Secrets of Divine Love is a masterful map of the landscape of the soul on its journey home to the One who both transcends and dwells within all that is.” The premise of SoDL is simple: an exploration into the ways in which Islamic spiritual teachings and practices can (re)establish one’s relationship with God. Through drawing inter and intra-faith parallels, this book offers different, yet not dissimilar, teachings from other philosophies and faith traditions. That being said, SoDL is still firmly grounded in orthodox, mainstream Islamic belief and advocates a loving, obedient relationship with the Divine. It in no way endorses secular spirituality with a sprinkle of Islamic mysticism, nor does it preach a perennial or universalist philosophy in its desire to be inclusive. But what if a sense of peace was a possibility in the here and now? Secrets of Divine Love discusses the inner depths of the rituals of Islam, revealing their meaning and philosophy, helping to guide us to a different and profoundly empowering view of the Almighty and ultimately our own reality. “Life is not about reaching heaven after we die, it is about dwelling in the palace of God’s eternal presence while you are living.” I cannot describe my deep connection with the Almighty after reading the book, so rather I decided to cite some content from the book for you to be able to feel its warmth and love language: It helped me to see the world with the eyes of love and mercy. It helped me love MYSELF and understand MYSELF. I started loving all the creatures and my surrounding at an another level and this as a result, helping me better my life. I found out my 'Why' in the book.

The spiritual path is not one where we find out way to God, but rather one where we remove everything that prevents us from seeing that we're already in the Divine court."We do not worship God because God needs it, we worship God because we need it. Prayer is not you reaching out for God, it is you responding to God, who first reached out to you". DR. FAWZIA AL-RAWI, Author of Divine Names: The 99 Healing Names of the One Love and Founder of theCenter for Feminine Spirituality and Sufism

When Helwa is not reading at coffee shops, she can be found climbing mountains, camping in deserts, h A. Helwa believes that every single person on Earth is deeply loved by the Divine. She is a writer who has inspired hundreds of thousands of readers through her passionate, poetic, and love-based approach to spirituality. Her popular blog @quranquotesdaily, was established while obtaining her Masters in Divinity, as a means of helping others overcome personal and spiritual struggles on their journey of experiencing divine love. Di sini, Helwa menggunakan pembuktian ilmiah, meditasi terbimbing, dan juga latihan praktis dalam buku ini. Sehingga kita bisa mengembangkqnnua untuk membedakan dan mengatasi berbagai macam kritik batin yang negatif yang ada di dalam diri kita. Ibaratnya adalah cahaya penuntun. Dimana buku ini akan mengembalikan pembacanya pada sumber kedamaian dan juga penyerahan Ilahi. It is not death that we fear, what we fear is not living the life we know we were created to live.” This book speaks to our very fears and insecurities, it offers a reassuring hug and wills us to keep going, to unveil the layers shielding our eyes from Allah’s love and mercy: “We must be honest with how we feel, because we cannot receive God’s deep healing if we continuously avoid facing our pain.” She not only describes the endless love and mercy of Allah towards all his creatures, but her proofs and evidence form a loving embrace that reassures and comforts the reader to aspire to reach their potential with the tender support of Allah’s presence with us at every step: “God’s mercy accepts us as we are, but He loves us too much to let us stay the same.” Maybe this is why Imam Al-Sadiq has said: Is iman anything but love?

Success!

Awakening to faith is not a one time event, but a continuously unfolding reality. The journey of faith is not a race, but a marathon of love that each person walks at a different pace. God does not test us because He hates us, but because He loves us and sees in us a potential that can only be manifested and unveiled through the fires of purification. Just as muscle must tear to grow, the friction between sin and our inner holiness creates the conditions for spiritual growth". Our religion is not our destination, but the practices, principles, and teachings of Islam are necessary provisions on the path to Allah.” This book made me see the reflection of light in the depth of imperfection, each word spoke a language that rhymed with my soul. The author beautifully covered the most common spiritual topics majorly about Islam to help the troubled and lost souls who are trying hard each day. Moving on, SoDL weaves verses of the Qur’an into each chapter and Helwa uses pertinent ayat to consolidate her points. It’s frankly a stretch to claim her commentary and elaboration is a manifestation of independent exegesis. The ayat quoted are clear and self-explanatory, and never is an attempt made to reinterpret or provide a ‘unique’ take on any verses. If you are seeking a discussion on the Mukhamat and Mutashabihat ayat, this is not the appropriate forum.

