Tell us a little bit about yourself

I am a peace-loving Muslim. I work hard and just LOVE to write. However, I am a perfectionist by nature; so now, with 2 little kids to occupy my time, I feel it’s hard to find quite time to satisfactorily indulge in my favourite past-time (reading and writing) but I try to make the most of my time.

Also, although I started writing as a little nine-year-old, I am a writer only by hobby. My professional qualifications are in the field of mathematics and education - I am a teacher, with 2 years of mathematics teaching experience!

What inspired you to write The Magic Words?

My 5-year-old son has a bedtime storybook in which the main character is unable to sleep. After trying many things, she finally asks her mother to narrate a suitable story to help her drift off, and, in the process of telling her mother which kind of story she’d like to hear, she falls asleep.

This story inspired me to write The Magic Words because, when I wanted to tell my son that our Prophet has suggested some dua’as for protection during the night and a good night’s sleep, I couldn’t find any Islamic story that weaved in a dua’a in a narrative setting. So I just thought to write my own story!

I feel that very few high-quality books for Muslim kids marry subjects that deal with day-to-day life and the Islamic world. I hope my story will inspire children (and their parents) and get them to learn their dua’as.

The story’s central character is a little girl. Which main message do you wish to give to readers when they read this book?

In Islam, we are required to pray at various times of the day, including the time of sleep. Prayer brings comfort to the heart and puts our mind at ease. It is our refuge during any time of crisis.

In my story, the little girl is unable to sleep, but when her mother teaches her a few magic words in the form of a dua’a, she learns to fall asleep in a calm and comforted state of mind. This state of mind can be achieved through prayer at any time and especially at sleep-time – that is the message I hope my readers will understand when they read my story.

What was your favourite book as a child?

Enid Blyton and then Agatha Christie were my favourite writers as I was growing up. Anything written by them I devoured in no time!

If you could be any character in a book, who would you choose?

I love the story A Thousand Splendid Suns from the bottom of my heart. To date, I haven’t found a simpler story that speaks so splendidly about the ordinary Muslim woman, her trials and tribulations in life. Khaled Hosseini has done a simply wonderful job in bringing to life the story of Laila and Maryam and any day, I would love to be any one of them. I also like Jhumpa Lahiri’s short stories and wouldn’t mind being a character in any one of her tales!

Do you think you have found your place writing for children?

Yes, I think so Al Hamdulillah, from the tender age of nine when I penned my first write-up up until now, more than 2 decades later, I have been blessed. Most of my work, be it articles, stories, features or books for children, has found its way to publication. Still, Insha Allah, there is a very long way to go

What other subjects would you like to write about?

I have many ideas to combine Islam and day-to-day topics for Muslim kids. I want to present Islam in a fun and interesting manner to children. I don’t want them to be put off by boring madrassa lessons, Qur’an/Hadith sessions or drills.

Islam is a vibrant subject and when you begin to understand the logic and rationale behind every aspect of it, you automatically and whole-heartedly follow Allah’s and Prophetic commands with love, instead of just going through the motions.

In time, I hope to write more stories that draw parallels between Islamic themes and day-to-day life. I would also like to write novelty books to introduce basic Islam to very small children. I also have ideas to write for adults, some short stories and also articles/hand-outs for Muslim parents on how to creatively raise children in today’s challenging world.

In fact, I have put some of these ideas onto paper and am on the lookout to have my efforts for children published. Insha Allah, I pray to Allah to help me persist in giving life to my inspirations.

Do you have a favourite illustrator?

No, not really. I haven’t focused much on the illustration side of book-writing, but I do understand its tremendous importance in making an impression on young minds.

When you are not writing what do you do?

When I am not writing, I experiment with cooking. I like to try out recipes from different cuisines. I also read up all I can on any subject. With two young kids, parenting is a current hot topic with me! I like to keep busy all the time and usually spend quite a lot of time reading and surfing the Internet for informative purposes.

What advice would you give to aspiring writers?

Ok, this one comes from The Writer’s Bureau: to succeed in writing, you just need to apply the seat of your pants to the seat of your chair. In short, the more you write, the more you will perfect your craft! So just do it. Of course, besides this, you need to read a lot and be up-to-date in your field of interest, be familiar with new words and writing styles and so on.

What type of subjects would you like to see in today’s Islamic literature market?

I think there is a dearth of top-quality Islamic literature, especially for children. Ironically, the problem seems to be more compounded in Islamic countries – in the Middle East, for example – where you hardly find any books, let alone good books, introducing or explaining various aspects of Islam in an entertaining, age-appropriate manner.

I don’t think that many kids know that Allah has talked of ants, bees, etc., in the Noble Qur’an, but they learn all about their magical worlds when they learn science at school. My aim is to write stories that will weave in the concepts they learn at school by drawing parallels with topics/subjects mentioned in the Noble Qur’an, in the Hadith and so on.

I would also love to see books based on Islam mimicking the current rage in the mainstream market. Novelty books for very small children that incorporate the touchy-feely factor whilst dealing with Islamic topics, books dealing with current issues that tweens, teens and young adults grapple with are all very welcome subjects that would do well, when written for the Muslim population.

Are you working on any future books?

I have already written a few stories based on my ideas for kids, which I am actively seeking to publish. I also have plans to work on my other ideas and write more stories for kids and adults, Insha Allah.

Lisha, thank you for your interview!

"The Magic Words tries to cater for Muslim children in a simple and appealing way. Not only does Laila’s innocence capture you, but Lisha renders the straightforward message of reciting your bedtime Dua - through the bedtime story - brilliantly."

I am a published freelance writer with 20 plus years of experience in writing stories, magazine and newspaper articles, features and opinion pieces on a wide range of topics. My work has been published in various women’s and children’s magazines in the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. I was brought up in the UAE and currently reside in Bahrain. I also often travel to India where I have family. I am also a published children’s writer, with 3 books of 2 stories each to my credit. I specialize in short stories for young children based on Islamic themes and concepts. Al Hamdulillah, two of my books were long-listed for the Vodafone Crossword Book Award 2009.

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