47 pages • 1 hour read
Maleeha SiddiquiBarakah Beats
Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2021A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
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Authorial Context: Maleeha Siddiqui
Maleeha Siddiqui made her authorial debut with the 2021 publication of Barakah Beats. The novel is a work of fiction, but the protagonist Nimra Sharif’s identity aligns with Siddiqui’s. Like Nimra, Siddiqui is a Pakistani Muslim woman who grew up in the United States. In the acknowledgments section of the source text, Siddiqui explains that she “wrote this book for the Muslim kids who rarely get the chance to see themselves portrayed positively in stories” (283). Therefore, Siddiqui has translated her cultural and religious experiences into the pages of her novel. Through Nimra’s character, Siddiqui addresses young people like herself. In her author’s note at the end of Barakah Beats, Siddiqui writes, “Nimra and her family’s views on music stem from [Siddiqui’s] own personal experiences and preferences for how [she] engage[s] with [her] faith” (279). Siddiqui draws upon her life to write Nimra’s story convincingly and authentically. The narrative’s careful writing style is reflective of Siddiqui’s cultural sensitivity and work to create inclusive spaces in literature for Muslim readers.
Siddiqui has a background in biology and biotechnology. She continues to work in these fields while writing. The success of Barakah Beats inspired Siddiqui’s 2022 young adult novel Bhai For Now and 2024 young adult novel Any Way You Look. Like Barakah Beats, Siddiqui’s subsequent novels feature the stories of adolescent Muslim characters in search of identity, truth, meaning, and friendship.
Cultural Context: Muslim American Culture
Barakah Beats explores the challenges of practicing Islamic traditions in American culture. The protagonist and first-person narrator, Nimra, lives in a Pakistani Muslim household that shapes how she sees herself and understands the world around her. Nimra doesn’t question her religion, faith, or culture until she starts attending a public school, Farmwell, for seventh grade. Throughout the novel, Farmwell acts as a symbol of American culture at large. Like the United States, Farmwell is diverse but constantly demands that Nimra change who she is to fit in. Nimra wants to practice her beliefs in a pure way but quickly realizes that she might have to alter her self-expression if she wants to survive.
In her author’s note at the end of the source text, Siddiqui speaks to the challenges of writing about Muslim American culture. She writes, “I tried my best to write and edit with compassion and I’m truly sorry if anything in the text offends. Religion and connection to God are deeply personal matters. [...] We practice in different ways, the ways that feel right to us” (279). To be a Muslim American does not mean one thing, and Nimra’s character and story represent just one version of the Muslim American experience. Throughout the novel, Nimra defines her Cultural and Religious Identity by listening to her heart, consulting her parents, and studying the Qur’an. At the same time, Nimra doesn’t live in a vacuum; she must balance her faith with her evolving friendships. For example, Nimra prioritizes her friendships with Waleed, Balil, Matthew, and Khadijah over her friendship with Jenna “[n]ot because they’re better or anything” (7). Rather, Nimra’s Muslim friends see and understand her more clearly. Siddiqui centralizes these Muslim connections within Nimra’s story to convey the power and possibilities of forming Muslim American communities.
