The African fiction space is shifting towards genres and topics that were previously underrepresented, and I am here for it! Have you noticed that with the relative ease of self-publishing and helpful publishers like Masobe Books, African authors with different backgrounds and tastes are now bold enough to put their works out there? We have amazing romance and mystery all with deliciously strong prose. We are no longer boxed into literary fiction but have an array of books that cater to the diversity in our populace. The African fiction space is allowing for more stories on religion, and to celebrate Eid Mubarak in my own little way, I’ll write about one such beautiful story—Broken: Not A Halal Love Story.
Now, before you throw tomatoes, I know it is a controversial title but stick with me.
For those of you who might not understand, halal is an Arabic word used in Islam which means ‘lawful’. It’s mainly used to refer to food but can be used to refer to conduct. When a person says something is halal, they are saying it is permitted by Allah or lawful to do. The opposite of this is ‘haram’ which means something that is forbidden or considered sinful.
So, yeah, the book title starts off telling us this love story is not exactly lawful. Naturally, we think, ‘Ei, it must be haram then. Full of undressed Muslimahs and Muslims.’
Honestly, it does contain these—in PG doses—but this book is much more than that and this is why I am suggesting you read it during this festive period.
Broken: Not A Halal Love Story by Fatima Bala is a story about faith, love and the persistent reach for salvation even when broken. Here’s the book’s synopsis copied from the author’s Amazon page:
A story of imperfect love. Broken from the start; yet constant.
Fa'iza Mohammed grew up very sheltered in a conservative Muslim home. Her otherwise sane life is thrust into turmoil when she finds herself falling for someone with a completely different set of values from hers when she comes to Toronto for University. She tries to fight it, but there’s an undeniable attraction simmering between them. She soon realizes that they are probably better apart - but can they stay away from each other?
Ahmad Babangida believes everything is a construct. Society and religion condition people to be sheep, and he goes out of his way to live his life on his terms. His attraction to Fa'iza doesn't help as the lines between halal and haram start to become blurred.
When a revelation breaks them apart, they hold a secret, one that could tear the seams of the Islamic upbringing their family holds in high regard. Five years later, is it too late for them, or is the road to redemption shut against them for crossing the lines into forbidden paths?
Honestly, this synopsis does not do justice to the beauty within the pages. But I don’t want to give spoilers, so I won’t go into the details. Muslimahs who can relate better to the storyverse have mostly positive things to say about this book. Even I relate to this story because even though the characters are Muslim and live a reality and religion I cannot claim to understand, there are universal themes that resonate. If you subscribe to a religion and are trying to follow the precepts, you will relate to this story.
We all like to act like we are perfect, especially when it comes to religion. Like we follow our religious teachings to the tee. Do not touch, do not indulge, do not, do not. But we are humans, and we fall. Time and time again. We make mistakes, we bounce back from them. Sometimes we tend to our flesh and turn away from our creator: do things that make us feel far from God.
And it is okay. Not the sin, and not to say we should remain down when we fall, but falling is ‘okay’ in the sense that we are humans and therefore flawed. By giving us characters who are just as flawed as the rest of us, the author holds a mirror to our lives.
Faiza and Ahmad represent the faithfuls (Muslims, Christians, Jews, Hindus) who are trying to remain faithful, and our struggles with faith, sin and redemption. Especially with sexual purity.
It shows this progression in a realistic manner. How an inch can become a yard, become a mile, become a gulf between us and God. How love, even when it begins with pure intentions has the potential of pulling us away from our consecration when we are not careful. Fantasies are things we understand in romantic relationships, and they may seem harmless, but sometimes these thoughts become idols that replace Allah or God in our hearts.
The book touches on the guilt of sin, the struggles to remain faithful to the teachings of our religion and the desires we have that threaten our resolve (desires that are normal and very human but not openly talked about in religious spaces).
Through Faiza and Ahmad’s story we see love (two people who try to be better for each other and for the success of their relationship), we see temptation (where there is attraction, there is desire and the risk of acting on this desire when the time is not right) and we see a hope of reconciliation to God.
I think we can all, in some way, relate to this.
Here’s a link to purchase the book on Masobe Books– Broken: Not A Halal Love Story.
Of course, I just shined the light on this one book, but there are so many other amazing books out there with Muslim protagonists or with Islam as a bedrock.
Here’s a short list of these books, limited to those whose characters/authors are African and Muslim.
- Hafsatu Bebi by Fatima Bala
- The Fortune Men by Nadifa Mohamed
- You Truly Assumed by Laila Sabreen
- Punching The Air by Ibi Zoboi and Yusef Salaam
- The Story of Maha by Sumayya Lee
- My Other Half: A Halal Novel by Neya B
