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Islamic fiction is a genre of fiction. Islamic fiction works expound and illustrate an Islamic world view, put forth some explicit Islamic lessons in their plot and characterizations, or serve to make Muslims visible. [1] Islamic fiction is different than Muslim fiction, which may refer to any and all works of fiction produced by Muslims.
Islamic fiction refers to creative, imaginative, non-preachy fiction books written by Muslims and marketed primarily to Muslims. Islamic fiction may be marketed to mainstream markets as well. The content of these books will likely incorporate some religious content and themes, and may include non-fictionalized historical or factual Islamic content with or without direct reference to the Qur'an or the Sunnah of Mohammed. The stories may also include modern, real life situations and moral dilemmas.
Authors of Islamic fiction intend for readers to learn something positive about Islam when they read Islamic fiction stories.
Islamic fiction cannot include harmful content: vulgar language, sexually explicit content, un-Islamic practices that are not identified as un-Islamic, or content that portrays Islam in a negative way. [2]
While fiction has been produced throughout the entirety of Muslim history (such as One Thousand and One Nights, the term Islamic fiction has not been used until recently. In 2005 and 2006 the Islamic Writers Alliance (IWA), a professional Muslim organization based in the US with an International membership, took on the work of defining Islamic fiction and determining the criteria to establish it as a fiction subcategory of adult and juvenile fiction. The membership then began the process of identifying published Islamic fiction books that were at that time described as Muslim authored books or children's books in the Muslim book industry. This was done because so many books were getting lost in the previously established classification methods from the BISAC system, that a need for establishing a clear and distinct classification of specialization for this style of literature was realized, and thereby action taken towards a unification of the definition. [3]
Currently Islamic fiction is not recognized as a category by the Book Industry Standards and Communications (BISAC) coding system; however works from other mainstream fiction genres are found to meet the criteria. For example, Leila Abouzeid’s The Year of The Elephant (Arabic version 1983, English translation 1989), the first work written by a Moroccan woman to be translated to English, has been identified as falling into the sub-categories of being both a feminist novel, and because of its depiction of the protagonist and other characters practicing Islam, qualifying as Islamic fiction. [4] [5]
Amongst the first wave of Islamic fiction (as defined here) written in English specifically for Muslim audiences was juvenile fiction, including the series Invincible Abdullah originally published from 1993-1995 by Aziza and Uthman Hutchinson, and the Ahmad Deen Series (1996) by Yahiya Emerick. The first two English language series of Islamic fiction novels written for teens and adults is Umm Zakiyyah’s Tamika Douglass Trilogy beginning with If I Should Speak (2001) and the Echo Series written by Jamilah Kolocotronis beginning with Echoes (2006). [6] Kolocotronis’ first Islamic fiction title, Innocent People was self-published in 2003. In 2004, Irving Karchmar published the Sufi novel, Master of the Jinn. [7] Linda D. Delgado, prolific author of Islamic fiction in addition to other various works, began writing and publishing the award-winning Islamic Rose series in 2005, with the latest edition of this series last published in early 2012. [8] [9]
While Islamic knowledge presented in Islamic fiction may be taken directly from the Qur'an and traditions of Muhammad, as well as from Islamic history, not all of the Islamic content in these books will be considered factual or acceptable by all Muslim readers. This is due to differences between a Muslim reader and the writers, editors, and publishers with respect to personal practices, beliefs and knowledge, as well as the influence of their schools of thought, cultures, and traditions.
Determining the accuracy and permissibility of Islamic content is the responsibility of every adult Muslim reader. This may differ according to individual differences in school of thought and practice. All Muslim parents, guardians, teachers, and school administrators must determine whether a book's content is halal for their children and students. This Islamic Reminder holds true for all materials a Muslim reads. [2]
Works of Islamic fiction have been written in several fiction genres. Maryam "Umm Juwayriyah" Sullivan's teen/adult novel The Size of a Mustard Seed (2009) is the first known Urban Islamic fiction title. [10] Najiyah Diana Helwani's juvenile Islamic fiction title Sophia's Journal: Time Warp 1857 (2008) has been classified as both a historical fiction novel as well as science fiction. [11] The seminal juvenile fiction series Invincible Abdullah and Ahmad Deen are both written in mystery styles. MuslimMatters.org, a popular multi-author Muslim blog, has published a series of genre-blending novels by Wael Abdelgawad that draw from the Islamic fiction, action, mystery and thriller categories. [12]
Some Islamic fiction shorts can be found amongst other works in mainstream or special-interest anthologies, such as collections of Arab or South Asian writers, but very few anthologies and venues exclusively feature Islamic fiction shorts and poetry. The Islamic Writers Alliance (IWA) has produced two anthology titles of Islamic fiction and poetry, Many Poetic Voices, One Faith (2008) and Many Voices, One Faith II – Islamic Fiction Stories (2009). [13] IWA also produces a quarterly online magazine, IWA Magazine (formerly known as Islamic Ink) which features Islamic fiction. [14] Another anthology, Between Love, Hope and Fear published in 2007 by An-Najm Publishers of UK, is a collection of short stories, poetry and essays written by Muslims from around the globe. [15] The American Muslim women's magazine, Azizah , regularly features original short works of Islamic fiction and poetry. [16] Damazine is a quarterly online literary journal which publishes Muslim-related fiction (including Islamic fiction), creative nonfiction and poetry. [17]
Several Muslim organizations encourage the creation of Islamic fiction and other creative writing by hosting annual awards for Islamic literary arts. The Islamic Writers Alliance (IWA) [18] began sponsoring poetry contests for children and adults in 2005. As part of its efforts in the cause of promoting literacy with an emphasis on Islamic literature, the IWA also traditionally grants annual awards in the form of book donations to libraries of Islamic Schools. [19] In 2009, IWA added an Islamic fiction section for teens and adults to its contest, and in 2011, it added a non-fiction Essays section which was co-sponsored by Zakat Foundation of America in association with the IWA. [20] Since 2006, the Muslim Writers Awards [21] hosts an annual Muslim Writers contest which accepts submissions for poetry, fiction, screenplay and other literary forms, including young Muslims categories. Select winners of the Muslim Writers Awards have their work published at IslamOnline.
