Awesome combo

Tariq Ramadan: The Messenger; The Meanings of the Life of Muhammad.

I began to know this man from what rather to be an interesting review by Rashidah Abd Hamid. Then came the googling part, and I am smitten, by his words. I was trying, walking and wandering. A perfect reason to go into one bookshop from another, rest assured. Sadly, nothing went into the cart, but I'm thankful a good friend sent this book all the way across the continent(s). So, thank you!


When I flipped the very first page, I thought I was astounded, even by the acknowledgment section.One of the parts I seldom read, and then again I was wrong. Those are beautiful words by a man named Tariq Ramadan, an author, a scholar, an educator.

It is quite common for us to read the biography of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) when we were kids, and even in the school syllabus. We were exposed to many of the stories right from the born of the last Prophet until the second of his last breath. Well, this time around, the book takes us to a whole new level.

What could I say? I personally think that the explanation by Mr Ramadan is interesting, precise, and somewhat what most of us forgot about this day- practicality. How, that certain events that could definitely be handy in handling issues in our society these days.

What I admire the most definitely is how Mr Ramadan is capable of interconnecting and putting the relationship from one event to another, and readers shall see that it is one concise and comprehensive text, and did I mention- practical?

Quoting Ramadan, "Whatever adversity one faces, one's strength and freedom on Earth consist in remaining constantly aware of dependence on the Creator".(p 58) Now, this is one of the issue being raised in this book- human dependence upon the Almighty God, which started from the usage of the word- in sha Allah (if God so wills)- something of what our society missed nowadays- and need to be reminded again. Indeed, human is born with humility- something that makes us all mortal and what beyond is in God's hand, after striving for hard work, dua' and tawakkal. And yes, little did we see that we are not the Best Planner of all- and Allah indeed knows best.

Roll down for some more insight view from Ede!

Paulo Coelho: Like The Flowing River.



These days, I think I am more likely to get involved with short stories. Yeap! Talking about commitment here. Needless to say that if you are opting for collection of short stories, please take a look on Coelho's Like The flowing River.

It is nowhere near the fiction- most of the stories are basically from the author's experience- of being on vacation, of meeting new faces, of going to strange places, of getting hopes crushed and built again, of moving on and so on.

While I am not a big fan of Coelho's By The River Piedra I Sat Down and Weep, I am surely positive that this book proved that Coelho's one of the greatest philosopher. Try one of the best stories- the story of the pencil; (the sneak peek)

"First quality: you are capable of great things, but you must never forget that there is a hand guiding your steps. We call that hand God, and He always guides us according to His will.’ ‘Second quality: now and then, I have to stop writing and use a sharpner. That makes the pencil suffer a little, but afterwards, he’s much sharper. So you, too, must learn to bear certain pains and sorrows, because they will make you a better person. ‘Third quality: the pencil always allows us to use an eraser to rub out any mistakes. This means that correcting something we did is not necessarily a bad thing; it helps to keep us on the road to justice.’ ‘Fourth quality: what really matters in a pencil is not its wooden exterior, but the graphite inside. So always pay attention to what is happening inside you.’ ‘Finally, the pencil’s fifth quality: it always leaves a mark. in just the same way, you should know that everything you do in life will leave a mark, so try to be conscious of that in your every action’

or even the stories on the pianist of the mall, and many more. Trust me, his reflections are beautiful and inspiring.

Now, hoping in the future i will have the chance to read Veronika Decides to Die. Heard that the book is good too.

Currently reading: Fitzgerald's The Diamond as Big as The Ritz (and other short stories). Have bought Grisham's The Associates the other day, hopefully will get the chance to start on that one soon!