Books

Teaching Kids The Holy Quran – Surah 18: The Cave

In the first book of the Read with Meaning series, Mezba Mahtab employs his celebrated technique of using Legos to tell stories from the Qur’an. This book conveys the story of Chapter 18, entitled “The Cave” (known as Surah Al-Kahf). Mahtab’s creative spin on Qur’anic storytelling is bound to spark the imaginations of Muslim children and adults alike, and is very effective in driving home the lessons of this Surah.

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The “zabardast” Ms. Marvel

I missed out on a lot of things in elementary school. My name was never the same as a character in one of our story time books. I never basked in the temporary fame that came in the form of a mass classmate stare-down as the teacher read my name aloud from a book. Santa Claus never brought me presents and the Easter Bunny never brought me chocolates.

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Tell me your story

A full moon hung low one North Carolina night. Omar ibn Said was on the run from his South Carolina master who had almost beaten him to death a month earlier. When Omar came upon a church, he whispered “Praise Allah” under his breath. He took ablutions by the well in the churchyard and then entered the sanctuary to perform his Islamic prayers.
A young white boy saw him walk inside. Men on horseback with a pack of dogs quickly arrived to snatch Omar, mid-prostration, off to jail.

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Talking children, future, and blessing bags with the authors of “Allah to Z” children’s books

I recently met author Sam’n Iqbal and artist Uzma Sabir to discuss the newest children’s book on the block, “Allah to Z: Activity Book.” Meeting at Sam’n’s home, I instantly picked up on the inspiration behind this book: a vibrant home dotted with artwork produced by her three adorable children. Uzma and Sam’n, themselves an energetic pair, sat down to discuss their book.

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When Wings Expand

Mehded Maryam Sinclair’s YA novel When Wings Expand is a beautiful account of a young girl’s process of coming to terms with her mother’s death. After her mother’s passing, Nur struggles to adjust to life without her mother and subsequently becomes a source of strength for Taqwa, a young girl battling cancer.

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Tripping with Allah: Islam, Drugs, and Writing by Michael Muhammad Knight

Michael Muhammad Knight’s books bend things. His writings stretch across literary genres, blurring the neat demarcations between identity and faith, and interrogating the boundaries of what is accepted as truth. Knight is an acquired taste, to be sure. Yet, he never fails as a writer to explore the outer margins of American Islamic identity and creative expression. Tripping With Allah: Islam, Drugs, and Writing (Soft Skull Press, March 2012) is his latest piece of work that keeps on bending.

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Reading with Maryam – Discovering Muslim children’s books that delight and inspire

Some time ago, I complained to a friend that there were few good children’s books on Muslims or Islamic themes. I’m an American-born Muslim woman, and I was looking for books to share with my older daughter Maryam, then three. I wanted lively, upbeat bedtime books that would introduce her to our faith and identity while emphasizing universal values.
My friend, a thoughtful educator at a local Islamic school invited me to visit the school’s library. Unfortunately, that visit largely confirmed my dismal view.

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Faith confronts culture in ‘American Dervish’

American Dervish, by American actor and author Ayad Akhtar, is set in one of the many places in the world with vibrant Muslim communities. In this case: Wisconsin. Akhtar skillfully develops wonderful characters. As I delved into this novel I kept wanting to set aside more time to read so I could find out what would happen to characters like the Pakistani-American protagonist Hayat; Mina, a dear family friend; and Mina’s suitor, the kind Jewish doctor Nathan.

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