#islam in fiction

[griseldagimpel]

Why Basira Hussain in The Magnus Archives Isn't Textually Muslim

I've noted before that Basira Hussain in The Magnus Archives isn't textually Muslim and is implied not to have strong religious faith. And it is religious faith I want to talk about in this post. Basira may very well come from a Muslim cultural background. But she isn't depicted as a capital B Believer.

Let's start with: a character's background - of any and every sort - is going to have some kind of impact on that character. The specifics of that impact will vary - there is no universal experience of anything - and the extend of the impact will be affected by the specifics of the story they are inhabiting. But a character's background shouldn't just be garnish.

With The Magnus Archives, it's a story that deeply involves religion and religious faith, what with the fear entities being worshiped as gods and all. And that means that characters' non-fear-god religious background comes up more than it might in another narrative. Thus, we get stuff like Eugene opining that the Cult of the Lightless Flame shouldn't just imitate Christianity and Martin & Jon discussing whether the Christian God is a force they can invoke.

As such, the fact that religion never comes up with Basira - when it comes up with so many other characters in the story - leads me to believe that she doesn't have a strong religious background.

Are you following me so far?

Right. So why is this? Why did the creative team make this creative decision?

Well, it's because of season five.

The fourth season ends with the fear apocalypse beginning, and then throughout all of season five, no deity intervenes to stop the fear apocalypse. (Well, unless you want to argue this was the case with Georgie and Melanie's immunity, and there, yeah, I think from an in-story perspective their cult's pretty justified, honestly.)

We spend most of the our time with Jon & Martin, who explicitly come from culturally Christian backgrounds but don't have particularly strong Christian faith themselves and predominantly experience religion in the context of the fear gods. Then there's Basira, Georgie, and Melanie.

The goal of the fifth season is the stop the fear apocalypse, which the characters do, and then the series quickly ends. And the sequel series is over there in a whole different parallel universe.

Because, look, even after being undone, the fear apocalypse was going to fuck with a lot of humanity's religious faith (or lack there of!) something fierce. Gods are real but also they're monsters and also no other god intervened.

That's...a lot.

Basira's doesn't have strong religious faith because if she did, she'd have to process season five through the lens of her religion.

And that's...a lot.

And the creative team wanted Basira's story arc to be about her confronting the harm she and Daisy did as corrupt cops.

Also, look, a British podcast depicting the Christian God as either probably nonexistent or useless? That's like, whatever. England's got a whole Church of England. Christians in England aren't being persecuted for being Christian. The episode "The Architect of Fear" can have Robert Smirke write, "I am certain the Dread Powers cannot take a soul who keeps faith in the Resurrection." and then drop dead before he can even finish his letter. It's fine.

But a British podcast specifically depicting a Muslim character having to confront that their faith is false?

Muslims in England are a religious minority. They don't have a whole institutionalized Mosque of England behind them.

Yeah, that could easily end up coming off as Jerk Move.

Not saying that it couldn't be done or couldn't make a compelling narrative, but it would be a lot to take on. It would risk overpowering the corrupt cop reckoning character arc. And the creative team would have to tread carefully for it not to be a Jerk Move.

Ergo, it's easier on the creative team for them to just...not have Basira be religiously Muslim.

Relatedly, Melanie and Georgie aren't depicted as strongly religious for similar reasons. Because they're outside of the Eye's power! If either of them had a strong religious faith, the characters would likely be interpreting their exemption as being a reflection of their faith! And that would be another plotline where the creative team would likely feel like they had to tread carefully lest their story come off as Jerk Move. Again, not impossible to pull off. But difficult.

[nejjcollectsbooks]

thrifted bookish finds 1.may.24

i've discovered that i've missed out on so much by ignoring those uncomfortably large non-fiction books that crowd the bottom of every bookshelf. found a book on Islamic architecture and two nature books with the most adorable illustrations which I'll be posting pics of in the coming days.

> Monuments of Civilisation: Islam by Umberto Scerrato - middle eastern history, north african history, islamic history, history, architecture, non-fiction. > Nature Diary by Janet Marsh - memoir, nature, art, non-fiction. > Still Glides the Stream by Flora Thompson - historical fiction, literary fiction, British fiction, classic.

[augustsappho]

“Across the town students were fast asleep. Next to them, tomes by Plato and Locke and Montesquieu waited to be read, discussed, gesticulated about; theoretical rights like freedom and liberty would be debated between those who already enjoyed them, stale concepts that, upon their readers’ graduation ceremonies, would promptly be forgotten. That life, and all of its preoccupations, seemed insane to him now; he could not believe there was ever a time when his greatest concerns were what colour neckties to order from Randall’s, or what insults to shout at houseboats hogging the river during rowing practice. It was all such frippery, fluff, trivial distractions built over a foundation of ongoing, unimaginable cruelty”

"Babel" R.F. Kuang - ch.22 pg.434

This is generally applicable to the universal experience of putting things into a better perspective from the pov of a student. How living through horrors or simply witnessing them miles and miles away can be enough to shake an anger to your core and wash your eyes so that they now see differently than they did yesterday. "How strange! How could that have really seemed like the end of the world to me! I had no idea! I really had no idea what was to come!" Though I will admit unis in London have been so very incredibly good at advocating for Palestine, UCL, Kings, Golds, QMUL, all of you! I love you!

