Written by Nemrah Ahmed.
Jannat Kay PattayJannat Kay Pattay
In the name of Allah the Exalted.
I owe you all a deep apology for being this late in posting this article. After the completion of Jannat Kay Pattay, I got extremely busy in my upcoming project and since then I couldn’t get a pint of time to write anything but my new novel. Meanwhile you folks read a murder mystery (Paaras) in Pakeeza. It was almost a 6 years old novel of mine that I started back then, (after saann sakin thi) and abandoned. Then after KKTM, I re-wrote that manuscript with a few changes (especially the change of era) and made it a period novel (Beli Raajputaan Ki Malikah). Paaras and BRKM were two sides of the same coin. Just painted same colours with different brushes. So after JKP, I had to complete Paaras because I had promised Pakeeza administration for an episodic serial, and I really enjoyed working with them. Change always brings Khair.
And now, after so long, I am here with you all, ready to answer the most frequently asked questions about Jannat Kay Pattay. I have picked only those questions which made some sense to every reader around and left those which were either answered already in the novel or were not-so-sensible ones. More so, I skipped all such questions which dealt with my personal efforts for the research of this novel because whosoever I interviewed and got help from, their names were mentioned in the acknowledgements of JKP Book. Going in the detail will not be fruitful for any of us
Why did I choose Hijaab as the theme of a fiction novel?
In the recent years, when we are seeing much religion-related stuff in print and electronic media, whenever a protagonist is portrayed with strokes of Deen, writer is most of the times (not always) hung between story and religion, and as a result, one or more aspects of religious sanctions are ignored. Forget the others, even my previous heroines were not the perfect Islamic girls, and no one can be perfect. We are portraying humans, not angels, and we are portraying Pakistani girls and if they are not perfect, we have to write about imperfect ones. Or else people cannot relate to them. But there are some girls, (some because they are very few in millions), who at least try to adopt Hijaab completely. Not in parts. Not in bits and pieces. But as a whole. They will wear it with every non-mehram, even try their best on their wedding, and other functions to cover themselves up. And then these girls have their stories. Happy stories. And painful stories. If a girl does not wear the Shariah Niqaab, she has no idea, ABSOLUTELY no idea, what a Niqaabi girl goes through. The pain, the suffering, the endurance of hers is above the level of understanding of a ‘’normal’’ girl. Just like a non-doctor cannot understand the troubles of a medical student, non-hijaabis can never understand those of hijaabi girls. For once, I wanted to write a completely Niqaabi girl’s story. Something every hijaabi girl can relate with. And JKP was not about Haya only. It was about Ayeshe too (A non-niqaabi, only-hijaabi girl), about DJ too (a non-hijaabi, non-niqaabi girl) and the message I tried to convey is that its about time Hijaabi girls should stop taking non-hijaabi ones as Kaafir, idiots and bad girls, and non-hijaabi girls should start showing some respect for the hijaab. It’s all about mutual understanding. If being a Hijaabi, you don’t ‘understand’ a non-Hjaabi, then how can you expect her to understand your life? This mutual tolerance can only help us become a better Muslim and a better human being. A message I always give: do not judge people, you have not lived their life!
And then, I wanted to sketch Hijaab as a very beautiful thing to adopt in life. I know how writers are blessed with the ability to make people fall in love with the profession they portray. If readers can wish to become climbers after reading a mountaineering novel, why not give them a better direction? Something more sacred and precious. Like Qur’an and Islamic values. Hmm…why not?
