No words could ever truly capture the journey this book invites you to embark upon. Each chapter, though brief, is dense with wisdom, dripping with beauty, layered with truths so profound they leave the soul breathless. Dr. Abou El Fadl writes with an honesty that pierces the heart, with a precision that demands reflection, with a grace that lingers long after the page has been turned. His words do not merely inform—they transform. They awaken. They stir.I have read this book once, and then again, and then again. I have wept over its pages, wept at the weight of the truths it unveils, wept at the sheer absurdities my beloved teacher exposes with such clarity that I could no longer feign ignorance. I have felt rage, deep and unshakable, at the injustices described—atrocities committed in the name of a religion that is but a source of beauty, that is but a source of guidance, of humility, of gratitude, yet has been defiled by the hands of the ignorant, twisted into something unrecognizable, something suffocating, something dark.If you are a human with a heart that beats, read it. If you are a Muslim seeking light, seeking beauty, seeking truth, commit to studying it. And if you have read it, if its words have touched your soul, then I pray that wherever your gaze falls, you find beauty—not the shallow beauty of form, but the luminous beauty of essence. I pray that instead of caging your faith in narrow interpretations, you allow the lungs of your iman to expand, to breathe, to inhale the vastness of divine beauty and exhale a life of dignity, of love, of truth.May this book inspire you. May it transform you. May it move you—not only to search for beauty but to become beauty, to embody beauty, to spread beauty until the world itself is made radiant by its light. That’s how much I believe in the power of this book. It can produce generations of books and generations of honorable humans.I keep buying it to gift to my friends and not a single one of them said they weren’t moved. We all love it and I hope you will too!A book that does not merely speak to the mind but awakens the soul. Dr. Khaled Abou El Fadl weaves a tapestry of wisdom, beauty, and unflinching honesty, guiding readers through the depths of faith, justice, and the pursuit of divine light. Each chapter is a mirror, reflecting both the beauty of Islam and the distortions wrought by ignorance. This is not just a book—it is an experience, a transformation, an invitation to breathe, to feel, to seek, and to embody beauty itself.I wish I could share a picture of my original book here, but there are too many highlights, underlining, and it’s too personal to share.
