Book Review: The True Secret

Title: The True Secret
Author: Amira Ayad
Publisher: International Islamic Publishing House (IIPH)
Published on: 2011
Format: Hardcover & Ebook
Pages: 303

As human beings, we all desire happiness, good health and peace of mind. As Muslims, we strive to live every aspect of our lives in accordance with our Islamic beliefs, in order to earn the pleasure of Allah and reach paradise in the next life. Just how do we go about accomplishing all this, though? How do we get from where we are to where we want to be? The True Secret offers practical, step-by-step suggestions that anyone can use to evaluate his or her present situation and begin to make changes in beliefs and actions, working towards success in this life and the next. The examples, explanations and recommendations are in accordance with authentic Islamic teachings. We know that everything happens by the will of Allah, and this certainty gives us security and peace of mind, but we are still accountable for our own actions. {Verily, Allah will never change the condition of a people until they change what is in themselves.} (Qur’an 13: 11) Open your mind and your heart, make your intention to please Allah, then open this book and begin your journey towards unlocking your full potential. In sha Allah you will be glad you did.

It took me sometime to finish this book, not because it’s not interesting, but it’s so practical and made me to ponder upon a lot of things in my life and myself. It’s an amazingly inspirational read!

I must say this is one of the first productivity books that I read which has an Islamic perspective. Not to mention that I read a lot of articles on Islamic self developmental areas. But to have a practical book, that gives you step by step approach is truly effective. I sometimes do have difficulty in setting goals and achieving them in an organized and realistic way, and this book absolutely made it so much easier to grasp on whats important and how to keep your mindset focused on whats most significant.

The True Secret will assist you to pave your path through the light of True Sincerity and The Big Picture (i.e. Akhirah/Hereafter). It gives you practical activities to set your goals and let you to practice it for a time period which is helpful to slowly actualize and feel the effect along the way. The book is full of positive phrases that gives you the feeling of a righteous friend encouraging you to be better. In deed, a book can be one of your biggest companions. I also liked that the book contains small illustrations and diagrams making it more compelling and able to comprehend the flow.

1. The focus of the book. I loved it because, its strongly connected to the purpose of our life in this world by enabling us to achieve the success of the hereafter. All our actions are rewarded based on our intentions and only true sincerity can make our intentions pure. Through out the book, the author reminds us to ponder upon our sincerity in all our tasks along with the ultimate goal of our life, i.e. achieving Jannah.

2. Application of Quranic verses and Hadiths. It was astonishing! The author have really beautifully applied the Quranic verses and Hadiths, inspiring the readers by relating it with our current status. I cannot elaborate on this enough, please read it and experience this amazement.

3. Author’s personal experiences and other real life stories. I always find it uplifting to hear or read real life experiences of others. It becomes the content of the book more achievable and realistic.

This book assisted me to steer my mind to the right direction to sail on this life journey.

1. Do the best that you can, the most that you can with your human abilities, and then just leave the results to Allah and be satisfied with whatever you get, remembering always that Allah is All-Just and Most Merciful.

2. Only with true reliance on Allah can you achieve peace of mind. If you work, strive and apply all worldly means, Allah will reward your efforts with His Might and Strength.

3. The more we focus on our final goal, the easier it will be for us to overcome life inconveniences and the troubles that we face along the way.

4. Believe deep in your soul that your connection with Allah is the true source of your power and strength.

5. We are travellers on this earth, and we will reach our final destination some day.

I downloaded the book from kalamullah.com (you can get it from here). The moment I finished the book I wanted to get a physical copy so that I can refer to its beneficial reminders always. (note: I prefer physical books to ebooks)

I recommend this book to every Muslim, who is having difficulty in setting goals and achieving them, and also to the people who are already working on their goals. Give your time and slowly follow the instructions of the book to gain the best result out of it.

 

I hope you find this book as valuable as I find it for myself. If you have already read the book, share your thoughts down below in comment section or share the link to your book review. I would love to read your views on the book 🙂