What I have seen in hijabi girls mostly is their lack of confidence in their dress code. If people can be so confident when they are wrong, why cant we, the hijaabi girls, be proud and confident of our face-covering? Wo ghalat ho ker confident hain tou ap sahi ho kr confident kyun nhi ho skte? And I am sure that some of you have boosted their confidence level to a higher degree after reading this novel. You are welcome ((
Oh and how can we forget the other storyline of JKP? Jihaan SIkander! (Did I hear someone taking a deep breath? )
Jannat Kay Pattay is every that thing you use to cover yourself up in the time of embarrassment, to use as a mode or tool to gain respect again. So in figurative meanings, Jihaan’s uniform was also a waraq’al’Jannah. Rest is history
When I started this novel years ago (even don’t remember how many years ago..well..I started it in July 2011..) I wrote first draft (and remember that first draft is never for anyone to read, it always lies in the closet of the writer), and in first draft there were two extra characters that I later cut. One was Jihaan’s neighbor girl, and other was Jihaan’s younger brother. Yes, he had a younger brother throughout the novel in the first draft, but in the second one, I cut them both and replaced the younger brother with Bihare Gul (she was not in the first draft) and didn’t replace the neighbour girl with anyone (I left her and him for my next novel because those characters were interesting). And so on and so forth
I think I wanted readers to love Jihaan so his character was knitted from the very start to be likeable. I know some of you hated him initially and loved Major Ahmed, but then, you still loved Jihaan, right? So he was liked from the start. As for Haya, I didn’t intend anyone to like her. But with time I myself fell so much in love with Haya that she became the prime focus of the novel. She was not the perfect, over sweet, nice, and sabr shukr wali girl. She had her shortcomings, and if you noticed, she didn’t change much after hijaab. She never changed her attitude, she never became sweet, she was even in the end the prompt-reactor. And that’s the whole idea. Islam doesn’t mean you have to go against your nature. It wants you to stay in the parameters of your real self and then obey Allah. The reason we pray Namaz in Jama’at in Mosques is to make us understand how we have to bow before Allah WHILE we stay in the middle of the human crowd. You get the idea?
As for Ayeshe, she was a different kind. She was not the reverted person. She never was a sinner so she never changed herself. She was always a pious person, so she remained. That’s how many girls are like. And then there are likes of DJs too. I am so sorry for killing off that character but it was necessary for the character-development of Haya and plot development. She was meant to die. And this is what the character told me.
Characters do talk to the writers. Sometimes they just refuse the writer’s order and write their own selves. They shape themselves, they mould themselves. Like in the second last scene of the novel, when that Waleed-video fiasco was over, Haya tells Jihaan how much she loves him, I intended to write how Jihaan replies the same, that he loves her, BUT when I tried to write it, it just didn’t work. It was like Jihaan, my character, actually looked up at me with a frown on forehead and said, “No writer, I am not like this so don’t make me do things I will never do..huh!!” And then, it was like he himself said, “Natasha is right…” , shuddered and went away. That’s what Jihaan was like, wasn’t he? So sorry to those who were expecting him to say something else, I really tried hard but you tell me, is it easy to convince Jihaan to do what he doesn’t wanna do? (;
Why did you show so much Fashion in the story and then brought the story to the ‘other side’?
The other side? You mean the non-fashion side, or the Islamic side? Because in my beliefs, Islamic side is not a synonym for non—fashion side. Or Anti-fashion. That was the whole point. Islam is not against fashion or nail polish (yes, in the name of Lord, I do mean N-A-I-L P-O-L-I-S-H), or jewelry, or trendy outfits or hairstyles or shoes. Haya wore everything nice and trendy when she didn’t do pardah. She wore everything nice and trendy after she did parah. I have often seen in novels that when you have to portray a religious girl, you show her to be simple and (I am sorry to say) Maasi type. It might serve the purpose but it makes religion look highly difficult for a normal girl to adopt. We don’t have to show a girl wearing a big beige-colur shawl, a dheeli choti, highly sanjeeda expressions on face to make her look religious. There is a difference in being simple and in being lazy. Yes, if I see a girl dressed in rough clothes, with simply tied hair and a not-so-matching shawl, I will call her a lazy girl who doesn’t spend time on herself. Simple hona aur bat hai, safai na rkhna aur bat. And when religious girls like make-up and jewelry, people look at them as they are involved in a big taboo. Its not like that. Wearing nailpolish does not make you a kaafir. It just doesn’t make your wudhu acceptable so you have to take it off before doing wudhu (and there are porous nail paints these days so wudhu issue is long gone), nail paint se namaz ho jati hai wudhu nahi hota. The only problem is, when girls wear nail paint, they feel too lazy to remove it before the next prayer. This is a girl’s fault, not the nail-paint’s fault. (Oh and did I hear someone saying, if you wear nail pain and die, the nails will go hard and it is impossible to remove the pain because..…!! OMG honestly this is the most ridiculous thing I have ever come across so please don’t repeat it. Just to keep people from wearing nail-paint, you don’t have to come up with such silly arguments.)
