5 Ways Muslim Children’s Books Shape a Child’s Identity

How important are Muslim children’s books in shaping our kids’ Islamic identity? Very!

Many of us grew up reading stories about characters who bore little resemblance to us. We read the stories to enjoy the action, adventure, and humour in them, but we often felt like outsiders looking in.

After all, many of the characters we read about behaved in ways that didn’t fit with our beliefs and lived realities. In fact, sometimes we had to turn off our brains when we encountered this cognitive dissonance, just so we could enjoy the story.

Fortunately for our children, a lot has changed, and the number of quality books that centre Muslim protagonists is growing every day. This is great news, because providing our children with engaging and fun stories about Muslim children is an essential element in building their Islamic identity.

At Ruqaya’s Bookshelf, we aim to produce books that Muslim children can relate to and enjoy on a deep level. Our hope is that such stories—where spirituality is a natural part of characters’ lives—will both satisfy children’s love for stories and strengthen their Islamic identity.

Here are five ways in which Muslim children’s stories can positively impact a child’s Islamic identity:

1.  Muslim children feel seen.

Realistic and relatable Muslim characters help young Muslim readers feel seen, heard, and understood. This is a very powerful phenomenon that should not be underestimated.

Reading about characters they can identify with and whose struggles they recognize is essential to children’s Islamic identity. When they feel acknowledged and validated, they feel more comfortable in their own skin and can proclaim their Islamic identity with genuine pride.

As author Robyn Thomas said, “I wanted to create a book that my own kids could read, and where they would see themselves reflected in the pages.”

Seeing themselves in books can do wonders for children’s self-esteem and can help them understand themselves better—and it is this understanding that will pave the way for their Islamic identity to grow and flourish.

2. Muslim children feel centred and mainstream.

Reading stories in which the Islamic outlook is the norm leads to the centring of Muslim children. Rather than feeling like outsiders or strangers—as they may feel reading stories that they don’t personally connect with—Muslim children will absorb the idea that they are the mainstream and not the fringe.

This is an essential aim that Ruqaya’s Bookshelf works towards. Producing a variety of stories, both silly and serious, that are unapologetically Muslim will, God willing, contribute to strengthening children’s Islamic identity.

3. Muslim kids learn to take control of their own stories.

Another way Muslim children’s books build Islamic identity is through modelling the storytelling process. In a world where inconvenient truths are brazenly silenced, it’s more important than ever to take charge of our own narratives.

Providing our children with a variety of stories about the Muslim experience models this proactivity and sends a message about the importance of telling our own stories.

As author Sarah Musa said, “We as an ummah should not be chasing the mainstream…I do not like that we have to ask permission to be ourselves…We need to give ourselves permission. Allah gave us permission. He gave us tongues, He gave us the ability, He gave us the talent. Why are we asking permission?”

4. Muslim children absorb the Islamic outlook in a seamless way.

Stories that centre Muslim characters and values also help shape children’s identity by providing a mechanism through which they can absorb the Islamic paradigm in a seamless way.

At Ruqaya’s Bookshelf, we aim to produce high-quality stories on a variety of topics and themes that are authentic to the Muslim experience—and we believe this variety is essential for the development of strong and well-informed children.

Our bookshelf contains not only stories that focus on religious concepts like du’aa, fixing one’s mistakes, and being grateful for the way Allah made you; they also touch on difficult topics like oppression, grief, memory loss, and shadeism.

5. Muslim kids are enriched by Islamic morals and themes.

Unlike those who might scoff at stories with a message, Ruqaya’s Bookshelf strives to enrich its young Muslim readers through books with Islamic themes and morals. Whether these messages are explicit or implicit, our dedication to inspiring and educating will, we hope, help shape Muslim children’s Islamic identity.

All of our stories—on Hajj, Ramadan, gratitude, remembering Allah, and the many struggles with doing the right thing—are wholesome and proudly Muslim. At Ruqaya’s Bookshelf, we believe that telling stories for and about Muslim kids is essential to building strong believers.

As author Amina Banawan said, “I sincerely believe kids are the future of this ummah. If we can inspire one child, we can change the world.”

Join us as we strive to tell stories that are true to our beliefs, our struggles, and our dreams. Check out our Bookshelf today.