Pir-e-Kamil: The Perfect Mentor

Peer-e-Kamil #1

by Umera Ahmed

'What is next to ecstasy?' 'Pain.' 'And what is next to pain?' 'Nothingness.' 'What is next to nothingness?' 'Hell! The place which has nothing ahead... everything is left behind... There’ll come a time when all this will make sense to you... and you’ll never ask anyone what is next to ecstasy.'
Pir-e-Kamil has a message for everyone: there comes a moment in life when one has to decide between light and darkness. Even in light one needs to tread carefully because once in the darkness it makes no difference whether one can or cannot see. But sometimes there is a second chance, one may repent and trace back his steps to light. At this point the only solace is the voice that guides and leads to light, the voice of The Perfect Mentor.

Genres: Romance, Love, Fiction, Novels, Spirituality, Pakistan, Romantic

448 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2003

About the author

Umera Ahmed is one of the most widely-read and popular Urdu fiction novelist and screenplay writer of this era.
She completed her Masters in English Literature from Murray College, Sialkot. Later she became an English language lecturer for the students of O and A levels at Army Public College, Sialkot. However she left the job a few years back in order to devote her full attention to writing.
She began her writing career in 1998 at a quite young age. Her initial stories were published in monthly urdu digests and later came out in the form of books. She has written about 16 books , comprising of complete novels and compilations of short stories. However it was her novel "Peer-e-Kaamil (S.A.W.W)" which became her identity.

Reviews

[Aneela ♒the_mystique_reader♒ · Rating 5 out of 5]

What is next to esctacy?
Pain.
What is next to pain?
Nothingness.

OMG !
Peer-e-Kamil is my most favourite and the first Umaira Ahmed's book that I read, following her other books.
Salar was an obnoxious guy that I hated most. He gradually transformed into a good guy and the story of his transformation and "realization of self" is what Peer-e-Kamil is about.

Many people criticize about Salar's I.Q. level and that why he is shown as an extra-ordinary guy. Please guys, when it comes to "the model of inspiration" as a modest man, we always exemplify the best.

This is the book that changed my outlook on life. The book that made me realized where I stand in other's lives. That its never about how pretty you are, how rich you are or how genius you are. The moment you disappear into shadows, people forget about you.

The only thing matters is how good you are as a person, as a human being. How compassionate you are towards those others. How you can inspire and postively change lives of others. How you can show them the right path. How you can be the light guiding them when they are blinded by the negativity and arrogance.

I would recommend every urdu reader to read this book.

[Fiza · ia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Edit: Just got to know how to add pins' link here Excuse me plz



Reread #1
Why is it always I love you but never "I am not hiding anything. I was just wiping away the tears in my eyes so that you do not appear in a mist again." AAAAHHHH ME AND WHO???
On my way to pray tahajjud for asking the newer version of him 🛐

Just look at him praying: "Why have You so filled my heart with love for her that even though I stand in Your presence, I miss her?" If you see me outside Masjid I'm not there to steal shoes I'm there to kidnap him 🏃🏻‍♀️‍➡️🏃🏻‍➡️

"But she made the difference—she was the one who made all the difference, she who was and was not there." What iz that? Iz that a bird? Iz that a plane? No, these are my standards rising 📈



"I am honored," she heard him say. He kissed her softly on the eyes" i lowkey wanna get married if that's how it works 🧳😮‍💨🤚 Qubool hy Qubool hy Qubool hy 📝

"Then, forget her,"
"Can anyone forget to breathe?" This user is officially dead you can recite Surat Fateh thank youuu 🙂‍↕️🙏🏻

Now here comes this user's robot:
It's basically a journey of a muslim boy (i wouldn't even say muslim at the start) and a non-muslim girl, about the struggles they face, the reality of the people surrounding us, and how God has always the best plans for you...the romance is like a very side thingy here the main focus is character development,religion and careers etc.

I literally went from being SM appalled by his actions to changing my name on my id to Fiza Salar *don't tell my mom or future husband*

Also I hated Imama (at the end) uggghhh why'd she go to that mf

FYI the author literally took morally gray mmc to another level (like for pak/muslim mmc) you could've played ping pong with my eyes in the start! i was taken aback by him having gf or should i say gfs (how naive i was) there was muchhh more 😬

PS. If u didn't get invested from page 1 and didn't get teary during reading this book SORRY you read it all wrong or maybe in urdu LOL

""He wanted to be saved from that ecstasy that would lead him from pain to hell." DEEP 🤌



"I didn't believe in you—I believed in God."



"In life, at sometime or another we come to a point where all relationships cease—where there is only us and Allah.There are no parents, brother or sister, or any friend. Then we realise that there is no earth under us nor is there sky above, but only Allah who is supporting us in this emptiness. Then we realise our worth - it is not more than a grain of sand or the leaf of a plant. Then we realise our existence is only confined to our being. Our demise makes not a whit of difference to the world around us, nor to the scheme of things."



"The sixth point of direction was above and that was unattainable. That was where God was—He who was invisible to the eye but was present in every heartbeat, every pulsing flow of the blood, every breath, every morsel that went down one's throat."



"Improve your own track record, and look to yourself instead of worrying about others."

[Tehniat · Rating 4 out of 5]

زندگی میں ھم کبھی نہ کبھی اس مقام پر آجاتے ہيں جہاں سارے رشتے ختم ہو جاتے ہيں. وہاں صرف ھم ہوتے ہيں اور اللہ ہوتا ہے. کوئ ماں باپ کوئ بہن بھائ کوئ دوست نہيں ھوتا. پھر ہمیں پتا چلتا ہے کہ ھمارے پیروں کے نيچے زمين ہے نہ ھمارے سر کے اوپر کوئ آسمان، بس صرف ايک اللہ ہے جو ہميں اس خلا ميں بھی تھامے ہوۓ ہے . پھر پتا چلتا ہے ہم زمين پر پڑی مٹی کے ڈھير ميں ايک زرے يا درخت پر لگے ہوۓ پتے سے زيادہ کی وقعت نہيں رکھتے. پھر پتا چلتا ہے کہ ہمارے ہونے يا نہ ہونے سے صرف ہميں فرق پڑتا ہے. صرف ہمارا کردار ختم ہو جاتا ہے. کاينات ميں کوئ تبديلی نہيں آتی . کسی چيز پر کوئ اثر نہيں پڑتا

A good book. One of my best reads.

[Sana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Peer-e-Kamil was my second Urdu novel and first by Umaira Ahmed. Being one of the most popular Urdu novels to be ever written, Peer-e-Kamil is a journey from a bad extreme to a good extreme. And it is justified. Yes, it gets somewhat unbelievable to ponder over the changes in Salaar, the protagonist, but we know all the reasons. That's the beauty of it all.

