{17/2022} 4/5🌟 121 pages
Non-fiction | Ramadan Read 2

Do not judge the thickness of the book. I was assuming that I could finish the book in a short time really took a toll on me. Never has it crossed my mind that my thought process would be working so hard. 

First of all, this is a guide book which some of us might be left wondering with a lot of questions in mind after reading. How? Why? The author himself has clarified it in his introduction. What the author is trying to share with us, is the basic knowledge about what life is and what does happiness have to do with it. 

Each argument is supported and explained with reference to the ample quranic verses that come together with the explanation. 

The book is divided into two main parts - life and happiness. Interestingly, each part starts with the negation of the main topic which is immediately followed by the discussion in accordance to the convention of English language questions - how, where, when, why, what and so on. 

I am particularly enthralled with the subtopic of “How is Life?” which discusses the term “jihad” which certainly does not mean “Islamic religious wars” as fearmongered by Western medias. The original term itself does not even have the slightest relation to the word “war”. Infact, the root word is “juhd” which means “making an effort”. Us, humans, should be more concerned with the “greatest jihad” all of us are constantly struggling with - which is the internal struggle against the ego. 

I am also intrigued with the discussion about the definition of happiness based on the Quran as “uninterrupted giving” which would certainly result in being “given uninterruptedly”.  One can be happy if we “give”. “Feeling”, “getting”, or “having” do not make us happy. All these have something to do with our (good) intention. 

I know, right now, I have sound so philosophical. 

I would say, this is a good book to become the centre of a healthy discussion. I guess, it might have been the writer’s intention for people who have read this book to become engaged in a deep, thought-provoking discussions. 

Be careful, though. Those who are not used to academical non-fiction kind of writing might say the content is quite dry but I think otherwise. I found the content refreshing and eye-opening. 

#justreaddontbawang