Normally, in tv dramas, and in novels, and in islamic institutes, and in the minds of elderly ladies, there is a concept that religion means simplicity. I have no objection. Fine. Islam is another name of simplicity. BUT simplicity is not another name of careless-ness and being reckless from your own personality. Simplicity does not mean wearing patched dress when you can afford a better one. Jab paisa ho tu nazar ana chaheay. But in tv dramas, novels, Islamic institute, (and elderly ladies’ minds) the concept nourishes till we get this image: if we have to show a modern girl reverting islam, we will first show her to be high-fi modern, and then, shawl clad, tied haired, dull, weak, serious, frowned, cold, colourless (wearing colours that suit elder people) and silent. The image of a religious girl is that of a nun. (No offense to my Christian readers, I am just portraying an idea). Or a darvesh who is ‘cut off’ from the whole world and worldly things in his own dedh eent ki masjid. Now, think of your personal Islamic knowledge. MashaAllah you all are blessed with a lot of it. Think and tell, does Islam mean, Rahbaniyat? Being cut off from world? When we offer prayer in masjid with Jama’at, what are the obligations? That the Namazi will join his feet with the namazis on his sides, join to the extent that the feets touch (so that satan does not walk through the gaps). Yahi hukm hai na ba’jamat namaz ka? And then where do we bow and do rukoo’wa’sujood? Towards Qibla. Towards the House of Allah. What does this mean?
It means, ‘logon k darmyan reh kr Allah k samnay jhukna’. Community ke sath rehty huay Allah ki frman’brdari krna. That’s the whole idea. Islam does not mean rehbaniyat. It doesn’t forbid us from looking good. Tell me, does simplicity mean to look like a ‘bhoot’? (Sorry!) Or does it mean to stay clean, and fresh and beautiful? Allah is beautiful and He likes beauty. He has no objection with wearing nice clothes and looking nice. He only forbids from doing israaf – crossing your limits. Wear gold but pay its zakat. Keep a latest model car but do drive it to mosque five times a day. My idea of writing JKP was to show the balanced Muslimah. The general concept (a girl wearing lots of jewelry and makeup is not a good muslimah) is totally wrong. Islam does not forbid from make up or jewelry. Don’t feel guilty if you like them. Which girl doesn’t? Islam just wants you to cover your ‘zeenat’ before you go out or before non-mehrams. (Means zeenat is not haram, uncovering it before other men is!) So why feel guilty for doing make up and wearing stylish clothes? I know a lot of women who are burqa clad when they go out but in ladies functions, or in their homes, they look very stylish, ready, all made up. Secondly, even doing burqa doesn’t mean you become ‘bhoot’
I hope I have well described my stance over this make-up-is-not-haram issue so lets move forward.
Is there going to be a drama on JKP?
No, if Allah wills, I have no intentions of dramatizing JKP or any of my previous or upcoming project. I am neither a dramatist nor I have any interest in TV. I am a novelist and this is what I like to be.
Did you write all the treasure hunt riddles in JKP yourself?
Yes, all the riddles were original and I wrote them myself. Treasure hunt theme is an old theme. It has been used for centuries. Shaukat Thanvi had written a treasure hunt novel in mid twentieth century about a group of people looking for a buried treasure, and their bread-crumbs were verses of Ghaalib. Each sher led to a place where another sher was written and so forth. I have not read this novel, neither know its name, but I stated the example just to clarify that there were examples of treasure hunt novels even before Uncle Dan Brown was born. His are terrific thrillers no doubt. Some reader had once said here that my puzzle box idea was like DaVinci Code’s cryptex. Let me clarify something. Puzzle boxes are around for centuries. There was no puzzlebox used in DaVinci Code. It was a cryptex that is different than a puzzlebox. Every treasure hunt uses riddles, let it be Nathional Treasure, Harry Potter riddles, The Hobbit, or even Emma had a riddle in it. This is called genre-writing, and when you are writing a specific genre, you have to write according to that genre rules. Like every romance needs a happy ending (otherwise it’ll fall into some other genre) or every legal thriller needs an investigation, a private eye, or a lawyer advocating a case in court, every treasure hunt is full of riddles. JKP would be translated (rather adapted) in English too insha’Allah and I hope this last thing I said answers many things.
