A little piece of thought.

This entry was written by someone who I do not know at all. But it kinds of sparks my interest on her opinions about Harry Potter in Islamic perspective.

I love when Muslims can be this open-minded.

Happy reading.

"I don't know where you learned about right and wrong, but you seem to have missed a few crucial lessons." 
- Mrs. Weasley

"Magic is haram!"
"Harry Potter? More like FITNA-POTTER!"
"Harry Potter is…SHAITAIN!"
"No man, I'm staying away from these books just to be safe."

And this my friends is a conversation of which I've had to partake in far too many times. Yes, I know the argument is 'I want to be careful, books have impact' etc. But really, dudes, this book has a positive impact if anything.

The final film is winding its way to movie theaters; many of you by the time of reading this have already seen the first part of Deathly Hallows. I don't think it is an end to the saga of Harry Potter in the slightest, this series will continue being wonderful, amazing and yes- magical. Some individuals seem to be hung up over the fact that the book has MAGIC! And therefore it's the scariest thing ever, because our children will turn into crazy black-magic baddies.

So I ask the question,

"Give me one kid whose gone OMG! I'm going to turn to BLACK MAGIC from now on!"

Can you?

No.

You can't.

But, I can give you plenty of children, teenagers, young adults and old people alike  who have been inspired by the courage of Harry, the bond of friendships between the Trio, the wisdom imparted by Dumbledore, the bond of familial love, the true heroism in Snape's overcoming of his inner demons...

I think, honestly, those who lambaste Harry for propagating 'magic' are missing the point. The book isn't about the magic. It would be just as brilliant if Harry was a little Indian boy called 'Harbinder Pankaj' and it was his tale of going to a school for tiger tamers with his best friends Rohan Wala and Harpreet Govinda.

It's the message, what the books boil down to is Love.

"Your mother died to save you. If there is one thing Voldemort cannot understand, it is love."  - Albus Dumbledore

This is one of the things that I'm amazed that passes over readers heads when they watch the movies or read the books. The emphasis that J.K. Rowling (Jo) puts on a mother's love throughout the novel from the start is what is emphasized. It is the key thing that propels the books along.  It is a seemingly simple enough concept, but Jo portrays it as it should be: fraught with the difficulties of having it, lacking it, wanting it and not understanding it.

Harry's very existence is defined by love- the fact that the reason why Voldemort couldn't kill him with the ultimate, scary, omg-no-one-has-ever-survived-it-before death curse was that his Mother died to save him and continued to protect him all his life.

Dude, I mean- come on can I get a SubhanAllah?

All of the Mother characters in the novel are incredibly portrayed, they are strong and willing to go the distance for their children. Jo, being a single mother herself, understands that love that is so often overlooked in society today. Molly Weasley, the Weasley Matriarch, is one of these key mother figures. Further we have Narcissa Malfoy, by all accounts a 'bad character' but made good in our eyes when she risks life and limb for the protection of her son, Draco.

And then we have Voldemort, who by all accounts is evil. Why? Well that's a whole other debate, but it can be boiled down to the lack of love he had in his life and his disregard for his own mother who died giving birth to him. He is vilified by the very fact that he isn't able (rather, willing) to love.

“That which Voldemort does not value, he takes no trouble to comprehend. Of house-elves and children's tales, of love, loyalty, and innocence, Voldemort knows and understands nothing. Nothing. That they all have a power beyond his own, a power beyond the reach of any magic, is a truth he has never grasped.”  - Albus Dumbledore

So here you have it; what the books are about. The value of a deep familial love and how this is the only 'true magic' and the strongest.

As a Muslim, I'd love to have my future children read this. I'd want any kid to read this. We don't have enough of this in a culture so fraught with the nonsensical idealizations of romantic love, 'motherly love' has fallen by the wayside. When I see mothers disregarded in a culture that only purports sexuality and hedonism, I see Harry Potter standing as one of the only pop culture icons that is against that. That tells young people to love your family, love your mother because there is no one on this earth who will love you more- and to not just love them, but to respect them.

Of course, of course, we are taught this in Islam. Motherly love is so important in Islam that one of the gravest sins a Muslim can commit is to not come to their parents when they are called by them. And yes, I am very well aware of the fact that J.K. Rowling is not a Muslim. But you can not deny that her books are positive and that they can be read by Muslims as a means of of finding a positive modern day role model and for reinforcing values that have been left by the wayside.

There is so much more to these books, it really hurts me when Muslims tell me that it's haram. That they're staying away from it just to be 'safe'. To me that is simply willful ignorance. I mean, when we have a new generation emerging who have idiots like Ke$ha and Miley Cyrus as role models, why wouldn't you want to take them away from that and introduce them to a more positive side of pop culture? A side that is in line with Islamic values?

Harry Potter is not about the magic of wand waving, it's about the magic of the heart.

“Tell me one last thing,” said Harry. “Is this real? Or has this been happening inside my head?”

“Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?”

-Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

(written by Zainab)

Well said.