UmmBilal Reads: The Productive Muslim

UMMBILAL READS: The Productive Muslim (Where faith meets productivity)

Author: Mohammed Faris aka Abu Productive

Publisher: Awakening Publications, 2016

Pages: 232 pages

I am not a big fan of motivational and self-help books. They all seem to say the same thing, which I find boring. This one, however, dared to be different. It was surprisingly awesome.

UMM BILAL READS : BRICK WALLS BY SAADIA FARUQI

To confess, I had this book a little while back but just made the time to read it. When I was at the end of the book, I had only one question. Why did I not read it all this time?

UMM BILAL READS: HOW TO BE A HAPPY MUSLIM INSHA’ALLAH by SHEIMA SALAM SUMER

 

Sheima is especially qualified to write this book as she is a professional counsellor and the book is a reflection of her journey on how to feel good while being true to the Deen. The real life references, which are a privilege of her career, make the book an indispensable tool.

Umm Bilal Reads: The Lost Kingdom by Amira Ayad

I first came across the work of Amira Ayad when I read her book, “Healing, body and soul”. I was a pharmacist in training and was just amazed that a pharmacist could write that up. MashaAllah. Then followed “The true secret”. One I still fall back to when I need to get my goals in sight. I was pretty surprised when I came across this work of fiction and just thought, “let’s see how she swings this one”. Well, she did swing well.

UMMBILAL READS…ORPHAN TRAIN

UMMBILAL READS: THE ORPHAN TRAIN

BY CHRISTINA BAKER KLINE

Christina, a graduate of Yale, Cambridge University and the University of Virginia was born in Cambridge, England. She has authored five novels, edited anthologies and taught writing to others. The book was published in 2013 and has 288pages. it is a story of suffering, resilience, fear, chance, second chances and fate.

I personally do not like historical fiction but got this as a recommendation from a friend who even went a step ahead to provide me a copy. So I had my reservations before I even started it….

It is about orphan trains, which ran regularly from cities in the east coast to the farmlands on the Midwest carrying orphan children whose fate was dependent on chance. As the train stopped in stations, the children were displayed like clothes in a department store and then adopted by the folks in the Midwest. They were to be taken good care of, provided food, water, shelter and education or where they? 

UMMBILAL READS…FREEDOM FIGHTER BY PAPATIA FEAUXZAR

Umm Bilal Reads: Freedom Fighter (A Novelette)

By Papatia Feauxzar

Papatia Feauxzar is the founder of Djarabi kitabs publishing. She is addicted to romance, life and halal fun and it would be hard work getting her out of a good mood. She has always dreamt of writing romance and hopes through her stories, we learn about Islam first then love.

Freedom fighter centred on Sheyma the eldest daughter of Ousmane, is set in the dead heart of Africa (Chad). On one hand, Sheyma has her own dreams of being swept away by her prince charming and owning her own bakery and on the other to be ‘pawned’ off by her father to marry a man she did not know or love.

UMM BILAL READS…MARITAL DISCORD: CAUSES AND CURES

Photo credit: google images

UmmBilal Reads: Marital Discord Causes and Cures

By Majdi Muhammad Ash-Shahawi

Marital discord: causes and cures was published in 2004 by Darussalam. It has 154 pages so not too bulky. Marriage is a very important matter in Islam considering it fulfils half of it. Like every other issue in the deen, guidelines and rules govern it. Allah doesn’t just say do or don’t do this, He tells us how to go about doing or how to avoid doing it. Majdi Muhammad’s writing is concise and genuine.

The book started with the foundations of a happy marriage. Not the foundation of someone else’s marriage that she shares with you and then you treat your husband the way she treats hers which is based on how her husband treats her which is how your husband might not necessarily treat you. Confusing right! Read more slowly.