[storysere]

New Writing Blog 📖💚✍🏽

About Me:

I'm a muslimah who is trying to practice writing fiction so I will be writing a bunch of one shots / little stories to get some consistent writing done! Especially writing within the context of islam and islamic "culture.” I will also be taking requests! I love writing stuff for ppl and I know it will motivate me to write much more than any prompt will 😭

Many years ago on tumblr I used to write oneshots for ppl that took place in a fairy-tale land (which usually ended up being medieval Europe) But during that time was literally the golden age of Islam, so I thought why not write in that setting? Might be fun! I'm hoping to get some feedback too since so pls feel free to do that!

-----------------------------------------------------------

✨ REQUESTS ARE OPEN! ✨✅ Open to all genre's and prompt types EXCEPT gore, thriller, horror etc. not rlly my cup of tea.

What to expect:

Oneshots, character studies, exploration of situations + places, studies of real historical customs / setting within islamic culture + religion. I'll probably also do random prompts that I find online if I don’t get any requests 🥲😭

------------------------------------------------------------

REQUESTS/ STORIES MASTERLIST:

✅done ⏳in progress 📎not yet started

Betrothed to ur father's apprentice, u fall for a customer ⏳

Your Request! Send me an ask 💚

[kavehater]

Most funniest thing ever btw is a person who likes alhaitham and kaveh and has alhaitham as his pfp and kaveh in his banner yet is a raging Zionist

[haveyoureadthispoll]

Beginning in seventh-century Mecca and Medina, A History of Islam in 21 Women takes us around the globe, through eleventh-century Yemen and Khorasan, and into sixteenth-century Spain, Istanbul and India. From there to nineteenth-century Persia and the African savannah, to twentieth-century Russia, Turkey, Egypt and Iraq, before reaching present day London. From the first believer, Khadija, and the other women who witnessed the formative years of Islam, to award-winning mathematician Maryam Mirzakhani in the twenty-first century, Hossein Kamaly celebrates the lives and groundbreaking achievements of these extraordinary women in the history of Islam.

[writerfarzanatutul]

Who's Allah?-Muslim Story

Now they were sitting under a tree. Hannah had a small rabbit in her hand. One of the rabbit's eyes was damaged, but Hannah loved it dearly. Hannah and the rabbit, whom they lovingly called Gyro, were Isaac's only friends.

Hannah was stroking Gyro's back when Isaac started staring at her intently.

"Hannah, are you bald? Don't you have any hair on your head?" Isaac asked curiously. Hannah was a Muslim girl. They had come from Pakistan. Her father worked in Isaac's father's factory, and her mother worked in Isaac's house.

Since Hannah had come to their house, Isaac had only seen her in a hijab. He had never figured out if she had hair.

Hannah looked at him with some annoyance.

"Why wouldn't I have hair? My hair is very beautiful. Say 'MashAllah' or else you'll give me the evil eye."

Isaac didn't know what 'MashAllah' meant or what the evil eye was.

"Hannah, what does 'MashAllah' mean?"

"MashAllah means when we see something beautiful, we remember Allah and acknowledge that Allah created it beautifully."

The seven-year-old girl didn't fully understand the meaning of MashAllah but tried to explain it to her friend as best as she could.

"And who is Allah?"

Isaac was hearing the name Allah for the first time in his eight-year-old life.

Hannah's mouth dropped open in shock.

"You don't know Allah?" Hannah asked as if it were an unbelievable fact.

"No."

Isaac felt embarrassed, seeing Hannah's reaction, as if everyone knew Allah except him.

"Allah created all of us."

"Everyone?"

"Yes, everyone."

"Even plants?"

"Yes, even plants, the sky, the earth, dust, and everything."

"Really?"

"Yes, really. And Allah loves us very much. When I need something, I pray to Allah, and He gives it to me. Allah also protects me from mommy's scolding."

( Assalamualaikum everyone, I write Islamic stories that is based on love , faith, redemption, second chances and halal romance. This is a snippet from my story Mafia Captured. )

[wakanai]

I can't be the only one on tumblr uncomfortable with the whole fyosus thing..

[saturnshari]

tiny fandom rant

thinking abt how being an Intellectual Brown woman isolates me from fandom experiences bc since i call out orientalism/racism against swana and my people in media that makes me too "anti" but the shit id be into and ship since i was 13 would land me 100ft deep into "proship" territory....

[skepticalpigeon]

Alternate reality science fiction where the original ten commandments are radioactive and the ark of the covenant contains most of the radiation but is itself radioactive enough that it quickly kills anyone who touches it, like the elephant's foot at Chernobyl.

[theupfish]

No Canadian school ever canceled any event with Nadia Murad

Nadia Murad is a Yazidi survivor of the 2014 Yazidi genocide by ISIS. She is now an activist and Nobel Piece Prize winner.

Earlier this year, posts began to circulate social media, claiming that her visit to a Canadian school was canceled, for "fear of spreading Islamophobia."

