A Peculiar Thing
Kadir KATIRCI
What weakens us from within? Why do we keep repeating the same mistakes, ask the same questions, and still struggle to find peace? This book is a searching, personal examination of the inner causes of our restlessness — and a serious invitation to renewal.
What This Book Explores
This book is for anyone who has ever felt that something essential is missing — not in their circumstances, but in themselves. It is for those who are less interested in easy answers than in serious questions honestly pursued.
- The habits that dull the mind and distance the heart from what matters
- The lower self (nafs) — how it operates, deceives, and how it can be disciplined
- Why meaning cannot be found in the material world alone
- Faith, surrender, and trust as practical foundations of inner peace
- A serious, uncompromising look at purpose, death, and the Hereafter
“Whoever has Allah has everything. And whoever does not — everything is nothing.”
Inside the Book
Five parts moving from heedlessness toward sincerity, faith, and what remains.
Deep Sleep
On habit, heedlessness, and how we lose ourselves
Dream
On belonging, estrangement, and genuine human connection
A Voice
On consciousness, meaning, and the call to awareness
A Breath
On the lower self, trust in God, and inner balance
A Matter
On sincerity, justice, faith, and what truly remains
Read a Preview
An excerpt from Part One: Deep Sleep
If only it were possible to return to our factory settings — then perhaps I could rid myself easily of the ailments of my mind and my heart. I have soiled my spirit, muddied my reason, darkened my heart, and worn my body down; yet healing cannot be impossible.
Let us suppose, with the mental faculties we have now, that we arrived in this world with a clean heart and spirit. What is the sun, for instance? How do day and night happen? What are these trees? Are their fruits something one can eat? What do they taste like? Why are these flowers here, and what are they for? Let us imagine that we do not know — that we do not understand — that we have no knowledge or experience even of what our own hands and arms are.
What would we feel, I wonder, if lightning suddenly struck and we were soaked by the rain? If we touched a cat and heard its purring...? How would the stars that shine in the darkness of night appear to our eyes, and how would the sound of crickets reach our ears? I find myself thinking of a baby's astonished gaze; the way it is a stranger to its own hands and arms; the effort it makes to touch everything with its little fingers; the odd sounds it gives in response; the way it puts whatever it finds into its mouth. For the baby, everything must be "a peculiar thing." Wonder, curiosity, fear, exhilaration... And that sincere, clear, warm smile.
About the Author
Kadir Katırcı is an author, software developer, and photographer based in Turkey. Writing under the pen name Tedai Tesnim, he works at the intersection of technical discipline, aesthetic pursuit, and contemplative thought. A Peculiar Thing is his first book — a deeply personal work born from years of inner questioning and lived experience in trade, technology, and writing.