Fantasy and Faith: Muslim Fantasy, Myth & Meaning

I explore the challenges of writing as a neurodivergent author and dig into David’s treatment of faith and belief in his Empire of Ruin series. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit noorajahangir.substack.com

The winner of two Indian literary awards reads from her new novel, Intergalactic Feast. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit noorajahangir.substack.com

Lavanya is an award winning scifi author from Banglore, India. Her first novel Ten Percent Thief has gained literary acclaim. Her new novels chart a fresh subgenre, culinary scifi. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit noorajahangir.substack.com

10 Rules for Writing Muslim Fantasy Part 1: Enjoin Good, Prevent Evil.Welcome back to Fantasy & Faith, where we explore the magical, the mythical and the mystical. In this episode, I will be sharing the first two of my 10 Rules for Writing Muslim Fantasy, or even for writing good Muslim characters. By the end of the episode, you will have a grounding in some foundational Islamic principles that should help you understand the driving forces, principles and moral standards that shape the Muslim psyche.Rule 1 Enjoin Good and Forbid EvilThe first of these is “Enjoin Good and Forbid what is Evil”, which comes from the Quranic verses from Sura al-Imran: “Let there be a group among you who call ‘others’ to goodness, encourage what is good and forbid what is evil – it is they who will be successful” (3:104).This is reinforced numerous times through Hadith (traditions of the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him). For example, On the authority of Abu Sa’eed al Khudree who said, ‘I heard the Messenger of Allah say, “Whoever from among you sees that an evil is being committed then, he should change it with his hands. And if he is unable to do that, then, with his spoken word. And if he is unable to do even that, then, with his heart (i.e., abhor it taking it to be evil) and this is the weakest degree of faith.” (Sahih Muslim, 49a)Add to this the a verse from Sura al-Maida, “O believers! You are accountable only for yourselves. It will not harm you if someone chooses to deviate – as long as you are rightly guided. To Allah you will all return, and He will inform you of what you used to do.” (5:105)One could stop with the first verse and present it as justification to forcibly bend people to your will. This would be how a villain may interpret this verse. However, this would be inaccurate, especially when viewed in conjunction with the broader instruction provided by the Qur’an and Hadith. When a person is in a position of power, they will act upon this injunction differently to someone in a weaker position.It’s time for a bit of clarification. It’s easy to fall into the grand narrative idea of Good and Evil in Christian terms of being God vs the Devil. In Islam, God is All-Supreme, All-Mighty and has no equal. The Devil, or Iblees to give him his true name, was a survivor from an earlier creation of God that had been wiped out due to them causing corruption and bloodshed. Iblees was cast out because of his prideful refusal of God’s command to bow before Adam, the first human and Prophet. Iblees promised that would try and mislead the Children of Adam until Judgement Day, making him the enemy of the Children of Adam, not God. This is why God states in Sura Taha “So We cautioned, ‘O Adam! This is surely an enemy to you and to your wife. So do not let him drive you both out of Paradise, for you O Adam would then suffer hardship.” (20:117)So Iblees, whilst clearly an evil entity, isn’t the evil that the Qur’an refers to in ‘refrain from evil’. There is no epic battle going on in the heavens. The battle is happening here on the earthly plain, in the hearts and minds of individuals. Ibn Kathir, a renown mufassir and historian of Islam, says that evil includes calamities things like drought, famine, lack of abundance, death of children, etc. These calamities occur as either a punishment for some sin or wrongful action committed by mankind, or as a test of faith, to see if we will respond with ingratitude, or worse by turning away from God. An example of this was the defeat of the Muslims during the Battle of Uhud. The defeat was caused by two factors, deserters from the battle and those who disobeyed the Prophet’s command not to abandon their posts. God clarified this in the Qur’an after the battle: “Indeed, Allah fulfilled His promise to you when you initially swept them away by His Will, then your courage weakened and you disputed about the command and disobeyed, after Allah had brought victory within your reach. Some of you were after worldly gain while others desired a heavenly reward. He denied you victory over them as a test, yet He has pardoned you. And Allah is Gracious to the believers.” (3:152)“Remember when you were running far away in panic—not looking at anyone—while the Messenger was calling to you from behind! So Allah rewarded your disobedience with distress upon distress. Now, do not grieve over the victory you were denied or the injury you suffered. And Allah is All-Aware of what you do.” (3:153)“Then after distress, He sent down serenity in the form of drowsiness overcoming some of you, while others were disturbed by evil thoughts about Allah—the thoughts of pre-Islamic ignorance. They ask, “Do we have a say in the matter?” Say, O Prophet, “All matters are destined by Allah.” They conceal in their hearts what they do not reveal to you. They say to themselves, “If we had any say in the matter, none of us would have come to die here.” Say, O Prophet, “Even if you were to remain in your homes, those among you who were destined to be killed would have met the same fate.” Through this, Allah tests what is within you and purifies what is in your hearts. And Allah knows best what is hidden in the heart.” (3:154)Therefore, good and evil are the things men and women do, which becomes the cause of reward or punishment of their deeds. The reward or punishment is decreed by God as either goodness (abundance, wealth, children and good health, etc), or evil (drought, famine, poverty, poor health, disease, etc).So going back to the original proposition, to enjoin good and forbid evil is based upon a person’s ability and position. Commanding is for royalty, nobility, the rich and the influential. For the rest of us, gentleness is advised in our approach, as harshness usually results in a person feeling hard-done-by, insulted, or belittled, and in a worst-case scenario, they may even completely reject what you have enjoined, resulting in them indulging in even more evil. For example, if you see someone smoking during fasting, you may approach them and either shout at them, or gently advise them that smoking is not only bad for your health, but also breaks the fast. In the first approach, if the person doing the telling is a person of high position, the smoker is likely to stop the action immediately, however, he will still feel embarrassed, which is not the desired effect. In the second approach, any Muslim (or even non-Muslim for that matter) could take a more reasonable tone, for example: ‘Brother, I have noticed that you smoke a lot. It is common knowledge now that smoking is bad for the health, so you don’t need me tell you about that, however, did you know that it is considered impermissible in Islam now for that very reason. It also invalidates the