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NAME: FAIZAN AHMED AWAN
ROLL NO: 04
PROGRAM: BS ENGLISH
SEMESTER: 01
TOPIC: BOOK REVIEW
SUBMITTED TO: PROF. NOOR

ABOUT BOOK
BOOK NAME:
RECLAIM YOUR HEART
AUTHOR:
YASMEEN MOGHAED
GENRE:
ISLAMIC, INSPIRATIONAL, TRANSFORMATIONAL
PUBLICATION:
2012
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RECLAIM YOUR HEART
Introduction:
Yasmin Mogahed is an international speaker and author. She focuses much of her work on spiritual and personal development. She has written five books, and her purpose in writing is to awaken Muslims and give hope to those who feel trapped in the shackles of slavery. Reclaim Your Heart is an exemplary work by Yasmin Mogahed, where she addresses many questions that arise in the human mind. She also points out where we go wrong, which often leads to problems in our lives. This book is written to awaken the heart, transform lives, and offer a new perspective on various concepts such as love, pain, happiness, and patience. It can serve as a guide for individuals seeking the right path and how to follow it. In conclusion, Reclaim Your Heart is an excellent book for spiritual and personal growth. After completing this book, I have gained a new perspective on abstract concepts such as happiness, pain, love, loss, and patience. This book offers extensive information about why problems arise and what we should do when we're in difficulty. It also addresses what expectations we should or should not hold from this world or our relationships. The author declares this world as imperfect with concrete arguments, and I found myself agreed with view point.

Main Themes And Ideas:
Reclaim Your Heart comprises four main ideas.
1. Detachment from Dunya
In Reclaim Your Heart, Yasmin Mogahed uses the word "attachments" in the first chapter in a technical sense. Everything that ends in either a good or bad result starts with attachment. Similarly, for Muslims to succeed, it is essential for us to assess our attachments. In today's colorful world, we Muslims are deeply attached to this imperfect world. Even though Allah says in the Quran:
"And what is the life of this world except the enjoyment of delusion?" (3:185)
Allah uses the word matta for this dunya, meaning temporary enjoyment or nature. This world is not meant for enjoyment for Muslims; we are sent to this world to be tested—whether we remain righteous or forget the purpose for which we were created. Actually, we are striving, giving blood, sweat, and tears to this endeavor—trying to turn this dunya into Jannah.
We are wrong in many ways. Our expectations and hopes are now tied to this world, to the people in it. It’s not wrong to have expectations, but the problem lies in where we place them. We need to put our full hope in God and God alone. After this, we will learn what it means to be at peace and find stability. The author declares this dunya as imperfect and materialistic because whenever we place our hopes in this world or in people, we receive pain in return—just pain, sadness, and emptiness. When our hope is in God and our expectations are from God, we will be rewarded by the best from Him.
We need to realign our hopes and expectations and change ourselves. Allah says in the Quran:
"Verily, Allah will not change the condition of a people as long as they do not change their state themselves."

