Cinderella: An Islamic Tale: An Islamic Tale

by Fawzia Gilani-Williams

"It’s easy to feel a sense of peace after completing Fawzia Gilani’s Cinderella . This humble version of the classic fairy tale is a gentle reminder that victory comes as much from a peaceful soul as a beautiful dress and a dramatic confrontation." - Luxury Reading

Cinderella is one of the oldest, best-known, and most loved stories worldwide, with hundreds of cultural variants and re-tellings from ancient Egypt and China to the present day. In this version we follow the trials and tribulations of the sweet, gentle, and pious Zahra when her parents die and she is left at the mercy of an uncaring stepmother and stepsisters. This is a well-crafted Islamic version of the classic tale in which faith, goodness, and prayer are rewarded in the end. The charming, richly detailed illustrations of Shireen Adams, set in medieval Andalusia, help bring the text to life.

Genres: Picture Books, Cinderella, Islam, Fairy Tales, Childrens, Fiction, Fantasy

44 pages, Hardcover

First published March 15, 2011

About the author

Dr. Fawzia Gilani-Williams is an internationally experienced educator and educational consultant with experience in school accreditation and school inspections. She has written a number of books that promote intercultural literacy, emotional and social flourishing.

She serves as a global representative for the International Positive Education Network and is currently employed by the UAE Ministry of Education.

Reviews

[Manybooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fawiza Gilani-Williams' 2011 picture book Cinderella: An Islamic Tale (which actually does not feature any magic at all and as such also has neither a fairy godmother nor a magic-imbued tree with anthropomorphic birds but instead shows a grandmother who upon returning from the Hajj pilgrimage gently and lovingly helps her orphaned granddaughter Zahra, who is the Cinderella here, escape from her abusive stepmother and stepsisters and then marry a prince) is obviously Gilani-Williams' retelling of Charles Perrault's Cendrillon (and also to an extent of Jakob and Wilhelm Grimm's Aschnputtel as well but without the Grimms' violence, without the stepdaughters wilfully disfiguring themselves in order to fit into the slipper and finally getting pecked at by the avenging birds) and with Islam as well as Mediaeval Moorish Spanish contents (culture) added on, not a bad story in and of itself, generally decently readable enough, but that there are simply too many issues for me personally with regard to Gilani-Williams' text for me to consider more a two star rating for what is narrationally being provided in Cinderella: An Islamic Tale (and that yes, the only reason why I am upping my rating of Cinderella: An Islamic Tale from two to a very very low three stars is that I do indeed find Shireen Adams' accompanying artwork quite visually pleasant but that I would actually only recommend Cinderella: An Islamic Tale with some major caveats and reservations as well as discussions with the intended age group, with the so-called picture book crowd).

For one and this is sadly and unfortunately ALWAYS the (hugely annoying and frustrating) case regarding Fawiza Gilani-Williams' Islamic themed folktale retellings, sorry, but that there is no author's note, that there are no sources included in Cinderella: An Islamic Tale, this really does get to me, this really does majorly bother me on an intellectual and folkloric research level. And well, even though I do of course realise that both Charles Perrault and the Brothers Grimm are not protected by copyright (that they are in the public domain), for me and in my opinion Cinderella: An Islamic Tale is thus rather folklorically suspect with its lack of source acknowledgments (and that at the very least Gilani-Williams should be mentioning in Cinderella: An Islamic Tale both Charles Perreault and Jakob and Wilihelm Grimm by name as well as pointing out that Cinderella stories are 510A on the Aarne-Thompson-Uther folktale index). For two, I also find it a huge textual shortcoming (as well as being a bit personally cringe-worthy in fact) how in Cinderella: An Islamic Tale Fawiza Gilani-Williams obviously does not want to make Farah's father the enabling, condoning his new wife's increasing nastiness towards his daughter foolish and totally incompetent coward that he is with both Charles Perreault and with the Brothers Grimm (found only between the lines of both Cendrillon and Aschnputtel to be sure, but always there in the background and with hugely implied criticism) and also very much and ridiculously conveniently simply killing him off so to speak. And well, I equally do have to wonder a bit if part of the reason for Gilani-Williams in Cinderella: An Islamic Tale being so reticent regarding making the father into someone negative (or at least wishy-washy and easily bullied etc.) might perhaps be that she simply does not want to have an incompetent, enabling and henpecked by his new wife man in Cinderella: An Islamic Tale (that it is easier and perhaps also more suitable for an Islamic themed story to have only the stepmother and the stepdaughters be nasty, jealous and horrid and not the man of the family, the pater familias) and not to mention that I (as someone with balance and motor skills issues) also find it both frustrating and indeed rather majorly infuriating that in Cinderella: An Islamic Tale Fawiza Gilani-Williams seems to think and as such textually implies that awkwardness and clumsiness (the two stepdaughters) are the sign of someone inherently negative while physical beauty and gracefulness (Farah) somehow and automatically indicate someone positive and glowingly pure and perfect (makes me angry but also truly makes me sad and makes in particular my inner child feel judged and denigrated by Cinderella: An Islamic Tale and by Gilani-Williams' words). And for three, the very specific Islamic religion and content in Cinderella: An Islamic Tale feels both preachily evangelising to me, as well as a bit artificially and deliberately tacked on as well, as making Cinderella: An Islamic Tale much too message-heavy to be something really enjoyable and entertaining (and that much of Cinderella: An Islamic Tale feels tedious and also often pretty judgmental).