fast because the smoke reaches your stomach. Furthermore, Ramadan is good time to attempt to quit smoking. Have you considered using Ramadan as a way of quitting smoking?’A villain is likely to misinterpret ‘Enjoin Good, Refrain from Evil’ to lineup with whatever their own agenda is. Combine this with the idea of evil being something that we commit and the ill consequence of that action. We are commit evil sometimes, however, in most cases we know that we are doing something wrong. A villain may not have this self-awareness. Or their context may make it difficult for them to see it as evil. For example, a group of soldiers raped a man’s wife and daughter and then killed their family in front of them. The man survives and raises an army and then goes on a revenge rampage to wipe out everyone from the soldiers’ country. In this scenario, evil has begotten more evil. However, the man may feel that what he has suffered justifies his actions, and therefore would not see revenge as evil.A hero is likely to be proactive in enjoining the best possible actions for the individual and society. For example, the hero sees people suffering from poverty and famine but does not have the means to alleviate it. She therefore sets out to raise awareness of this dire situation and starts a fundraising campaign to help those affected. Once the money has been raised, she takes an active roll in distributing food and resources to those affected.An anti-hero may passively note that something is wrong and feel bad about not doing anything to stop it. This could then later lead to their redemption arc. So, let’s go back to the earlier war-crime scenario. One of the soldiers doesn’t take part in the raping and killing of the villain’s family. He is disgusted by what his unit are doing and says as much to them, but doesn’t do anything to stop it. This experience eventually leads him to dessert the army and seek a different life. However, when the villain comes rampaging through the village he has settled in, he recognises him and tries to make amends by offering himself as a willing sacrifice in order to save his village/If the main or side character is in a weak position to start off, they may have some internal dialogue that suggests that the evil they are seeing is making them feel upset, or unwell. This may become a source of disquiet for them throughout the story. So perhaps, our war-crime survivor doesn’t go on a murderous rampage, but is wracked by PTSD. Or our saviour lady watches the news every day and cries over the horrors that are taking place in the world, but feels powerless to do anything other than share social media posts and give a few dollars a month to charity.Rule 2 Do No HarmThe second rule is related to the first. In a hadith narrated by Abu Sa’eed al-Khudree that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, ‘There should be neither harming nor reciprocating harm’. (Ibn Majah, 2341, Daraqutnee, 4:228 and Muwatta Imam Malik, 2:746).This is a universal, legal and ethical principle in Islam, which applies in every public, private, social, political, legal matter. It covers physicals, emotional, psychological and financial harm. Reciprocating harm extends this principle to taking revenge or responding to harm with either equal or greater harm.There are a number of Quranic verses that relate to this Hadith and principle. The first is in regards to legal recourse. A person should not take the law into their own hands and instead should seek legal recourse. In this regard, a harm can be punished to an equal amount, but forgiveness is advised as a higher path, one that will result in an expiation of sin.“We ordained for them in the Torah, “A life for a life, an eye for an eye, a nose for a nose, an ear for an ear, a tooth for a tooth—and for wounds equal retaliation.” But whoever waives it charitably, it will be atonement for them. And those who do not judge by what Allah has revealed are truly the wrongdoers.” (Qur’an, 5:45)Then there is the rules of war. It is difficult to engage in war and not cause harm. But there are limitations placed by God on what is just and what is not.“Fight in the cause of Allah only against those who wage war against you, but do not exceed the limits. Allah does not like transgressors.” (Qur’an, 2:190)War was not permissible for Muslims until this verse was revealed after the migration to Madinah. There are several restrictions highlighted in this verse. First of all, fight only those who are fighting against you. Non-combatants are off-limits. If a fighter drops their weapon and surrenders, a Muslim cannot strike them down. If a woman, a priest of an old-man (who are normally considered non-combatants) take up arms against Muslims, they are then considered combatants. This does not include camp followers who are not actively fighting against the Muslims. Therefore, surgeons, priests, spouses, children in the enemy camp are not to be harmed.There are clear opportunities here for writers to explore the conundrums and tests that such a broad ruling may apply to domestic, political, economic and martial situations. Going back to our survivor story, it is clear that the villain’s need for revenge is not justified Islamically. He could seek legal recourse, petition his ruler or even the commander of the soldiers to seek recompense. Remember, we have to separate empathy for his situation from his actions in response to his tragedy. This rule also works well with the anti-hero scenario as he is wracked by guilt, as ‘do no harm’ also extends to causing harm through inaction. Therefore, if a person lacks the physical ability or the bravery to verbally oppose wrongdoing, they must still think it evil and at the very least pray for the guidance of the perpetrators of evil and the salvation of the victims of evil.So, to conclude, every Muslim writer or character should have this strong compulsion to want to enjoin good and stop evil and to avoid harm. As a writer, this should show in the choices you make about story, plot, character development and themes. If you are writing Muslim characters, this should be a central factor in the character development. If they are currently in a weak position, they provides the perfect impetus for a character arc in which they move from inaction to proactive response. If they are already proactive, this should give an opportunity to explore changes in their psyche, as doing good often changes you into a better person, and provide opportunities for reflection. If the character is either a villain or anti-hero, this also creates interesting opportunities for introspection, self-loathing and either a self-destructive arc or a redemption arc.That is all for this episode.. I want to hit 500 subscribers by the end of 2026 and you can help make that happen by liking, sharing and subscribing. Look out for future parts to the 10 Rules for Writing Muslim Fantasy over the coming year. Next week we have an interview with Indian sci-fi author Lavanya Lakshminarayan. Until then, Keep Dreaming, Keep Writing and Let Your Stories Shine. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit noorajahangir.substack.com

Jenny was the guest of honour at BristolCon 2025, perhaps the first indie author to hold that distinction. She has love for dragons, selkies and the ocean. Her books and socials can be found at: https://linktr.ee/jehannaford This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit noorajahangir.substack.com

