Sister Maryam is the author of a number of Islamic books, both in written and audio formats. Her latest book is called When Wings Expand and explores how a Muslim copes with hardship and loss. We caught up with Sister Maryam to find out more about her work, her latest book and, of course, practical tips for emotional productivity!

Assalam alaikum Sister Maryam. Thank you for taking the time to be with us. To begin with, please tell us a little more about yourself and your work.

I have committed myself to writing vivid and reliable narrations of Qur’anic and traditional Islamic stories. I say vivid because I want people to feel the reality of the events, and reliable because one of the miracles of Islam is that its knowledge has been preserved in the miracle of the Glorious Qur’an and by meticulous scholarship such as the world has never seen. Having grown up a Christian, I developed the habit of ‘If you don’t know, make it up.’ That kind of thing may be necessary in traditions where the knowledge has been lost, but that is not the case with Islam and the Qur’an alhamdulillah, and in fact Allah has promised it never will become the case. So verifying everything becomes crucial.

What motivated you to write When Wings Expand and what is the story about?

Initially what motivated me to write was a desire to revisit some things I myself had lived. Later, on suggestions from an editor the Continue reading →