[Miss Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

=DDDDDDDDDDD Cinderella: ISLAMIFIED.

I find this so entirely delightful gosh. When I have kids I'm buying them a copy of this alongside a complete set of Grimm's fairytales (my children will always have access to fairytales, I dearly hope they will love them because if not my heart might break the teensiest bit).

Ugh, man if you're not Muslim you can't even know, the complete delight of getting to see Islamic values tied with Cinderella. Giggling at Ms. Gilani's attempt to get rid of the magical elements! FAWZIA'S GRANDMOTHER CAME BACK FROM HAJJ AND SHE'S HER FAIRY GODMOTHER; IT'S HER, NO MAGIC INVOLVED. Though tbh still somehow knowing her granddaughter's shoe size after not seeing her for years sounds pretty magical to me. 8D

Also women are so much central to the story in the Islamified version, when Zahra goes to the Eid party she doesn't dance with the prince, she chats with his parents. My mom and I read it together and she was like 'oh so the Queen is Prince Charming here!' KIND OF YEAH.



He's honestly a bit of an afterthought, I can't, it's so deeply funny to me.



Plus Islamic stories written to a Muslim audience, high five. No awkward stops in the text to be like okay Muslim pray five times a day, that's why there's this reference to Zahra doing her evening prayers before the bed. Check the glossary or google it, Gilani is not interested in handholding.

And okay it does a bit of valuing feminine appearance with the mention of Zahra being more beautiful than her sisters, consequence: JEALOUSY but it's tangibly more focused on her good character. All the references to hadith and Quran and how she takes comfort in the stories she's learned from them. She reads when she has free time. She thinks about how Prophet Yusuf treated his brothers when she forgives her sisters at the end. ZAHRA LET ME LOVE YOU. ;_;



In a perfect world this would not bear mentioning but Zahra's brown. Her sisters are brown. Everyone is approximately the same shade, the good characters are not signalled by way of being lighter than the villains. What now Aladdin.



Lastly I would totally read the sequel with her stepsisters and stepmother. They repent at the end and Zahra forgives them! NO IRREDEEMABLE VILLAINS HOORAY. I know it's tough to change bad habits though, I'd be interested in reading about them working to improve themselves. Cinderella II: The One Where Zahra's Life Gets To Be Awesome And She Teaches Her Sisters To Be As Excellent As Her, coming soon?



I can dream. 3.5 stars

[Krista the Krazy Kataloguer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this version of Cinderella! It's beautifully told, and I particularly like the quotes from the Qur'an and other Islamic texts. The message of forgiveness at the end provides a positive note that many versions of this fairy tale do not. Recommended!

[Shiloah · Rating 5 out of 5]

We loved this Cinderella story. There is a lot of wisdom layered within.