2. Handling Pain, Loss, Difficulty, or Emptiness
The author also teaches us how we should behave during times of pain, loss, difficulty, or emptiness. As Muslims, we should have firm belief in Allah. The sadness I feel today will change tomorrow. My pain will fade, just as my laughter won't last forever, nor will my tears. As Allah says in the Quran:
"Verily, with hardship comes ease."
This ayah means that in every bad situation, there is always something to be grateful for. With every hardship, Allah also gives us the strength and patience to bear it. So, as long as there is still a tomorrow, a next moment, there is hope, there is change, and there is redemption. The author explains this concept through examples of the prophets: Did Yusuf return to his father? Did Musa return to his mother? Did Hajar return to Ibrahim? And did health, wealth, and children return to Ayyub? Yes, all of this happened, but only after enduring many hardships.
Sometimes we make the mistake of depending on the gifts Allah gives us, instead of depending on Allah Himself. When He gives us money, we depend on money and forget Allah. When He grants us health, we become deceived, thinking we will never die. The mind and heart, created by Allah for Allah, become the property of something or someone else. Through loss, we reach a level of sincerity and return to Allah, which we might not reach otherwise. Through loss, our hearts turn back to Him, asking for help.
Sometimes we don’t get what we desire because it’s not good for us, but we don’t understand or reflect deeply on it. Allah says in the Quran:
"But it is possible that you dislike a thing which is good for you, and that you love a thing which is bad for you, but Allah knows and you know not." (2:216)
We should not lose hope or despair in the face of loss. It might be good for us, and we just don’t know it.
3. Women's Status
The writer also illuminates the status of women in Islam. According to the author, power and freedom for women come from serving Allah, not from adhering to standards set by society or Western civilizations. The author argues that in our society, women are often judged by incorrect standards compared to men, with their worth measured by their appearance or display. In contrast, Islam grants women honor based on their connection with Allah.
Society teaches that a woman's true value lies in her beauty, but Islam states that everyone, including women, is valued according to what Allah says:
"Verily, the most honored of you in the sight of Allah is the one who is most righteous."
In Islam, women are not permitted to follow rules set by others or by Western standards that contradict Islamic principles. Women of faith, who have a concrete relationship with Allah, convey to society that their worth is not determined by how slim they are or how much men admire them, but rather by their relationship with God and their righteousness.
To those who claim to want to free me, I have one thing to say: thanks, but no thanks.
"O Prophet, tell your wives, your daughters, and the believing women to draw their cloaks over themselves. That is more suitable so that they will be recognized and not harassed. And Allah is Forgiving and Merciful." (Surah Al-Ahzab, 33:59)
4. Ummah
The author also indicates the reasons for the challenges that Muslim countries are facing today. She explains that there was a time when Muslims were strong and respected; now they are often hated and even killed in many countries like Syria, Yemen, and Palestine. The Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) described this situation, saying that Muslims would be like "froth on the surface of water," meaning they would be numerous yet powerless, blown around by the wind with no control.
According to the Prophet, the reason for this is that Muslims have become too attached to the dunya (world) and fear death. They have lost their moral character, becoming selfish, materialistic, and careless about their faith. The writer argues that the reason Muslims are in this state is that they have become self-centered and neglectful of others, as indicated in the Quran:
"And hold firmly to the rope of Allah, all of you together, and do not become divided."
Unfortunately, many Muslims have become very selfish and materialistic, seeking their own benefit everywhere. We often fail to look at the hopeless and helpless people around us. It is our obligation to help those who are being oppressed in Muslim countries.
SELF REFLECTION
Reclaim Your Heart has profoundly impacted my understanding, giving me a unique and effective perspective on diverse concepts like happiness, pain, love, loss, and patience. The book is filled with an ocean of knowledge and solutions to problems, but two chapters affected me the most.
The first is about attachment. We often do not look at or assess our attachments in this imperfect world, living as if we will never die. We have forgotten the purpose of life for which we were created, placing our expectations and relationships on this temporary world rather than on Allah. This temporary world has no power to give us anything; it can only bring us what has already been written for us. If the world were to gather to harm you, they would not be able to harm you with anything except what Allah has already decreed for you.
We often fail to reflect beyond the actions we perform in front of us. We are deeply involved in this colorful life and forget Allah, holding expectations of others, even though Allah says in the Quran that He is nearer to us than our jugular vein. How can we think that someone who is nearer to us than our jugular vein will never respond to us? We should return to Allah by the path He has guided us on for the last 1,400 years.
The second chapter that impacted my understanding addresses our wrong priorities. We eat breakfast and lunch and go to the bathroom without delay, yet when it comes to Salah (prayer), we often delay it. We prioritize things that take us away from our true home, Paradise. For example, when we are in class, we do not pray Salah as our first priority, but if we are watching a cricket match, we forget about Salah and miss our prayers, using sleep as an excuse.
Imagine if tomorrow we had a flight to America or a meeting with a king. Would we allow ourselves to sleep through that? Certainly not. Yet, when the King of Kings, the Lord of the Universe, calls upon us every night in the last third of the night, we remain asleep. How unfortunate we are! The Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) says that Allah descends to the lowest heaven every night when the first third of the night has passed and calls out:
“Is there anyone to call upon Me, so that I may respond? Is there anyone to ask of Me, so that I may give? Is there anyone to seek My forgiveness, so that I may forgive him?”
He continues to call until dawn breaks.
Unfortunately, we are lost in sweet dreams at that time when there is a chance to change our fortunes. It's all based on our priorities—whether Allah is our first priority or whether we only remember Him in times of pain and sadness. We should think deeply about and examine our priorities.

STRENGTHS
Although the author has successfully presented the entire book in an effective manner, two strengths stand out to me. First, the delivery of amazing content is concise and remarkable, making it easily digestible for the reader. Whether discussing topics like Salah (prayer), the relationship between spouses, or other important subjects, the author provides very informative content.
Second, the author explains Quranic terms in a very accessible way, helping readers understand the meanings behind various Ayat (verses) and the messages they convey. For example, the writer offers an excellent explanation of the word "Mata," describing its meaning as temporary or fleeting.
In a nutshell, this book is full of strength and valuable insights.
Conclusion:
Reclaim Your Heart is the best guide for individuals who feel trapped in the shackles of slavery. It covers many topics, from Tawhid (the Oneness of Allah) to hope, from individual relationships to the connection with Allah. Its content is transformative and helps develop your spiritual and personal growth. This book provides a new and effective perspective on various subjects. I highly recommend this book to readers, and I hope it will be beneficial for them
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Subjects

  • Chemistry (1st year and 2nd year) Beginner-Expert

  • Physics (10th grade)

  • Maths (12th)

Experience

  • Teacher (May, 2022–Present) at Home tuitioning in Islamabad
    Teaching from 2 years at my own home

Education

  • BS English (Sep, 2024–now) from IMPCC H-8/4 Islamabad
  • Higher Secondary (May, 2022–May, 2024) from IMCB F-8/4
  • Secondary (May, 2020–May, 2022) from imsb G64

Fee details

    Rs1,500–2,000/week (US$5.40–7.21/week)

    Depends os syllablus, subjects

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