I’m an avid reader. I like to think that I have read plenty over the course of my life, ranging from heart-warming romantic comedies (that I rarely admit to reading in public) to the “serious fiction” that is often esteemed by various prize shortlists. An area I am not properly acquainted with, however, is Islamic literature. As a Muslim and someone who loves to read, I am unsure why this is.
Like many others in Britain, my religious upbringing often entailed a lot of seriousness and obliquity. The rules and scriptures of Islam were nearly always in relation to what was frowned upon, impermissible and