Trying to be Muslim

Trying to be Muslim #1

by Norhafsah Hamid

The book, Trying To be Muslim is a real live account of a Muslim woman trying to rediscover the religion she was born into;Islam. Realising she knew very little about her religion made her wonder whether she can call herself a 'Muslim'. She sets out to find answers to her questions and this book shares the experience of her quests. This book asks and also answers many questions Muslims nowadays often have but afraid or reluctant to voice out.

P/S: New version with additional chapters and hardcover.

Genres: Islam

Hardcover

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

Norhafsah Hamid was born in 1973 and received primary and secondary education in Malaysia. She then proceeded to pursue her studies in United Kingdom until she graduated with a law degree from Reading University, United Kingdom. She completer her Bar in Malaysia and went back to United Kingdom to work for a year. She then came back to Malaysia to commence her practice as an Advocate and Solicitor, specializing in civil litigation matters. She completed her Diploma in Syariah & Legal Practise and has been handling various Syariah matters.

Currently she has taken a break from civil practise and co-founded an NGO called 'Nadi Anissa Muslim Women Organisation. she now dedicates her time to her family and Islam.

Reviews

[Regina Foo · Rating 4 out of 5]

My favorite chapter of this book is Anger Management.

I used to be a bad tempered person and get irritated very easily. Although I still throw tantrums sometimes, but I realized that I gained patience and tolerance when getting older.

Norhafsah's journey and experience on fighting against anger and the Satan that used anger as a tool for our sins can greatly helps us (especially Muslims) in preventing to continue committing sins from getting angry.

I learnt from other readers of the book (Muslim women) that the author is able to read into their minds as if the story shared in the book has actually happened to them. I believe some of the Muslim out there are born into the religion but they know little about it.

I think this is a great book for Muslim as well as non-Muslims who want to learn more about this peaceful religion.

*Note: I should have rated the book 5 stars instead of 4. The reason is because I'm able to spot minor typo mistakes in the book.

[Azhanisradzi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Have you ever feel that every pages of a book shoot you? Have you ever feel you want to cry but you dont know why you should cry after read each pages of a book?

Believe me, this book make you alive.

[Noral · Rating 4 out of 5]

Saya selalu ada terdetik, nak memelihara solat 5 waktu. Nak baca dan tadabbur quran. Tetapi, sejak 2 ke 4 bulan kebelakangan ini, semangat tu makin pudar. Membaca buku ini meningkatkan semula semangat untuk menjadi muslimah yang lebih baik dari semalam. Terima kasih..

[books.bintulu · Rating 5 out of 5]

April 2021: Trying To Be Muslim

This is the type of book that I want my girls to read one day. The author's struggles are my struggles too.

The book has opened my eyes especially about Hajj. Looking at the pandemic situation right now makes my heart sank even more. (Ya Allah rindunya Mekah dan Madinah😭 Doakan kita sampai ke sana one day. I keep flipping the back pages to look at the photos)

Plus, it's good to have a good 'wise owl', someone that you can refer to and remind you along the journey to become a good muslim. My favorite is Chapter 18: Understanding versus Knowledge

[Ahsan Ali · Rating 4 out of 5]

Author: Norhafsah Hamid

The book,Trying To be Muslim is a real live account of a Muslim woman trying to rediscover the religion she was born into;Islam. Realising she knew very little about her religion made her wonder whether she can call herself a 'Muslim'. She sets out to find answers to her questions and this book shares the experience of her quests. This book asks and also answers many questions Muslims nowadays often have but afraid or reluctant to voice out.

[Saleha Malek · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book shares the author’s journey to becoming a true muslimah. There are many good points can be scooped out from her experience. It’s a light reading and beneficial but there were a few things disrupted my reading.

In the beginning of the story about her Hajj trip, she advised readers not to be influenced by horror stories we usually heard about Makkah but in her writing, she did talk about tactless things like the lightning she might get and the story of people not able to see Kaabah due to one’s sins which somehow not relevant with what she mentioned earlier.

Secondly, ‘Haunted or Hunted?’ and ‘Forgiving… Let it Go” are my favourite chapters. It’s really an eye-opener for us to start forgiving people wholeheartedly. Unfortunately in Chapter 19 ‘Taking for Granted’ she mentioned about her feelings toward people who took her granted. The way it’s written really sounds like she’s still holding grudge towards them and it was really a turn off because I don’t think she’s supposed to put it emotionally when earlier, she advised us to let it go? That deducts a star for this book.

This book is too personal and much of the writing style is directing to herself instead of delivering them to readers. Still, all in all, the content is good.

[nadiaizzaty · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good book on a journey to become a better Muslim . A story from just know only the surface what if Islam because born as Islam until she knows what is Islam in depth and how to be a greater Muslim .

[Nurkhairina Azhar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Light reading and in some chapters, it speaks volumes about how i feel as a muslim sometimes.

[z · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this on my journey to self discovery. Needless to say, helped me along the way.
Good read for all..

[Huaaa97 · Rating 3 out of 5]

A recommended reading for Muslim who is in a journey to be a better Muslim

[Nanadhoi · Rating 5 out of 5]

An eye opening book. Suka sangat buku ni, especially bila penulis cerita perjalanan beliau ketika menunaikan ibadah haji, rasa nak jugak tunaikan ibadah haji or pergi umrah. Recommended to read it!

[Zunaid Hassan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this book from Kinokuniya book store in KLCC, Malaysia for RM 18.00. The content seemed very interesting and it looked like a light read.

The author, Norhafsah Binti Hamid, details her journey of rediscovering Islam, the religion she was born into. She talks about the different challenges and obstacles she faced while investigating Islam.
She also attempts to tackle difficult questions such as; Why should a woman wear hijab? Why do we have to pray? How can we love our creator? What to do during miscarriages? Many of these questions are mainly related to women, but one can still learn. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and I can say that I have learned much from an overnight reading. This book can also be a good way to introduce non-muslims, especially women, to the true way of life. Amidst the serious topics, the author provides a little humour which maintains a healthy balance of reading.

The major fault of this book is that it has not been proof-read properly. Many grammatical and spelling errors can be found, but they can be over-looked quite easily. We are after the gist of the essays, after all.

I hope many others benefit from the wisdom of this book and that the author is rewarded through that. I hope Allah forgives us for any wrong-doings, Allahu alam.

Now, onto the next book, Back to Basics.

[th. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think I've always liked reading people's humble recollection and introspection on their hijrah journey. So I liked this :) Needs a bit of editing (typos, spelling) but nothing too bad. It's like reading a blog post / captions before social media was really the mammoth that it is right now.

I relate with a lot of the moments / questions that she had, so I really am grateful to have read this again because I need the reminder (p/s I need my own Wise Owl haha)

p/s: yeah i was in a slump again this month (blame my brain and reddit) but im slowly reading again lol

[Syed Fathi · Rating 2 out of 5]

First of all I think that 'Trying to be Muslimah' is a much more relevant title for this book. My expectation is that the book will explore what is the challenges to be a Muslim nowdays, my expectation turn out to be wrong. The writer focus mainly on what happen in her life and what can be learnt from it. Its not a very bad reading I would say.

[Siti Nur Izzati · Rating 5 out of 5]

Relatable and aspiring for each of us, who strives to live as a Muslim

[♡ Aliah ⸜( ˃ ᵕ ˂ )⸝♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I find comfort in reading it. It feels like 'Yes, you are not alone in this journey, dear!' :') Well, after all, I think every Muslim is trying to be one, in one way or another...

[HH · Rating 5 out of 5]

i could relate to the book. the chapters on Hajj brought tears. it is difficult to fight the longing to return to mekah & madinah