Contents
37 Lessons BOOK REVIEWS
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Sheikha Maryam Kabeer Faye
37 Lessons on How to Gain from Loss: A Believer’s Journey from Trial to Triumph by Huma Zuellah Ahmed
Book review by Sheikha Maryam Kabeer Faye, Unite in the Light
Author of the book: Journey Through 10,000 Veils, the Alchemy of Transformation on the Sufi Path
This book, 37 Lessons on How to Gain from Loss, is a direct and powerful transmission of deeply transformative healing wisdom relevant to all human beings facing crises and challenges—i.e. all of us—while yearning to be free and to realize the Divine purpose of our lives.
With great honesty and ultimately humility, the author describes her own journey of transformation through absolute anguish with the death of her beloved mother to the spiritual awakening of her realization that God Most Merciful was in charge of every aspect of her life and death and that He, the Master and Owner of all, had simply taken her mother back to Him, from Whom all lives come and to Whom all return.
…an invaluable tool box of psychological and spiritual remedies for all sincere seekers on the journey to ultimate liberation in Truth.
In the course of reading this inspired book, I discovered with the author, as she discovered them, the profound Divine truths, in passages of the Qur’an, which were so deeply relevant to the lessons she was learning in her journey of spiritual awakening. Such teachings, as revealed in the context of her transformative journey, are the direct Source of healing, transformation, and ultimately liberation, enabling us to go beyond the reach of any worldly form of psychological or mental healing.
The book, itself, in its honest and detailed transmission of a real spiritual journey, is an invaluable tool box of psychological and spiritual remedies for all sincere seekers on the journey to ultimate liberation in Truth.
Sonya M. Janahi
37 Lessons on How to Gain from Loss: A Believer’s Journey from Trial to Triumph by Huma Zuellah Ahmed
Book review by Sonya M. Janahi, Founder & CEO, The Living Concepts, Maya La Chocolaterie & Board Member of the Bahrain Chamber of Commerce & Industry (BCCI)
If at any time in your life you have faced grief, loss or pain, then you need to read this book. It could be due to the loss of a loved one, or even loss of opportunities, or feeling the pain from how mankind treats you. This book genuinely opens a gateway for you to deal with the negativity in your life and not only for you to see the light at the end of the tunnel but to actually be in the light.
If you have lost your way in life, this book teaches you how to put yourself above all, not from a selfish standpoint, but from a perspective of being useful to both yourself and all around you, and to be able to give love, attention and support to everyone in your life at the right time and in the right way.
Stress is a common daily word in our life…How do we control our emotions in a practical way and not allow stress to control our life and judgement is what this book has allowed me to appreciate by dealing with failure and accepting the fact that it’s not the end of the world.
We are not super humans and not perfect but we can create the path to success if we venture on the path of positivity and faith. If we start our day in a negative form, we are simply absorbing negative vibes from the universe and yet if we start with a positive thought, surprisingly we view the solutions and possibilities rather than complications and negativity.
A simple, yet insightfully deep and comforting book that helps the reader handle life’s challenges in a totally different approach...With faith, grace and hope.
While reading this book, I felt a sense of ease, peace and calmness…a strange thought that no matter what happens, it’s not the end of the world and everything can be altered. Not necessarily to what I want but what the universe thinks is best for me. We need to trust God and have faith that what is best for us should happen and not necessarily what we want is the best thing for us. Let’s live life with the open thought of accepting to modify our plans and not apply the “either my way or the highway” principle.
Finally, give without expecting anything back. My mother always says “good deeds and hard work are never lost with God”, and life has proven such to me. Work hard, give others what they need and rest assured God is overlooking what you are doing and even if you don’t reap the benefits on the spot, its kept for you to support you during a more difficult time when you need support the most, or a new door to a new opportunity opens up gaining you positive results that far exceed what you gave. One thing is for sure, the more you give and the more you appreciate, the more your gain… Alhamdulillah
I have not met Huma but reading her book has made me feel I know her, understand her and now view life through her honest and graceful thoughts. The approach she has applied with her writing opens a channel between her and the reader making the reader view the situations she is in as if viewing a movie parallel to reading her book. A simple, yet insightfully deep and comforting book that helps the reader handle life’s challenges in a totally different approach...With faith, grace and hope.
Sheima Salam Sumer Ed.S
37 Lessons on How to Gain from Loss: A Believer’s Journey from Trial to Triumph by Huma Zuellah Ahmed
Book review by Sheima Salam Sumer Ed.S, Counselor, Founder of How to Be a Happy Muslim
Author of the book: How to be a Happy Muslim Insha’Allah
One of the Most Inspirational Books I’ve Ever Read
“37 Lessons on How to Gain from Loss” by Huma Zuellah Ahmed is one of the most inspirational books I have ever read. “37 Lessons” is a hopeful book on dealing with any kind of loss. Huma lost her mother to cancer in 2015 and turned her loss into a masterpiece.