Through our endless material pursuits in this world, it can be easy to be heedless of our need for Allah and our supreme reliance on him. But we find something is always missing, a hole of longing: “The hole we carry inside, that we so desperately long to fill, comes from the experience of once being unified with all of existence.”

God’s loving qualities do not change in response to our choices because God is not reactive. He is the cause of everything in existence. Just as the sun doesn’t stop shining if we close our eyes, when we sin it is not that God hates us, but rather we who are closed off from experiencing His love". Nevertheless, I remain confident in SoDL’s ability to spark an interest for Islamic sciences in the reader, and that in due time, the reader will indulge in established, traditional scholarly literature. The first gulp from the glass of natural sciences will turn you into an atheist, but at the bottom of the glass God is waiting for you.” WERNER HEISENBERG, PIONEER OF QUANTUM PHYSICS Our work is not to change the world. Our mission is to serve and love the world, believing that when we serve God and His creations from a place of love, by the virtue of God’s mercy the world begins to heal.

Hajj is a perfect example of this acceptance of others for it nurtures a collective sense of unity as “fear and bias tend to be changed not through facts and data, but rather through relationships… [Hajj] is a spiritual journey that calls us to contemplate how attached we are to this life and how ready we are for death.” The rituals call us to shed our ego along with our comforts and recognise how needy and how dependent we are on the mercy of our Lord. To be a true Muslim means to look at every creature of God and say the following: I honor the sacredness of your life, regardless what you believe; if the Creator of the universe has decided to create you from the spirit of His love, then by virtue of your very existence, you are more than enough for me". A. Helwa not only unveils dozens of spiritual secrets hidden within the Qur’an, but she does so in an uplifting and gentle way that meets each reader exactly where they are on the path to God. While staying true to classical Islamic theology, A. Helwa’s emphasis on the forgotten teachings of love in Islam has a way of speaking not to just Muslims but to spiritual seekers of all traditions. Unlike your average book on religion that is focused solely on rules and outer practices, Secrets of Divine Love is a motivational and inspiring guide of how to experience the beauty hidden in the heart of the Qur'an and the Islamic tradition from a place of love, passion, and joy. If you have been longing to experience a more intimate and loving relationship wiht Allah, then this book was written for you. If you have read the book, you definitely would be so curious what this journal is all about. A lot of people from all over the world has been saying the book had changed them spiritually (got closer to Allah). Some of them reached out to me on Youtube sharing their personal experiences.

Through the use of scientific evidence, practical exercises, and guided meditations, you will develop the tools and awareness needed to discern and overcome your negative inner critic that prevents you from experiencing God's all-encompassing love. Ramadan teaches us how discipline and boundaries don’t restrict our freedom, but actually lay the foundation for true freedom. Our addictions enslave us. Our attachments to our desires enslave us.” Helwa writes: Our journey on earth is about unwrapping the gift of divine love that we were given by God. It is not about achieving, earning, or deserving divine love- the shoreless ocean of Allah's love is already within us. Buku yang satu ini mengingatkan lagi mengenai pesan klasik bahwa Agama Islam diturunkan sebagai suatu rahmat pada semesta alam atau rahmatan lil alamin. Dengan begitu, semua aspek keislaman dalam hubungannya dengan ketuhanan, interaksi antar makhluk, dan kehambaan, seharusnya berdasarkan rasa cinta, bukan sebuah egoisme, rivalitas, ataupun kekerasan.