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After his long-time scribe retires, Khadija’s father, the city’s leading jurist, offers his introverted daughter the opportunity to take on the role of his assistant. In accepting, Khadija is thrust into her community, the medieval hilltop city of Medina’tul-Agham, where she, as a motherless young woman, has spent little time. Led by Imam Fatima and guided by the Circle of Mothers, it is a matriarchy — the only one in the empire. Though forced to set aside her quiet life among the books and parchments of her family home, Khadija thrives, finding her power and place in the world with the support of her new friends and strong female mentors.
Yet Khadija’s idyllic new life is shattered when fanatical forces weaponize Sharia law to threaten the very fabric of the society. Using only the power of her parchment and quill, Khadija must win the support of the people and write fatwas to fight against injustice, or the peace and prosperity of her city will be nothing more than a footnote in the annals of history.
Aamir Hussain’s Under the Full and Crescent Moon is a wholesome, enchanting tale set in a medieval Muslim matriarchy that tackles critical and necessary questions about current Islamic principles, customs and interpretation. Meticulously researched, Hussain’s stellar debut invites reflection, debate and dialogue. Mashallah.
A first novel by an author who represents the very best of the enrichment that an immigrant family can contribute to their new country. Under the Full and Crescent Moon is a wonderful work of historical fiction, populated with a large cast of memorable characters, and infused with a deep knowledge of Muslim religious tradition and history. It is beautifully written, with an ear for dialogue that brings his characters vividly and convincingly to life, and a plot-line that carries the reader forward with eagerness to a satisfying conclusion.
By telling a tale of an Islamic matriarchy, Aamir Hussain throws down the gauntlet — and Muslim fiction is better for it.
Under the Full and Crescent Moon succeeds as both a coming-of-age story and a meditation on faith and power. It is a novel that respects the weight of history but also dares to reimagine it. Hussain emerges as a thoughtful and promising new voice among ESL writers, and this book is a moving tribute to the women who shaped him growing up.
A thought-provoking reimagining of history that centers female agency and religious diversity during the Islamic Golden Age ... For readers unafraid to ponder historical and theological possibilities, Under the Full and Crescent Moon will be a contemplative, wholesome expedition.