By Rasha Khan | Contribution to Saudi Life

BEFORE reading the novel Hearts We Lost, I felt certain topics were off-limits for Muslims and that writing about the inner lives of Muslims—the good, bad and the ugly—would require an exceptionally mature writer and one well-grounded in Islamic knowledge and ethos.

Umm Zakiyyah, the author of this novel, does just this without coming off as "preachy."  She sensitively presents a contemporary storyline about  the spiritual and ethical struggles of a young man Sharif, the main character.  The story spans two different countries (Maryland, USA and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia) while embracing a host of situations, characters and states of mind with élan.

What impressed me the most about the book is that the plot rings so true to life. The complex story gives a stirring account of the life of Sharif (a young American Muslim who is the oldest son of parents who converted to Islam) both before and after he rediscovers his faith.

After years of living in an atmosphere clouded with prejudices and fallacies, he leaves his hometown in Maryland to study in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. There he experiences a whole new spiritual awakening that opens his eyes to a completely new perspective of the religious arguments and apparent contradictions voiced by those closest to him, even by members of his own family. 

The book starts with a brief but telling encounter between Yasmin and Sommer, two old ‘friends’ who attended the same girls’ school in Riyadh. Yasmin was previously an unobtrusive and trusty follower of Sommer and friends’ popular clique. An unpleasant high school incident caused Yasmin to cover for Sommer—voluntarily taking the blame for something she didn’t do—and as a result Yasmin’s own reputation was ruined, so much so she is unable to get married. Now, six years later, Yasmin visits Sommer and requests her assistance in marrying a “real” American, who is none other than Sharif, whom Yasmin’s father was unsuccessful in securing as a husband for her.

Sharif, on the other hand, is engaged to a girl (his childhood friend Hasna) and is thinking of rejoining her back in America and marrying her. He therefore apologetically turns down Yasmin’s father’s offer of her hand, and leaves for Maryland after completing his studies. Though he feels he has hurt Yasmin’s father’s pride and feelings, he is still attached to Hasna, whereas all he feels about Yasmin is curiosity.

In America, Sharif dimly realizes that he has changed in the six years that he was away.  For example, when his family, along with Hasna, comes to welcome him home at the airport, he comports himself with dignity and withholds the familiar embrace he might otherwise have bestowed on his fiancée. Hasna is offended at this, and from then on a gaping chasm grows between them.

Hasna herself is a complicated character, and she was of particular interest to me as a reader. She appears confused, bewildered and suspicious.  That all these emotions stem from obstinacy and ignorance is made quite clear in the course of the story. Hasna is torn between her genuine, unconditional affection for Sharif and her indignation at his overly religious mannerisms, which she sees as nothing short of fanatical. She prides herself on her liberalism and the “moderate” way she practices Islam, though she never dares to cross certain moral bounds – until she decides to play around with Vernon, her best friend Kenya’s beau. Hasna appreciates too late the truth of her father’s words: “It is the sin you never could imagine committing that you are most vulnerable to. Because you’ve offered yourself no protection against it.”

Hasna is one of the tragic figures of the story, and what compels sympathy for her is the fact that she does not seek consolation in remedying her sins but in lamenting that she is unworthy of forgiveness.

Although Sharif’s and Hasna’s families and the environment that they grew up in are very obviously American, the book seeks to discuss the personal issues and conflicts within Muslim families and communities in a global context. The plot is artfully layered to include several main topics that are under furious debate by Muslims today, and the book attempts to clear those areas of confusion with firm conviction that dispels all doubt.

Simply put, Hearts We Lost is about a young man and a world he fancied he had left behind him, but on returning to it, does not find it in himself to ignore it or to live on his life in a bubble. I found it a sensitive and inspiring book, a commendable attempt to represent two very different ways of life, Muslim and non-Muslim – and all the shades in between.

Click here to know more about purchasing the book and reading its 35-page teaser.

Rasha is a high school student in the UAE.