Book Review

Currently, I am trying to finish the book Secrets of Secrets by Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani. Actually, it was written by the great Sufi but it was translated into English. I am of course, reading the English version. I actually picked up the book because the translator put a nice intro on the book's back cover. According to the translator, reading the book helps us to gain spiritual knowledge and purpose in our everyday ibadaat. This is so that our ibadat will be increased manyfold...so that it will not just be a routine of our life but an exercise which will strengthen our love and brings us closer to our Benefactor - Allah. Well, the reading has been slow. As I am only able to read a few pages at night before bedtime, the book will probably take me more than 2 weeks to finish. ALbeit the book is relatively thin.

As I was reading, I seem to ponder that the level of English in the book is quite abstract and high-level. It makes the writing very difficult to understand. Of course, taking into mind the fact that it has been quite some time since I've read anything else besides fiction. Thus, I am seeking help from fellow bloggers to recommend simpler books on spirituality and religion for me. Fyi, I have almost zero background in Islamic Thoughts and Revelations. I envy those people who were chosen and blessed to have the opportunity to have Islamic theology as their basic education. Thus, the knowledge that they gain while growing up, is 100% relevant to this world and the world hereafter. In fact, these fortunate people have the added opportunity/bonus to share their knowledge with other lesser mortals.

Alas, my pace of reading these genre of books is appaling. While reading,I feel especially bad that I have yet to get the opportunity to increase my understanding of the Quran. Apparently, according to Sheikh Abdul Qadir, the Qurans has 10 layers of understanding. 10 layers - Even the uppermost layer of understanding eludes me. In conclusion, I guess that's what I get from reading this book. It gave me some time to reflect on how ignorant I am.