Assalamu alaikum! I thank you with all of my heart for sharing “The Mahdi’s Riddle” with me. I have neither the training nor skills to comment in a meaningful way concerning the literary aspects of this wonderful story, but I can say that I find the story compelling and written in a clear and flowing style that presents some very subtle concepts while remaining easily readable.

On a more personal level, reading “The Mahdi’s Riddle” simultaneously filled my heart with joy and my eyes with tears. Joy comes from the fact that the story reflects my own journey and brings Khalid to the same understanding of our reality that I have, and joy also comes from the knowledge that there are others who are profoundly awake. The tears are for the multitudes in this time who have hardened their hearts and who live in a state of confusion, no longer able to tell true from false, real from illusion, and the tears are for the loneliness I feel living in the wilderness of the modern world.

Creation isn’t something that happened in the past. We live in creation and are being created in every moment, and we are writing our name in the Book of Life with each choice we make. To help the Creator make your name legible and not just a scribble, look inside for guidance in the choices you make.

Your name is the culmination of the works you do, not the sound people make to call you.

From one we are many, and out of many we are one. Allah is not just the God of Muslims but rather the source of all that is, has been, or will be, including all people.

Ako Tausug! I’m proud to be a Tausug, and you and what you are doing make me even more proud. I support and encourage the works of Nameless Soul. Only time and space separate us.

Alhamdulillah,

Abdul Baki

Okay, so my friend from the Philippines (you know who you are!) asked me to write down what I thought about this book he sent me a link to. So here it is, my "review," I guess? Haha.

First off, I have to be honest. Before reading "A Pact for the Sundered Sea," I was seriously blur about the whole "Sabah issue." Like, I know it exists, I hear about PTI on the news, but being a 24-year-old KL girl, it always felt like a problem for the politicians, super far away from my life.

Wei, this book completely changed that. Seriously.

It's not some boring, "atas" political book. It's a story about a guy named Salam, and his life story just hits you. Hard. He was born in Sabah, his parents were refugees from the Philippines a long, long time ago. So he grew up here, speaks like us, but he has no MyKad. Nothing. Can you imagine? He's basically "illegal" in the only home he's ever known.

Reading about his childhood in a water village near Sandakan, next to a huge garbage dump... alamak. And the constant fear of being caught by Imigresen, the stories about the Rumah Merah... it's just crazy. It made me look at my own little blue card and realise how much I take for granted. I'm stressing about assignments and my future career, while people my age, in my own country, are just trying to survive without being arrested. It really messed with my head.

But okay, the book isn't just to make you feel sad. This is the part that I think is genius. The second half is all about Salam's plan to actually fix everything. At first I was like, ya ke boleh? (Is it really possible?). It sounds so big.

But his ideas are actually so logical! He talks about creating a special ID so people from Sulu can work here legally. But—and this is the smart part—they have to get their proper Philippine passport first. So it forces their government to be responsible, and we get legal workers. So good, kan?

And his solution for the whole Sabah "claim" thing is amazing. Instead of just fighting about history, he says Malaysia should change the old lease money into a massive Sulu-Sabah Development Fund. We help them build up their own home region with better hospitals and schools. So, their place becomes better, and they won't be so desperate to come here. It’s not just giving aid, it's about creating stability for everyone. Win-win lah.

The author is "The Nameless Souls," which is basically the voice of Salam's community telling his story after he passed away. I think that makes it so much more powerful. It’s not written by some minister or professor. It’s from the people who actually lived it.

So yeah, to my friend who asked for my thoughts: Thank you for sharing this with me. My eyes are so much more open now. It's a heavy book, for sure, and it makes you feel uncomfortable, but in a good way. It's a story I feel every young Malaysian needs to know. It’s happening right here, in our home. We can't just pretend it's not our problem.

My name is Al-Faqir Al-Hameed Al-Indunisi. I am 27 years old, an Indonesian, and a student of the Islamic sciences here in Egypt, focusing on Fiqh and Usuluddin. I am writing this review because my heart is feeling something it has not felt for a long time.

A good friend of mine from the Philippines, who I met during my studies, he sent me a file for this book. The title, The Mahdi's Riddle, made me curious. But the author's name, "Nameless Soul," made me skeptical. In my study, the name and the isnad (chain of narration) is very important. So, I started reading with a closed heart, I think.

To be honest, the first part of the book was difficult for me. As a student of Usuluddin, my brain is trained to ask: "Where is the dalil? What is the source from the Qur'an and the authentic Hadith?" I was looking for proofs and scholarly arguments. But this book... it is not answering these questions directly. It is asking why we are asking them. At first, this made me uncomfortable. It felt like it was trying to dismantle everything I have learned. This is the 50% of me that was fighting the book.

