BOOK REVIEW

BOOK REVIEW Name of the Book: The Spirit of Islam Name of the Author: Maulana Wahiduddin Khan Translator: Prof Farida Khanam Publisher: Goodword Books, New Delhi Year: 2022 Pages: 488 ISBN: 9789394886179 The Spirit of Islam is an English translation of Maulana Wahiduddin Khan’s Urdu book Islam: Ek Ta’aruf. The Urdu edition has been a perennial bestseller. Throughout the Urdu-speaking world, many academic institutes have incorporated it in their course. The reader is captivated by one- or two-page length articles elucidating various aspects of Islamic way of life. In short and succinct paragraphs, the writer beautifully expounds the moral, spiritual, mundane, social, and metaphysical aspects of Islam. Drawing heavily from the Quran and the corpus of Hadith, the reader is impressed by the application of these teachings in the day-to-day affairs. In this book, the author expounds on the spirit of Islam instead of the outward forms of various religious rites. Every form, activity, belief and teaching of Islam are aimed at inculcating God-consciousness in a believer, well-wishing towards fellow human beings and above all constant self-introspection. The book explains that a believer’s response to situations of life should be one of a heightened awareness of being ultimately accountable before God, be they unpleasant, negative, pertaining to disputes or controversies, failures or successes. Being extremely cautious in his speech and actions, a believer’s life experiences are an opportunity for spiritual development and purification of the soul. The following is a selection from an article titled The Motivation for Social Service from this book: