Secrets of Divine Love: A Spiritual Journey into the Heart of Islam

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A. Helwa believes that every single person on Earth is deeply loved by the Divine. She is a writer who has inspired hundreds of thousands of readers through her passionate, poetic, and love-based approach to spirituality. Her popular blog @quranquotesdaily, was established while obtaining her Masters in Divinity, as a means of helping others overcome personal and spiritual struggles on their journey of experiencing divine love. DR. FAWZIA AL-RAWI, Author of Divine Names: The 99 Healing Names of the One Love and Founder of theCenter for Feminine Spirituality and Sufism Create connection with your faith community: The questions and prompts within the journal were written for both private contemplations, to be shared amongst friends or answered in book clubs.

Di sini, Helwa menggunakan pembuktian ilmiah, meditasi terbimbing, dan juga latihan praktis dalam buku ini. Sehingga kita bisa mengembangkqnnua untuk membedakan dan mengatasi berbagai macam kritik batin yang negatif yang ada di dalam diri kita. Ibaratnya adalah cahaya penuntun. Dimana buku ini akan mengembalikan pembacanya pada sumber kedamaian dan juga penyerahan Ilahi. The author's work has a special way of speaking to the heart. This reading offers exceptional spiritual nuances on the core ofIslamic belief and practices. More than ever, we are in need of content like this that shines a luminous light on a faith that is frequently misunderstood.”

It helped me to see the world with the eyes of love and mercy. It helped me love MYSELF and understand MYSELF. I started loving all the creatures and my surrounding at an another level and this as a result, helping me better my life. I found out my 'Why' in the book. The spiritual path is not one where we find out way to God, but rather one where we remove everything that prevents us from seeing that we're already in the Divine court." God does not test us because He hates us, but because He loves us and sees in us a potential that can only be manifested and unveiled through the fires of purification. Just as muscle must tear to grow, the friction between sin and our inner holiness creates the conditions for spiritual growth".

Dan tidak ada suatu binatang melatapun di bumi melainkan Allah-lah yang memberi rizkinya, dan Dia mengetahui tempat berdiam binatang itu dan tempat penyimpanannya. Semuanya tertulis dalam kitab yang nyata (Lauhul Mahfudz),” (QS Hud: 6).This inner state can be enhanced and purified with tawba (repentance) which “purifies our heart so that Allah’s light can penetrate our soul, giving us divine insight.” A. Helwa discussed the significance of tawba through a dedicated chapter with practical tips. She writes: “Repentance is the act of emptying and breaking all the idols and gods we have placed in the sanctuary of our hearts before the one true God…t he practice of tawba is a means of spiritual course correction, in which we align our hearts and intention towards Allah.” Sejujurnya setiap kali aku habis baca bab demi bab, ayat yang terlintas di fikiran aku ialah perjalanan untuk memaknai Islam itu sebenarnya penuh dengan : Harapan dan Kasih Sayang Allah. We do not see the world as it truly is, but through the state that our heart is in. Our sins can become a blindfold over our spiritual eyes … a drop of rain can fall into the mouth of a seashell or a snake, but in a sea shell, it turns into a pearl and in a snake it turns into poison.”

Just as when you read a beautiful and thoughtful book you are naturally inclined to ponder the brilliance of the author, when we reflect on the intricacy of our creation, it naturally points us to the unfathomable perfection of the Author who wrote us into existence". This is simply a wonderful book, written with care and precision, weaving us into God’s beautiful tapestry.” Buku jurnal ini menuntun kita untuk refleksi dlm 13 sesi yg kesemuanya mencerminkan cinta sang pencipta yg utuh. Tiap sesi terdiri dari "opening prayer, reflection questions, quote to contemplate, dan grateful." Sehingga secara personal, setelah mengisi setiap pertanyaan, pembaca dpt merenungi perjalanan keimanan msng2 yg up & down tanpa takut dihakimi, dapat sadar akan besarnya cintaNya & jd lebih bersyukur.I cannot describe my deep connection with the Almighty after reading the book, so rather I decided to cite some content from the book for you to be able to feel its warmth and love language: The book explores the primary rituals of Islam giving us a deeper appreciation and understanding of them. “Prayer (salat) brings to light your false idols’ since the outer form can be misaligned and contradictory with the inner state…one prayer to God frees you from a thousand prostrations to your ego.” In the beautiful exploration of death, A. Helwa reveals the fear of death as a “sign that we are holding on to something other than Allah.” Our view of death is erroneously narrow and negative: “Death is not extinguishing the light; It is only putting out the lamp because the dawn has come.” In Western society, we have come to misunderstand death, to fear it, and avoid discussing it. But A. Helwa argues: Sincere worship is not born from the soil of obligation, but from gratitude for all that God has freely given to us before He gave us the mouths to even thank Him". Secrets of Divine Love Journal will follow chapter-by-chapter the Secrets of Divine Love book. The journal has additional reflections, stories, and quotes while supplementing each chapter with reflective prompts alongside ample space for the reader to journal. Each chapter of the Secrets of Divine Love Journal starts with a quote from Secrets of Divine Love alongside a verse of the Qur’an followed by a story and reflection, a heart-opening prayer, journal prompts, a quote to contemplate upon, and a closing prayer of gratitude.

Secrets of Divine Love draws upon spiritual secrets of the Qur'an, ancient mystical poetry, and stories from the world's greatest prophets and spiritual masters to help you reignite your faith, overcome your doubts, and deepen your connection with God. I will end my review by stating that, bar the abovementioned issues (that indeed need to be rectified, should there be a second edition), this is a well-rounded, holistic and encouraging book for the lay Muslim, and succeeds in achieving its aim, which is to enhance the reader’s relationship with God via love and obedience. This is a decent starting point for the unlearned individual who desires a basic understanding of Islamic spirituality but perhaps feels intimidated by scholarly works, or just doesn’t know where to begin. Islamic seminaries and classes aren’t always accessible and affordable, so if this book functions as the preliminary vehicle by which the reader feels even the smallest connection to God and a new-found love for Him, then I’m confident it can aid in the reader’s journey of spiritual progression while remaining rooted in orthodoxy. At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us.” — Albert Schweitzer. When we read only the parts of the Quran that resonate with us and ignore the parts we don't agree with, we run the risk of shaping the scripture around our likes and dislikes, instead of allowing the book to shape us.

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Through our endless material pursuits in this world, it can be easy to be heedless of our need for Allah and our supreme reliance on him. But we find something is always missing, a hole of longing: “The hole we carry inside, that we so desperately long to fill, comes from the experience of once being unified with all of existence.” In fact, I couldn't fast read it as every message of it made me think deeply, understand myself and the world surrounding me, burst into tears feeling the love and mercy of God, and feeling peace inside of me. I have found out that before reading this book, I didn't understand what peace truly feels, and I am soo much blessed having touched by the mercy and love of God. This book made me see the reflection of light in the depth of imperfection, each word spoke a language that rhymed with my soul. The author beautifully covered the most common spiritual topics majorly about Islam to help the troubled and lost souls who are trying hard each day.