This book! This book! This book! Aghhhhhhhh! This book made me cry, like I was weeping tears at 1a.m. I started reading this on Sunday by 9pm. I got the recommendation of this book on Twitter from different book readers. And they kept praising the author for a job well done. They kept highlighting the name, “Ahmad” and praising his character. Some even went as far as changing their fictional boyfriend from Kaniye(Tomorrow Died Yesterday) to Ahmad(Broken: Not A Halal Love Story) and I wondered what the fuss was all about. Why would they dare dump Kaniye over this strange Ahmad? So, I picked up this book grudgingly. It wasn't on my To Be Read list but I made out space for it. And I started the book and whew!!!!
Summary Of The Book
This story is about a couple whose love and desire is forbidden and restrained by the Islamic religion. This book is majorly set around the northern part of Nigeria and Canada in North America. The book tells the story of Fa’iza and Ahmad. Fa’iza is a the only daughter and last born of a devout conservative Muslim family. She takes her religion seriously, never misses a prayer, and tries her utmost best not to commit Haram. She leaves for Canada to study for her law degree and during, her fly break, she bumps into a guy who spills water on her jacket. He does not apologize, neither does she and they go their separate ways angrily.
Fa’iza’s mum, Umma has a best friend, Aunty Mami who lives in Canada. Aunty Mami is put as the guardian of Fa’iza, so she spends some of her weekends with Aunty Mami. During her first weekend at Aunty Mami’s place, she meets Ahmad. Ahmad is the first son and chlld of Aunty Mami. His family is more liberal. Ahmad is a handsome, confident and intelligent young man who believes society and religion is a construct that dictates how people should live their lives, so he decides to live his life on his own terms. This is evident in the way he drops out from studying law and chooses his own career path which is Interaction Design. When Fa’iza meets Ahmad, she finds out that he is the guy who bumped into her at the airport without apologizing.
They get to talking and soon they discover that they are undeniably attracted to each other. Ahmad is drawn to Fa’iza’s softness, elegance and her loyalty to things she holds dear. They discover hobbies and interests that they share in common, like their shared love for books amongst other things. They enjoy each other's company without feeling the need to pretend. And they get into a relationship. Ahmad's past choices has a constant battle with Fa’iza because Fa’iza believes most of his choices were haram. For instance, Ahmad has no problem touching or shaking women who are not his family which is Haram in Islam. He sometimes eats food that are tagged haram and he even takes alcohol from time to time. To Fa’iza, these are questionable choices, as she doesn't understand why Ahmad doesn't hold his religion in high regard.
When they start dating, the chemistry and attraction between them is so much that Fa’iza is always in a constant tug of war between upholding her values and giving in to her desire for Ahmad. Ahmad is patient and loving. He’s supportive of Fa’iza and would not intentionally do anything that would make her feel like she has sinned. He is conscious of his actions towards her and even though, it is tough, he constrains himself from giving in to his desire for her. Gradually, Fa’iza’s devotion to her religion also brings Ahmad closer to his Creator. He finds himself making more halal choices. In Islam, a man is not allowed to touch a woman who is not a wife, and neither are they allowed to be alone without a chaperone to monitor their actions. This makes Ahmad and Fa’iza’s relationship haram. It can only become halal if they get married. It pushes them to start talking about marriage and what it means to them. Ahmad does not see the point of marrying someone simply because he wants to make it halal for him to do what lovers do. He states that as one of the reasons why some marriages fail. Faiza asks him what sustains marriage and he replies with “security”.
You need to know what you need in a part er and not just on paper, but in reality too. It's easy for any man to claim to be patient, but how do you know that's for real, if you haven't seen how he treats you when things don't go his way? When he loses out in a huge contract, for instance? Any man will claim to love you, but would that love remain on the days you are difficult to love? You need an unshakable belief in him being constant. I would imagine that's what security feels like for a woman.
(Ahmad’s words to Fa'iza)
The novel also highlights how domestic violence affects women and children across the world. Fa’iza volunteers at a shelter for women and children during her time in Canada. This inspires her to open up a shelter when she graduates. She discovers that Ahmad also has a passion for helping women and children. When he hears of her plans to open up a shelter, he volunteers to fund her shelter. For him to be able to put her up as one of the shareholders of his company, he has to marry her. He proposes it to Fa’iza and even though it goes against her family’s principles, they marry in secret, though they follow all necessary rites. Anyway, their relationship is halal now and so they go beyond the normal platonic touching.
They start making plans to get formally married with family and friends present. They inform their family and everyone is ecstatic. It will be the final bonding between families that has been friends for the longest of times. But life happens to them, and while carrying out proper investigations before the approval of marriage, a shocking revelation comes to light. It is devastating and it breaks their relationship. Fa’iza is so devastated by this revelation, that she starts having panic attacks and starts needing therapy. All they had been doing was haram. Their secret marriage itself was haram. But Ahmad doesn't give up, even when every thing gets difficult, his love is constant. Will his love transcend all odds? Will his love outshine this revelation and bring the truth to light? Will they ever find the path to redemption or will they remain broken forever?
My Thoughts and Rating
I am a hopeful romantic and love enthusiast and I love reading epic love stories. The sad ones and the happy ones. Broken by Fatima Bala made me staunch in my belief of true love. That true love exists, can be found and can last. That true love transcends all odds. I found myself crying while reading some parts of this book and it was somewhat relatable, because I have once found myself loving someone who I couldn't have. I fell in love with the characters. Both Ahmad and Fa'iza. Fa’iza was a little bit annoying, even though I understood her point of view. She was so rigid in her values and it took a lot of moulding from Ahmad, before she could bend her rules a little. Ahmad was the epitome of love, intelligence, confidence, handsomeness, patience, perseverance, fun and of course, naughtiness.😂 The author really built him into what we might call every woman’s dream man. Ahmad was the true hero of this story because his love remained constant till the end; loving Fa'iza even when it was difficult to do so. The author, Fatima Bala is a wonderful, sweet author and I'm glad I got to read this book of hers. She educated the readers on the Islamic religion and Arewa society. She used her book to explain why Muslims carry themselves the way they do and how their religion affects their relationship with other people. The book also showed how love can bring someone closer to his Creator. This book will remain one of my top 5 romance books read this year. I rate this book 4.7 out of 5. If you need a book to restore your faith in true love or if you are a hopeful romantic like me, I highly recommend this book to you. If you just want to have a good cry too, this book is for you.
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