The novel frames piety as purgation, deferred reward, and scriptural literalism
Evidence
The book appears to advocate a necessary purging in gaining true piety, with the refrain “wash my sins with ice” encapsulating Najwa’s mindset (35, 159). Islam in Minaret is about deferred rewards, the bringing of human will into line with divine requirements, and scriptural literalism. Najwa comments on how she lives to bury her desires, not indulge them, and she is exhorted by a friend to “think of all the reward from Allah you’re getting” for abstemiousness (105). — Peter Morey, Islamophobia and the Novel, 482
Categorization
Category: Definitional Content
- DEFINE: Defines the mode of Islam Najwa inhabits: deferred rewards, will-submission, and literalism — a vocabulary item for distinguishing representations of piety.