Sughra Ahmed, Emel Magazine, London

© emel media limited.
 Turning the Tide is a unique and innovative masterpiece that has been designed to delight the read at the turn of each page. The main theme running through the book is that of water - a life sustaining commodity each life form requires for survival. It is with this movement that we see the variations of the tide - this is linked with changes in the tide of life which is displayed in both image and narrative form. The movement of water guides our life from birth in the womb of the mother: at this poignant stage the book begins on an inspiring journey mapping ten stages of a woman's life. 

The British born author, Suma Din, reawakens the woman's heart and soul through her gift of writing. She has successfully managed to bring forth her enlivening poetry and prose on the fundamental aspects of an individual's life: the idea of God, our Creator, giving us the life we are blessed with. The idea of God continuing to bless each of us with His endless bounties in the form of one's soul which travels through childhood, youth, knowledge, the state of the heart, health and appearance, marriage, motherhood, the age of wisdom and, of course, the soul's journey on after this life. Suma Din captures the heart and soul exceptionally well throughout each of these stages by succinctly quoting from the sources of Islam. Each quote is used to demonstrate the spiritual aspect of what we seek to aspire to - a strong sense of closeness to God.
The contemporary female scholars such as Aisha Lemu and Ruaqaiyyah Waris Maqsood promote this book as a 'fresh perspective on the lives of Muslim women through the passage of time' (B.A. Lemu) and 'a beautiful valuable and inspiring book' (R. W. Maqsood). Such a resourceful yet enjoyable book has been a long time coming. The author Maryam Jameelah describes the book for her as 'A beautifully written spiritual journey of a woman's life from birth to death; pure Qur'an and Ahadith; highly recommended for all truth-seekers in general, and women in particular.
The book provides a map for the reader in order to simplify the structure that has been employed. This begins with an introduction to each stage of life folowed by Myriad Voices, translations of Qur'anic verses, Ahadith, from the major compilers, du'a's to help each of us with our individual needs and, finally, an example of a noble woman who achieved perfection within the domain she is revealed in, i.e. Khadijah al-Kubra - Khadijah the Great as an exemplorary wife.
Myriad voices can be explained as countless voices- this is the most unique contribution to the book. Suma Din has effectively mastered the technique of recreating the questions we either face or hear from others in a poetic fashion. This works well with the themese of self reflection by gently encouraging the reader to face them. We go on to find that these are addressed perfectly by Suma Din's sheer honesty and apt referencing from the Qur'an and Ahadith. This proves to be an original method of delivery - the most inspiring of affirmations in how easy it is to neglect our one true self - the soul.

 
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