New book by Omani author seeks answers to questions of our existence

Muscat: A new book by an Omani author aims to help answer the most fundamental questions about our existence: why are we here, and what is expected of us?

Written by Iqbal Al Lawati, the book, titled Refracted Reflections, analyses life from three perspectives: faith, morals, and society, and draws inspiration from the views of some of the world’s greatest philosophers.

While encouraging readers to step out of their comfort zone, the author is of the opinion that the time should be primarily used to pursue activities that are worth doing, as these will make us truly happy.

“When my friends heard I was writing a book, they were amazingly shocked when I shared with them what I was going to write about,” explained Iqbal, alluding to his professional background in finance and ICT. “Beyond my work, however, I have always had a great penchant for reading.

“I have always been an avid reader, right from my childhood,” he added. “Comic books, young adult, fiction, but I got tired of fiction and then changed my interest completely towards non-fiction about a couple of decades ago.”
“The interests in non-fiction are so varied, so I could read about religion, anthropology, social matters, world issues, about the global ecosystem, so when I thought of doing something during my retired life, especially during the COVID-19 lockdowns, I was inspired by all of these topics, and finally put pen to paper,” he said.

Iqbal drew inspiration from another publication titled The Philosopher’s Book of Questions and Answers.The subjects within piqued his interest, but what really hooked him to the book were the questions the author would ask his readers to answer before every chapter. Featuring the views and insights of renowned thinkers such as Socrates, Epicurus, Soren Kierkegaard, and Friedrich Nietzsche, among others, the book generated plenty of interest in Iqbal. “When I answered these questions, I felt really elated. By the time I had finished them, my wife and children asked me if I was going to just put these answers back in the drawer, because I had written nearly 35 A4 pages’ worth of answers,” he recalled.

“I wondered if I would have the time and inclination to begin my book, so I decided to turn these questions and answers into a narrative format. I also had many thoughts that occupied my mind, so I thought this book was a medium for me to bring these out,” he explained. “My objective through this book is to present a broad perspective of my views, and of the world we live in.

Iqbal went on to say: “As human beings, all of us have some inquisitiveness: why are we are, what’s going to happen to us on this earth, and so I decided to answer these questions from my perspective, and help people get a firmer handle on why we are here and what is expected of us.”

Iqbal Al Lawati was speaking on the occasion of International Book Lovers’ Day to Evita Louis of TFM, the radio station of the Times of Oman.