Book Review
By: Aabid Shahin
There is no friend as loyal as a book- Ernst Miller Hemingway, an American novelist and journalist is quoted to having said. Hemmingway is quite upto the mark in suggesting this and leads one to enlighten paths for words have a potential to change, inspire as well as aspire. My reading list for the month of September comprised books mainly authored by regional writers of Jammu and Kashmir and this is how I came across the book titled “Reminder to the Muslim Youth!” The paperback edition of the book is composed of 76 pages and is published, printed and bound by Wular Publishing House- a Kashmir based publishing platform. The author of the book, Dr Yasir Aaffaaq, is a surgeon by profession and his interests include renaissance of Islamic values among new generation and combating Islamophobia largely created by the media.
The book is intended to shed light on the peace dynamics available within Islamic scholarship and the Quranic morale that needs to be manifested among the young lot. The book tries to make one understand that how Islam is a model of completeness and perfection and how important it becomes for a young Muslim to have a well developed Islamic outlook in his/her everyday life. The author wants his readers to understand that Islam integrates all the human domains and guides them in a better direction. Dr Yasir wants Muslim youth to understand that Islam is something more than what we superficially conceive; it’s expertise is very broad and tends to ensure a complete, comprehensive and balanced system in everyday lives.
The author addresses youth and tries his best to motivate them to take a stand for the holy cause that they’re created for. “The only visible exit to the current state of affairs is that youth need to wake up and stand for the cause of Deen of Allah { Page: 11}” He notes.
The second and the most important chapter of the book outlines the guiding dynamism in Islamic connotations and the necessity to adopt that dynamism as the only acceptable way in this world and hereafter. The author wants Muslim youth to identify, understand and adhere to Islamic lifestyle in all the sectors. “We must not feel embarrassed in following our Deen”, author writes.
Highlighting the elegance and perfection of the relegion, the author wants us to appreciate the beauty of Islam and orient our lives accordingly adding that lives spent in transgression and darkness account to grave loss in this world and next too. Author defines divine observance as a necessity and establishes that only complete observance would save one from misconduct and misbehavior. And then author emphasizes that with servitude, various obligations follow up which are inescapable and therefore prove our commitment with Almighty and his system. The most important obligations are defined by quoting a Hadith from Sahi-Al-Bukhari that discusses the five important and founding pillars of Islam.
The other important issue that the author has shed light on is religious sectarianism spread by sectarian warlords. The sectarian polarization has enormously affected the true image of Islam and has served the rule and divide dictum at large. “The irony is that we prefer calling ourselves by sectarian names rather than calling ourselves ‘Muslims’. This is what the enemies of Islam want, divide and rule has long been their applied dictum” Author notes in the chapter titled ‘No religious Sectarianism in Islam.”
The book is written with an excellent flow, an extraordinary message and a universal appeal. Taking a dig at the contemporary issues, the author of the book wants us to get back to the Islamic teachings and hands us the lamps of enlightenment.
The reviewer is a student of mass communication and multimedia productions. aabidshahinjourn@gmail.com}
Box
Book title: Reminder to the Muslim Youth!
Author: Dr Yasir Aaffaaq
Genre: Religion
Pages: 76
Format: Paperback
Price: 120 INR
Publisher: Wular Publishing House J&K
