Sarah Musa’s The Mismatched Finjan is one of our newest books available for pre-order. It tells the story of Mariam, who’s always wanted to be a flower girl. When she’s finally chosen to fill that role, her aunts say she’s not the best choice because of her skin tone.

Sarah wrote the story to highlight one of the many ways in which people are excluded within families and communities. “The flower girl story began with this feeling that I’ve observed in my own life, in my daughters’ lives, of being the other, being external to the family, being excluded from events or from conversations.”

She describes the feeling as “having this invisible wall between you and your extended family” and points out that it’s “actually very painful for a child to go through in life.” Although the story is about colourism, Sarah says exclusion “could be because of any number of things, or it could be for some unknown reason.”

For example, the topic of body type is subtly addressed through the illustrations. Mariam’s cousin Zeina is the bride in the story, and Sarah insisted she have a heavier body type because it’s a common reason why people are mocked and excluded. Although it’s not openly discussed in the story, there’s a feeling that perhaps Zeina’s understanding and compassion towards Mariam are rooted in her own negative experiences.

At the core of all types of exclusion, Sarah believes, is an obsession with the dunya. “There’s this huge focus on appearance. Everyone’s concerned with the external, the exposed, the presented, and it has to be perfect.”

This obsession, of course, is in complete opposition to the Islamic worldview; our beloved Prophet informed us that “Verily, Allah does not look at your appearance or your wealth, but rather He looks at your hearts and your actions” (Sahih Muslim).

In addition to being a beautiful and engaging story, The Mismatched Finjan is an important book that will kickstart important conversations with our children. As for Sarah Musa, she hopes her readers will pick up on this important message in the story: “Wherever you’re at, whatever your challenges are, don’t feel shy, don’t feel afraid that you won’t be accepted. You are beautiful as you are.”

Click here to pre-order The Mismatched Finjan in North America, and click here to pre-order it everywhere else!