[Kaitlyn Richard · Rating 5 out of 5]

This folklore book was beyond amazing!! I have always loved fairytales, but never ventured from the "classic" stories shared in america. This book was very similar to the story of Cinderella that I already loved with a few twists. The book largely refers to the islamic religion as an explanation to the happenings and includes many Arabic terms (glossary in the back). In addition the books includes many vibrate illustrations that attract the readers eye. I loved reading the story in a new perspective and think it is important to incorporate many cultures within the classroom. This book would be great to use if you were studying other cultures and wanted a reference. When researching this genre i read three books of cinderella from various cultures and I thought about an engaging lesson for upper elementary. While studying folklore/fairytales, I would have my students pick a fairytale and a country/region and have them rewrite the story in the perspective of that country. I think would really get them involved in the aspects of fairytales and other cultures. This book was WOW!

[TheReadingNest · Rating 5 out of 5]

Magnifique ma sha الله !!

C’est une merveilleuse histoire à lire avec les enfants mais aussi pour les plus grands puisque ses leçons nous sont tous utiles.


Petit point de vigilance : j’ai l’impression que dans le livre Eid Al Adha et ‘Arafat sont le même jour puisque Zahra dit manger suhoor puis après c’est L’Eid, ça n’a pas trop de sens 🤔 peut être que j’ai mal lu !

[Courtney · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting take on the story of Cinderella. It would be interesting to see how it's received out at the schools (I work for a Catholic school board), given that this is the Islamic take on the story, and a rather pious(?) one at that.

It's the usual Cinderella story, which I don't think anyone needs me to summarize, though there are a few differences.

One large difference is that this telling lacks any of the fantasy and magical elements usually seen in the retellings, with a plausible, realistic solution to Cinderella's plight.

Another is the religious aspects, which I don't think I've ever seen in a Cinderella story. Lots of talk of Allah, and having faith in him. Terms like 'inshallah' (God willing) are used often throughout the book, and are translated at the back in the "Glossary of Arabic terms".

The glossary and use of these terms kind of has me torn. I don't mind it myself, since some of the terms were already familiar (hijab, inshallah - Ameen was easy to figure out). For the intended audience, though, it might be a little harder - this is a picture book. The fact that they added a glossary is helpful, assuming the reader figures out that it's included at the back of the book.

Moreover, not all the Arabic terms used throughout the story were included in the glossary which will be confusing. The main one that comes to mind was 'wudu', as in: "Quickly, cinderella washed and made wudu, and then the ladies arranged her hair and scarf, and helped her with her clothing."
I'm sorry, but given it's such a short word, and how it was used, it kind of sounded like the author said she got dressed and... well, used the lavatory. I had no clue what the word meant, and had to look it up. (For the record, it's a term for people who follow Islam wash up, particularly before prayer.) That would have been helpful to have in the glossary.

One new point in the story is that Cinderella's piety is counted as one of the characteristics that draws the prince's interest to her (which I have to admit is an improvement upon her being pretty).

The story also stays true to the culture it's from, without the author changing aspects to fit western culture - Cinderella isn't attending aball, it's a religious feast. And Cinderella doesn't actually meet the prince - women and men are separate at the party, and Cinderella visits with the Queen in the "ladies' hall". Instead of the prince, or the footman going around trying the slipper on girls, it's the Queen's lady-in-waiting.


It's a fairly wordy re-telling, and the story flows well even with all the Arabic terms interjected into the text. The illustrations are quite nice as well - I especially like the drawing on pg. 24 of Cinderella's 'abaya' (over-dress). The art on page 34 of the Queen's lady-in-waiting is quite nice as well.

Overall, it's a nice book. I'd place it at about 3.5 stars, since I can't decide if it should be 3 or 4. It has some issues in execution, but overall it's a very nice book and an interesting re-telling. It's a nice change from the usual Disney-fied variations.