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit noorajahangir.substack.com

In this episode, we talk about the art of storytelling, faith and belief as portrayed in fantasy and science fiction, as well as explore themes from some of his best known novels.Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit noorajahangir.substack.com

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit noorajahangir.substack.com

Anna Smith Spark, the Queen of Grimdark, returns to Fantasy and Faith to talk about her latest books and what is happening with the fantasy genre. We talk up the cycles of life, dragons and how to write great fiction. Her latest book is available from: https://www.flametreepublishing.com/a-sword-of-gold-and-ruin-isbn-9781787589704.html. Follow her on: @annasmithspark.bsky.social My videos are here to help you write more authentic Muslim characters in your stories, or even help you better understand what Muslim fiction is. Also, if you love fantasy fiction like I do, then this is a good place to get tips about how to write that too. If you like my content, consider subscribing. Book buying links: https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/Noor-A-Jahangir/author/B0056THI1Y?ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true If you want to support me, you can buy me a coffee at: https://ko-fi.com/noorajahangir Visit my website: www.trollking.co.uk Follow my Substack: https://noorajahangir.substack.com/ #fantasy #writing #authortube #grimdark This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit noorajahangir.substack.com

James Barclay is a prolific author of fantasy fiction and has been writing for nearly three decades. His works include the The Chronicles of Raven series and The Elves series. In this interview we talk about the legacy of the King of Heroic Fantasy, David Gemmell, the influences on grimdark, and James Barclay’s writing methods.Thanks for reading Musalmantasy! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit noorajahangir.substack.com

Tanweer has published a number of books in the horror and fantasy genre, as well as poetry and children’s books too. We found each other on Bluesky, delighted in the fact that there was another genre fiction writer in the UK that is a Muslim.Subscribe for exclusive content. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit noorajahangir.substack.com

Umar Ditta has worked on properties like Toxic Avenger, as well as his own titles, Lad, FutureQuake and Untethered. We talk about his influences, what’s it like working on someone else’s title and his future plans. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit noorajahangir.substack.com

Dan Hanly is the author of dark fantasy novels: The Great Leap and Stone Cold Blood. We discuss hypocrisy in organised religion and the Welsh influences in Dan's writing. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit noorajahangir.substack.com

Season 3 of the Fantasy and Faith Podcast kicks of with writer M D Ndogo and his debut novel Daughter of Samarkand, which launches on Monday 12th Jan 2026. In this episode, we discuss what inspired M D Ndogo to go with a female protagonist and set his book in medieval Samarkand. Purchase Link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Daughter-Samarkand-Ink-Gold-Book-ebook/dp/B0GBXBZLPW/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3FEYWB4KXVIJC&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.zvbGKqGuWJTG-uhCd-NQuQ.o_8I3arHYGVD3If-kbNSZ0eGFWg8lllDFMeoZcIFhRc&dib_tag=se&keywords=daughter+of+samarkand&qid=1767732915&sprefix=daughter+of+samarkand%2Caps%2C152&sr=8-1Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mdndogoauthor/ Substack: https://substack.com/@UCeGYw4tpkC5CMiaNoXIAmeA This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit noorajahangir.substack.com

Authors often portray the cost of Magic in different ways. But in Muslim Fantasy the cost is more than physical. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit noorajahangir.substack.com

My thoughts on the British Fantasy Society panel: Between Crescent and Quill This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit noorajahangir.substack.com

During Season 2 of Fantasy & Faith, I interviewed a number of writers. This video is a compilation of their writing rituals. Featuring: Adrian Tchaikovsky, Anna Smith Spark, Rehan Khan, Ibrahim Moustafa and Ismaik Karolia. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit noorajahangir.substack.com

A colleague and fellow writer asked me why I'm writing a middle grade novel. That got me reflecting. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit noorajahangir.substack.com

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit noorajahangir.substack.com

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit noorajahangir.substack.com

Its been a week of NewNoWrMo. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit noorajahangir.substack.com

Day 6 of New November Writing Month - 8200 words total This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit noorajahangir.substack.com

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit noorajahangir.substack.com

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit noorajahangir.substack.com

The World Fantasy Con is the biggest event for genre fiction and this year its taking place in Brighton. To talk about why writers and readers should make the journey, I am joined by the British Fantasy Society’s David Green and Robin C M Duncan. We discuss all the different genre conventions that take place in the UK and talk about what makes World Fantasy Con so different. You can get your day ticket for World Fantsay Con 2025 here: https://worldfantasy2025.co.uk/shop/ This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit noorajahangir.substack.com

Episode 9, Season 2. Ismail Karolia is studying Worldbuilding in Speculative Fiction for his PhD and lectures at University of Lancashire. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit noorajahangir.substack.com

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit noorajahangir.substack.com

Award-winning comic book writer and artist Ibrahim Moustafa (Marvel, DC, Humanoids) joins Fantasy and Faith to discuss his journey from drawing iconic superheroes to crafting acclaimed original graphic novels like Count and Retroactive. In this exclusive interview, Ibrahim shares behind-the-scenes insights from working with #marvelcomics and #dccomics, the creative freedom of his #humanoidsInc. projects, and how his #EgyptianAmerican heritage and Muslim faith influence his storytelling. We dive into the challenges of representation in the comics industry, the future of graphic storytelling, and advice for aspiring creators. Ibrahim's Links YouTube: https://youtube.com/@ibrahim_m?si=wriZTXLjLrHrVJmm Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/... Website: https://www.ibrahimmoustafa.com/ This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit noorajahangir.substack.com

The critically acclaimed Anna Smith Spark, the Queen of Grimdark, a PhD in English Literature and multi-nominee of various awards (including Gemmell Award and the British Fantasy Award), talks about her role in shaping the Grimdark subgenre and her thoughts on religion in fantasy fiction. You can preorder the book from: Flame Tree Publishing: https://www.flametreepublishing.com/a-sword-of-gold-and-ruin-isbn-9781787589704.html Waterstones: https://www.waterstones.com/book/a-sword-of-gold-and-ruin-special-edition/anna-smith-spark/9781787589698 This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit noorajahangir.substack.com

