Informative guide

What to Write in an Islamic Journal

Adil Bhatti · Updated 2 October 2026

Short answerAn Islamic journal works best when it holds seven kinds of entry and nothing else: the du'a you made and the date, the one ayah or hadith that landed this week, Jummah khutbah notes, one line of shukr, goals tied to the Islamic calendar, what you actually did today, and on the hard days, the honest version. One or two lines each is enough. The Bismillah at the top of the page is already the first line, so you never start from nothing. The method fits any of the ten notebooks in this collection, which is why they are blank inside.

In this guide

Why most Islamic journals end on page three
The seven things that belong in it
How much, how often, and which notebook
What people get wrong
Questions and answers

Why most Islamic journals end on page three

Because the owner tried to write a devotional book. Pages of reflection, written for an imaginary reader, in a voice that is not theirs. By day four it is a chore, by day ten it is abandoned, and the notebook goes into a drawer with three beautiful pages in it.

The fix is to lower the bar until it is impossible to miss. A journal is a record, not a performance. One honest line beats a page of what you think you should feel.

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The seven things that belong in it

1. Du'a, with the date. What you asked for and when. Go back a year later and read it. Nothing else you write will hit as hard.

2. One ayah or hadith a week. Not a study. The one line that landed, and three words on why.

3. Jummah notes. The khutbah's one point, the ayah it rested on, and the question you did not ask.

4. Shukr, specific. One concrete thing. Not five vague ones. Specificity is what makes it real.

5. Goals by the Islamic calendar. Ramadan resets, Dhul Hijjah intentions, Muharram beginnings. The lunar year gives you natural checkpoints that the Gregorian one does not.

6. What you actually did. The facts of the day, no interpretation. The pattern only shows up across pages.

7. The hard days, honestly. Sabr is not serenity. On the days you feel nothing, write that you did the thing anyway. That record is worth more later than any of the good days.

The seven entries, and how much each takes
Entry	How often	How much
Du'a with the date	Whenever you make one	One line
Ayah or hadith that landed	Weekly	Two lines
Jummah notes	Fridays	Three lines
Shukr, specific	Daily	One line
Goals by Islamic month	Each new month	Half a page
What you did today	Daily	Two lines
The hard days, honestly	When they come	However many it takes

How much, how often, and which notebook

A line or two per entry. Daily if you can, three times a week if you cannot. Never catch up; a gap of a week leaves no evidence in a blank notebook, which is exactly why the notebooks in this collection have no printed dates.

Any of the ten works, because the inside is identical: 200 college ruled pages with Bismillah ar-Rahman ar-Raheem at the top of each. Pick the cover by who you are this year. Halal Hustler if the goals are a business. Hijabi and Chill if the point is rest. Hijabi and Unbreakable if the hard days are most of them. Pray Du'a Shawarma Repeat if you are building the routine. The method is the same in all of them.

Takeaway. One honest line a day, under Bismillah, for a year. That is the whole method. The notebook is 200 pages so that you can fail at it for months and still have room.

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What people get wrong

Writing for an imaginary reader: It is a record, not a sermon. If nobody will ever read it, you can write the truth.
Trying to catch up after a gap: Do not. Start again from today. Blank pages have no dates for this reason.
Buying a journal with printed prompts: Prompts produce answers written for the prompt. A blank page produces the thing you were actually thinking.
Only writing on good days: The hard days are the record that matters. Write that you prayed when you felt nothing.
Treating the Bismillah as decoration: It is the first line of every entry. You never start from a blank page.

Questions and answers

What belongs in an Islamic journal on an ordinary day?

Two lines. One concrete thing you are grateful for, and what you actually did. Add the du'a you made, with the date, whenever you make one. That is enough to keep the habit alive.

How do I start an Islamic journal?

Open to page one, which already has Bismillah at the top, and write today's date and one honest line. Do not write an introduction. Do not write for a reader. Day one is one line.

What is a du'a journal and how do I keep one?

A dated record of what you asked for. Write the du'a and the date. Leave space. Come back when it is answered, or when it is not, and write that too. A year of it is the most moving thing you will own.

What should I write in a journal during Ramadan?

Goals for the month at the start, one line of shukr each night, the du'a made in the last ten nights with the date, and after Eid, what actually changed. Give it to yourself before the month, not after.

How do I take Jummah khutbah notes?

Three lines: the one point the khutbah made, the ayah or hadith it rested on, and the question you did not ask. College ruled spacing keeps it tidy while the imam is still speaking.

What do I write in my journal on a bad day?

The facts, and that you did the thing anyway. Sabr does not feel like serenity most of the time. The record of continuing while feeling nothing is the one that matters later.

Do printed prompts help or hurt an Islamic journal?

Hurt, mostly. Prompts produce answers for the prompt. A blank page with Bismillah at the top produces what you were actually thinking. All ten notebooks in this collection are blank inside for that reason.

Which notebook is best for Islamic journaling?

Any of the ten, because the inside is the same: 200 college ruled pages with Bismillah on each. Choose the cover by who you are this year. Rest: Hijabi and Chill. Business: Halal Hustler. Routine: Pray Du'a Shawarma Repeat. A hard season: Hijabi and Unbreakable.

How often should I write in an Islamic journal?

Daily if you can, three times a week if you cannot, and never catch up after a gap. One line counts. The habit matters more than the volume.

What is the difference between an Islamic journal and a regular journal?

The frame. Bismillah at the top of every page means every entry starts in His name, and the Islamic calendar gives you checkpoints the Gregorian one does not. The writing itself is the same honest record either way.

Is it better to keep du'a and daily life in separate notebooks?

No. Keep them together. Separating the sacred from the ordinary into different books is how both get abandoned. One notebook, seven kinds of entry, in the order they happen.

Ten Islamic Notebooks by Adil Bhatti

Five for her, five for him. 200 college ruled pages, Bismillah on every page, hardcover and paperback, all on Amazon.

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