Forty 40

“40 Forty,” or The Forty Retreat, is a book about Ahmed Al-Shugairi’s life experience on a remote island in the Pacific Ocean. He emerged from this experience with convictions and reflections about the human self, the relationship with others, and God Almighty. Between these two, there is ample space for the author’s representations of the memory of the past and the present, and his questions about how contemporary man can extricate himself from the pitfalls of life and then work to purify, advance, and transcend himself. Therefore, this book falls within the category of moral self-development and the development of the human personality, as the author presents a scientific guide for the reader to follow. As Al-Shugairi believes, “God Almighty does not want perfection from us, but rather wants us to constantly strive toward it.” Professor Ahmed Al-Shugairi says about his work: “In this book, I summarize my journey over 40 years in this world. A journey of struggle and constant advancement in search of inner peace. I don’t claim to have arrived. The journey is still long. But it is a human experience that you might see yourself in, benefit from, and be of service…
I wrote this book during a 40-day retreat, where I secluded myself from people and technology and sat on a remote island by myself, trying to reflect on what had passed and contemplate what was to come. I ended up with 40 reflections on each of the following themes: 40 days with my life, 40 days with my Quran, 40 days with myself, 40 days with my improvements, 40 days with my stories, 40 days with my God, 40 days with my books, 40 days with the wisdom of people, 40 days with my memories, 40 days with my wisdom.”