Two unanswered questions in JKP. Jahan’s cocktail vanishing trick and with whom was he seen being dropped home by Suleman Sahib?
These questions were deliberately put in the story and deliberately left unanswered. Jehan answered every query arising in reader’s minds, or Haya’s, but there were a few things he never told. Some readers did ask that Jihan’s specific reason for going to Cappadocia was not mentioned. Well, it was metioned (his reason for being in Cappadocia) in the first draft of JKP, but in second and third drafts, (you have read the third (final) draft), I had encrypted the reason. If a smart soul who is maniac about JKP reads it over and over they might get a clue. It IS written somewhere but was not explained just because it might become controversial for some readers. (But it IS written. Just go through the last bit of Jihaan’s story again).
However, about the above mentioned two riddles, they were left unanswered just to make the reader ‘’imagine’’ the future life of Haya and Jehan that “Jehan will never always tell her everything. He has his secrets and he will keep them”. Just like this, he told readers about Feriha and Kiramat Bay issue but he did not tell Haya about it. So there are things he will keep from Haya and some even from the readers
Research work and manuscript writing took how long?
A total of 2 years.
Haya always felt while praying post DJ’s death that a part of her had died with DJ. What was that part?
Her faith in dua’a that it might never be accepted again.
Jehan mentioned one sign of liars. What are the other nine?
Google them. If I knew, I might have written them as well. (
Child marriage and its Standing in Islam?
This issue has been so oft-repeated in stories that it led me to (naturally) believe that everyone out there knows about it, thus it was not explained in the novel. My mistake. Anyways, child marriage IS a valid marriage in Islam. Just like in adult marriage (especially of a girl) Wali (Guardian/father of the bride) HAS to permit the nikkah otherwise Nikkah is not a valid one, similarly in a child marriage, nikkah is carried out by permission of Wali of girl, and if the boy is young too, then that of boy as well. Children are not adults so they are not asked. When they grow up, it is their right to keep the nikkah or not. If they want to break it, they’ll do so like every adult marriage is broken. And if they want to keep it, they will not need a new nikkah. You can confirm it from a scholar too by the way. Oh and Hazrat Aysha (RA) was also married in the age of 6. So that makes things clearer. So it is not illegal, rather completely legal.
Issue of Cupping and Saying your Namaz in shoes?
The Hadiths and references about these issue have been given on JKP Page many, many a time. They were mentioned in the story in a general way, where giving a reference spoils the story sequence. Everyone has internet, or books, or a masjid nearby where a scholar can be consulted, or everyone has a religiously knowledgeable person in their families and I guess we all have brains. So those who want to clear something, they do get it done. As for me, I’ll try to add a page in the coming editions of JKP Books with reference of each and every hadith/verse mentioned in the novel. It was not possible for this edition due to shortage of time.
You cannot perform Abulultion while wearing make-up. So how did Haya do so?
And who says you cannot perform Wudhu in make-up? ( Those girls who are regular of prayers know how to do wudhu with makeup on. If your make up is not water proof, then you can surely do wudhu in it without damaging even the line of eye liner. Practice makes a man perfect and a woman VERY perfect! (;
Why Haya lost DJ’s glasses and why every time her Gingerbread house would break?
Every ‘’thing’’ in JKP that Haya or any other character ever cherished, was lost, broken or left. Haya’s gingerbread house, red heels, DJ’s glasses, Haya’s mobile, golden clutch, jehan’s mobile (that he was not shown carrying in the end, meaning he gave it back ) , Bihare’s necklace, Ayeshe’s pearls. Everything was one way or the other lost. Cheezain waqti hoti hain, toot jati hain, bikher jati hain. Rawaiye daaimi hoty hain. They last for centuries and this was the lesson of JKP that people are more precious than things. So cling on to people, and remorse for the loss of people, not things.
OK we can do Ghoonghat on Barat, what about Walima then?
Do the same. Ghoonghat is not conventional on Barat and if you are brave enough to endure the awkwardness and people’s tongues on Barat, then you must be brave enough to do so on walima. Simple!
