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Yusif, an avid practitioner of meditation, is experiencing visions. These visions begin as small snippets of another world and eventually build into an encounter with the afterlife. During one of his meditation sessions, Yusif has an out-of-body experience. “Now that Yusif didn’t have a physical body, he felt he had much more clarity of thought and awareness.” He hears a voice saying, “If you want to join us, fill yourself with love.” He is then transported by a bright light into Bakka, a place of calm and contentment. It is here he meets his four companions, who guide him on a strange journey into the afterlife, where he encounters the spirits of humans, animals, and plants. As his companions lead him through this afterworld, he visits exotic and unusual places such as the Crystal Cave, Earl’s Music Studio, the Planet Zamzam, and the Land of Shadows.
In this philosophical novel based primarily on Islamic wisdom, the author creates an unusual and unique vision of the afterlife. The main character visits life in the hereafter, where he learns much about his own human journey. There are reminders of Dante’s Inferno with Yusif’s spirit guides, the Companions, leading him further into the realms of the afterlife. Saba captures humanity's desperation and joy in this fascinating dive into this sometimes-disturbing vision of existence. Saba's imaginative novel combines descriptive language, effective worldbuilding, and philosophical musing. Readers will be mesmerized as they follow Yusif’s quest. From memorable characters and creatures to Yusif’s struggles to understand himself and the world, it is a journey one won’t soon forget. Anyone who enjoys intriguing books that lean toward the mystical will enjoy this one.