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Come on a Spiritual Retreat with me to Kashmir 🗻
Published 6 months ago • 1 min read
Issue #29
Hello & Salaam!
What would change if you lived as though this were your last year on earth?
Imam al-Ghazali's Remembrance of Death and the Afterlife completely altered the trajectory of my life when I first read it as a carefree 18-year-old.
I have gone back to this book multiple times since then, and have a new appreciation for it each time. Today, I am so honored to announce that registration is officially open for our upcoming Kashmir retreat: Remembering Death, Choosing Life.
Inspired by Imam Al-Ghazali’s work and Stephen Levine’s book "A Year to Live", this retreat invites us to contemplate our mortality—not with fear, but with tenderness and clarity.
Through my own journey as a participant and Teaching Assistant in the A Year to Live course, alongside my ongoing training as a death doula, I have learned that in remembering death, we learn how to sit with impermanence and return to gratitude for every single breath.
For 9 days in the majestic stillness of Kashmir, we will journey together through writing, reflections, prayers, and sacred companionship. We will bridge Islamic spirituality with compassionate end-of-life practices, exploring:
Living with Intention: Life reviews, exploring grief and transformation, and the practical steps of crafting a living will.
A Celebration of Life: Joyful communal meals, storytelling circles, and leaving with a personal "second-chance-at-life" plan. Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said, "Remember often the destroyer of pleasures: death."
This retreat is not about destroying pleasures per se, but about birthing presence. It is an invitation to look at your life through the eyes of a soul that knows it is on its way Home.
If you are ready to take this journey, Ustazah Diyanah Yanti and I would be so humbled to share this sacred space with you. Less than 10 spots remain.
Big thanks to Muslim Travel Club for coordinating the Jordan & Al-Aqsa retreat last month so meticulously. I'm grateful to have them supporting this retreat as well, and can't wait to be in the mountains again inshaAllah.
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Welcome 🌷 Expect heartfelt letters blending Islamic spirituality, social justice advocacy, and the writing life. Join a community of seekers craving honest essays, poetry, and early access to my upcoming spiritual retreats.