Jannat Kay PattayJannat Kay Pattay
In the name of Allah the Exalted.
I owe you all a deep apology for being this late in posting this article. After the completion of Jannat Kay Pattay, I got extremely busy in my upcoming project and since then I couldn’t get a pint of time to write anything but my new novel. Meanwhile you folks read a murder mystery (Paaras) in Pakeeza. It was almost a 6 years old novel of mine that I started back then, (after saann sakin thi) and abandoned. Then after KKTM, I re-wrote that manuscript with a few changes (especially the change of era) and made it a period novel (Beli Raajputaan Ki Malikah). Paaras and BRKM were two sides of the same coin. Just painted same colours with different brushes. So after JKP, I had to complete Paaras because I had promised Pakeeza administration for an episodic serial, and I really enjoyed working with them. Change always brings Khair.
And now, after so long, I am here with you all, ready to answer the most frequently asked questions about Jannat Kay Pattay. I have picked only those questions which made some sense to every reader around and left those which were either answered already in the novel or were not-so-sensible ones. More so, I skipped all such questions which dealt with my personal efforts for the research of this novel because whosoever I interviewed and got help from, their names were mentioned in the acknowledgements of JKP Book. Going in the detail will not be fruitful for any of us
Why did I choose Hijaab as the theme of a fiction novel?
In the recent years, when we are seeing much religion-related stuff in print and electronic media, whenever a protagonist is portrayed with strokes of Deen, writer is most of the times (not always) hung between story and religion, and as a result, one or more aspects of religious sanctions are ignored. Forget the others, even my previous heroines were not the perfect Islamic girls, and no one can be perfect. We are portraying humans, not angels, and we are portraying Pakistani girls and if they are not perfect, we have to write about imperfect ones. Or else people cannot relate to them. But there are some girls, (some because they are very few in millions), who at least try to adopt Hijaab completely. Not in parts. Not in bits and pieces. But as a whole. They will wear it with every non-mehram, even try their best on their wedding, and other functions to cover themselves up. And then these girls have their stories. Happy stories. And painful stories. If a girl does not wear the Shariah Niqaab, she has no idea, ABSOLUTELY no idea, what a Niqaabi girl goes through. The pain, the suffering, the endurance of hers is above the level of understanding of a ‘’normal’’ girl. Just like a non-doctor cannot understand the troubles of a medical student, non-hijaabis can never understand those of hijaabi girls. For once, I wanted to write a completely Niqaabi girl’s story. Something every hijaabi girl can relate with. And JKP was not about Haya only. It was about Ayeshe too (A non-niqaabi, only-hijaabi girl), about DJ too (a non-hijaabi, non-niqaabi girl) and the message I tried to convey is that its about time Hijaabi girls should stop taking non-hijaabi ones as Kaafir, idiots and bad girls, and non-hijaabi girls should start showing some respect for the hijaab. It’s all about mutual understanding. If being a Hijaabi, you don’t ‘understand’ a non-Hjaabi, then how can you expect her to understand your life? This mutual tolerance can only help us become a better Muslim and a better human being. A message I always give: do not judge people, you have not lived their life!
And then, I wanted to sketch Hijaab as a very beautiful thing to adopt in life. I know how writers are blessed with the ability to make people fall in love with the profession they portray. If readers can wish to become climbers after reading a mountaineering novel, why not give them a better direction? Something more sacred and precious. Like Qur’an and Islamic values. Hmm…why not?
What I have seen in hijabi girls mostly is their lack of confidence in their dress code. If people can be so confident when they are wrong, why cant we, the hijaabi girls, be proud and confident of our face-covering? Wo ghalat ho ker confident hain tou ap sahi ho kr confident kyun nhi ho skte? And I am sure that some of you have boosted their confidence level to a higher degree after reading this novel. You are welcome ((
Oh and how can we forget the other storyline of JKP? Jihaan SIkander! (Did I hear someone taking a deep breath?
