Tag Archives: video games

May11

Hidaya: Wira and the Spiritual World by Fahem & Hamid illustrated by Fahem

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Hidaya: Wira and the Spiritual World by Fahem & Hamid illustrated by Fahem

First published in 2024 I have been anxious to get ahold of this Muslim manga, and curious why no commentary reviews seem available for the book that recently released in the United States. After reading the book, I think I know, readers, myself included, aren’t quite sure what to make of it: does it skirt the line, really close, to being shirk or cross it? Does it take an Islamic concept and just twist it for fictionalized exploration? Is it a Sufi read, and thus not palatable to those that don’t practice that way? The book is just an introduction, it leaves off on rising action and so much of the aforementioned questions are left very vague, with nothing to back up any argument one way or another. As someone not familiar with Karamat and walis (other than in wedding environments), I felt uncomfortable with the premise of the book, and despite my 5th grader asking about it, I did not hand it over. The art is fantastic, I love the concept of going to a different realm to battle nafs, but again we don’t see how it is developed to know what results from that thread. The book does mention Halloween when costumes appear, presumably there is an error as it has Wira having a female pronoun on one page, when he is a boy, but it could be indicative of something more to come in the future, and there is bullying, dishonesty, and very choppy scenes, which perhaps are manga style, admittedly a genre I’m not familiar with as well. As a result, please look through the inside pages I am sharing, and decide for yourself if it is a good fit for your family or not, clearly this review is indecisive based on my own limited knowledge of manga and karamat.


The book follows Wira, his sister Hiba and some cousins as they train in martial arts, deal with bullies, and play video games. Wira, additionally dreams of being amazing like the Prophets, being a wali, and having powers. When he encounters a hermit in the jungle who has unworldly abilities and a retinue of animals that serve as spies, he and Hiba are whisked away to the Spiritual World of the Hearts. Once there they lose Master Rashmad and meet Master Hikmah. The book abruptly ends with promises of volume two to come.

The buildup is rather disjointed at this point, it is unclear why bullies and video games and a martial arts tournament and money woes have been presented. I don’t know if I will follow up with a second volume to get answers, but I did feel that even with my own lack of knowledge, just putting some thoughts out there and some inside pages, families could be better equipped to decide if the book is a worthwhile investment.



Jan20

Almost Sunset by Wahab Algarmi

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Almost Sunset by Wahab Algarmi

At 224 pages, this middle grade graphic novel has a whole lot of heart. Seventh grade is not easy for anyone, and Hassan is balancing school, grades, soccer, fasting, and taraweeh every night, while dealing with friends, video games, cousins, and falling asleep in class. I love that this OWN voice book really centers Islam. It doesn’t shy away from showing the stresses that the character and presumably the readers of immigrant kids in public schools might encounter, right alongside stresses with Muslim cousins and friends at the masjid trying to pressure you to do something you don’t want to do.  And as in any coming of age story, young Hassan does not want any special treatment or parents to get involved. SPOILER: Hassan does hide his faith and that he is fasting for Ramadan at school, he also does make mistakes, notably among them is when he breaks his fast in what he is told is a loophole of sorts, but by the end he grows and trusts and realizes he doesn’t have to do it all, all the time, and that he isn’t alone. The book is not heavy, but it has layers that serve as relatable mirrors and windows for kids who are going to thoroughly enjoy this richly illustrated book.

SYNOPSIS:

The story starts with seventh grader, Hassan dreaming about food, drooling on his arm, and then being woken up by his teacher, again.  It is Ramadan and Hassan is fasting, going to taraweeh at night, trying to keep up with school and soccer, and on top of it all, he doesn’t want anyone to know.  He also doesn’t have the latest version of the popular video game that all his friends have, and he has to explain to his childhood friend Rosie why it is no longer appropriate for them to hang out together.  Nights and weekends with family and at the masjid should be a reprieve, but somehow even there he is the odd one out, opting to pray instead of play, and being unsure if closing your eyes while sneaking food really prevents Allah swt from seeing you eating like his cousins claim.  Threaded through it all are soccer practices, games, and falling grades that are going to get him tossed off the team, making this a Ramadan to remember.

WHY I LOVE IT:

Wahoo, some Yemeni representation, I loved the flashback/dream longing for Yemen.  I like that Hassan isn’t expecting adults or others to speak for him, and his heart is really in the right place.  I did feel a bit of a disconnect though when his friends knew he fasted the previous year, why he wouldn’t just explain it was time again for him to do so. Increasingly even the most isolated western cities are aware of Ramadan, so I didn’t feel that hesitation for Hassan to own it, even when a friend explicitly asks.  SPOILER, On a similar thread, his soccer coach is Muslim and their isn’t a huge sigh of relief and immediate kinship when the information is revealed.  If Hassan really feels he is shouldering it alone, why wouldn’t this empower him to step into himself so to speak.  I also didn’t understand why the end of the season pizza party wouldn’t have just been at iftar time. The book really had a chance to model how others can support their Muslim friends, and moving a food based celebration a few hours is an easy accommodation, but the Muslim coach didn’t even do it, so why would non Muslims.  

When Hassan does sneak food during his fast, he gets away with it, but it doesn’t sit right with him and I think it is powerfully done, him coming clean also is not punished as it really is something between Hassan and Allah swt and I love how it is left to that.  Regardless of if you feel it is required of a 7th grade boy or not, the ownership of faith I feel is more important than the getting in trouble by your parents in this case.

FLAGS:

Lying, failing grades, sneaks food during fasting, boy girl friendship, hints at internalized Islamophobia.

TOOLS FOR LEADING THE DISCUSSION:

I wouldn’t do this as a book club, but would absolutely have it on shelves for kids to easily access, and I would absolutely discuss with them, what their takeaways were.