the world tells you growth is power.
progress. visibility. a kind of upward motion.
more knowledge. more impact. more people watching.
but with Allāh, growth moves differently.
it doesn’t always rise. sometimes, it drops.
it falls to the knees.
and then, in the most blessed of ways – to the ground.
in sujūd, the believer shrinks.
and in that shrinking, they rise. they grow. they become.
growth is not what you think it is
we measure growth by what we can track:
more rakʿāt, more Qurʾān, more goals hit.
but Allāh measures growth by what you leave behind:
less arrogance.
less heedlessness.
less obsession with being impressive.
you might not feel closer to Him,
but if you're sinning less – that is closeness.
you might not be praying longer,
but if you're praying on time – that is victory.
you might not be learning new things,
but if you're remembering to apply the old things – that is maturity.
“...He who purifies it (the soul) has certainly succeeded.”
(qur’ān 91:9)
growth isn’t more. growth is less of the self between you and your Lord.
growth begins when pride ends
you cannot grow if you do not bow.
sujūd is the annihilation of ego.
the quiet death of self-importance.
the declaration that i am not the centre. i am not in control. i am not the one to be worshipped.
“successful indeed are the believers… those who are humbly submissive in their prayer.”
(qur’ān 23:1–2)
you grow in sujūd because you finally step out of your own way.
you stop performing.
you stop competing.
you stop measuring your progress through comparison.
you begin again – honestly, simply, before your Lord.
what growth actually looks like
~ it looks like choosing ʿasr in its time over finishing your email
~ it looks like apologising instead of defending yourself
~ it looks like deleting the message before sending it
~ it looks like two rakʿahs you didn’t skip
~ it looks like walking away from a conversation that would’ve pleased your ego but displeased your Lord
growth isn’t only in what you start.
it’s in what you leave for Allāh.
and sometimes, growth is not quitting.
“indeed, those who say, ‘our Lord is Allāh,’ and then remain steadfast – the angels descend upon them…”
(qur’ān 41:30)
sujūd reforms
you cannot grow with pride intact.
you cannot carry forward the laziness, the procrastination, the insincerity, the self-comparison.
sujūd cracks what the rest of your worship only touches.
and sometimes, growth looks like being shattered – deliberately, by divine love.
this is how Allāh reforms His servant.
not always with ease.
but always with mercy.
“and Allāh wants to purify you completely.”
(qur’ān 33:33)
discipline over emotion: the root of spiritual maturity
most people stop growing not because they sin –
but because they wait to feel like praying again.
but emotion is not the engine.
discipline is.
growth begins when you pray even while distracted.
when you seek forgiveness even while numb.
when you make dhikr even when you don’t feel “connected.”
Allāh is not looking for your mood.
He’s looking for your obedience.
“the most beloved deeds to Allāh are those that are consistent, even if small.”
(bukhārī)
tahajjud: the gym of the soul
growth doesn’t happen in daylight alone.
it happens in the hours before dawn,
when no one is watching,
and your limbs still choose Him.
tahajjud is where the strongest souls are trained.
not because they’re powerful –
but because they’re persistent.
“they arise from their beds, calling upon their Lord in fear and hope...”
(qur’ān 32:16)
one sajdah in the dark is heavier on the scale
than a thousand in the crowd.
slow down: you're not late
the believer often asks:
“why am i not changing?”
“why am i still struggling?”
“why does everyone seem ahead of me?”
but growth in this dīn isn’t linear.
you might be digging roots while someone else is blooming.
and Allāh sees the effort — not just the fruit.
“and your Lord is never unjust to the servants.”
(qur’ān 41:46)
you are not behind.
you are becoming.
just don’t stop.
when it feels like nothing is working
if you're still falling, but still returning – you’re growing.
if you're still praying, even without tears – you’re growing.
if you're still avoiding sin even when it hurts – you’re growing.
growth doesn’t always feel like light.
sometimes it feels like restraint.
like discomfort.
like silence.
and that, too, is purification.
growth is obedience – not self-expression
the world will tell you to “do what feels right.”
islām tells you to do what is right – even when it feels wrong.
the one who keeps praying even when it feels robotic
is more beloved than the one who only worships when they’re moved.
the one who obeys quietly grows deeply.
“it is not righteousness that you turn your faces to the east or the west, but righteousness is in one who believes in Allāh... and performs the prayer...”
(qur’ān 2:177)
not all change feels like transformation.
some of it feels like tired obedience.
and that, too, is beautiful in His eyes.
a closing duʿā’
o Allāh –
grow us with patience, not pride.
grow us in stillness, not spectacle.
grow us when we don't feel it, when we don’t see it,
when we don’t understand it.
break what You must, so we can rise lighter.
and let our sujūd always lead us back to You.
āmeen.
may this post be a means of forgiveness, elevation, and reward for janisar hussayn – and a quiet companion to every believer who feels unseen in their obedience, but continues anyway.