)Jannat Kay Pattay is every that thing you use to cover yourself up in the time of embarrassment, to use as a mode or tool to gain respect again. So in figurative meanings, Jihaan’s uniform was also a waraq’al’Jannah. Rest is history
When I started this novel years ago (even don’t remember how many years ago..well..I started it in July 2011..) I wrote first draft (and remember that first draft is never for anyone to read, it always lies in the closet of the writer), and in first draft there were two extra characters that I later cut. One was Jihaan’s neighbor girl, and other was Jihaan’s younger brother. Yes, he had a younger brother throughout the novel in the first draft, but in the second one, I cut them both and replaced the younger brother with Bihare Gul (she was not in the first draft) and didn’t replace the neighbour girl with anyone (I left her and him for my next novel because those characters were interesting). And so on and so forth
I think I wanted readers to love Jihaan so his character was knitted from the very start to be likeable. I know some of you hated him initially and loved Major Ahmed, but then, you still loved Jihaan, right? So he was liked from the start. As for Haya, I didn’t intend anyone to like her. But with time I myself fell so much in love with Haya that she became the prime focus of the novel. She was not the perfect, over sweet, nice, and sabr shukr wali girl. She had her shortcomings, and if you noticed, she didn’t change much after hijaab. She never changed her attitude, she never became sweet, she was even in the end the prompt-reactor. And that’s the whole idea. Islam doesn’t mean you have to go against your nature. It wants you to stay in the parameters of your real self and then obey Allah. The reason we pray Namaz in Jama’at in Mosques is to make us understand how we have to bow before Allah WHILE we stay in the middle of the human crowd. You get the idea?
As for Ayeshe, she was a different kind. She was not the reverted person. She never was a sinner so she never changed herself. She was always a pious person, so she remained. That’s how many girls are like. And then there are likes of DJs too. I am so sorry for killing off that character but it was necessary for the character-development of Haya and plot development. She was meant to die. And this is what the character told me.
Characters do talk to the writers. Sometimes they just refuse the writer’s order and write their own selves. They shape themselves, they mould themselves. Like in the second last scene of the novel, when that Waleed-video fiasco was over, Haya tells Jihaan how much she loves him, I intended to write how Jihaan replies the same, that he loves her, BUT when I tried to write it, it just didn’t work. It was like Jihaan, my character, actually looked up at me with a frown on forehead and said, “No writer, I am not like this so don’t make me do things I will never do..huh!!” And then, it was like he himself said, “Natasha is right…” , shuddered and went away. That’s what Jihaan was like, wasn’t he? So sorry to those who were expecting him to say something else, I really tried hard but you tell me, is it easy to convince Jihaan to do what he doesn’t wanna do? (;
Why did you show so much Fashion in the story and then brought the story to the ‘other side’?
The other side? You mean the non-fashion side, or the Islamic side? Because in my beliefs, Islamic side is not a synonym for non—fashion side. Or Anti-fashion. That was the whole point. Islam is not against fashion or nail polish (yes, in the name of Lord, I do mean N-A-I-L P-O-L-I-S-H), or jewelry, or trendy outfits or hairstyles or shoes. Haya wore everything nice and trendy when she didn’t do pardah. She wore everything nice and trendy after she did parah. I have often seen in novels that when you have to portray a religious girl, you show her to be simple and (I am sorry to say) Maasi type. It might serve the purpose but it makes religion look highly difficult for a normal girl to adopt. We don’t have to show a girl wearing a big beige-colur shawl, a dheeli choti, highly sanjeeda expressions on face to make her look religious. There is a difference in being simple and in being lazy. Yes, if I see a girl dressed in rough clothes, with simply tied hair and a not-so-matching shawl, I will call her a lazy girl who doesn’t spend time on herself. Simple hona aur bat hai, safai na rkhna aur bat. And when religious girls like make-up and jewelry, people look at them as they are involved in a big taboo. Its not like that. Wearing nailpolish does not make you a kaafir. It just doesn’t make your wudhu acceptable so you have to take it off before doing wudhu (and there are porous nail paints these days so wudhu issue is long gone), nail paint se namaz ho jati hai wudhu nahi hota. The only problem is, when girls wear nail paint, they feel too lazy to remove it before the next prayer. This is a girl’s fault, not the nail-paint’s fault. (Oh and did I hear someone saying, if you wear nail pain and die, the nails will go hard and it is impossible to remove the pain because..…!! OMG honestly this is the most ridiculous thing I have ever come across so please don’t repeat it. Just to keep people from wearing nail-paint, you don’t have to come up with such silly arguments.)