Set against the backdrops of Islamabad, America, Paris and Lahore; Peer-e-Kamil tells the story of a boy blinded by his own misgivings about life. It is his journey into a man who is a complete opposite of the boy he was.

At first, the subtly persuasive personality of Umaima irritates and amuses Salaar. But as the time goes on, he cannot understand his obsession with her. All he did was spend a few hours with Umaima, but those few hours and the words that were exchanged between them, haunts him. They come into his mind when he least expects them to, making him question his way of living life. Ultimately, his thoughts force Salaar headfirst into depression and he finds nothing worth living for. He tries to pray, but fails miserably.

Being an extraordinary student, he has always been so far gone heady into the feeling of superiority that he is ever unable to decipher the meaning of 'Siratum Mustaqeem' or the right path. He doesn't know what the right path constitues and why it is for humans led astray. And of all the people he has ever met in life, he loathes the one who claims to be religious. Those people are the worst because to him they just exaggerate everything about themselves to the hilt.

Time goes on and Salaar finds himself changing. His transformation is complete during the late hours of the night when he is tied to a tree wearing only his Bermuda shorts. There he truly understands the next levels of ecstasy, the thing that always eluded him. This scene reminded me of a somewhat similar scene from Brida by Paulo Coelho.

Peer-e-Kamil is about following the path of righteousness. It is about un-deterring faith in the face of every difficulty in life. It teaches a profound lesson about how to live and how our life will achieve a meaningful stage. It is about finding ourselves through our Creator. Peer-e-Kamil is about the search for life itself.

[Abubakar Mehdi · Rating 1 out of 5]

I bought this book with very high expectations, but I was bitterly disappointed. The story is entirely based on themes of dissatisfaction regarding ones life and religious belief. Now, such a sensitive topic has extensively been discussed in literature, but this writer dealt it with most amateur manner. She adamantly resorted to humiliate a religious minority (whose beliefs are much contradictory to the Islamic teachings) and used most derogatory language against the spiritual leader of this particular religious group. This is highly undesirable.

Other than that the story held no allure for me at all. The case for the protagonist’s redemption was not contested by the author with good rationale or logic. The story too was very weak and rather predictable. Pick up any Urdu novel and you will find a spoiled, eccentric millionaire protagonist who is strayed and lost. Here, the girl jumps in, a little struggle and she makes a good man out him. Lo and behold, a perfect recipe for a bestseller in Pakistan. (Oh how I hate it )

A huge disappointment.

[Salman Tariq · Rating 1 out of 5]

To be very honest I would say this is most overated novel which leaves your far away from the reality.Ineffective writing skills, paradoxes of writers own opinions leads you no where I think it's a waste of time

This novel presents a society that doesnot exist even in fiction , its a juxtapult with extra star plus flavours and poor digest love story . Character development is pretty lame.

Novel is usually a reflection of a society or gives direction of society, above stated novel has nothing except manipulation of emotions.

But its good for young readers to follow something atleast . A book that might insight little interest in urdu

[Hina · Rating 5 out of 5]

" What is next to ecstasy?
Pain.
What is next to pain?
Nothingness.
What is next to nothingness?
Hell ."

If there is a story out there, more powerful, more beautiful than this one I would want to read it. This book, this story has touched me on so many levels, I am so overwhelmed with emotions right now. Only one word: AMAZING!

Any success in this world and the next, it is only granted for the love of Prophet Mohammad (Salalaho Alaihay Wasalam). And beyond that there is nothing that a person requires. Nothing.

[niyya نية · Rating 4 out of 5]

̨ ╭╯ꗃ 07. 06. 25 ˚﹒

┆ "In life, at sometime or another we come to a point where all relationships cease—where there is only us and Allah."┆

︵࣪ ˖ ໒꒱ thoughts

╰› this book has honestly altered my brain and opened my eyes. I’ve been having a difficult time lately and this has left me feeling the lightest I’ve been in weeks. I fear I am now going through an existential crisis and rethinking my whole life now! (this is a good thing)

I’d been seeing this book for a while but it hadn’t really sparked my interest until recently when one of my friends on here was reading it, and subhanallah does Allah bring things to you when you most need it.

The reasons why it’s missing a star is because I kinda got confused and lost at some points of the book and had to re-read/connect the dots later to understand or just stay confused 😭 the beginning was very confusing because it had so many POVs and we weren’t familiar with any of the characters or settings yet. I also wasn’t very interested in the whole school/UNICEF/UN thing, so I was bored and skimming during those parts, but that’s just me.

︵࣪ ˖ ໒꒱ plot/writing

╰› This was my first time reading an urdu book– yes, it was the english translation but regardless– and I enjoyed it so much. I’m definitely up for more if it means I get to read something like this again– my pakistanis hmu please 🥰

Pir-e-Kamil took turns I had not expected at all. I honestly had no idea what the story was about or anything, just that it was a good read. It’s about a non-muslim girl named Imama and a muslim– by name, at first– boy named Salar, who find Allah in their own journeys and then find each other through it. And it was written so beautifully, even in english. There were messy and intense moments, periods of despair and peace, and all of it was just SO emotion-packed.

Obviously, I love the Prophet (SAW) with my heart, but I don’t have a deep-rooted connection to him like other people do, and I strive to get to that place soon inshallah. This book, though, showed what that’s like and as much as it’s about finding Allah, it’s also about building a relationship with the Prophet (SAW). I loved how it talked about how we constantly seek someone to gain knowledge and to grow from when Allah Himself gave us that very person in the most perfect form. There is no greater mentor or noble being other than Prophet Muhammad (SAW). We only come to love him when we learn about him, and when we learn about him, we learn more about Allah and ourselves. It’s lowk a win-win, so why shouldn’t we??

There are spoilers from here on out!


︵࣪ ˖ ໒꒱ characters

┆"You believed in me? Why? I'm a bad person, remember?”
“I didn't believe in you—I believed in God. I gave up everything for God and His Prophet (PBUH). It could never be that I would be left helpless at the mercy of someone like you.”┆

╰› Imama– I had no idea Ahmadis were a thing until I read this, and it was so intriguing to learn about what they believe in and seeing Imama study the truth. Before we found out she was, I was like what the freak is wrong with her 😭 but this girl is SO inspiring, her unwavering faith in Allah despite almost everything going wrong?? She 100% knew that Allah would get her through it because she trusted Him. And her love for the Prophet (SAW) 🥹 that was truly so beautiful.