Although the term "Islamic fiction" is rather new in circles of literature and Muslims alike, the art of Islamic fiction is not really so new. Muslim Narratives and the Discourse of English, a study written by Amin Malik and published by State University of New York Press, Albany, in 2005, documents that the first ever work of fiction in English language by a Muslim author was published as early as 1905. [22] Some of these authors write Islamic fiction exclusively for children, [23] while others direct their work to an older audience of Young Adults. [24]
Although more authors are being discovered daily as to having written and published works to come under the classification of Islamic fiction, and so no list is extensively exclusive, to view a more comprehensive listing of these authors, please refer to the external links listed in the External links section of this page.
There are conflicting views amongst Muslims as to whether reading and writing fictional stories is or is not halal (permissible) within Islam. In fiqh, although not outright considered haram (impermissible), “abandoning busying oneself with [fiction stories] is preferable” and fiction stories are seen as a frivolous way for a Muslim to use their time. [25] Another interpretation is that fictional stories are permissible and even encouraged for purposes of dawah , to help people to learn about Islam, as long as the author has made clear that the story is not true. As well, the writing should be in the style of Islamic fiction. [26]
Ursula Kroeber Le Guin was an American author best known for her works of speculative fiction, including science fiction works set in her Hainish universe, and the Earthsea fantasy series. She was first published in 1959, and her literary career spanned nearly sixty years, producing more than twenty novels and over a hundred short stories, in addition to poetry, literary criticism, translations, and children's books. Frequently described as an author of science fiction, Le Guin has also been called a "major voice in American Letters". Le Guin said she would prefer to be known as an "American novelist".
American literature is literature written or produced in the United States of America and in the colonies that preceded it. The American literary tradition thus is part of the broader tradition of English-language literature, but also includes literature of other traditions produced in the United States and in other immigrant languages.
A literary genre is a category of literature. Genres may be determined by literary technique, tone, content, or length. They generally move from more abstract, encompassing classes, which are then further sub-divided into more concrete distinctions. The distinctions between genres and categories are flexible and loosely defined, and even the rules designating genres change over time and are fairly unstable.
Arabic literature is the writing, both as prose and poetry, produced by writers in the Arabic language. The Arabic word used for literature is Adab, which comes from a meaning of etiquette, and which implies politeness, culture and enrichment.
Mormon fiction is generally fiction by or about members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, who are also referred to as Latter-day Saints or Mormons. Its history is commonly divided into four sections as first organized by Eugene England: foundations, home literature, the "lost" generation, and faithful realism. During the first fifty years of the church's existence, 1830–1880, fiction was not popular, though Parley P. Pratt wrote a fictional Dialogue between Joseph Smith and the Devil. With the emergence of the novel and short stories as popular reading material, Orson F. Whitney called on fellow members to write inspirational stories. During this "home literature" movement, church-published magazines published many didactic stories and Nephi Anderson wrote the novel Added Upon. The generation of writers after the home literature movement produced fiction that was recognized nationally but was seen as rebelling against home literature's outward moralization. Vardis Fisher's Children of God and Maurine Whipple's The Giant Joshua were prominent novels from this time period. In the 1970s and 1980s, authors started writing realistic fiction as faithful members of the LDS Church. Acclaimed examples include Levi S. Peterson's The Backslider and Linda Sillitoe's Sideways to the Sun. Home literature experienced a resurgence in popularity in the 1980s and 1990s when church-owned Deseret Book started to publish more fiction, including Gerald Lund's historical fiction series The Work and the Glory and Jack Weyland's novels.
