In Search of Comforting the Human Soul

By Shareefa Basyyoni

Are you tired of feeling depressed and anxious?  Are you looking to experience peace, tranquility, and comfort? Do you want to be able to use your faith to overcome hardship, live a good life here and in the hereafter?  If the answer to all these questions is yes, then this book is for you.

Surah 16 Verse 97

"Whoever does righteousness, whether male or female, while he is a believer - We will surely cause him to live a good life, and We will surely give them their reward [in the Hereafter] according to the best of what they used to do."

This book is not meant for those in search of the truth.  I make no claims to be a Doctor of Religion that can logically walk you through the branches of Islam and prove to you beyond a doubt that Islam is, and always has been, the one and only true religion. 

This book is for those of you who have grasped the aspects of Islamic teachings, embraced them, but found within no peace, no security, and no confidence to move forward. It is for those who like me embraced Islam, but do not know how to bring themselves from the edge of understanding to adopt a wiser perception of their suffering. It is for those who want to form a deep-seated belief in the promises of our Creator that will change their lives forever and bring peace and tranquility: in other words, a contented soul.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Shareefa Basyyoni
• Release date: Jan 17, 2020
• ISBN: 9781386894865

Shareefa Basyyoni

Shareefa Basyyoni was born in 1964 in Denver, CO USA, and grew up in a traditional Catholic family that exemplified having good morals as the backbone in the family. She embraced Islam in 1985 after reading the Holy Quran and discovering scientific facts described in its verses that had only been confirmed in the past few centuries.   The verse that was cause for her conversion was – Quran 55: 19-20 “He has let free the two bodies of flowing water meeting together between them is a barrier which don’t transgress.”  As a child, she used to watch on TV the French marine scientist Captain Jacques Cousteau, a famous underwater researcher who had discovered the water barriers between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, confirming what had been revealed in the Holy Quran. She has traveled abroad extensively after her marriage in 1987 to a Saudi National, mainly in Asian countries and the Middle East. She has lived in Egypt and Saudi Arabia for an extensive period, where she found a need, especially in the Expat community, for arranging community services, social activities, and networking.  This is what moved her to take personal initiative to prompt a change in her community. She is an accomplished Life Coach, Certified Counselor, and Workshop Facilitator. She is the founder of Pathways to Human Solidarity – a first of its kind motivational group for women in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia – with a membership of more than 32 nationalities of various faiths.  She recently established her own coaching practice with the prime objective of creating transformation. She is skilled at navigating through conflict, integrating differences, and creating safe cross-cultural and mixed-faith environments for learning. Her primary focus has always been to assist women through dark periods of depression, anxiety and grief and isolation, and other mental health concerns that can debilitate whole families. Her contributions include launching & managing volunteer programs and projects. She has taught English as a second language in the Middle East, worked as a volunteer locally, and when abroad, in food kitchens, and teaching the Arabic alphabet to young children so they can read the Holy Quran in Arabic. She loves to spend her time writing in her journal and sharing quality time with family.

Book preview

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

While every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this book, the publisher assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions, or for damages resulting from the use of the information contained herein.

IN SEARCH OF COMFORTING THE HUMAN SOUL

First edition. January 17, 2020.

Copyright © 2020 Shareefa Basyyoni.

ISBN: 978-1386894865

Author:  Shareefa Basyyoni

Editor:  Sakina bint Erik

Cover photo:  Photographer Ryan A. Schmidt

DEDICATION

The Dedication is the hardest part of a book for any author to write. And you know that your family and friends will pick up the book, flip to the dedication, and find that the author has dedicated a book to someone else and not them.

Not this time!

Because even if you are only a brief acquaintance of mine, or someone I haven’t seen in what seems like forever, or are in some way related to me, or a friend that I have shortchanged with contact, I trust, despite that, we will always think fondly of each other...

This one’s for you, and you probably know why. So, forgive me for not listing you by name.

For my husband and children, for my blood relatives and in-laws, for my close friends or acquaintances, I thank you all. All of you have added something unique and special to my life, and I wouldn’t be the person I am today without you. Writing this book wouldn’t have been possible without you and your support.

I hope you know that your support meant the world to me, your love has kept me from breaking, and your caring messages and encouragement have kept me trying to be always a better person. You are the light in my world of darkness.  If you ever lose hope in life, in people, or even in yourself, I want to help you with this book.  Thank you for believing in me even when I didn’t believe in myself. Thank you for picking me up every time I have fallen. Thank you for sharing your life with me. You are my blessing.

Bismillahi Rahmaani Raheem

In Search of Comforting the Human Soul

A convert’s guide to finding peace and happiness.

Find Paradise in Your Heart!

Shareefa Basyyoni

aka: souladvisor

Contents

DEDICATION

In Search of Comforting the Human Soul

Contents

Chapter 1: We are Not so very Different

Chapter 2: Seeing Beyond the Illusion

Chapter 3: Self-Reflection

Chapter 4: Be Content with What you Have

Chapter 5: What we Perceive as Hardship can Bring us Benefit

Chapter 6: Complete Faith and Submission to Allah

Chapter 7: Thikr (Remembrance) & Glorification of Allah

Chapter 8: Conclusion

Supplications: Dua

About the Author

Forward

––––––––

Note: The word Creator, God, and Allah (swt) will be interchanged throughout these pages. I infer no disrespect in doing so. I will also use quotes written by general authors from their works, not necessarily representatives of the Islamic faith.

Dear Readers,

What is the most essential and the most intriguing aspect of human existence? It is that mystery within us: the human soul. Although it lies within our breasts, its very sustenance remains foreign to us. The human soul within is what allows us and empowers us to escalate to higher levels in all aspects of the humanistic and social reality. Or, on the other hand (God forbid), it is the cause of our descent to behavior lower than animals by losing our integrity and following our desires.

Surah 16 Verse 97

Whoever does righteousness, whether male or female, while he is a believer – We will surely cause him to live a good life, and We will surely give them their reward [in the Hereafter] according to the best of what they used to do.

This book is not meant for those in search of the truth. I make no claims to be a doctor of religion that can logically walk you through the branches of Islam and prove to you beyond a doubt that Islam is, and always has been, the one and only true religion.

This book is for those of you who have grasped the aspects of Islamic teachings, embraced them, but found within no peace, no security, and no confidence to move forward. It is for those who like me embraced Islam, but do not know how to bring themselves from the edge of understanding to adopt a wiser perception of their suffering. It is for those who want to form a deep-seated belief in the promises of our Creator that will change their lives forever and bring peace and tranquility: in other words, a contented soul.

The Islamic way of life is like a machine that has been engineered by the Creator. It guides the human being through the complexities in life in a spiritual maze of sorts. It brings Muslims out through the other side, refined into eternal life, in which one will no