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This is a religious love story based on a best-selling novel of the same title by Habiburrahman El Shirazy. Fahri earns a scholarship at an esteemed university in Cairo. Innocent, pure and brave, the usually shy Fahri finds himself surrounded by four beautiful, distinctly different women. Fahri considers Maria, a shy Coptic neighbour, as one of his best friends but he devotes his love to only Aisha, a German-Turkish student with beautiful eyes. After a brief courtship, the two marries, resulting in three broken hearts. Nurul, a daughter of a cleric, accepts her fate. Noura, an abused Egyptian neighbour turns against Fahri and accuses him of rape while Maria sinks into depression and illness.

"Ayat Ayat Cinta" (Verses Of Love) was adapted from the best-selling novel by Habiburrahman Al Shirazi about love within the confines of Islam. The film follows the travails of a poor but bright Indonesian student named Fahri (Fedi Nuril), who was given the opportunity to study at Egypt's prestigious Al Azhar University. The young lad is at the top of his class, respected by his peers and admired by many young ladies who are taken by his kindness, esteem but most of all, his old-fashioned (or religious) approach to life.

In Egypt, Fahri is neighbours with a Coptic-Christian girl named Maria (Carissa Putri). Fahri's humility and patient nature attracts Maria to the teachings of the Quran, and it was this that watered the seed for her buried attraction towards Fahri. However, their friendship remains platonic - at least only to Fahri - but as a typical male, Fahri displays moments of vulnerability when around her, but it is those little moments of weakness that makes Fahri a wholesome character.

Fahri then meets Aisha (Rianti Cartwright) on a train, whose mysterious eyes and unbiased nature captures his heart from the moment he saw her. He pursues her based on religious rites, which includes attending a taa'ruf (a Muslim custom where potential partners are properly introduced for marriage and witnessed by family members). He also sees Aisha's face underneath her veil for the first time at the taa'ruf which becomes a nerve-wrecking situation for him, for the honour of seeing a woman's face lies only with her husband and family members.

With his impromptu marriage to Aisha, the other women in Fahri's life are left shattered, including Maria, his university mate Nurul (Melanie Putria) who also harbours feelings for him, and Noura (Zaskia Adya Mecca), a girl who feels indebted to him for saving her from her abusive father.

Indonesian films are never dry with drama and what followed after his marriage are twists and turns which include a false accusation of rape, as well as the touchy subject of polygamy. Many scenes are too dramatic to look genuine but the backdrop of idyllic Egypt and impeccable music score sets the perfect atmosphere for a religious love story. The storyline is engaging and poetic but would have been indistinctive if it wasn't for the religious subject matter.

The performances complemented the picture with authenticity, although the minor characters failed to project a sense of realism or even seriousness to the film, which sadly tarnishes the overall presentation. While the story will keep you alert, the cinematography was too clinical to be considered actual. Scenes were overdramatised with lighting, while some takes struggle with continuity. Although this film was shot in areas of Egypt, most scenes only manage to look like film sets.

On the other hand, "Ayat Ayat Cinta" is nothing less than a gorgeous love story with a difference. It plants a good dose of emotional turmoil and the anguish of dealing with extremes - all while staying very close to the teachings of Islam and how Muslims deal with situations which are sometimes beyond their control. In the end, it all boils down to religion and faith in God. If you've ever wondered - or even been curious - about Islam, this film is a good place to start learning.