What happens when a former editor of New Scientist turns her gaze from cutting-edge science to the ancient myths of the world’s first civilization? In this episode, we sit down with Emily H. Wilson, author of the lyrical and gripping Sumerian Trilogy—a retelling of the Epic of Gilgamesh, the descent of Inanna, and the cosmic clash of gods and mortals. Website: https://www.emilyhwilson.com/ Inana, Gilgamesh and Ninshubar are available from all good bookshops (and evil ones like Amazon too). This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit noorajahangir.substack.com

My guest today is Farhana Shaikh, founder of The Asian Writer and Dahlia Books. She is also the author of No Place for a Young Woman, which was longlisted for the Women’s Prize Discoveries 2023. She started Dahlia Books (https://www.dahliapublishing.co.uk/) from her kitchen table and is also a lecturer in Marketing at DeMontfort University. Dahlia Books are doing a physical launch of their recent poetry collection Bring Me Gold: Fifty Poem for Palestine (https://www.dahliapublishing.co.uk/product/poems-for-palestine) on 20th September 2025 in Leicester. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit noorajahangir.substack.com

What does it mean to truly believe something – and how should that shape a character’s every breath?Recently, I interviewed Arthur C. Clarke and Hugo Award winning author, Adrian Tchaikovsky in which we discussed his recent book Bee Speaker and the Dogs of War series. During the conversation the matter of faith and religion came up as it inevitable does in my podcast. Adrian said something to the effect that many fictional characters wear their beliefs like costumes. Real belief, especially religious belief, should be fully embodied by the character, in every action, thought and perspective. Join me for a deeper look at how to develop authentic characters of Faith in Fiction.Belief as WorldviewPicture this: a warrior is dressing for battle, pulling on and tightening the straps of his breastplates, greaves and pauldrons. Right before he leaves his tent, he kneels before a small altar and prays for victory. That is only time in the story that we see him praying. This is superficial treatment of belief. Instead, if the story first explores his reasons for going to war, perhaps a calling from a religious order to defend the realm against heathen savages, some introspection and perhaps doubt about whether he is serving the Lord’s Will, or whether the order is manipulating the state to their own ends. Perhaps he stops periodically through the day to kneel at the altar and pray to God for guidance and forgiveness for the lives he has taken and will soon be taking. This is a much more embodied treatment of faith and belief as the character is trying to grapple for meaning in his actions.Ned Stark in Game of Thrones has strong beliefs around Honour, with his actions guided by these beliefs. His sons visit the old Wierwoods to take their oaths, but that is as far as their religious convictions go. On the other hand you have Dothraki who are portrayed as having a primitive religion but are guided by prophecy and their wise women about how to best serve their Gods. Many of their actions can be ascribed to their religious beliefs.I’ve previously written and spoken about writing Muslim characters. A Muslim, even the most wayward, is constantly reflecting on their place in the world, about repenting and seeking forgiveness, talking to God about their hopes, fears, desires and wants. For a practicing Muslim, everything, every interaction and decision, is seen through the lens of Islam. What is permissible and impermissible, what are the boundaries and limits of daily life. For example, is it okay to shake this woman’s hand, or should I explain to her that as a Muslim I cannot do that? Is this sandwich I am buying permissible to eat? Does this Kombucha drink have alcohol in it, is a trace amount of alcohol permissible? For a Muslim, religion isn’t just something you do on Friday, or Saturday, or Sunday. Its an everyday, everywhere and everything consideration. Another central theme for Muslims is the concept of Tawwakul, trust in the Will of God. A Muslim must accept that everything that happens is God’s Will, whether it is good or on the face of it, bad, it is from God so we accept it and hope that some good will come of it eventually.Let me give you an example from The Changeling King.Sultan crossed his legs beneath him. He drew his hunting knife as quietly as he could and laid it before him. The tiger’s ears twitched slightly. Sultan closed his eyes, no less aware of his surroundings than the tiger, and began to meditate on the path that God had laid before him.The tiger stood suddenly, facing the exit. Every line in its body illustrated alarm. The yipping barks of a team of dogs carried over the distance to Sultan. The tiger threw an accusatory look at him. He had led the hunters to its lair. The beast dropped to its haunches.The hunters thrashed about for several hours. The hunting dogs had gone mad the minute they had picked up the tiger’s scent. The beast stayed low but remained alert. Sultan knew it was just a matter of time before they came upon the cave.When a hunter finally exclaimed over his discovery, the tiger churned out of the cave and attacked. Sultan pressed himself further back into the shadows. The hunter screamed in terror, but was abruptly silenced. Shouts of alarm were followed by the clatter of arrows against rock. Sultan listened quietly, picturing in his head the beast’s struggle for survival. The big cat snarled and snapped bones. Men cursed and cried out in pain. ‘Muskets,’ someone shouted, ‘shoot the damn creature!’ They opened fire. The tiger roared.Silence.Something primal rose up in Sultan’s stomach, urging him to charge out like the tiger and face his enemies. Sense soon prevailed, and he remained hidden where he was. Above him, the hunters debated who should take the tiger’s head and hide as a trophy.