WHY I WRITE FlCTION

by Uthman Hutchinson

If you’re going to write ‘Islamic literature’ in English there are a few choices you have to make. Avoidance or ignorance of these choices has serious consequences. The choice of what is or is not ‘Islamic’ is the obvious one, which I believe any Muslim setting out to write must make. It is a constant process ranging from, ‘Why am I writing?’ to ‘Why am I writing this?’, from concept to wording. Art for art’s sake (for the second art read ncif.s) has no foundation in Islam. Actions are by intentions and the only valid intention is worship of Allah ** and what will facilitate that worship. The highest function of literature is to indicate Allah; La ilaha il Allah. Indivisible from that is what will facilitate His worship in all its forms; MuhammadUT Rasool Allah. For the most part (at least in published work) I think this is at least intrinsically understood and I don’t think this is directly where our problem lies.

We Muslims have over fourteen hundred years of protection of our direct sources, the Qur’an and Hadith. We have over fourteen hundred years of commentary and legal decision. Parameters have been set about what is and is not possible to say about Allah ** and His prophets **. The changing of the word of Allah **, the Qur’an, or the word of His Prophet **, the Hadith, is universally and rightly viewed as a heinous crime. To change the words of Qur’an makes you the enemy of Allah **, to put your own words into the mouth of the Prophet **, the same. This is understood. To attribute words or actions to any prophet **, without explicit foundation in either Qur’an or Hadith is the same. To attribute thoughts or feelings based only on our reading of their situation is surely the same. We are justified in saying that Musa ** was afraid when he threw down the staff only because Allah ** told us what was in Musa’s ** mind in the Qur’an. If we say what we think he must have been thinking or feeling beyond that, it is a fiction and unacceptable. To Allah ** and His prophets **, in this respect, I would add the companions of the Prophet **. They are the original receptacles of the din of the Prophet **, and the means of its transmission to us, and must be kept, like the din itself, beyond distortion. Most Muslims would agree with this. Most Muslim writers would also agree and not set out to put their own words in the mouths—or thoughts in the minds, of Allah’s prophets or the companions. Unfortunately, because they don’t set out to do this does not mean that they don’t arrive at it.

At the beginning of this article I used the phrase, ‘Islamic literature’. So far I have been dealing with the ‘Islamic’ side of the phrase, and though it is this part which I am afraid is being trespassed, it is not this side of the phrase which creates the problem. Muslims generally understand the concept of not trespassing on our sources, but when you bring ‘Islamic’ and ‘literature’ together, this understanding seems to fall apart. It is the lack of understanding of the ‘literature’ they are employing that creates the problem. for ‘literature’ here you may read technique.

Modrn fiction can be riveting stuff.  When well written it has a strong impact on the reader, which is why it is so popular. Originally, most stories were told by the author openly addressing his reader. The author may have hidden his intention and the destination he wanted to take the reader to, but he did not bother to completely hide himself. Within the last century this has changed to the point where the author today is completely absent. The author hides even his footprints, to create within the text of the work, a completely separate and self contained reality. You get only the story and not, visibly, the story teller. Part of the illusion is often facilitated by the entry of the author directly into the heart and mind of the character, to write thoughts and feelings as they are actually, directly happening. It is an effective technique and one we are completely used to. Unfortunately, this trend and technique is now also commonly used and accepted in popular historical and biographical works. History and biography make great fiction. Dialogue is even invented to enhance the story. the illusion of being present at the events is enhanced by details of time and place, either real or imagined. As long as the spirit of the actual events is upheld, all of this is considered acceptable. The line between truth and fiction is blurred and reality is lost. This is precisely what I fear for us.

So, where is all this ‘Islamic literature’ I’m talking about that’s blurring the lines between reality and illusion and attributing our words and thoughts to the prophets **? In fact, where is any ‘Islamic literature’? If you don’t have kids or you don’t buy them Islamic books you’ve probably seen these books but maybe didn’t give it a second thought.  After all, “it’s only for kids,” which is an excuse I believe authors and parents use to let it pass. The rationale is that you have to make the stories attractive, and readable; point taken. Conventions of fiction are used in relation to the Prophet **, the prophets ** and the companions ** without meticulous scrutiny; point rejected. Either no conscious choice as to what literary techniques are used is made without full understanding of its consequences. The result can be uncomfortably close to historical fiction. there are already a number of well intentioned books of this sort on the market right now, and I’m afraid it is the wave of the future if authors and publishers don’t quickly realize what they are doing in adding speculation to truth.

Recently my son was given a small booklet about one of the prophets as a prize during a ‘youth day’ at our mosque. The book was about a little known period in a well known prophet’s life. I was very surprised to find it full of dialogue and description of place, thoughts and feeling. I asked a well known scholar of Shar’iah to trace the origin of the many direct quotes which were written as coming from a prophet of Allah. He could not. To the extent of his knowledge and research, they proved to be complete fabrications. While they may have been true in spirit to historical accounts by previous Islamic scholars cited in the book, they were fabrication none the less. They were words directly attributed to a prophet which were in fact the invention of the author. This is not acceptable.

In Islamic literature there are two very basic choices. If you choose the techniques of fiction, in fact you have chosen to write fiction. If you choose to write history, particularly the history of our din, you must also choose adherence to the scrupulousness which is its right.

Originally published in the print edition of TheAmerican Muslim Fall-Winter 1994