Ramadan has arrived, and we couldn’t be happier! A month of fasting and spiritual care will definitely help those who are celebrating it to become more disciplined in their worship of God. It is also known as the month of introspection and self-improvement. We all know that the Quran is a must-read for all Muslims during this holy month, but if you’re looking for other books to help with your personal development, fret not! We’ve gathered a selection of books from various genres for you to read. In the spirit of this celebration of humility, solidarity, and self-improvement, these books can also be read by non-Muslims too!

1. Light Upon Light – Nur Fadhilah Wahid

“An intention is a very powerful thing; it is the very foundation of all our actions, and it determines not only the final outcome, but the emotions and thoughts we have when doing the action. “-Nur Fadhilah Wahid

Published in 2017, Nur’s Light Upon Light managed to receive numerous amounts of support and love from readers in the world. This book is a collection of Nur’s life that she had experienced between 2013 and 2014, where she wrote 40 letters to her readers through this book which addresses self-reflection and her journey to get closer to God spiritually. The Singaporean author wants to deliver her message about Islam in a very easy digestible structure, unlike other religious books that focus more on heavy facts. She also makes sure that her book is open to all readers without having any religious boundaries so that non-Muslims can learn about the religion from a different perspective.

As a book filled with life lessons, this can be considered the ideal book for those who seek comfort during difficult times. Nur began to question everything about her life after going through a series of events that led her to realize that everything happened for a reason. We often find it hard to understand life incidents, but we never consider the reasons for all of them. Hence, this book may help you discover new ways to look at things differently. It can also be served as a self-reminder for most of us out there for bettering ourselves.

2. Secrets of Divine Love – A. Helwa

“God purposely created you to know, love, and worship Him.” -A. Helwa

Helwa’s Secrets of Divine Love book draws on the Quran’s religious secrets, ancient mystical poetry, and stories from the world’s greatest prophets and spiritual masters that help reawaken one’s faith, overcome doubts and strengthen one’s spiritual connection. The Southern Californian poet and writer believes that every single person on Earth is deeply loved by the Divine (God). Hence, she aimed to publish this book in order to help people understand how Islamic spiritual teachings and practices can encourage the re-establishment of a human being’s relationship with God. 

The tender style, blended with the metaphoric poetic writing, makes it an enjoyable read for all audiences. By weaving the verses with the Prophet’s teachings, psychological and scientific aspects, the author takes a rational approach to introduce the Islamic religion. Since there are many rumors and misconceptions about Islam portrayed in the western media, Helwa’s Secrets of Divine Love may serve as an eye-opener about the religion’s truth and its positive values. We believe that this book is for every single soul out there who longs to love and be loved by God. Believer or non-believer, this book will make you fall in love with God.

3. Don’t Overthink It : Make Easier Decisions, Stop Second-Guessing, and Bring More Joy to Your Life – Anne Bogel

“With an experiment, there’s no “do it right or do it again”. Instead, it’s “do it and see what happens”- Anne Bogel

Has anyone here experienced overthinking once in your life? Well, don’t worry! We’ve all been through those phases where we think a lot for no reason, and our anxiety will eventually start to build up until it causes us to let the little things swell into mountainous hurdles. Nobody wants to live a life of constant overthinking, but it doesn’t feel like something we can choose to stop doing. If you are inclined to anxiety, over-analyzing, or both, then Don’t Overthink It, is the perfect book for you.

The American author makes sure that her readers find actionable strategies that can make an immediate and lasting difference in how you deal with questions in life through her book. Each chapter will offer you a framework for making choices you’ll be comfortable with, using an appropriate amount of energy for different circumstances and ways to focus on what really matters in life. Anne provides real-life examples of how overthinking affects daily life. She uses everyday situations that we can easily relate to and provides simple and applicable solutions to help improve them. As this book is written in such an informal tone, her ideas and recommendations are easily understandable.

Read the book and see how your life changes once you’ve learned how to deal with your thoughts with these ideas!

4. Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don’t Know – Adam M. Grant

“If knowledge is power, knowing what we don’t know is wisdom..”- Adam Grant

Think Again is a motivational book explaining the value of doubt and how we can improve our ability to embrace the unknown and the joy of being wrong. This book, written by an American psychologist, bestselling author, and professor, is divided into the following sections:-

• Section 1: Analyze why we find it so hard to think again and how we can learn to do so. It is because, as individuals, arguing that ‘grit’ alone will be ineffective.
• Section 2: Discusses how we can help others think again through learning about ‘argument literacy’.
• Section 3: Examines how schools, businesses, and governments fall short of creating cultures that encourage critical thinking.

Grant challenges us to become alright with not knowing, being wrong, and rethinking our conventional wisdom. Every human is different. That’s why we are unique in our way. Sometimes, we struggle to understand people who hold contrasting life principles to us. We often listen to opinions that make us feel good, instead of ideas that make us think hard. In order to bridge the gap, Grant provided methods on how to have conversations with different types of personalities through this book. One can learn to question their opinions and open other people’s minds, which can position them for excellence at work and in life.

5.  My Inner Sky: On Embracing Day, Night, and All the Times in Between – Mari Andrew

“If you don’t engage in the world, it’s pretty easy to be afraid of it.”- Mari Andrew

The New York Times best-selling author Mari Andrew came up with a new book this year! This time, she wrote a collection of self-help essays and illustrations about her personal life and the coincidence of opposites at certain times during grief and joy. The writings centered around the idea of present-day thinking. The chapters are divided into phases of the sky, such as twilight, golden hour, night, and dawn. These phases represent faithful companions for the curves of life. It covers various life themes, including love, abandonment, loss, physical and mental illness. It also emphasizes early adulthood battles with one’s identity and sense of self, productivity struggles, and so on, with each falling under a category named after a time of day. 

My Inner Sky uncovers all of the emotions that make up life while providing insights into trauma and healing, the meaning of home, the challenges of loneliness, and finding love in the most unpredictable places. Andrew has also used symbolic examples of her day-to-day life to encourage her readers to think differently. She effortlessly passes on her deeply-rooted sense of curiosity, frivolity, positivity, kindness, and wisdom to the reader. Furthermore, the hand-drawn watercolour illustrations that accompany each essay in this collection will help the readers find peace by identifying the healing magic that already exists in everyday life.

We hope you find these readings helpful in your quest for self-improvement during the holy month of Ramadan. We from Penwings Publishing would like to wish Ramadan Kareem to all Muslim readers around the world! 🙂