‘What about the cave?’ asked a man with a gravelly voice, interrupting the debate.‘What about it?’‘Shouldn’t we check it?’‘Why? Do you really think you’ll find anything alive in the lair of a man-eating tiger? The prince is a seasoned hunter and would have steered well clear of a tiger’s hunting ground.’‘Maybe he’s counting on us thinking that, but really he’s hiding nearby.’‘That is possible. Fine, set up a patrol in this area, in fact you can lead it yourself. Take three days provision and see if anyone will volunteer to join you. If the prince doesn’t show up by then, return to Azamabad and report to His Excellency, Abdul Fadl. The rest of us will press on and see if we can pick up his trail on the way to Kashmir.’Sultan silently cursed the man for his obstinacy. He would have to skulk in this cave for a while longer. Eventually, the main body of the hunting party moved on up the mountain. Gravel Throat, as Sultan decided to call him, had remained behind with three other footsore lancers. To his disgust, the four lancers set up camp a few meters above the cave mouth and began exchanging crude jokes while they ate. Sultan returned to his meditation.As time wore on, he began to realise the full extent of his troubles. Gravel Throat and his select group of slackers had no intention of commencing a patrol. They seemed fully intent on lazing on the mountainside for the three days they had been given.Sultan’s stomach cramped from hunger, but he was resolute not to touch the now maggot infested leavings of the tiger. The Sheikh had taught him that a Salik, a true seeker of enlightenment, with practice, could sustain himself on the remembrance of God alone. When Sultan questioned how this was possible, the Sheikh had responded with a riddle.‘The sustenance of every man, woman and child is a responsibility that God has taken upon Himself. So, whether one believes that he is providing for himself, or is being provided through another, it is God who really is the Provider.’‘I do not understand. How is one sustained without provision?’‘My child, sustenance, as with many other things, does not have to be seen, smelt or indeed tasted for one to receive it.’Even then Sultan had not understood, but chose not to press the Sheikh any further on the matter. Over time, he had begun to understand that there was much more to the world than could be perceived by the five senses. The Sheikh had opened his eyes to this hidden world.Sultan settled into a cross-legged position, back straight and hands resting, palms up, on his thighs. Slowly his body temperature fell to match that of the cave. His heartbeat slowed until it was in-step with his breathing, as he silently chanted the Lord’s Names of Power.The alternation of day and night soon lost meaning for Sultan. His ears no longer registered sounds, and the stench of engorged maggots was inconsequential. Sultan travelled ever deeper inward; cocooned from the hurts and aches of the world around him. Emptiness filled his mind as his spirit soared high above the mountain, the clouds and the cosmos beyond.After two and half days of sleeping and eating, Gravel Throat’s curiosity overcame his laziness. As Gravel Throat lowered himself through the cave opening, Sultan crossed space and time, until he entered the atmosphere of a distant world.Gravel Throat ducked into the cave and toed through the bones of the tiger’s last meal.Sultan’s spirit rushed to the surface, towards an island that lay west of a large continent.Gravel Throat peered into the gloom of the cave, wishing he had brought a torch with him or had waited until morning.Sultan hit water and went under. His mouth filled with foul liquid and mud. He lurched awake, coughing to clear his lungs.Gravel Throat crouched at the back of the cave. There was nothing here. Disappointed, he made his way out and told his fellows that they would leave for Azamabad in the morning.Sultan looked about. He sat hip deep in a bog, far removed from any mountain. A large dollop of rain splashed hard on the crown of his head. He looked up as an alien night sky crackled with the energy of an oncoming lightning storm.The reeds that grew on the edge of the bog parted. The massive head of a horned reptile snaked towards him. Sultan yelled in terror and scrambled backwards. Lightning flashed as the lizard stalked forward, revealing a demon mounted upon its back. Sultan shrieked once again.In this scene, Sultan, a Mughal Prince, is being hunted by armed men. He has taken refuge in cave and falls asleep. However, when he wakes up he finds that the cave is the lair of a tiger. The tiger is wounded and dangerous. Sultan puts his dagger before him and places his trust in God’s Will. If he is meant to die there, then he will die there, though he will fight the tiger to the end. To his surprise, the tiger shows no interest in him. As time passes, Sultan reflects on his spiritual training and turns to meditation through Dhikr, remembrance of God, to sustain him instead of eating the carrion left by the tiger. Towards the end of the scene, the hunters have dispatched the tiger and finally venture into the cave only to find it empty. Through the Will of God, Sultan has transported himself bodily through the cosmos to another world.Ritual and Daily PracticeAt the end of Season 1, I did a podcast on rituals and how they anchor belief. A writer on Substack made an excellent point about worldbuilding, suggesting that writers often make the mistake of trying to tell their readers how amazing their fantastical realms are, instead of showing it to them through small actions, daily rituals and practices. For instance, I could describe in great detail how in a desert city, the king has shown his power by decorating the boulevards and parks with water features, or I could show women rising early in the morning to wash clothes at large cisterns, using soap made from animal fat, olive oil and fragranced with honey and mint. This