By Nur Elani Binti Hashnor
“Life Is An Open Secret; You, Me And We”
Title: Life Is an Open Secret; You, Me and We
Author: Zabrina A. Bakar
Editor: Samira Van Fossen
Publisher: Wise Words Publishing Kuala Lumpur
Pages: 219
Year: 2008
This book carries 18 motivational and inspirational stories shared in a simple, chatty, conversational, humorous and witty way that promises to touch your heart, tease your mind and soothe your soul. The 18 inspirational stories are from ordinary life experiences. In every secret there are Qur’anic verses, hadith included. For me, this is an inspirational and motivational book which includes Islamic perspective.
The secrets available in this book are:
- Secret One : Love Your Kin (The Story of Two Brothers)
- Secret Two : Be Kind to Others (The Story of a Man and his Bag of Gold)
- Secret Three : Give and You Shall Receive (The Story of a Man and His Salary)
- Secret Four : Forgive and Move On (The Story of a Girl and Her Poem)
- Secret Five : Don’t Judge Others (The Story of the Boy and His Grandpa)
- Secret Six : Wish for Others What You Wish for Yourself (The Story of a Boy and His New Room )
- Secret Seven : Learn to be Happy for Others (The Story of Two Neighbours and Their Cars)
- Secret Eight : When You Point One Finger to Others, Four Are Pointing Back Right at You (The Story of a Concerned Husband)
- Secret Nine : Depend on Your Lord (The Story of the Egg Seller)
- Secret Ten : Honesty Pays (The Story of the New Emperor and His Seed)
- Secret Eleven : Accept and Adapt to Changes (The Story of the King and His Minister)
- Secret Twelve : Listen and Follow the Wise Advice (The Story of The Highway Employee and His Card)
- Secret Thirteen : Patience is a Virtue (The Story of a Tornado)
- Secret Fourteen : Love Our Children (The Story of the Little Boy and His Boots)
- Secret Fifteen : Smile and the World Smiles With You (The Story of the Daughter and Her Crumpled Sheet)
- Secret Sixteen: Listen, It Pays (The Story of the Teacher and a Little Girl)
- Secret Seventeen : Think Good of Others (The Story of The Lady and Her Umbrella)
- Secret Eighteen : Celebrate Our Differences (The Story of Nine Sprinters)
I would like to suggest to people out there to find this amazing inspirational book to be at your home. This is a must-have motivational and inspirational book. There are many positive responses from the readers.
Imam Suhaib Webb, a Muslim scholar and activist, said that this book “Addresses many of the real life problems we face everyday!”
Another response from Dr. Ahmad Farouk Musa, a cardio-thoracic surgeon and a senior lecturer, Monash University Malaysia, said: “One of a kind, it is lively and serious about what life is about, a must read!”.
Under “What People Saying About” part that is availed in this book, Malik B. Badri from Sudan, a professor of Psychology, at International Islamic University Malaysia, gave his longest comment, among others.
This is Malik Badri’s comment regarding this book:
“Every great nation of the past had some form of refined art or literature that inspired the hearts of its citizens with the appreciation of its beauty and moved their emotions and sentiments and eventually directed their thoughts and beliefs. The Arabs in their jahilliyyah and at the time of our beloved Prophet (PBUH) were a nation that excelled in poetry. Its influence on the Arabs was much greater than the sculpture of the Greeks and Romans or the movies and TV of our time. That is why Allah Ta’ala revealed the miraculous Qur’an in a language that defied the masters of eloquence to compose words of its like. Our beloved Prophet appreciated the great influence of poetry on his people, so he effectively used it to preach Islam. The great poet, Hassan Ibn Thabit, used to read moving poetry in the Mosque of Madinah and its rhythms shook the hearts of the people in Makkah. It is unfortunate that contemporary Muslim scholars have fossilized their da’wah to Islam to hardened lectures and dull repetitive teachings. Very few Muslim writers use stories and poems in their sermons and their writings. That is why I was greatly impressed by reading Zabrina’s Life is an open secret- Think About It and her new book, Life is an Open Secret- You, Me and We. Her stories and concrete examples from normal life experiences are quite entertaining and very skilfully phrased in such a manner that smoothly lead the reader to appreciate the depth of meaning in a verse from the Holy Qur’an or the Blessed hadith of our Prophet. Her knowledge is not restricted to Islamic sources. She beautifully quotes from the wisdom and literature of other civilisations. I will conclude this by warmly congratulating her as a pioneer in this blessed field and congratulating her artist for the wonderful drawings decorating the book.”