Well....

https://factcheck.afp.com/doc.afp.com.34RW8MG

Nadia Murad never even had any events scheduled in Canada to begin with. The story is as fake as the roadkill on Trump's head. Somebody pulled it right outta' their bum.

The oppression of the Yazidi people could definitely use some more attention, though.

[griseldagimpel]

I've seen a lot of cool Magnus Archives fan art of Basira where she's wearing a headscarf, but given that she turns to logic and reason when confronted with the Stranger's Unknowing, I'm thinking she's probably not a [Muslim] believer.

She might come from an Islamic religious-cultural background, but she never attempts to invoke the Abrahamic God's help against the dread powers. Or even discuss the possibility of doing so on tape at any point.

For that matter, Basira is an Avatar of the Hunt! If she was Muslim, that would be hardcore idolatry! But we never [on tape] hear her have any concerns about this.

(Seriously, just in general, the fear gods definitely existing would have such an impact on one's religious beliefs or lack their of. The divine exists and can be called upon if one is a special favorite enough! That's huge! I'll bet some of the Avatars are just SO smug about this fact.)

[almakfi]

in au/fantasy verses basim still abstains from alcohol and haram meat because seeing as he follows islamic dietary laws even in his agnosticism it's a) something deeply integral to his character and his complex relationship with faith and b) not a good look, focusing on any verse other than his canon and removing/failing to address the influence of islam on his daily life as a consequence of that

[ilmtest]

Ruling on Writing Fictional Stories

The questioner Abū ʿAbd Allah asks: some literary authors write stories that teach moral lessons in a very attractive style, which have a great impact on readers' hearts, but it is all imaginary. What is the ḥukm (ie: ruling) on that? يقول هذا السائل أبو عبد الله بعض الأدباء يؤلفون قصصاً ذات مغزى وبأسلوبٍ جذاب مما يكون له الأثر في نفوس القراء ولكنها من نسج الخيال فما حكم ذلك؟ He may Allah have mercy on him answered: There is nothing wrong with that. فأجاب رحمه الله تعالى: لا بأس بذلك There is nothing wrong with that if it deals with spiritual or moral or social problems, because there is nothing wrong with giving likenesses by telling fictional stories. إذا كان يعالج مشكلات دينية أو خلقية أو اجتماعية لأن ضرب الأمثال بقصصٍ مفروضة غير واقعة لا بأس به In fact some of al-ʿulamāʾ (ie: the scholars) have stated that some of the likenesses given in the Noble Qurʾān did not refer to real events; rather Allah gave these as examples (to teach a lesson), such as when He, may He be exalted, said: {And Allah puts forward (another) example of two men, one of them dumb, who has no power over anything (disbeliever), and he is a burden to his master, whichever way he directs him, he brings no good. Is such a man equal to one (believer in the Islāmic Monotheism) who commands justice, and is himself on a Straight Path?} [16:76]. حتى إن بعض العلماء ذكر ذلك في بعض أمثلة القرآن الكريم أنها ليست واقعة لكن الله ضربها مثلاً مثل قوله تعالى (ضَرَبَ اللَّهُ مَثَلاً رَجُلَيْنِ أَحَدُهُمَا أَبْكَمُ لا يَقْدِرُ عَلَى شَيْءٍ وَهُوَ كَلٌّ عَلَى مَوْلاهُ أَيْنَمَا يُوَجِّههُّ لا يَأْتِ بِخَيْرٍ هَلْ يَسْتَوِي هُوَ وَمَنْ يَأْمُرُ بِالْعَدْلِ وَهُوَ عَلَى صِرَاطٍ مُسْتَقِيمٍ) So I do not think that there is anything wrong with that, because the purpose is to warn others. But if it so happens that a person has knowledge of what is in the Book and Sunnah, فلا أرى في هذا بأساً لأن المقصود هو التحذير ولكن إن حصل أن يكون عند الإنسان علمٌ من الكتاب والسنة Then he quotes verses in his writings that deal with problems, and he explains them and gives likenesses for them, this is something good. ثم يعرض آيات فيها معالجة مشكلات ويشرحها ويفسرها ويضرب المثل عليها فهو خير The same applies to quoting some ḥadīths and explaining them and giving likenesses for them. وكذلك يذكر أحاديث فيفسرها ويضرب المثل عليها This is undoubtedly good. فهذا أحسن بلا شك. Muḥammad b. Ṣāliḥ al-ʿUthaymīn, Fatāwá Nūrun ʿalá ʾl-Darb 24/2 ابن عثيمين، فتاوى نور على الدرب ٢٤/٢ https://shamela.ws/book/2300/7349 @ilmtest [https://t.me/ilmtest]

[soloavengers]

many father wants to avenge his son and vice versa in this series so far, we love to see it

[fiction-quotes]

It’s easy to love a perfect God, unblemished and infallible that He is. What is far more difficult is to love fellow human beings with all their imperfections and defects. Remember, one can only know what one is capable of loving. There is no wisdom without love. Unless we learn to love to love God’s creation, we can neither truly love nor truly know God.

 —   The Forty Rules of Love (Elif Shafak)