[Lastrong · Rating 4 out of 5]

This classic tale with a twist was definitely a good read. In keeping with the traditional story line, we are introduced to Zahra (later Cinderella) who is the beautiful and honorable daughter of an Islamic family. After the death of her mother and later father, Zahra is left in the care of her stepmother. Even though the stepmother has two daughters of her own she is very jealous of Zahra'a grace and beauty. The stepmother punishes Zahra by placing her in the attic and forces her to do all the housework. One day an invitation to the annual celebration at the King's palace arrived. This made all of he ladies very excited, all but Zahra. The stepmother would not allow her to attend. Suprisingly Zahra attends the celebration and is adorned and admired by all the guests, especially the Prince. Zahra suddenly flees the party and drops one of her glass slippers. After a massive search the Prince finds his Princess and they live happily ever after.
Readers between the ages of 6 to adult could find this story enjoyable. The story includes a glossary that defines the new or unfamiliar terms. This allows the reader to have a clearer understanding as well as holding interest. The artistic element was clear, colorful, inviting and even had an element of suprise. The way the illustrator makes the glass slipper sparkle, allowing it to stand out, is one example.
I would definitely recommend this version. The attention to detail in the story and graphics keeps the reader intrigued. It exposes the reader to some of the Islamic practices that encourages the acceptance of differences as well as teaching a life lesson. One example is to treat others the way in which you would want to be treated.

[Javeria Zaidi · Rating 3 out of 5]

As the name suggests, this is the classic story of Cinderella - with an “Islamic” twist. (I write Islamic in quotation marks because it just how Islamic the twist is, remains subjective.)

Our heroine in the story is called Zahra… and due to the cinders etc., is given the nickname of Cinderella.

The story itself is nearly the same as the one we all are aware of. Peppered throughout, however, are Quranic verses. Informative for a muslim audience. The story is illustrated beautifully, with dark-skinned protagonists making a welcome change to the usually white-centred beauties in found in fairy tales.

Beyond the superficial plus points, I found this to be a problematic text. It seems to glorify being a martyr. Zahra never complains to her father about her cruel stepmother, because she is “forgiving and patient”. Hardly the message I want to impart if I’m raising confident, assertive children.
Accepting abuse is consistently equated to “patience” throughout.

While it is admirable that a fairy tale heroine said all her prayers on time and read the Quran daily, the overall message of being submissive and accepting abuse uncomplainingly in the name of “patience” and Islam really rubbed me the wrong way.

This will, however, serve as a good base for discussions around the concepts of abuse, patience, and forgiveness.

As much as I can see the hard work gone into producing this book, I can not, in good conscience, recommend it.

[Kimberly Ehrlich · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an Islamic retelling of the Cinderella story which means there is a heavy overarching theme of religion throughout the text. First of all, magic has been removed, which prompts another discussion about religion vs. magic for students. Then, the dance is not a dance but a religious celebration where men and women are separated, so Cinderella doesn't meet the prince at all. However, the prince is ultimately woo'd by qualities Cinderella has that aren't just her beauty, which is another change from the original story. These differences hold a religious meaning, but also are connected to the culture of the region in which it takes place. It's an important discussion into how religion influences the culture of an area in the same way that traditions have done so, and how it gets wrapped into the fabric of any story. Children can discuss, using knowledge from the other compared Cinderella texts how Christianity and Paganism affected the original telling of the story.

[Meltha · Rating 4 out of 5]

This version of Cinderella involves a very devout Muslim girl, Zahra, who is able to go to the festival due to the intervention of her grandmother. She does leave behind her glass slipper, and it's the prince's mother who sends a female servant to try the shoe on all the girls of the kingdom. Several phrases are in Arabic here, and a glossary at the end of the book defines most of these. There are also several quotations from the Koran here as well. The pictures are quite pretty and brightly colored (I was rather surprised to see some images of the girls without their headscarves). This does seem to be written for a predominantly Muslim audience, though, as it's generally assumed the audience will understand most of the cultural references unless they repeatedly turn to the back of the book.

[Dianna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not Muslim, but I am religious, and I simply loved this retelling of Cinderella. Zahra (Cinderella) is full of faith and hope and hard work as she undergoes her trials. Then her grandmother who disappeared on pilgrimage many years ago comes back to send her to the Eid party and rescue her from her wicked stepmother.

I don't know much about Islam, but I enjoyed this book very much, especially the quotes from religious texts. Fairy tales are the perfect way to introduce me to other cultures; they're so familiar, it's easy to see what changes are important to the culture.