She’s so strong and brave, like hello?? She converted and married someone in secret despite knowing her father might kill her. And even when she was horribly beat up and put on house arrest, she refused to break and surrender. AND HER SLAPPING SALAR AND PULLING OUT A PISTOL ON HIM 🙏🏽 SHE'S SO COOL and we love a woman who torments a man for NINE whole years 😍 #needthat

When she burst into tears sobbing and was so confused about what to do and believe in after she heard Jalal’s naat was so heart-wrenching ☹️


Jalal– speaking of him, I hate this man with a passion 💗 he’s the reason why women don’t trust men


┆ “If I have sinned without any fear, then I should not be afraid of standing before my Maker and begging forgiveness for my sins— except that I will not be able to lift up my head, to raise my eyes...the only word on my lips will be the plea for forgiveness.”┆

╰› Salar– His journey is my favorite. I hated him so much in the beginning 😭 I was so disgusted and pissed off by how he acted and the things he did, like how can a person be this unfeeling and unbothered?? But when his life started changing and something in him was just PULLING him to think about his purpose, I was so awed and I began understanding him.

┆ “Was this the reason for which I was created... so that I acquire some more degrees, run a successful business, get married, have children, enjoy luxuries, then die...that's it?”┆

I felt this in my soul. This is such a vital question. Why were we created?

Simple answer. To worship Allah. And I think often, as muslims especially in this generation, we tend to forget that because we’re so caught up in the dunya since there’s always SO much going on.

“Was I brought into the world just to go through this much pain?” “What’s the point of all of this?” are questions we’ll think of at some low point in our lives. And what do we say when someone dies? Inna ilahi wa inna ilayhi rajioon. To Allah we belong and to Him we return. That’s the whole point. We were made from Allah and this whole life is a journey back to Him. He is the sole reason for our existence.

my GOD, the bathroom scene where it all started when Salar got sick and when he got tied up and stuck??? Wallahi those genuinely had my heart RACING, I have never read something more real and intense. Those were such raw moments that reflected how human we truly are, and I related to them in a way. It surfaced my own fears and gave me a deep realization that I need to seriously change my priorities and the way I see this life.

Salar’s change was so beautiful, I can’t even 😭 Watching him change from someone who did almost every sin you can think of to someone who wouldn’t even go near such things was so REVIVING, iykwim. His tears and guilt had me crying and his transformation was unbelievable.

┆”I have sinned a lot. So many sins that it is difficult for me to count them - small sins, big sins, every sin that one can imagine. I cannot even think of saving this book in my breast or my mind. My breast and mind are not pure. People like me are not worthy of memorizing it. I cannot even think of it.” ┆

My poor man stop it right now 🙁 My heart was so heavy whenever he sobbed to Allah and said stuff like this like enough 😞💔

︵࣪ ˖ ໒꒱ romance

╰› THE WAAYYYYY ALLAH BROUGHT THEM TOGETHER.

I love how Salar hated Imama for her love for Islam, and then that became the very reason why he loved her in the end. And when Imama realized he truly did change 🥹

┆"Don't render to this bazaar the woman I love."┆

THE SCREAM I SCRUMPTTTT.

┆“I am not hiding anything. I was just wiping away the tears in my eyes so that you do not appear in a mist again.”.┆

GUYS. no, I’m not crying, you are. 😞


︵࣪ ˖ ໒꒱ quotes

┆"When you do anyone a favor, do you expect him to overlook it and remind you of the times when you did not favor him instead of acknowledging your kindness? Or that your kindness is not enough, that you could have done this or that in a better way? What would your reaction be to such a person? But that is how we respond to Allah—instead of being thankful for His blessings, we grumble and complain about what we do not have and we wanted. "┆

┆"Ingratitude is a disease, one that constricts our hearts day by day, that does not allow our tongues to speak except in complaint. If we are not in the habit of thanking Allah, we fail to thank our fellow beings as well. If we cannot remember the favors bestowed by our Creator, we cannot learn to remember the favors done by His creatures."┆

┆''Sometimes in our lives we do not know whether we have emerged from darkness into light or if we are entering into the dark- the direction is unknown.''┆

︵࣪ ˖ ໒꒱ overall

╰› this is a MUST read.

[Honestly, yeah · Rating 5 out of 5]

#Re-read- 2- ☆☆☆☆☆

🎶If the world was eeeending I wanna be next to youuuuuuu.... 🎶

I'm SOBBING, no one in this world can ever make me hate this book. EVER.

You know those books that you want to be buried with once you die? Yeah, this is it.

*sobs*

--------------------------------------

Re-read Pre-review: Guess who woke me up and asked me to re-read this book with her?

*drum roll* 🥁

youuuu guessed it! it's none other than, Fiza I'm not gonna complain 'cause I've been wayy too excited to read this again, so yes. 🥹🥹❤️

------------------------------------

#Read- 1- ☆☆☆☆☆

Oh God, where do I even start with this review? I'm trembling as I type.

This book broke me- Physically, mentally and spiritually. Then all over again put me back in a better piece than before. I cried my heart out and ended the book with the happiest sob ❤️‍🩹.

I've never felt so vulnerable while reading a book. I've never been so connected to a book that i wanted to keep it in my brain forever.

I felt like someone ripped out my chest and bared my heart out to the world, making me feel so, small.

I don't even want to include my usual sarcasm and goofiness in this review.
I wish i was joking, but I'm not. I truly loved this book with my whole heart. 🦋❤️

I never thought there would be a day were I'd thank Fiza willingly, but here I am.
Thank you, Fiza❤️ (you're still annoying bro dw)

__________________________


Pre-review:

Okay guys, this lil sh*t, Fiza (your highness) has been begging telling me to read this for a while now.

She even sent me the playlist--which i loved by the way. 🤣🥹❤️

If I don't like it, who are we blaming? Fiza.
If I like it, who are we not giving credits to? also Fiza.

So I'm gonna start this today, hopefully it's good!

[Adam.ant Bookeater · Rating 5 out of 5]

If this book doesn't make you go through existential crisis, then you're reading it wrong.

I can't even write a synopsis cause' you have to read it to know it otherwise it'll kind of spoil it.

This book left me SHOOKETH. The storyline was chef's kiss. The way Umera handled religious beliefs and love hand in hand was so satiating and core touching for me.
Reading Zindagi Gulzar Hay I didn't like it much and had zero expectations from Umera Ahmed BUT this book blew my mind.

I was seriously OBSESSED and DEVOURED it while having a mental breakdown. Couldn't sleep peacefully for two days with the question what's gonna happen next??
This book left me satiated and I was really happy after reading it, the way Umera closed things off was so goooodddd and knowing that a second book exists seriously helped me get over my withdrawal.

AND the emotional capacity this book gives you!!! it can make you cry at any moment!! I was literally going through an emotional war while reading this like first I'm crying and sobbing and THEN the curveballs had me bawling and then laughing at the same time!!!
The character build-up was flawless and perfectly sentimental.
At first I didn't like Emama that much but after understanding her she's literally my fav now.♥️
And Salar, I don't even have words for him, went from "I completely hate him" to "Please Allah help him."☠️

This book left a mark on my heart and I'll cherish it my whole life.

