The initial reason I requested to review this book was because of the beautiful cover and the introduction of ‘ecstatic love poems of rapture, awakening, and God’. Being a spiritual and religious person myself, as well as someone who thoroughly enjoys reading poetry, I was intrigued by this book. I haven’t found many who tie a deep religious understanding into their poetry, never mind those that encompass Islam in this. 

The book did not disappoint in the slightest. The opening text suggests that the poetry in the book comes from profound experiences by the author and that rereading the text will give a deeper understanding and feeling of what is contained in the verse. I’d have to say I agree with this summation, particularly as I like to reread poems a few times as I’m going through a book so I can fully feel the emotions and thoughts behind each. I found myself doing this whilst reading this book and I felt the poems had a deep rooted emotional affect the more I read. 

The text is broken up by images, a few of which I was unsure of, but on the whole I found them to add to the calm that you settle into whilst reading this book. The underlying emotion throughout the book is love and I think this is such an incredibly important part of poetry that can often be forgotten. Most poetry seems to focus on the more toxic, painful love. But I enjoyed taking a break and immersing myself in this soulful love centering around that of the creator and his creation.

Unfortunately I requested to review this verse 2 days prior to review, however in that time I really enjoyed reading this book and I’d definitely recommend it, particularly to those wanting to connect with a more spiritual love. I do plan to go through the verse properly without time constraint and enjoy it more thoroughly.