[Mckinley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good adaption of the story into Islam. There is no magic rather a very really grandmother and a very devout daughter with a sincere practice of her faith complete with scriptural quotes.

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

A moral moralistic version of the old fairy tale. Good life lessons and less of an emphasis on looks.

[Kirin · Rating 4 out of 5]

https://islamicschoollibrarian.wordpr...

[Sabrina · Rating 4 out of 5]

To read my full detailed review of this book (and MANY more!) please go to my book blog @ https://sabrinareads365.blogspot.com

[Elissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cinderella: An Islamic Tale by Fawzia Gilani is a picture book illustrated by Shireen Adams. I found this ebook on Hoopla when browsing for different versions of Cinderella to read for a graduate-level course. This story has many common motifs of the french fairy tale by Charles Perrault. A young girl, who is beautiful and kind, is orphaned and is left to live with her stepmother and stepsisters who, out of jealousy, despise her, and she falls to their abuse. In this Islamic version of Cinderella, the young girl, Zahra (Cinderella) stays strong through her faith by praying to Allah and reading the Qur’an. Instead of attending a ball for the prince to hopefully meet his future wife, Zahra’s family is invited to the palace to a party on the first day of Eid al-Adha, which her stepmother forbids her to attend unless she finishes all her large amount of chores. Instead of a magical fairy godmother who comes to rescue her, her long last grandmother returns after being stuck in a war-ridden country. Her grandmother presents her with beautiful clothes and hijab and has servants do all the chores. She attends the party and catches the eye of the royal family. She is forced to rush out of the party at promptly 11:00 in order to beat her stepmother and stepsisters home so they would not know that she did, in fact, attend the Eid party. When her glass slipper is left behind, and the prince makes his interest known that he wants to marry the unknown girl, the queen sends her lady-in-waiting to every home that was invited to have all the young girls try on the slipper. When the slipper fits Cinderella, much to her stepsisters' astonishment, her stepmother forbids her to allow to marry. That’s when suddenly, Zahra’s long-lost grandmother bursts into the house to give her blessing. Our story ends with Zahra marrying the prince, people being inspired by her good faith and good deeds, and her stepfamily repenting for their sins and asking for forgiveness. Zahra does forgive them and they all live happily ever after. At the end of this book, the author includes a glossary of Arabic terms that were included throughout the book, as well as reference sources for the Qur’an and Hadith that were also referenced in the story. As someone who is not extremely family with these terms, I appreciated being able to reference this glossary.

Overall, I enjoyed this version of Cinderella. I liked how the fairy godmother was a real person who came to Cinderella’s rescue. I also enjoyed the illustrations. They were bright, and each page featured a “window” into the story with a border and background that complemented the color scheme that was featured in the story “window”. I could see this book being used in a compare and contrast lesson for different fairy tales. There were many similarities but still some clear differences. It would be interesting to compare and contrast different versions of Cinderella with the original French fairy tale that has inspired so many of the stories that we know and love. It would also be a great book to include when thinking about motifs that occur in many different fairy tales. This would also be a great mentor text for students to create their own version of the fairy tale. This could model that not all aspects of the fairy tale have to be present in order to be a great representation of the story of Cinderella.

[Nicole C. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Teachers looking to add more multicultural texts to their fairy tale unit should look no further!
This culturally authentic retelling of Cinderella stays fairly true to the original tale but also incorporates elements of Islam and Arabic words/phrases. Zahra, nicknamed Cinderella by her stepsisters after her father dies, is treated horribly and forced to do all the housework. The one constant in her life, the one thing that gives her hope, is her religion. One major change in this version is that there are no elements of fantasy; in fact, the fairy godmother is replaced by Zahra's actual grandmother who was returning from Hajj. This text has a stronger moral message than most Cinderella tales in that even at the end, there is a huge emphasis on good character and forgiveness. The beautiful illustrations are culturally authentic in that they depict facets of Muslim life, including the hijab and prayer rugs. This text would work well with older elementary students, as it is does have some content that may be unfamiliar to students. However, teachers who have Muslim students should consider exposing students to this text at an earlier age; it could serve as a "mirror" text and would help introduce other students to their peers' culture.