I would seriously recommend this book, it is a MUST READ.

[Saadia B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

As far as I can remember, this might be the first time I have read a full novel in Urdu and I must say it was really impressive. Before this I have read quite a few short stories but nothing more than that.

The story revolves around two characters, Sallar and Imama. Two extremely different personalities who come together in the end not by sheer coincidence but due to their destiny. Imama had certain dreams for which she was working really hard, however her life changes completely when she starts to take interest in the religion of Islam.

It is said that in life we don’t get what we really want, we get what we need and that is what happens with Imama. On the other hand, Sallar achieves everything from academics to career to his marriage. For him, Imama and her true believe in Islam is the source of it all, therefore according to him she is much more in control of her life than him.

Though at times, the story is a bit too stretchy, hence I gave it four stars. Despite that, it was a powerful, captivating and an interesting narrative.

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[annie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars

I think it's overrated! I would've loved it if it were from the 2000s, but I don't like it much. It's not that it was such a spiritualistic book that I hate it, I just don't like it that much because the main characters, Salaar and Imama, literally interacted five times.

It took me days to finish it. The start was in different povs, mainly Imama's, and it was not that interesting. The whole religion-changing decisions were great till we met Jalal. I don't hate him, but his love for Imama was not true. I don't believe he actually loved her.

Salaar, I already knew he's going to end up with Imama, so I never really hated him, but the things he did were so bad. Now, I've read these things a hundred times in books, so I don't care because I know what I'm reading, but this is a religious book, and Salaar was a Muslim, so it was shocking to see him doing all those major sins. His character development was great, and I loved how he became a great Muslim! His love for Imama stems from his guilt, so I didn't really think much about that. It was just there...
But, i did feel bad for him so many times and the way he cried because of the sins he commited really made me feel sad for him!! His constant depression and the things he faced were brutal. His character had more depth than Imama's.

Imama, after nine years, still went to Jalal, and I literally just wanted to kill her. Like girl wth? nvm the last interaction between Salaar and Imama was so cute! And I didn't even get my favorite scene because it's in book 2 (I didn't even know it had a part 2 somewhere lmao).

Anyways it's an overrated book for me, and I do think people shouldn't romanticize some minor things just because it's Salaar doing it. There were instances when someone told me about a certain scene and were like 'he did it because loved her so much,' and now when I've read that scene, all I found out is that he hated Imama at that point in his life!

[Khadija · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is one of the most overrated piece of literature I have ever come across and being an ardent reader I am pretty sure there isn't any exaggeration in what I say. I strongly believe that books play a vital role in reshaping societies' mindset and a great responsibility lies on the shoulder of the authors to relay a message which is positive yet realistic and does not target something which could belittle someone's belief or general being. This book is a subtle attack on a religious minority, widely targeted and easily provoked against and no one seem to have an issue with it, why? Because of the sheer element of self-righteousness which prevails in our society. We love to deem ourselves the most pious, better than everyone especially when it comes to religion. What we don't understand that the very faith of ours condemns any sort of judgment since the ultimate decision making lies with the Almighty Himself. Umera Ahmed knew very well which ingredients would make her book sell.. just add religious extremism into it and show a cliched romance between two protagonists poles apart and give a one dimensional notion of the 'righteous' ones and voila! It is a hit. Which it is. Our nation ranks way below the literacy line therefore people aren't widely read. They tend to follow a trend and Peer e Kamil was nothing but something everyone was liking so everyone else joined in. They fail to see the plot loopholes and a malicious agenda of this book. If you want to preach what you believe, you don't have to do it at the cost of degrading something else. It is distasteful.
In terms of the story, it's exceptionally weak. Especially Salaar's nihilism at the start and his transition to what Umera deems is the only right way has little to no logic behind. His extremism was not supported by anything solid and hence there was no character development. I know my review is a drop in the ocean of praises this novel gets.. but I do hope our nation sees one day how intolerance is induced in our systems and how we are manipulated everyday towards hatred.

[•°Dahlia ( hiatus ) · Rating 5 out of 5]

➻" What is next to ecstasy?
Pain.
What is next to pain?
Nothingness.
What is next to nothingness?
Hell ."

𓏲 ๋࣭  ࣪ ˖5 🌟🫂😭
When I finished this , I was crying screaming and doing all the crazy shit , that comes after a book like this because well 🤡🤡
I was SOOOOO obsessed and addicted with this that I didn't move from my bed for 3 fucking hours bawling my eyes out 🙂🤧😭🥺

Let me get started please before I start crying again . SPOILERS ALERT ⚠️ 📢
A story of a troubled man ( MY troubled man ) - Salar, with the IQ of 150+, everything comes easy to him, but he had no regard or respect from anyone or anything. All he wanted to know was, "What comes next to ecstasy?".
He tried suicide many times, out of curiosity, just to feel the pain of death and then he fell in love... with a girl- Immama, who was everything he wasn't.

➻"In the last eight years, Salar had experienced every possible emotion for Imama-contempt, mockery, regret, hatred, love, everything but that day, he felt envy for her. What was she but a woman? An ordinary woman, not some hour of paradise. What was her worth compared to Salar Sikandar?"

Immama . Well Immam had hated him, because he sinned, he wasn't a religious person when she was. She left her home, her family and her dreams behind for her religion, to do the right thing , hopeless she asked Salar to help her escape and avoid her forced marriage by marrying him while she gets some time to scape 🙈🙈
My girl wanted to marry a man who was religious and pious. But she ended up marrying Salar the second time .

Let me just say that those 600 pages were pure hell and still I want more 💁‍♀️.
How Imama and Salar went from i-despise-you , and we -have-nothing-in-comon , to i-can't-stop-thinking-about-you 😩😩.
I loved loved loved how my girl Imama followed the right path and ended converting to Islam , and how Salar after years of his help to Imama to help her escape , couldn't couldn't her out of his head and ended changing for her , hoping he would get a second chance 🙏

➻“She is beyond me, but my love is pure, not base desire
To her alone I belonged, I belong - even if mine she may not be.” AHHAHAHAHSAHAH 😭😭💔

AND PLEASE WHAT WAD THAT ENDING ?? HOW SALAR KNEW DR.ALI FOR AGES , AND HOW IMAMA ASKEDHELP FROM HIM AND BECAME AMINA HIS DAUGHTER 🙂 ISTG SHE WAS NEAR SALAR ALL THIS TIME AND ... UGHHH -screams and throws up-

➻"Salar was quiet for a moment. 'I have 'seen' you so often in every corner of this house, that now that you really are here, I am finding it difficult to believe it.'
To stop the trembling in her arms, Imama clung more tightly to the corners of the sink.
'I feel I am dreaming; that if I open my eyes...' He stopped. Imama shut her eyes, '...everything will still be here... every thing except you...and if I close my eyes again...''

