Book Review: Two Books by Nurnazida Nazri

Bismillah al-Rahman al-Raheem

So, normally I would be a bit hesitant to do a book review for an author that I know next to nothing about, but when this author contacted me about some of her books providing inspiration for Muslims, I couldn’t say no!

Her name is Nurnazida Nazri, and she is a practising lawyer and a lecturer on law in Malaysia. She has recently started her journey as a writer, and her books are inspired by her experiences with her students and her desire to inspire and encourage others.

The books I’m going to be sharing with you today are called Submitting to Allah and Candle in the Wind, both e-books available on Amazon.

Submitting to Allah was her first book, so as I got to reading I chose to read this one first. It is short and sweet, only around 42 pages from cover to cover. It is designed to be a little reminder and pick-me-up whenever you are feeling down or disconnected, and that is exactly the kind of thing I love to read!

It is broken up into short chapters, and the general focus of the book is how to deal with the problems and trials that arise in life. There are quite a few reminders that others have bigger problems than you and I, and though the book speaks to doing your best, the final chapter reminds us that whatever happens in our lives, it is all in Allah swt’s hands.

There are also short little poems in between the chapters, but I have to say, this wasn’t really my cup of tea. Though quite frankly, I have very specific tastes when it comes to poetry (I like the poetry of Edgar Allan Poe if that gives you any idea), so I don’t really like a whole lot of poetry in general.

Anyhow, the book was definitely a nice little does of “quit your whining and get to work” inspiration, and I definitely appreciated that!

Her second book, Candle in the Wind, was slightly longer, and actually this one was my favorite. Each chapter in this one focuses on a certain student she has taught, their background and their story, and then imparts a lesson from whatever they went through.

Many of the stories were about overcoming trials, maintaining integrity, and working hard, and I loved that it was both anecdotal with the stories from the author’s real life, as well as motivational with a little lesson at the end of each story.

This one was slightly longer, around 81 pages from cover to cover, though I found myself wanting to read more when I hit the end! Again, there were a couple of poems in this one, which were still not my cup of tea, but nothing that ruined the impact of the book.

Though I am not a fan of poetry, and actually the writing style in general wasn’t really my favorite (but she is bilingual so she gets bonus points anyhow!), I really did enjoy both of these books. Candle in the Wind was my favorite, and great if you are looking for something a bit more story-like, but Submitting to Allah was also a great little dose of motivation when I actually happened to be going through some difficult times and needing it most. Plus, I was happy to help out a sister on a mission to encourage and inspire others!