[Putri Salsabila · Rating 4 out of 5]

Baca buku ini karena lewat di timeline X 😂 bagian paling menarik ada di covernya (an Islamic tale) tapi tentang Cinderella yang sangat western style 😂Benar-benar buku anak-anak dengan sistem ATM (Amati, Tiru, Modifikasi) yang sangat total 😅😅cerita Cinderella yang dibarengi dengan unsur nilai-nilai Islam. ilustrasinya pun digambarkan seperti princess jasmine yang memiliki warna kulit tan. Tokoh-tokoh perempuannya juga digambarkan dengan syar'i karena menggunakan hijab dan abaya yang cukup modis 😂👍buku cerita ini direkomendasikan agar anak lebih terpapar dengan nilai-nilai islami. What an awesome story!

Sedikit kutipan dari buku ini:
📌As for the stepmother and stepsisters, when they saw how Allah had rewarded Zahra’s goodness, they were fi lled with shame. They repented for their sins and asked for her forgiveness. And, remembering the example of the Prophet Yusuf* and his brothers, Princess Zahra forgave them wholeheartedly.
For, as Allah says, Can the reward for goodness be anything but goodness?📌

Islami sekali, bukan? 😃

[Carolina Combetta · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are so many versions of Cinderella, but I was gravitated towards the version with an Islamic twist. In the story, passages of the Quran are included and some islamic texts. In the original, Disney version we are familiar with, birds, mice and a fairy godmother are all part of Cinderella's transformation. But in this story, an elder lady and her attendants help transform her in order for her Cinderella to attend the party at the palace. In this version of the story, Cinderella forgives her her evil stepmother and sisters. It sends a powerful message of forgiveness that can be a very valuable lesson to teach children AND adults. Although people may treat us unfairly, we can always find a way to forgive, even when it is not easy.
The watercolor illustrations are very beautiful and vibrant.

[Pamela Powell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautifully illustrated and told, this is the classic Cinderella story but written from an Islamic world view. There is no fairy godmother, but rather a kindly grandmother and there is a lot of emphasis on Cinderella being very faithful. I was fascinated by the glimpse of Islamic life through the story.

[Kara · Rating 5 out of 5]

"...and darkness grew in her heart..."

A new and interesting take to suggest the stepmother became evil out of despair and jealously, rather than starting out evil.

Points for putting the old tale in an entire new setting, and it works great. More outwardly religious than most versions, but it works here - and I loved what an active role the Queen got to play for once!

[Dahabo · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wholesome and uplifting story about how faith and patience grants our protagonist Zahra, gifts beyond imagination. This is a clever re-imagining of a timeless fairy tale with an Islamic twist and I truly appreciated the gems within. May Allah reward those who put their efforts towards wholesome literature for the younger generations. Definitely going to add this to the little one's library insha Allah :)

[Katrina Lybbert · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this Islamic version of Cinderella. I really liked how instead of a fairy godmother, it was Cinderella's long lost grandmother who returned and helped her go to the party to meet the prince. And I liked how it was her faith and good character that attracted the prince to her.

[Ashley Kempkes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really nice Cinderella retelling, it fit perfectly, like it was meant to be- beautiful magical realism. The art was nice too (4/5).

[Sydney · Rating 5 out of 5]

beautiful.

[Kayode Temiloluwa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good😊😊😊

[Jari Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading an Islamic version of the story of Cinderella. I learned a view Islamic phrases and saw a snippet of the religion of Islam.

[mybookishthings]

Read for school

[Jacquelyn Erickson · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is much goodness and prayer that layers this lovely version of Cinderella: An Islamic Tale. This book is written by Fawsia Gilani. In addition, this book is beautifully illustrated by Shireen Adams. We know there are many variants of this classic fairy tale. For this version…. It is fairy tale story that truly focuses on the beauty of a pure soul. Yes, it is about beauty, for not on outer beauty, rather inner beauty! It has trials and tribulations… And it has the power of goodness, faith and prayer! This Islamic version of this fairy tale is a story that can touch one’s life. This not only would be a powerful read for all to expand their cultural perspective, it includes a glossary of Arabic terms and references from the Qur’an and Hadith. Also, it is a Silver Medal Award Recipient by the Sydney Taylor Book Award.