Normally, in tv dramas, and in novels, and in islamic institutes, and in the minds of elderly ladies, there is a concept that religion means simplicity. I have no objection. Fine. Islam is another name of simplicity. BUT simplicity is not another name of careless-ness and being reckless from your own personality. Simplicity does not mean wearing patched dress when you can afford a better one. Jab paisa ho tu nazar ana chaheay. But in tv dramas, novels, Islamic institute, (and elderly ladies’ minds) the concept nourishes till we get this image: if we have to show a modern girl reverting islam, we will first show her to be high-fi modern, and then, shawl clad, tied haired, dull, weak, serious, frowned, cold, colourless (wearing colours that suit elder people) and silent. The image of a religious girl is that of a nun. (No offense to my Christian readers, I am just portraying an idea). Or a darvesh who is ‘cut off’ from the whole world and worldly things in his own dedh eent ki masjid. Now, think of your personal Islamic knowledge. MashaAllah you all are blessed with a lot of it. Think and tell, does Islam mean, Rahbaniyat? Being cut off from world? When we offer prayer in masjid with Jama’at, what are the obligations? That the Namazi will join his feet with the namazis on his sides, join to the extent that the feets touch (so that satan does not walk through the gaps). Yahi hukm hai na ba’jamat namaz ka? And then where do we bow and do rukoo’wa’sujood? Towards Qibla. Towards the House of Allah. What does this mean?
It means, ‘logon k darmyan reh kr Allah k samnay jhukna’. Community ke sath rehty huay Allah ki frman’brdari krna. That’s the whole idea. Islam does not mean rehbaniyat. It doesn’t forbid us from looking good. Tell me, does simplicity mean to look like a ‘bhoot’? (Sorry!) Or does it mean to stay clean, and fresh and beautiful? Allah is beautiful and He likes beauty. He has no objection with wearing nice clothes and looking nice. He only forbids from doing israaf – crossing your limits. Wear gold but pay its zakat. Keep a latest model car but do drive it to mosque five times a day. My idea of writing JKP was to show the balanced Muslimah. The general concept (a girl wearing lots of jewelry and makeup is not a good muslimah) is totally wrong. Islam does not forbid from make up or jewelry. Don’t feel guilty if you like them. Which girl doesn’t? Islam just wants you to cover your ‘zeenat’ before you go out or before non-mehrams. (Means zeenat is not haram, uncovering it before other men is!) So why feel guilty for doing make up and wearing stylish clothes? I know a lot of women who are burqa clad when they go out but in ladies functions, or in their homes, they look very stylish, ready, all made up. Secondly, even doing burqa doesn’t mean you become ‘bhoot’
I hope I have well described my stance over this make-up-is-not-haram issue so lets move forward.
Is there going to be a drama on JKP?
No, if Allah wills, I have no intentions of dramatizing JKP or any of my previous or upcoming project. I am neither a dramatist nor I have any interest in TV. I am a novelist and this is what I like to be.
Did you write all the treasure hunt riddles in JKP yourself?
Yes, all the riddles were original and I wrote them myself. Treasure hunt theme is an old theme. It has been used for centuries. Shaukat Thanvi had written a treasure hunt novel in mid twentieth century about a group of people looking for a buried treasure, and their bread-crumbs were verses of Ghaalib. Each sher led to a place where another sher was written and so forth. I have not read this novel, neither know its name, but I stated the example just to clarify that there were examples of treasure hunt novels even before Uncle Dan Brown was born. His are terrific thrillers no doubt. Some reader had once said here that my puzzle box idea was like DaVinci Code’s cryptex. Let me clarify something. Puzzle boxes are around for centuries. There was no puzzlebox used in DaVinci Code. It was a cryptex that is different than a puzzlebox. Every treasure hunt uses riddles, let it be Nathional Treasure, Harry Potter riddles, The Hobbit, or even Emma had a riddle in it. This is called genre-writing, and when you are writing a specific genre, you have to write according to that genre rules. Like every romance needs a happy ending (otherwise it’ll fall into some other genre) or every legal thriller needs an investigation, a private eye, or a lawyer advocating a case in court, every treasure hunt is full of riddles. JKP would be translated (rather adapted) in English too insha’Allah and I hope this last thing I said answers many things.