shares piece of information shares a daily ritual in the lives of the people, the availability of water as a convenience even though it is a luxury in a desert country, and some of the local produce, including olive oil, honey and mint.In the same way, I could describe the mosques, churches and temples of the city in great detail, suggesting that religion is present in the world. Or I can show my character performing his ablution at a fountain and then joining the throngs of people heading to the mosque. If I want to take it further, I could have the character reflecting on how the ritual purification helps ease some of his tiredness and puts him in a meditative state, and have him feeling uplifted during the prayers and grounded in his role as a servant of God. This reflection is based on my own thoughts and feelings when I come home from work, change into my traditional clothes, perform the ablution and offer my prayers.Belief in ConflictIt is important to acknowledge in your character that belief is not always consistently high. There is an ebb and flow to the level of belief, that causes a person to doubt themselves, worry that their faith is weakened. Whether your character is girded warrior about to enter battle or a spaceman embarking on long voyage into the cosmos, they are going to be conflicted about what they are about to do. The warrior knows that the men (or women) that they are likely to kill that day have families, maybe even dependants that will mourn them and then struggle to sustain themselves. The act of killing is naturally abhorrent to our nature, and yet throughout history we have engaged in murder, death and destruction. Faiths normally dissuade their adherents from engaging in violence, though on occasion they allow it, or even extol it if the cause is considered righteous, e.g. defending the weak from oppression, fighting in self-defence, or protecting holy sites. There are people who would happily go to war to protect the innocents that are being slaughtered and starved to death, however, they are conflicted because of international and regional laws, the threat of sanctions and persecution from the powers that be. In the case of our erstwhile spaceman, he may be conflicted about embarking on his mission because he is not only leaving behind family, but the planet that is key to his faith. If he is a Muslim, he will have to consider how he would perform his daily prayers. Makkah is on Earth and the timing of the prayers is dictated by the position of the sun. This is not an impossible problem, but the solution would still cause him a dilemma that he is compromising on his faith. He would face in the direction of Earth whilst doing his prayers and spread his prayers out using whatever artificial timing they are using aboard their vessel. If they should reach another planet, then the sun would dictate the prayer timings, unless the day cycle is extreme (like Barrow in Alaska, which gets two months of complete darkness every year). The same goes for fasting in Ramadan (when is Ramadan if you are no longer in our solar systems?). The struggle of an astronaut to perform his or her ablution in zero g and to perform their prayers would also make for an interesting scene in a novel.Crafting Authentic Characters of FaithThe key to crafting authentic characters of faith is to make sure you research the lived experiences of believers. Even if you are writing fantasy, the faiths and religions tend to be analogues of Earth religions. Study the daily rituals, the dilemmas of living in countries where those religion are minorities. These will give you clues about what similar experiences look like in your fantasy world. Sf gives you even more scope to explore these dilemmas, whether your story is post-apocalyptic, set in a future where religion is all but forgotten, or deep space where no one can hear you do the call to prayer. Through research you will be able to avoid falling for those old, staid stereotypes that still crop up in Hollywood depictions of people of faith. Don’t forget there is also a funny side to religion too. Think about frustrating it will be praying in zero g. Every time you go to prostrate, you accidentally push yourself into a spin. Your characters don’t have to be solemn or overly rigid either, take them through all the sad and joyous occasions that are officiated through religion, e.g. births, marriages, deaths and Bar mitzvahs. Belief and faith are constantly changing and evolving, just as we are constantly changing ourselves. Faith can be gained, lost, deepened, inspiration can be found, enlightenment achieved in stages and epiphanies won through study and spiritual experiences. Test your characters with trials to see if they embody the qualities required of them by their faith, for instance, a Muslim should show patience in the face of adversity, fortitude when their kindness and generosity are tested, and gratitude when they achieve their goals or receive some heavenly boon during their hardships.ConclusionReligion and belief should be embodied by your characters, not paid lip service to in a superficial way. Reveal your character’s world through the daily rituals they take part in. Show the tension between observance, tests of faith and moral dilemmas. Have a think about your characters embody their beliefs. How can you enrich your story through their dilemmas and experiences? If you are willing, share your thoughts in the comments and I will do my best to provide you with some feedback.Next week, we have James Barclay on the podcast. James is a UK Fantasy Fiction writer, who is often compared to the late and great David Gemmell. He has written 10 books and is known for his Chronicles of the Raven series. If you haven’t already, please do Like and Subscribe as it will help me reach a wider audience. And as always, keep dreaming, keep writing and let your stories shine. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit noorajahangir.substack.com

