The Nightingale

We asked Ameera Aslam, author of Desiring Light, to have a chat with A. Helwa about her new book, From Darkness into Light. This is their conversation.

After a couple of years living with strict social distancing, this year's Eid does feel like one of these breezes of Mercy. It is a mercy to be with friends and family, to receive them into our lives again, illuminating each other’s homes with joy and fellowship.

Fasting, as Imam al-Mawlud reiterates, feeds spiritual growth; the less we fill our stomachs, the more we fill our souls. And Ramadan is the welcomed friend who gently nudges us all to feed our famished souls.

If Wardah Books were a person, she would be a 20-year-old. What should she write in her autobiography, as she stands at the threshold of adulthood, looking forward to new beginnings. She may not have the eloquence of Imam al-Ghazali, but we hope she has the presence of heart to begin: Alhamdulillah, Praise be to God.

It is in this spirit that we embark on the book club for 2022. We want to learn about the modern world, its secular underpinnings and historical pathways, not to mock or engage in name-calling, or to stoke the flames of indignation. Rather, we seek to understand because we recognise that there is a metaphysical commonality that binds all human beings: that we are all created out of love by the All-Merciful.

It is a book that reminds us to be grateful for whatever we’ve been given- to say ‘Alhamdulillah’ when most others would not even think of saying it. We usually tend to focus on our present moment and when things do not go our way, we complain or lose hope. But the beauty of being a believer is to be thankful no matter what situation we find ourselves in, because Allah has planned something beautiful for us.

The way we think about reading promotion should be the same way we think about protecting species: ecosystem conservation. The ecosystem consists of habitat and communities of organisms. For our purpose, habitat can be thought of as libraries, bookshops, and quiet places to read, while communities of organisms are authors, publishers, logistics chains, booksellers, and of course, readers

We are pleased to announce our Readers’ Choice 2021 Shortlist. We would like to invite you to vote for the book that has had the most impact on you this year.

Our forebears leave behind books, knowledge, responsibilities, and even buildings. We in turn leave the same to our successors. In the present slice of time, we are all custodians of a living heritage, whether we are aware of it or not. And sometimes, like that morning, heritage comes knocking on your door.