#Culture

[Podcast] How To Free A Jinn & Other Questions | Ustadha Raidah Shah Idil

Published

November 19, 2024

Zainab bint Younus

“Does reading about jinn make Muslim kids want to do black magic or communicate with jinn?”

“How can Muslim writers include Islamic teachings and beliefs in fiction?”

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Ustadha Raidah Shah Idil is back to talk about her newly published middle grade fiction book, “How To Free A Jinn“! Zainab bint Younus asks Ustadha Raidah about Muslim kids reading jinn stories, maintaining Islamic principles when writing fiction, and how to cover big topics like mental health and intergenerational trauma for young readers.

How to Free a Jinn is a middle grade fantasy novel, following the young protagonist, Insyirah Abdullah. Insyirah and her mother are Malays living Australia – until her grandmother’s ailing health brings them back. Settling into Malaysian life is pretty awesome… until Insyirah discovers that her school is haunted, her family has an ancestral jinn, and now it’s on her to do some serious jinn slaying! It’s not easy learning everything she needs to know to fulfill her mission – from tawakkul in Allah, to daily dhikr, and more. Along the way, Insyirah also has to deal with navigating complex family dynamics with her mother & grandmother, and discovering her own inner strength.

Ustadha Raidah Shah Idil has a university education in Psychology and English, alongside a rich background of studying Islamic Sciences with traditionalist teachers abroad, specializing in Shāfiʿī jurisprudence. Having grown up in Sydney, Australia, she has now moved back to her ancestral homeland of Malaysia.

Related:

Podcast: The Jinn In The Clock & Other Tales | Muslim Bookstagram

Podcast: Is Harry Potter Haram? Islamic Perspectives Of Poetry And Literature With Sh. Shahin-Ur Rahman

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Keep supporting MuslimMatters for the sake of Allah

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Zainab bint Younus

Zainab bint Younus (AnonyMouse) is a Canadian Muslim woman who writes on Muslim women's issues, gender related injustice in the Muslim community, and Muslim women in Islamic history. She holds a diploma in Islamic Studies from Arees University, a diploma in History of Female Scholarship from Cambridge Islamic College, and has spent the last fifteen years involved in grassroots da'wah. She was also an original founder of MuslimMatters.org.