I’m joined by Adrian Tchaikovsky, author of the Hugo Award winning Children of Time Series, Shadow of the Apt Series, Echoes of the Fall Series, Dogs of War Series, The Tyrant Philosophers Series, The Final Architecture Series, and a large number of standalone novels. He won the Arthur C. Clarke Award for Children of Time, the British Fantasy Award for The Tiger and the Wolf, and has won the BSFA Award 5 times. His latest books Bee Speaker came out in June 2025 and the Hungry Gods is out today. https://adriantchaikovsky.com/ Follow him on Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/aptshadow.bsky.social. Adrian also has a podcast titled Starship Alexandria which he records with Emma Newman. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit noorajahangir.substack.com

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit noorajahangir.substack.com

In this post, I will be examining how rituals and rhythms can be used to enhance the creative process. I will also be providing an update on all the writing projects I have planned, sharing my thoughts on Season 1 of Fantasy & Faith coming to a close and providing you with a taste of what’s to come in Season 2.From ancient traditions to modern practices, rituals and rhythms have always played a key role in human creativity.What are rituals? Rituals are regular tasks and events that we take part in to the point that the actions and words become formulaic and part of the ‘how we do it’. Rhythms are slightly looser and perhaps not as meaningful as rituals.Imagine that it is nearly dinner time. Mum is in the kitchen plating the food up. Dad is laying the table, setting down cutlery and glasses in the exact spot that each of you sit at every day. He calls out to you and your siblings to come downstairs for food. These are normal actions with very little meaning. However, because they are repeated on a daily basis, they become routines. Each person knows their role in the interaction, each person knows where the other fits in and even the words used are the same, perhaps even delivered in the same tone. Sometimes someone may change the interactions up. Maybe the kids are laying the table and dad is in the kitchen. Maybe, the kids are surprising the parents with a meal they have prepared. Even these infrequent changes have their own rituals, their own way of doing things. We only realise that they are important when we don’t do them, maybe because someone is away from home, or late from work, or feeling unwell. There is a sense of strangeness and of something missing. The normal rhythms of life have been disrupted.Rituals are something more than the mundane. For instance, on Eid days we have a bath, dress in our best or new clothes, apply attar, and then head to the masjid. The Imam is delivering a speech which normally ends with instructions on how to the do the Eid prayer. He leads the prayer and then stands on the mimbar (the pulpit) to deliver two sermons in Arabic. After the sermons he will do a collective prayer for the congregation and then everybody gets up to meet everyone else. My family and I tend to stand at the front, shake hands and embrace our neighbours and friends. Then we go over to meet with the elders and the infirm. Each of these things is part of a set of rituals, some sacred because they are part of the religious rituals, and some because we have done these same things every year, twice a year for a couple of decades to the point that they have also become ritualised.Cultural anthropologists, sociologists and psychologists have been studying rituals for years. The more important the ritual, the more rigid and formulaic the performance of it becomes. Every action takes on significance, and must be performed exactingly in a specific order. In the example of the Eid prayer, the actions of the Imam are meaningful because they are ritualised to protect the way the prayer was performed by the Prophet Muhammad and his Companions. The actions of my family after the prayer are not sacred as the Eid prayer, but are still symbolic and formulaic because of the repetition and the expectations of their performance.The rituals and rhythms of writing are unique to each writer. For instance, some writers like to go out for a walk in the morning to boost their mood and clear away the fog of sleep. Charles Dickens was known to take walks in the streets of London, perhaps taking inspiration from the normal lives that he would witness transpiring on his daily wanders. Others like to put on a fresh pot of coffee or do the housework before they sit down to write. Hemingway liked to get up really early and write before dawn. He found it to enhance is productivity and improve his mental clarity. Many authors like to set a daily word count that they work towards. Take Stephen King, who writes 2000 words daily and sticks to that principle to produce a regular output of novels.My writing rituals and rhythms are based around my day job, my prayers and my family commitments. Monday through to Thursday, I write for an hour in the evenings. Friday, Saturday and Sunday mornings are my prime output times. Sometimes I will write on Saturday and Sunday afternoons, though usually if I have missed my morning stint or if there is a deadline coming up. Currently, I am prioritising the completion of amendments to my thesis, so much of my writing time is being take up by that. I like to write my blog and podcast posts on Friday mornings. I’ve also taken to recording my solo podcasts straight after I finish scripting it. I like to try and get any chores I have done before I sit down to write, to prevent myself from procrastinating. Sometimes, when I am distracted, I will put my phone on charge and out of reach. Occasionally, I will pause after a blast of writing or when I am struggling with something to check my socials. After about an hour or two, I get up and go make myself a coffee. Sometimes I’m smarter and make the coffee before I start working. I keep my reading glasses in a box on my desk, near my keyboard. They have an anti-glare coating on them that helps reduce the likelihood of a migraine. I keep a bunch of reference books near at hand too. These include Fowler’s Modern English Usage, Roget’s Thesaurus and various dictionaries (English, Arabic, Persian and Urdu). I have shelves of non-fiction in arms reach too if I want to do deeper research. Recently, I was gifted a Remarkable 2 which has allowed me to write away from my desk.I normally write first drafts by hand and then type them up or transcribe them. The Remarkable 2 has built-in handwriting recognition software that speeds that process up. My second draft is on my laptop. I have an extra screen setup next to my laptop for previous drafts, notes or my Obsidian vault. The second draft tends to be much bigger than the first draft. I print off my second draft and then edit it on paper, which I will now do on the Remarkable (or will try at least). The third draft is based on these edits and usually shaves off the biggest chunks of any draft. The fourth draft is spelling, grammar, punctuation and some more fine tuning. For previous books, I have sent out this draft to other writers and test readers for feedback. I use their feedback to make changes for draft 5. Draft 6 is a repeat of draft 4, more fine tuning and correcting. This is normally my final draft. That’s my ‘how its done’, the daily rhythms and rituals, as well as the cycles of writing and editing that I go through.Updates on WIPI’m hoping to have my thesis amendments done by the end of July. Then, God willing, I will start back on writing Alauddin. I’ve not made much progress on that since my last update. Alauddin is talking to the genie in the cave. Princess Badr-ul-Badour is planning a daring escape from her royal chambers. The Seerah work is also on pause and to be restarted in August, inshallah. That will likely take me a few years to complete. My artist has produced the covers for Alauddin and Ali Baba and is working on Sinbad. I will do a cover reveal in due course. My other novel is on the backburner, its tentatively titled ‘Farmer, Soldier’. I keep adding ideas and lore as and when they occur to me. This is good because I like to have the whole novel mapped out in my head before I start outlining it in detail.Season 1 of Fantasy and Faith in ReviewSeason 1 has been as much about learning how to podcast and make the most out of YouTube as it has been about sharing ideas. I’ve used a number of platforms and software packages to produce my podcasts and will likely do a how-to video for anyone who may be interested in starting their own podcast. A lot of the content has been based on recent blog posts, but the last few have been written from scratch. I feel like I’m getting more confident with speaking into a mic and want to thank my small community for their supportive comments and the questions that listeners have asked me. Please do continue doing that. If I can help guide another generation of writers, then I will consider the podcast a success. I did my first podcast guest interview with Heba Hallak. That has been of the more popular episodes in the season. I am thankful to her for agreeing to be my first guest. I am also incredibly grateful to my family, especially my mother who listens to every episode.Season 2Season 2 has already been planned and will feature some critically acclaimed and award-winning authors including the Queen of Grimdark, Anna Smith Spark, Adrian Tchaikovsky and James Barclay. Furthermore, the YouTube version of the podcast will be moving to a video-format, so you’ll get to see my annoying face as well as hear my irritating voice. Be share to like, share and subscribe to the channel. If you are watching on YouTube, then hit the notification bell. Season 2 will be launching on 8th August. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit noorajahangir.substack.com