I loved the ending sm , I wasn't even thinking that they would rpmeet like that , st the start I was angry that Salar would be marrying Amina ( The so called Dr.ali's daughter ) BUT AMINA ENDED BEING IMAMA 😭😭.
And that chapter 8 ? PURE MASTERPIECEEEE .
When Salaar is praying to find Imama in the Kaaba , and hears her voice repeating the duaa with him , and how Imam in her own room miles away, dreamed that exact vision too 💔💔
Subhanalah 🙇‍♀️🙇‍♀️ that moment broke me in pieces ...

➻ 'But that day when I signed the papers solemnizing my marriage to Amina, I realized my worthlessness. Had my prayers been accepted I would have been marrying Imama not Amina. God grants desires that seem as if only a miracle could make them come true.
What was my desire? What had I prayed for? A girl who loves someone else, who thinks I am the scum of the earth, a girl who I have been searching for the last nine years but whom I have not been able to trace.'

➻'To what extent I will love you, I do not know. That is a matter of the heart and I have no control over my heart. But this I do know that as long as we are together, I will be faithful and obedient to you. That is within my purview. I will be with you at every difficult point in our lives; no matter what life throws at us, I will be there with you as your support. I have become a part of your life in good times; if things change and we face adversity I will be by your side.' She let go of his hand as gently as she had held it. Her head was bowed and she passed her hands over her face. 😭😭😭🤸‍♀️


--
Pre-Read :
Saw this , caught my attention, bought it , and now reading it 🤭💁‍♀️

[Sumbal Bashir · Rating 1 out of 5]

I used to love this book, till my eyes opened to the intolerance and bigotry Ahmadis have to face in Pakistan. Giving it one star for Umaira Ahmed's biased and stereotypical representation of the Ahmadiyya sect.

[Fariha Zaidi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the best Urdu novel i have ever read.....I will remain thankful to my sister for the rest of mu life who recommended this EPIC novel in the first place.This story has changed my vision about life and religion big time and i am thankful to the writer for that.

This is a story of a boy named Salar Sikandar, with an 150+ IQ he continues to be a brat.There is nothing to stop him from doing anything.He is in constant search of the extreme limit of pain,in this regard he observes painful ways to commit suicide never really getting any success in that.Then, he meets a very religious girl who is in constant search of peace and she finds peace in observing ways taught to us by ALLAH and his prohet MOHAMMAD (P.B.U.H).This whole new concept of religion and spirituality combined with love is what gives this novel a whole new dimension of Explicity.Once you start reading it you doin't wanna leave it.
I am very sad to think that there is no english translation to this novel because this one piece of masterpiece needs to be shown to the world...Once again a great service to Urdu literature by Umaira Ahmed

[Aqsa · Rating 5 out of 5]

*spoiler alert-will edit this soon!*
I have no words to describe how awesome it was. I wouldn't really recommend it to anyone who isn't a Muslim. You won't understand it or get the feels like a Muslim would. In order to understand the book, you need to be able to understand the underlying beliefs of Islam and agree with them.
I don't appreciate the fact that it spoke ill of Qadiani leaders so openly as speaking ill of others' religions only prompts them to speak ill of ours and I won't want that. I think we should talk good of our Religion to make people believe in it. Islam doesnt need to insult other religions(and it doesn't). Only knowing Idlam truly makes you forget the others. Now that I've said that, I'd say that as a Muslim I didn't feel offended by anything as such as I saw in some of the reviews. I loved it.
I did felt like I had to push through the first chapter which was apparently a little confusing. After that there is nothing to bore you.
I hated Salar but as the story proceeds, he becomes your ideal hero just without the past. It was so emotional when his father found out about his school's name and when he found about Imama's letter. Usay laga vo such mai mar gya. Just awesome . Then Amna and Saeda Amma was fun. It was so much fun to see how she forgot her home. I liked it when he came to talk to Amna but ended up saying: mai tau sirf unhe dekhna chahta tha. I so longed to know about Imama but that didn't came soon. . It came at chapter 9.
I'm glad it had a good ending. It was expressed in a great way too.
Just became my favourite book.

[ahmad afridi · Rating 1 out of 5]

will give 1.5 stars .An overrated novel just didn't liked the idea of mocking a religious minority

[Laiba Faheem · Rating 4 out of 5]

Salaar, a name I've been hearing since forever, finally got a chance to read his story.

A story of a potential 5 stars, turned 4. Which I'll talk more about as I go on with the review.

I went in Peer e Kamil with zero expectations and was only a few pages in when it turned into one of the most exciting books I'd ever read. A book that can easily get one out of a reader's slump. The pace, the story telling, the dialogues, everything was on point.

Initially, I thought Imama would turn out to be like every other female lead of an Urdu novel but she surprisingly had more spine and better judgment.

Salaar, did I hate his nerve! His lifestyle, his outlook on life, his actions, his thoughts; EVERYTHING was messed up.
And I, if I met a person like him, I would probably never be able to answer his questions or give him straight up answers the way Imama did. Absolutely loved that woman's wits!

"What is next to ecstasy?"
"Pain"
"What is next to pain?"
"Nothingness"
"What is next to nothingness?"
"Hell"

This conversation and the way it unfolded in Salaar's life, it was beautiful.

[SPOILER-ISH]
The only thing that prevents me from giving this book 5 ⭐️ s is its second half. Though good, it felt more a filler episode (filler epsiodeS, actually) of Pakistani dramas than something the story actually needed to be pushed forward.
Salar's realization, Salar's change, we got enough details of that in the beginning of his journey. All his going back and forth between Pakistan and abroad felt tedious and redundant.
It wasn't...boring to read, just slow and unnecessary.

And the moment I reached section nine, I wanted to hit my head on a wall. "IS IT JANNAT KAY PATTY ALL OVER AGAIN?". 'A retelling of nine years from Imama's perspective?!!' the horror was real.
Thankfully the section wasn't too long or the book would really have been a turn off.

All in all, Peer e Kamil will always stand for me as one of the most endearing "enemies turned lovers" trope. A beautiful story of two people whose lives changed for the better.

One of the things that really stands out me for me is the personal development of Imama and Salaar. We've all seen a-girl-changing-a-boy (or the opposite) stories. But personally, I feel like an individual's own development shouldn't be subjective to another person, rather should be their 'own' journey.

PS if I read another urdu novel and see a 'kandhy uchkaata' line, I'll murder someone. WHY URDU AUTHORS WHY? Just give some rest to the poor Accessory Nerve!

