Becoming a Minimalist....

“Your home is living space, not storage space.” 
― Francine Jay

I don't know about others but I do have an ongoing battle with trying to keep things simple i.e. less clutter. I suppose that I have been collecting knick-knacks for years hence there's quite a bit of stuff to go through and let go.

I actually started de-cluttering a couple years back. I started with my closet. When I decided to wear abaya, I gave away all of my colored clothes. Mind you, it wasn't easy. That was my first baby step.

When I looked at my closet then and saw those beautiful colored robes and dresses hanging neatly, I hesitated for a while. Then, satan started whispering in my ears that it would be a total waste to let go of all my beautiful garments and to just put it aside, in case I want to wear it again. Doubt started creeping in. What if I change my mind about wearing abaya later on? Perhaps I should keep all of my clothes just in case. I could hear my clothes calling out to me....begging me to let them stay.....

Sounds familiar? I bet you that it's the same argument we have with ourselves each time we feel like giving something away. Satan will try to convince us that we are throwing things away instead of giving away as charity.

It was something that the Wise Owl said that jarred me back to reality. He said that we should away things that we love not things that we have no use for. Plus, he said, "Don't be like the Pharaohs, who had their wealth buried with them".

"O you who have believed, indeed many of the scholars and the monks devour the wealth of people unjustly and avert [them] from the way of Allah . And those who hoard gold and silver and spend it not in the way of Allah -  give them tidings of a painful punishment."
Quran 9:34

"Muammar Ibn Abdullah narrated that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said: No one hoards but the sinner."
Hadith Muslim

Errrkk! Ok, I do not wish to be like Pharoah or a sinner. The intention is to progress and be better, not digress and be worse! I knew then that I will never wear those clothes ever again hence it was time to let go.

So, I closed my eyes, grabbed my clothes and put them in a bag without a further glance. I closed my ears to their imaginary protest. I didn't even go through them because I knew that if I did, doubts and satan will start creeping in again. Once I've done packing everything, I gave it all away.

Immediately, I felt liberated. I was free of the shackles that was imprisoning me for years. After that, it got easier. Next was my handbags, colored scarves and hijab, costume jewelleries, shoes, plates etc. The only thing that I'm still finding difficulty in letting go is my books. My precious ........

When I was suffering from post-natal depression after giving birth to my 5th child, I had this overwhelming urge to get rid of everything in the house because I felt suffocated. Luckily, my husband stopped me otherwise we would be living in an empty house now!

At that time, the mere sight of seeing things stacked made me anxious and edgy. I would be pacing around, trying to keep things out of sight or throwing things away. The funny thing was, seeing books piled high brought me comfort instead.

Now, I'm still trying to de-clutter my house and life but at a normal rate. One thing that I noticed is that my shopping bill for clothes and shoes have tremendously dropped since I started wearing abaya, much to my husband's delight!