumayyah’s breakthrough comes
when she finally begins to realise
and accepts that she needs help’.
Amirah, as she realises that she
needs her trainer’s dedication and
encouragement to get her through
this tough weight loss programme.’
I look at the sister and ask ‘Do
you see the point I’m trying to
get at here, sis?’ She stares at me,
bemused. I take her gently by the
shoulders. ‘Don’t you understand
what I’m trying to tell you?’
‘Sumayyah turns to her local gym
and enquires about a personal
trainer. She meets with Sister
Amirah, who has years of training
and experience in the field of diet
and fitness. Amirah understands
her background. She has seen
this type of dieter many times
before. She has also been through
her own weight loss struggle.
She acknowledges Sumayyah’s
concerns and gives her a few small
goals to work on, nothing that will
overburden her, just baby steps...,
bite-sized pieces.
I’m concerned she didn’t get my
point. I push the empty glasses
to one side and lean closer. ‘Listen
to me, sis. All my life I have been
over-indulging in disobedience.
Consuming the empty calories
of heedlessness and piling on the
pounds of sin. My heart is coated
with a seal of saturated filth and
my arteries are clogged with the
cholesterol of misguidance. I run
on my treadmill every day but
I remain in the same spot, the
belt keeps turning but I don’t
know which direction I’m heading
towards.
After several meetings, Sumayyah
realises she has found someone she
can trust and have confidence in.
She feels inspired by Amirah and
values her company. She takes the
advices given, follows the workouts
that are tailored to her fitness level,
and as the weight starts to drop,
her motivation increases. Over
time, the trust between trainer and
dieter builds up and Amirah is
able to give her new goals to work
towards, and Sumayyah, having
seen results, takes them on readily.
She develops a deep respect for
‘My Shaykh, he is the personal
trainer of my heart. He knows what
works and what doesn’t work. Just
like Amirah knows that extreme
dieting will make Sumayyah’s
metabolism slow and the weight
will come piling back on, my
Shaykh knows the perfect balance
of dhikr, Quran and istighfar that
will facilitate a healthy spiritual
progression. Amirah knows that in
the beginning, Sumayyah will not
be able to run ten km, so she gives
her bite-sized pieces. Similarly, my
Shaykh does not overburden me