PPS I feel like it's my own personal development that I'm not crushing on Salaar. Maybe because I've seen people in my own life turn transform themselves or maybe I'm more into guys with tails (Cardan Greenbriar) or those who read books and are too smooth for a real life character (Seiji Amasawa). Teehee

PPPS I probably will never read Aab-e-Hayat, I feel like some stories need to end where they do.

[vxmpslibrary [comments restriction] · Rating 4 out of 5]

.3.5 stars.

"If I have Imama Hashim in my heart, it is only because I can't forget her."

.my thoughts.
14.3.25
I'm bumping the rating to 4 because I realised that this book never failed to deliver the real meaning, and today it came into my head naturally, so it deserves a high rating. And I can't believe I wrote Salaar name wrongly before lmaoo

23.2.25
This book had wronged me.

Peer-E-Kamil is not just any book that you'll pick up and wouldn't feel anything, atleast I felt a lot more than I did.

This book was as flawed as both our protagonists were. The starting of this book really didn't get me at first, and I was hesitant at what point of this book I was actually turning myself into. I saw this book appear in my feed rather in a most funny way, or like the way one would say astonishing, and finally I thought it was time I would see it.

It was way different. And overrated. The hype which is given is actually wrongly, or maybe it's in book 2 because like what actually famous was made me 🤦‍♀️

The writing style gets quite confusing at first, because I don't realise sometimes who's talking and I would have to recheck, and it would destroy my momentum of focus I have, yet I beared it. The characters right from the start were a bit pain to read about for me. But the execution is done way poorly for me atleast.

From the start and till the very end I notice that the writing style changed specifically and I had no comments for it, I sincerely enjoyed it, and grew into it because it was way easier later on with a bit more information and not just half pov of Imama and half of Salaar yes. But then author did way worse by showing us only Salam and in the end rushed Imama's pov which made it a loose string for me. Thought I appreciate the pretty plot and the way everything turned out, because I actually suspected it, and god knows how I did with my infatuations with watching so many Indian serials as a kid haha. I guess jk.

Imama Hashim, in the starting I did not get her at all, and I would say the author made sure that no one would knew where Imama actually was until till the very end we get her pov, the first three pages, I don't know why but I didn't like her at all, but then slowly my thoughts changed, and I was just neutral of her, the way her family controlled her is also very familiar things I have watched in shows. Her family enraged me, but I also knew I was as helpless as Imama was from the very start. Imama also in the end when she ran back to Jalal I think I smashed my head.

Salaar Sikander, he's the character that Imama hated so much, he was arrogant, had no character, with 150+ IQ, he had no practical implementation, the way in the starting he would have verbally abused anyone and behaved like a rude prick. He helped Imama yes, and sometimes I don't get it why, I believed it was the infatuation of Imama situation he watched, because when the maid talked about what happened to Imama and he showed no emotion pity or remorse for her, I didn't know what to say.

The change in his character was the one I loved the most, I know many people prefer his previous character, I actually did his sarcasm, but I liked the change here where he was polite, and did so many good things, and dressed up appropriately and believed in god, and yes his remorse for what he did to Imama. His good deeds by opening up hospital and helped any people in need made me actually love this character more, and yes the author actually focused on him more.

The love is something I would never get, because it was like I was worried the remorse he mistaken took was for love. Because in just few interactions, can someone really fall in love? because he did, and he loved her to depth and waited for her 8 years. I loved his patience and the way he would marry no one else but wait for her presence, while she was happy thinking he was dead. But I still can't believe that he actually loved her, and I just don't know. Though I just know I love Salam and not that much to Imama, and I just can't tell why.

There were so many characters I actually loved and enjoyed the way Salaar helped an old lady but it reversed on him instead was way funny haha I was actually amused at the lightheartedness that was present. Because this book is actually heavy in a way you don't know where to think of and I can't believe that nowadays I find so heavy plot books like this in my hands.

Honestly this was such heavy load to me that it's like in the main the heaviness is thrown into my head at the center, and I can't believe I went through 500 pages or more of that and I actually survived. Like I said, I didn't expected that much and it was like Imama the main protagonist was thrown away and it was like she was present in the keen back of the reader's head.

I would actually recommend but only if you can take heavy stuffs, this is way heavier on plot and if you think there's like 'romance' (just in case you do, and it's actually okay) it's not much delved into, and Imama still doesn't love him yet, so yeah.

[Sahrish Iftikhar · Rating 5 out of 5]

I seriously have no words to describe HOW MUCH I LOVED this book and story. I don’t think I’ve ever read a story as powerful and beautiful as this one.

This book and story is very rich, very powerful and is definitely a very beautiful story that truly touched my heart and soul on so many levels, how and why, that I can't put in words. It made me think of so many things and honestly there were times when it shook me from inside. It's filled with emotions, morals, lessons, bitter realities (that we all fail to understand or even if we do we deny it) and what not. While I was reading it I just couldn't put it down and the moment I finished, I got lost in thoughts for hours. I usually don’t read a book again once I’m done reading it no matter how much I loved it but this is that one book I’m willing to make an exception for as I want to read this book again and again. This book and the story is AMAZINGLY AMAZING. Everyone should read it once but with a clear mind and should try to understand the depth of the story.

[Olga 🌺 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I want to thank my GR friend Fiza for recommending me this book. I did not expect to like it but it grew on me and opened up my eyes to our real purpose in life.

The book started off verryyyy slow and introduced so many characters that I had to reread and make sure I am pinpointing who exactly are the MCs but around 35% of the book focuses on the MMC and his road to redemption and finding himself and the meaning of his life.

You see, Salar is a very smart (IQ 150+) man who is living THE life. His family is well off, he has all the materialistic things one might ever need or not need for that matter, he visits brothels, does drugs, consumes alcohol and even tries 4 times to commit suicide. The latter one is his own way to experiment what comes after ecstacy, he wants to feel invigorated, he tantalised death and tricked fate, but still he is not fulfilled until a very pious very pure woman, his friend's sister, asks him to help her get out of an arranged marriage that her parents are forcing her into.

Imama, has been born in a very sheltered very religious household. She herself chose her cousin for an arranged marriage at the age of 16. Until one day, her best friend wishes upon her to become a "real Muslim".

Ok for those who are not acquainted with Islam, Islam believes in the finality of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) where no other prophet comes after and the Quran is the true and final word of God.

Imama was born in a household who are Muslims BUT believe in a man who has appointed himself a prophet. After her best friend's wish, Imama starts researching Islam, through scholars, books, other Muslims and after 4 years of research she finally turns into a true Muslim and believes in the finality of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH).