Young adult literature (YA) is literature, most often including novels, written for readers from 12 to 18 years of age. The term YA was first used regularly in the 1960s in the United States. The YA category includes most of the genres found in adult fiction, with themes that include friendship, drugs and alcohol, and sexual and gender identity. Stories that focus on the challenges of youth may be categorized as problem novels or coming-of-age novels.
Fantasy literature is literature set in an imaginary universe, often but not always without any locations, events, or people from the real world. Magic, the supernatural and magical creatures are common in many of these imaginary worlds. Fantasy literature may be directed at both children and adults.
Islamic literature is literature written by Muslim people, influenced by an Islamic cultural perspective, or literature that portrays Islam. It can be written in any language and portray any country or region. It includes many literary forms including adabs, a non-fiction form of Islamic advice literature, and various fictional literary genres.
Bengali literature denotes the body of writings in the Bengali language and which covers Old Bengali, Middle- Bengali and Modern Bengali with the changes through the passage of time and dynastic patronization or non-patronization. Bengali has developed over the course of roughly 1,300 years. If the emergence of the Bengali literature supposes to date back to roughly 650 AD, the development of Bengali literature claims to be 1600 years old. The earliest extant work in Bengali literature is the Charyapada, a collection of Buddhist mystic songs in Old Bengali dating back to the 10th and 11th centuries. The timeline of Bengali literature is divided into three periods: ancient (650–1200), medieval (1200–1800) and modern. Medieval Bengali literature consists of various poetic genres, including Hindu religious scriptures, Islamic epics, Vaishnava texts, translations of Arabic, Persian and Sanskrit texts, and secular texts by Muslim poets. Novels were introduced in the mid-19th century. Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore is the best known figure of Bengali literature to the world. Kazi Nazrul Islam, notable for his activism and anti-British literature, was described as the Rebel Poet and is now recognised as the National poet of Bangladesh.
Sudanese literature consists of both oral as well as written works of fiction and nonfiction that were created during the cultural history of today's Republic of the Sudan. This includes the territory of what was once Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, the independent country's history since 1956 as well as its changing geographical scope in the 21st century.
Leila Fuad Aboulela is a fiction writer, essayist, and playwright of Sudanese origin based in Aberdeen, Scotland. She grew up in Khartoum, Sudan, and moved to Scotland in 1990 where she began her literary career. Until 2023, Aboulela has published six novels and several short stories, which have been translated into fifteen languages. Her most popular novels, Minaret (2005) and The Translator (1999) both feature the stories of Muslim women in the UK and were longlisted for the International Dublin Literary Award and Orange Prize. Aboulela’s works have been included in publications such as Harper's Magazine, Granta, The Washington Post and The Guardian. BBC Radio has adapted her work extensively and broadcast a number of her plays, including The Insider, The Mystic Life and the historical drama The Lion of Chechnya. The five-part radio serialization of her 1999 novel The Translator was short-listed for the Race In the Media Award (RIMA).
Ardath Frances Hurst Mayhar was an American writer and poet. Mayhar wrote over 60 books ranging from science fiction to horror to young adult to historical to westerns, Some of her novels appeared under pseudonyms such as Frank Cannon, Frances Hurst, and John Killdeer. Mayhar began writing fantasy with a story in 1973, and fantasy novels in 1979 after returning with her family to Texas from Oregon.
Robert Maxwell Hood is an Australian writer and editor recognised as one of Australia's leading horror writers, although his work frequently crosses genre boundaries into science fiction, fantasy and crime.
Lesbian literature is a subgenre of literature addressing lesbian themes. It includes poetry, plays, fiction addressing lesbian characters, and non-fiction about lesbian-interest topics.
Linda "Jamilah" Kolocotronis was an American Muslim writer and former educator in American Islamic schools. Of Greek origin, she converted to Islam at the age of 23, and she published several Islamic fiction novels as well as her doctoral dissertation. Kolocotronis changed her first name to Jamilah when she became Muslim in 1980.
Maryam “Umm Juwayriyah” Sullivan is an American poet, novelist, playwright, journalist and performance artist. Sullivan's novel The Size of a Mustard Seed is the first published Islamic Urban fiction title.
Visionary fiction is a fiction genre with New Age or mind, body, spirit themes and perspectives, including consciousness expansion, spirituality, mysticism, and parapsychology. It is sometimes classed as a subtype of speculative fiction. Examples include the novels The Celestine ProphecyThe Alchemist, and Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah. The Book Industry Study Group's BISAC subject heading FIC039000 is "FICTION / Visionary & Metaphysical".
Wael Abdelgawad is an American-born novelist, web developer and martial artist, best known for founding one of the first online Muslim matchmaking services, and for his fictional portrayals of American Muslims. As a columnist for the multi-author blog MuslimMatters.org, he has published a series of online novels that have garnered popular attention from Muslim readers. His writings are often quoted on social media websites such as Tumblr, Facebook and Twitter.
Yugoslav science fiction comprises literary works, films, comic books and other works of art in the science fiction genre created in Yugoslavia during its existence (1918–1991).
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