Two unanswered questions in JKP. Jahan’s cocktail vanishing trick and with whom was he seen being dropped home by Suleman Sahib?
These questions were deliberately put in the story and deliberately left unanswered. Jehan answered every query arising in reader’s minds, or Haya’s, but there were a few things he never told. Some readers did ask that Jihan’s specific reason for going to Cappadocia was not mentioned. Well, it was metioned (his reason for being in Cappadocia) in the first draft of JKP, but in second and third drafts, (you have read the third (final) draft), I had encrypted the reason. If a smart soul who is maniac about JKP reads it over and over they might get a clue. It IS written somewhere but was not explained just because it might become controversial for some readers. (But it IS written. Just go through the last bit of Jihaan’s story again).
However, about the above mentioned two riddles, they were left unanswered just to make the reader ‘’imagine’’ the future life of Haya and Jehan that “Jehan will never always tell her everything. He has his secrets and he will keep them”. Just like this, he told readers about Feriha and Kiramat Bay issue but he did not tell Haya about it. So there are things he will keep from Haya and some even from the readers
Research work and manuscript writing took how long?
A total of 2 years.
Haya always felt while praying post DJ’s death that a part of her had died with DJ. What was that part?
Her faith in dua’a that it might never be accepted again.
Jehan mentioned one sign of liars. What are the other nine?
Google them. If I knew, I might have written them as well. (
Child marriage and its Standing in Islam?
This issue has been so oft-repeated in stories that it led me to (naturally) believe that everyone out there knows about it, thus it was not explained in the novel. My mistake. Anyways, child marriage IS a valid marriage in Islam. Just like in adult marriage (especially of a girl) Wali (Guardian/father of the bride) HAS to permit the nikkah otherwise Nikkah is not a valid one, similarly in a child marriage, nikkah is carried out by permission of Wali of girl, and if the boy is young too, then that of boy as well. Children are not adults so they are not asked. When they grow up, it is their right to keep the nikkah or not. If they want to break it, they’ll do so like every adult marriage is broken. And if they want to keep it, they will not need a new nikkah. You can confirm it from a scholar too by the way. Oh and Hazrat Aysha (RA) was also married in the age of 6. So that makes things clearer. So it is not illegal, rather completely legal.
Issue of Cupping and Saying your Namaz in shoes?
The Hadiths and references about these issue have been given on JKP Page many, many a time. They were mentioned in the story in a general way, where giving a reference spoils the story sequence. Everyone has internet, or books, or a masjid nearby where a scholar can be consulted, or everyone has a religiously knowledgeable person in their families and I guess we all have brains. So those who want to clear something, they do get it done. As for me, I’ll try to add a page in the coming editions of JKP Books with reference of each and every hadith/verse mentioned in the novel. It was not possible for this edition due to shortage of time.
You cannot perform Abulultion while wearing make-up. So how did Haya do so?
And who says you cannot perform Wudhu in make-up? (
Those girls who are regular of prayers know how to do wudhu with makeup on. If your make up is not water proof, then you can surely do wudhu in it without damaging even the line of eye liner. Practice makes a man perfect and a woman VERY perfect! (;Why Haya lost DJ’s glasses and why every time her Gingerbread house would break?
Every ‘’thing’’ in JKP that Haya or any other character ever cherished, was lost, broken or left. Haya’s gingerbread house, red heels, DJ’s glasses, Haya’s mobile, golden clutch, jehan’s mobile (that he was not shown carrying in the end, meaning he gave it back ) , Bihare’s necklace, Ayeshe’s pearls. Everything was one way or the other lost. Cheezain waqti hoti hain, toot jati hain, bikher jati hain. Rawaiye daaimi hoty hain. They last for centuries and this was the lesson of JKP that people are more precious than things. So cling on to people, and remorse for the loss of people, not things.
OK we can do Ghoonghat on Barat, what about Walima then?
Do the same. Ghoonghat is not conventional on Barat and if you are brave enough to endure the awkwardness and people’s tongues on Barat, then you must be brave enough to do so on walima. Simple!