She then wants to break off her arranged marriage because she cannot marry someone who doesn't believe like her, her parents still want to force her so she seeks Salar's help to get her out first by marrying him so she cannot marry someone else and second to help her scape.

Being the player that he is and the curious genius intrigued in life and people's motivations, Salar agrees but he mocks her, refuses to divorce her after and makes fun of her beliefs and her behaviour. But meanwhile she keeps showing him the true purpose of life of believing in something of being pure. He drops her off in another city and takes off.
The story then focuses for around 45% of the book on Salar, you see Imama's dad gets a tip that Salar abducted his daughter, he gets him in trouble with the law, Salar's father being influential as well gets him out of it and sends him off to study in the US.

And thus we follow Salar's journey; first his continued debauchery by sleeping around, consuming alcohol, doing drugs, enjoying the nightlife. Years pass by and he knows nothing of Imama, her presence though is always present in his mind. Her words of wisdom, her calling to a righteous life, until one day he gets sick, real sick bordering death and for around one week nobody checks on him, nobody asks about him and for the first time in his life he experiences true fear.
He remembers Imama's answers to his questions. What comes after ecstasy, fear she answers, what comes after fear, nothingness she tells him, what comes after nothingness, hell she deadpans.

In his life, Salar experienced all types of ecstacy, in this week of sickness he experienced true fear. After that incident, he falls into deep depression, he relapses in his studies, he loses the meaning of his purpose in life. He keeps remembering Imama and wondering what has become of her, he refused to divorce her and thus they're still tethered to each other. And as such she cannot marry someone else, what has become of her? He tried to find her but no one knew where she was.

He ventures into a life of finding his spirituality, to be held accountable, to believe in something, anything. He starts going to the mosque to pray, but still he doesn’t find himself there, he memorises the Quran but still he cannot sleep more than 3 hours a night, he puts an end to his past partying life but still he cannot find peace. Where do you draw the line and for the sake of what you cross it? He becomes a devout Muslim endlessly thinking of Imama. And falls into the feeling of nothingness.

He helps build a school in a small village in his country, part of his redemption to become a better Muslim, a better human being, helping those in need. He goes back to live in his country, he starts visiting a very pious man, Dr. Ali, someone who speaks of doing good, of being the best human being you can be. His dad one day tells him that Imama actually did contact him 2 years and a half after he helped her escape but the dad fearing that Imama would always bring his son trouble, he told her that Salar died.
Upon knowing that, Salar who finally realises that he has fallen in love with this woman, the idea of her, her words of wisdom that have accompanied him for so many years, her pure disposition and righteous purpose to become a true Muslim, he starts living his own kind of hell. He prays to God to lead him to her and finally find her to make his amends to ask for her forgiveness and to be given a second chance with her.

One day, he meets an old woman who is lost, for hours he tries to find her house, to no avail, he takes her to the police but given the state of the police station and the condition of the old woman they ask him to take her to his house for the night. Then he receives a call from Dr. Ali, you see the police station told him that the woman was with a man called Salar and coincidentally this woman is Dr. Ali's cousin. He takes her home, and stays in touch with the old woman to keep checking on her. The woman has a daughter and keeps trying to set him up with her. Salar being so fixated and obsessed with Imama refuses to marry anyone else until he discovers what happened to her.

The old woman loses hope in setting them up so her daughter is to marry someone else but that someone runs away with another woman and to save her daughter's reputation and save face they ask Salar to marry her himself. And so he does, you see they need not be together in order to do that, they can visit a man of the cloth, a sheikh, separately, say their vows, sign some papers and they're married.
Salar feels he has betrayed Imama, and wants nothing to do with this woman.
A couple of weeks later, he decides to get to know her to come clean about his first wife and to explain to her that they will be married in name only. But when he sees her he's surprised that this woman's daughter is actually Imama. 🥹

Obviously Imama is not her real daughter but I will also refrain from writing how Imama got here.

Almost 9 years later, after going through all kinds of hell, there's many things that he went through that I can't include here else my review would become a book by itself. But the things they both went through and the things they did, the people they met to get them back together pulls at your heart.

We all have a purpose in life whether we realise it or not, we work for it or merely ignore it it depends on what a person truly wants for himself.

The journey these two went through humbles the reader and gets you to believe that what you choose to do sets the course for your entire life. Be the master of your own destiny but do that with humility.

This ticks my translated to English box.

2024 Fun Reading Bingo

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[Fizah(Books tales by me) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reread: Nothing can replace this one ❤️


I read this novel in 2011, It was my first novel and in 6 years not even a single novel came near to its level including other pieces of writing of Umaira Ahmed herself, it is her master piece. It is that kind of novel you can't get over it easily. Some people have objection about Saalar's IQ his photographic memory, but they should understand in the end it is Fiction.
It is the story of change,faith and belief. It is the kind of story which reminds you there is always time.
I would recommend it to everyone.

[عروج · Rating 1 out of 5]

CoHo fangirls and Umera Ahmed fangirls are the same girl

[Ali k · Rating 2 out of 5]

The average rating of this book disgusts me and makes me question if any of you have delved into books worth their time, here's why:

- Umera has used every opportunity to regurgitate that Salaar has an IQ of 150 and states his many achievements but never once could we see his intelligence in his interactions with others, in these situations he seems like an average human. For example, he didn’t bother hiding the Nikah papers despite having house help around. The thing that bothers me the most is his becoming religious. Despite being so highly educated with superior brain power, he didn't use logic or rationale to vehemently follow Islam. Instead, he got intrigued by it since he was emotional and depressed. Because his parents and friends weren't giving him attention when he vanished? The fact that he was having an existential crisis and found Islam to be the only option is embarrassing. There are billions who turn to other philosophies/religions. It would be so interesting if Umera explored this where he tried different things, but Islam is what stood out. "... it was during this period he that he found himself turning to religion. He had seen many people do this to escape depression and he had done the same". Again, a 150IQ person turning to religion because of depression should not suffice. Where did his critical thinking go? There are better reasons for joining Islam.

- Umera probably read books with profound concepts when she was a child and wanted to attempt the same but failed miserably. My favourite instance of this is when she took us through six tiring pages of Dr Sibt-e-Ali's lecture where he questioned people, asking who the perfect mentor is. (This is so ridiculously obvious, even a child in an Islamic household knows the perfect mentor is the Prophet, how do these people not know, it blows my mind). When he finally gives his answer, Salaar was shaken to the core which amused me. Umera told us how Salaar was defeated and teary and that it took him eight years to reach this point, that Imama was better than him since she knew early on. She tried so hard to sound profound and make it out to be an emotional moment where he was hit with this realisation, but I just found it funny. Another instance of this is when he is burning the pornographic magazines in his bathtub and how he was standing, staring at the fire as he was at the edge of Hell. I mean he's in his bathroom, I could not take this seriously.