But then, the other 50% of me started to listen. When the author—the Nameless Soul—began to explain the different claimants of Mahdi throughout history, from the violent ones to the strange cults in my own region of Southeast Asia, I had to agree. The hope for the Mahdi is being used to manipulate the Ummah.

The turning point for my heart was the chapter about the Dajjal. The book explained the Dajjal not as only one man with one eye, but as a system of thinking that is already here. A system that makes us love the material world and forget the Unseen. A system that becomes stronger when we Muslims are busy fighting each other, debating about small things, and shouting "I am right and you are wrong!" Subhanallah. My heart felt something. It felt... true. I see it every day, even among students of knowledge. We are so busy with division.

This book is not destroying our belief in the Mahdi. No. I think it is trying to save it. It is asking us to look at the purpose of the belief. The purpose is not to be passive and wait for a hero. The purpose of knowing about the End Times is to fix ourselves now. The book says the answer is to return to the Fitra, our pure nature. And it connects this to the most basic commands of our religion that maybe we forget. To feed the orphan, to help the poor, like in Surah Al-Ma'un. To do service for the sake of Allah alone, like in Surah Al-Insan. This is the part my scholarly mind and my heart could finally agree on. This is practical, beautiful Islam.

That is why I must say, this book is very important. Maybe it is a slap to wake us up from a long sleep. It does not give you easy answers, but it gives you very important questions. It is a must-read.

For my brothers and sisters who are scholars and students, it will challenge you, but it will also open your mind. For the general Muslim person, this book can be a shield to protect you from the confusion and deception of our time.

I thank my Filipino friend for this gift. And I pray that all of you will read it, not just with your eyes, but with an open heart.

Your brother in Islam,
Al-Faqir Al-Hameed Al-Indunisi
Cairo, Egypt

Every once in a while, a book lands on my desk that stops me in my tracks. It arrives looking like a cookbook, but when you open it, you realize you're holding something else entirely. It's a map. A history lesson. A spiritual guide. A key to a locked room you never knew existed.

Spice, Spirit, and Soul: Recipes and Rituals from the Heart of Sulu by the enigmatically named Nameless Soul is one of those books.

Let me be direct: if you think this is just another collection of Southeast Asian recipes, you are profoundly mistaken. To call it a "cookbook" is like calling the Mona Lisa a "nice portrait." It's technically true, but it misses the entire point.

I went into this expecting to learn how to make a few new dishes. I came away with a deep, humbling respect for the Tausūg people and a completely new understanding of the Philippines.

The book is structured as a four-part pilgrimage, and the author, an authentic voice from within the culture, insists you understand the soul before you taste the spice. It begins not with ingredients, but with faith, taking you through the Islamic foundations that shape every aspect of Tausūg life. It then walks you, hand-in-hand, through the sacred rituals—the solemn beauty of a grave visit, the pageantry of a wedding—explaining not just what they do, but the deep spiritual why behind every action.

Only then, after you understand the people, their faith, and their history, are you invited into the kitchen.

And the food… it’s a revelation. We’re not talking about adobo or sinigang here. This is a cuisine born from the sea, from ancient trade routes, and from a fierce, independent spirit. You’ll learn to cook Tiyula’ Itum, the legendary black stew of kings, its smoky, complex flavor derived from a technique of burning coconut that is a form of culinary alchemy. You’ll taste the electric freshness of Kinilaw made the Sulu way, and understand the profound resilience in a simple meal of toasted cassava.

But here’s the honest truth about this book: you might never cook a single recipe from it, and it would still be one of the most valuable books on your shelf. Why? Because you will read it cover to cover like a novel. You will read stories of warrior ancestors, of mystic saints, of a kingdom that predates the modern nations. You will read the author’s own brave, introspective thoughts on how traditions must be purified to preserve their sacred core.

You will finish this book feeling like you have actually traveled to the heart of Sulu. You will feel the salt-laced air, hear the call to prayer, and understand the quiet dignity of a people who have guarded their culture for centuries.

This is not a book you buy to simply add to your recipe collection. This is a book you buy to expand your understanding of the world. It is an act of cultural preservation so generous and so beautifully executed that it feels like a gift.

My advice? Don't hesitate. Don't put it on a wishlist for later. Buy this book. Read it. Let it change the way you see a corner of the world. Trust me, you'll be richer for it.

You can find Spice, Spirit, and Soul on Amazon, Apple Books, Kobo, and wherever fine ebooks are sold.

Click the lin to buy Ebook: https://books2read.com/u/bpopjk