Despite being born into a Muslim household, I became a Muslim in name only, holding just the title, devoid of its essence. I wandered in the pitch-black darkness, believing I was on the right path, thinking everything else was false and wrong.
As I continued down this dark road, one day I woke up. I realized that I was not on the right path and that I had strayed from where I should have been heading. What I thought was light turned out to be a mere illusion, a mirage that would vanish with the slightest gust of wind. What I had believed to be life was, in fact, a pathway to hell. I had been drowning in a vast sea of sins for so long that I had forgotten that in order to survive, I had to reach the shore. Instead of searching for that shore, I was drowning further due to my pride and arrogance.

Then, I regained my consciousness. I opened my eyes and looked ahead. From somewhere close by, I could hear a gentle, heartfelt voice calling me. The voice seemed familiar, as if I had heard it countless times, yet it had never appealed to me as much as it did now. Today, for some reason, this voice felt very dear, very known.
I felt a stir deep within, as if my heart and soul were trembling. Who was calling me? Who was calling me? I became restless. I kept hearing that same sweet sound, a melodious call echoing in nature…
"Hayya 'ala as-Salah…"
"Hayya 'ala al-Falah…"
Someone was calling me to the path of righteousness. I regained my senses. I realized this was a tune I had known for so long. The first sound of my childhood. The first call to worship in my youth… and my adulthood? Alas, I was so close to drowning.

In this way, thousands of Muslim youths today, despite being born Muslim, have lost their way.
Some return from the path of misguidance, while others remain lost. What are the stories of those who come back? This book, Return, is a collection of stories of brothers and sisters who returned to Islam from ignorance.

The book is edited by the esteemed Arif Azad, author of Paradoxical Sajid and To Arju Ali.
It features stories of those who returned to the faith, including:

1. Mohammed Touaha Akbar – Author of Ullto Nirnay
2. Omar Al Jabir – Author of the Poro series
3. S M Nahid Hasan – Author of The Language of Al-Quran and editor of Al-Quran’s Words
4. Rehnuma Bint Anis – Author of Not for Sale, Marriage, Simple Lessons of Life, Over There
5. Shamsul Arefin Shakti – Author of Double Standard and Kostipathor
6. Ariful Islam – Author of Arguments of Arju and Pradipta Kutir
7. Rafan Ahmed – Author of The Logic of Faith
8. Muhammad Mushfiqur Rahman Minar – Author of From Darkness to Light
9. Ashraful Alam – Author of Antidote
10. Jakaria Masud – Author of Sangbit and Vrantibilash
11. Masud Sharif – Notable translator and editor, known for translating Umar ibn al-Khattab (RA) Part 1 and Controlling the Mind.

The book also features stories from respected individuals like Saifur Rahman, pursuing a PhD in Molecular Biology at Cambridge University, Abdullah Saeed Khan from Dhaka Medical College, Nishat Tammim from Rajshahi Medical College, Kabir Anwar from BUET, Ruhul Amin from Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College, Shihab Ahmed Tuhin from Khulna University of Engineering & Technology, Mahmudur Rahman from Australia, Armaan Ibn Solaiman, Faisal Bin Yousuf from BUTEX, and some reverted brothers from Kolkata who embraced Islam.

This book is expected to inspire the younger generation, who are distant from their faith, Insha’Allah.