- The writing is very basic, there is no finesse, no flair, and you can't see Umera's unique presence on these pages. The characters are not fleshed out and we didn't hear about Salaar's siblings until towards the end of the book when his brother's wedding took place. Where were they when Salaar was in the midst of being hunted by Imama's father? Each plot point is so predictable that I thought surely it can't be this straightforward, but it always disappointingly was. Especially the fact that Amina was Imama, how could the author not realise that she had made it so painfully obvious: The fact that they were so close to seeing each other whenever he visited Saeeda was confirmation enough. She should have stuck to screenwriting where a braindead audience eats up anything.

- My last point is that this author is quite sexist which isn't surprising but still noteworthy to mention. During the wedding near the end of the book, she gave descriptions of how "animalistic" the mehndi was but paid special focus to the women talking about how they wore sleeveless dresses with clothes clinging to their bodies, baring necklines. Saeeda also tells Salaar to get married so his woman can do the housework and he can have more free time to do other activities. Now you might say that it's a character, but I’d say that Saeeda has clearly been depicted in a positive light so it's more likely to be a reflection of her own ideas.

-If you have reached this far, I am thankful and would give you some advice: please read better books, there are so many out there, you just have to look in the right place :)

- I gave it 2 stars because it hooked me enough to read till the end lol

[Anum · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adored this book! Umaira Ahmad has succeeded in writing a book that holds much more substance than the average love story. Indeed, I don't believe that this story can be put in the romance category at all.

It seems to deal with life in general, rather than anything else. With such amazing charisma, Umaira Ahmad has written this profound novel on how a man with so many talents is surpassed by an average girl, when it comes to arriving on the path of righteousness.

It is a book about how man is nothing and no one to anyone else but himself, and that it is entirely up to him if he wants to save himself. In addition, Salar exemplifies that a person has no one to be afraid of but his/her Lord, the Almighty and the only one who can possibly damage you is Him. However, where He loves you and gives you so many chances to redeem yourself, you are your own worst enemy. You have only yourself to fight off and save your life.

Immama, on the other hand, is the epitome of sacrifice. A girl who has given up her everything, in order to do what she feels is the right thing. Being a woman in a society that is not kind to that part of the female population, which chooses to think for themselves, she portrays how, when you believe in God's power and His mercy, you will never be disappointed.

Even more so, this novel seems to be about, how everything happens for the best. The characters are embedded in a world, where everything goes wrong just to turn out right for them. It reminds me so very much of 'surah Yousaf' in that regard.

However, Jalal Ansar, remains a rather enigmatic character to me. He seems too good in the first half of the novel. So much so that, I was rather annoyed with his perfection. He seemed to be a good man, who was just caught up in circumstances, which were not in his power to handle. However, in the second half, he turns out to be a right jerk. His transformation to the Omniscient reader seems to be a little too rushed. I think Umaira Ahmad should have worked out his personality a little more thoroughly.

Overall, I believe that this book was a very well-written piece by the author.


EDIT:

As I have grown older, I have realised that some of the themes in the book are not dealt very well. A woman's religious conversion story is one thing. However, the uncalled for attack on a religious group in Pakistan was very problematic and irresponsible on part of the author. I wish she would have handled the subject objectively rather than let her own bias towards a people blind her into spewing hate, intolerance and sectarianism.

[Fahad Nasir · Rating 5 out of 5]

"What is next to ecstasy?"

Wandering around with unfocused eyes, unhinged mind, I feel distant; too distant from this world that I knew just yesterday. Snapping back to reality used to be relatively easier, it's not anymore. I... Have never cried this hard for a book, for any character, and yet I wish I could... cry harder.

"... pain."

Despite the ache in my eyes and the crushing pressure inside my skull, I read and kept reading this book from 2 to 8 last night/morning. Several times I slapped water on my face to keep myself going. From one to page to another I flipped...

"What is next to pain?"

... till I could take it no more and yet I felt myself go on. I wonder what magic had Miss Umera Ahmed laced within these words, that this story, this journey, kept me gripped like none other.

"... nothingness."

... And nothingness do I feel right now. I have only the second time in my life felt this way... And a part of me wishes I stay engrossed within this forever. It's a delectable system.

"What is next to nothingness?"

Where do I go from here, I wonder? It's not like no book has made me change the way I looked at the world before, but this... oh, this just doesn't feel like a book; it's something more. Pir-e-Kamil (SAW) absorbed me in such a manner that I... became Salar, Imama. I distantly felt what they felt, went through what they did and the torture seemed so sweet that I can't describe. Like a little baby, I hugged this book at one point and cried with sobs evolving within my chest. I still wish I could cry harder.

"... hell."

These book writers, they amaze me. They possess the tendency to fiddle with us readers' emotions in the most reckless of manner and yet we fall in love with them. You'd marvel how one could come up with a plot so perfect and otherworldly. [Whilst reading] It now feels as if I had peeled strips of my skin off and adhered them to this book. Next came bones and finally my flesh. Only once I had completed reading did I felt the full blow that figurative separation of my own body brought to me.

But I do know one thing though, that I do not part away from this book. This story dug deep within me - maybe much more than it did for others - and it augmented the size of my soul after crawling those depths. The pieces have gone in, they are now settling soothingly. I can sense it. I can feel them working themselves in a beautiful way...

[Famma · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one fine piece of writing. Hats-off to Umera Ahmed for writing this. I simply love reading it in both languages. I have read it many times and now I have added Hollow pusuits and The Perfect mentor(pbuh)on goodreads for those who can't read urdu. You can get these two novel in English as well. Have a goodread ;)

[fia · Rating 5 out of 5]

need the second book rn. it was just what i expected. both imama and salar’s journey to The Perfect Mentor (ﷺ) spoke so much 🤍 and absolutely beautiful how it led them to each other at every end 🥹

i’m still mind blown at the metaphor on hell that was given, with the insects and constant pain he felt. wow. all his questions got answered.

[Aliya · Rating 1 out of 5]

Rated it a 1 star as could not rate it lower.

The book description as well as story is entrenched in bigotry.

What it does not do is explore the main character and her struggles with herself or her faith at all. What could have been a beautiful tale of a difficult topic and a persons struggles with faith, family, culture, self, is dressed up as a romantic plot with a weak central character, weaker male characters and a plot for the masses to lap up. The story and characters leave a lot to be desired.

The book seems to have been written for popular culture rather than literary greatness. It gives a view into the hate that’s rampant in Pakistan and Islamic Countries against those of different beliefs- not through the book but via its reception and the reviews posted.

Needless to say, if it was the other way around the book would have been banned in Islamic States. Hypocrisy at its best. A sure miss.