This book is enjoyable to read and gives you practical advice for inner peace. It contains beautiful Quranic reminders. It is poetic and personal.
…this book is a treasure. It made me appreciate my loved ones more. It is a great gift for anyone of any faith.
Some Unforgettable Lessons:
There are hundreds of lessons in this book, and here are just a few:
- The basic goal of loss is personal enhancement, like an upgrade.
- Perfection is fantasy. However, if we keep trying to be a better version of ourselves, we are “on purpose.”
- There is nothing more precious than your own well-being.
- How you label things is what causes you pain. For example, When I choose to stop viewing traffic as a problem, traffic exists but the problem exists no more.
- Just view the external world situation as simply a fact.
- Nothing has the power to hold you in the state of pain except your own self.
- The beauty of being human lies in the potential of correction.
- Peace empowers you.
- Forgiving yourself is the stepping stone to correction.
In conclusion, this book is a treasure. It made me appreciate my loved ones more. It is a great gift for anyone of any faith.
Anita C Powell
Book review by Anita C Powell, Founder Engai Poetry & Music Publishing (TAPN2UMovement)
My attention was captured, the journey was captivating and a sense of my own Self Recovery was elevated. “37 Lessons on How to Gain from Loss” nurtured my heart. Healing energy from these words touched places there, where healing within me was needed. My mind was nourished by the vivid imagery as the words transformed letters to portrait; an imagery two-fold. Reading these lessons learned, I was guided by the painting of the words; and yet, my imagination had room to explore. This transitional journey from a road of loss to a road of gain is a blessing for any library. It will certainly be in mine. Thank You, Huma for your Love, Strength and Courage to travel your heart and your willingness to share.
Fahad Sarwani
Book review by Fahad Sarwani, Life Coach, Founder of Falaq Consulting
Dealing with trials and loss in life can be an extremely challenging endeavor for most people. Huma’s book beautifully takes you on a journey of awakening by raising your awareness level to help you deal with the ups and downs of life with resilience and patience.
Anisah Bagasra
Book review by Anisah Bagasra, PhD, Assistant Professor of Psychology, Kennesaw State University
The Book “37 Lessons on How to Gain from Loss” is an important contribution to the area of grief and coping. It examines loss from the perspective of a daughter and caregiver who has to struggle through the process of facing death and dying and emerges a stronger person. This book will be helpful for contemporary Muslims as it offers lessons in religious-based coping.
Rahla Khan
37 Lessons on How to Gain from Loss: A Believer’s Journey from Trial to Triumph by Huma Zuellah Ahmed
Book review by Rahla Khan, Journalist, Co-founder of Muslim Ink
Transforming Loss to Gain, Powered by Faith
Who among us has not known the loss of loved ones? In life and in death.
We all react differently to loss: some of us break down under its sheer gravity and enormity; some may fall into depression and despair; others block out all feelings and regress to survival mode, focusing only on the business of getting from one day to another.
There are very few among us who can turn personal loss into gain powered by faith. Huma Ahmed’s book 37 Lessons from Loss, is one such testimony.
She shares her intensely personal journey of losing her mother to cancer as a “tribute—to every human being reaching for that Universal Shade—waiting to wrap them in its transformational truth, turning their tragedy into treasure.”
The book appeals to the reader’s innermost layers of consciousness. It is dedicated to “all those whose journey begins with the loss of a loved one and ends in gain.” We have all loved and lost loved ones, either to the finality of death or destiny. The author’s journey of loss and learning is extraordinarily therapeutic and inspiring, because we can all identify with it at some level.
“Unputdownable” … I haven’t read anything like this book in recent times.
Another aspect of the book that every reader can identify with is the mother-child relationship. In an age of troubled relationships, even the parent-child relationship is not considered sacrosanct, and is not above being a source of angst on both sides. It is incredibly moving to read memories of a mother’s goodness and her portrait through the eyes of a child, that does not only eulogise her, but renders her real in the reader’s eyes.
The author’s perspective as a Muslim self-discovery and mindset coach and trainer is invaluable, because it is backed by insights based on Islam, the Qur’aan and Hadeeth—definitely more weighty than mere man—made theories and personal conjecture.
The book is a shared experience, not just a window into someone else’s world. I opened a copy of the book I had received, just to check if everything was in order before writing my review. I started skimming through it late at night, and I was still reading it the next morning.
“Unputdownable” was just another hyperbolic cliche for me, until that moment.
May Allaah accept the book from the author as a sadaqah jaariyah (continuous charity), raise her mother’s ranks through her supplications and enable it to serve as an inspiration for readers in coping with loss with faith and grace. I haven’t read anything like this book in recent times.