IntroductionTales of the fantastic have always been intertwined with faith and religion. No doubt the genesis story in the Bible and the origins of the universe in mythologies of ancient times have inspired many a writer to come up with belief systems for the peoples of their world(s). Early fantasy writers such as Tolkien and C. S. Lewis are known for their religious symbolism.Religion is the word to describe the sociocultural systems that help organise beliefs, worldviews and what is holy and unholy. Faith is the belief that one has about the divine. You can have faith without needing religion, and I have met people who outwardly appear religious but have little faith.C. S. Lewis’s The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is straight up allegory, with Aslan fulfilling a messianic role and even sacrificing himself for the sins of Edmund, before coming back to life. The Pevensies are often referred to as Sons and Daughters of Adam and Eve and in The Last Battle, fought against Tash, the anti-Christ. There is even a false Prophet with a donkey dressed in a lion skin. After the battle, the protagonist finds himself in a Narnia remade, better, it has become the eternal garden. In the prequel, The Magicians Nephew, we follow Digory and Polly as they witness the creation of the universe and Narnia.Tolkien’s weaving of mythology and faith are a lot more subtle. He leans heavily on Nordic mythology with his Maiar and Valar referred to as God like beings, such as Ulmo and Aulë. However, Tolkien has included a One true God in his stories too, Eru Iluvatar, He That is Alone. His monotheism is of the type that is synonymous with the Abrahamic faiths (Semitic Monotheism) and not like Hindu or Greek monotheism, though there is some polytheistic ideas here too, in the creation of the people and places in Middle-Earth. Other religious themes include the struggle against temptation, which is symbolised by the rings of power in the novels. Those that seek power and control fall under the sway of the rings, but those who only wish to serve their fellows are able to resist it. Then there is the fall of Gandalf into darkness whilst battling a literal demon wreathed in flames, before being born again as Gandalf the White. Further still, Galadriel offers the Fellowship the sacrament by making them drink from a cup and eat lembas biscuits.World-building and ReligionSociologically, religion is part of the fabric of society and is a driving force in our early socialisation. As humans, we are obsessed with the idea of a divine supernatural force and have given this force various names including nature, the universe, science, but most commonly ‘God’. In Europe, the Church and the State separated during the 17th and 18th Century Enlightenment Movement. This movement spread from there to also encompass art, literature and the sciences. This is central to understanding the attitudes of people in the West towards religion. However, from Turkey to China, this ‘enlightenment movement’ did not have an influence until the 20th and 21st centuries. This is perhaps why religions such as Islam, Hinduism, Sikhism, Buddhism and even Christianity are still going strong whilst Christianity in the West is declining. The Marxist idea that human invented God to help explain things and provide us comfort has began to prevail. However, in Islamic thinking there is no separation of religion and science. Science explains things better than religion does, possibly because the people of the time at which religions developed lacked the scientific tools to understand how the world and the cosmos work. In Islam, our belief is not blind faith, but relies on the rational explanations that all things in the universe are contingent on something else, which would lead us down an endless rabbit hole. In the end, rationally speaking, there has to be something that all other things are dependent on. Therefore, for Muslims, science is the study of patterns in the contingent universe of God’s Will and Command.The point, before it gets away from me, is that as humans we have an obsession with God, religion and trying to understand our role in the universe. Therefore, our fictional worlds need to also be steeped in this obsession. Thematically, religion may be dealt with in differently depending on the author’s own perspective, but we will come back to that.Belief systems are either:Theism: is the belief that all things are dependent in some way on one supreme or ultimate being. Islam, Christianity and Judaism fall into this category. This is different from Deism.Deism: is the belief that God exists but is not involved in the world in the same personal way.Pantheism: that the universe itself is God, therefore all the laws of the universe and its substance is all part of God.Polytheism: is the belief in many gods. Most other religions fall under this category.Totemism: a mystical relationship between a group of an individual and a totem, which is either a physical being or an inanimate object, like an animal or the Sun.Animism: is the belief that all things exude a spiritual essence and a life, and that these spirits can interact with and influence human life. Shamanism is the belief that certain individuals can access this world of malevolent and benevolent spirits.Your worldbuilding should include a range of these, depending on how primordial or modern your world is. So, if your characters are still living in small hunter/gatherer communities, they may be animists or totemists. If your world is more medieval, they are likely to be monotheists and/or polytheists, which creates good grounds for conflict. Joe Abercrombie’s First Law books are good example of this with a battle between the Church and other religions centre stage. Game of Thrones features different religions, but the characters are more driven by personal power or vengeance than their religious beliefs. If your book is more steampunk or cyberpunk, its likely to have a mixture of Monotheism, Deism and Pantheism in your story.In my books, whilst other religious beliefs may exist in my fictional worlds, the belief in a Creator God take primacy. One of my pipeline projects is centred around an ancient people discovering a monolith in the middle of a wilderness through which God communicates with them. Control of this monolith becomes a catalyst for conflict. The eventual dominance of this monotheistic religion also leads to conflicts in its borderlands.Themes and SymbolsReligion and belief in fiction can be part of an outward expression of themes or an inward dialogue on the characters’ search for meaning. The most common themes are the battle between Good vs Evil. High fantasy and epic fantasy tends towards a literal battle of Good vs Evil, e.g. Gandalf vs. Sauron, Aslan vs. the White Witch, Harry Potter vs. Voldermort (although Rowling doesn’t like calling it fantasy). Or it can be more defused, with characters operating in the grey area between Good and Evil. It is more realistic to show that your characters believe they are on the side of Good, even if other characters see them as being on the side of Evil. For example, George W. Bush thought he was fighting a holy war during the ‘War on Terror’, whilst Bin Laden saw America as the Great Evil of our time and was angry with their colonisation and dominance over the Middle-East.Another theme is life vs. death, which is a staple of dark and Grimdark fantasy. Anna Smith Spark’s books are a balancing act between revulsion and elation, violence and pleasure, life and death. Both of these two themes are also about Power and Control. The conflicts that we have seen in the past century and that are currently happening in the world have utilised religion for propaganda and to offer some form of sick justification for oppression. The Nazi believed in the superiority of the White Christian, the Zionist believe in their superiority over the Palestinians and Arabs, and Donald Trump just believes in his own superiority.Fantasy fiction is also full of Divine Interventions, from the ancient Greco-Roman and Nordic mythologies, to Harry Potter, in which the power of love transcends magical forces. Though these days, dues ex machina is considered a no-no, unless the concept is baked directly into the story.Fantasy Fiction is also obsessed with the Chosen One Prophecy, where either someone will save or destroy the world. Again, more recent fictional works have played on this concept heavily, such as Anakin Skywalkers arc as the Chosen One in the Skywalker Saga, and some have even attempted to subvert it for a more interesting story. In fact, subverting tropes is now good business. Another theme that plays well with the Chosen One trope is that of Sacrifice and Martyrdom. Who can forget Ned Stark losing his noble head because he was unwilling to bend his principles and beliefs? Sacrifice can be literal, in that a character is giving up their life for the sake of the greater good or for their friends. Martyrdom is much more subtle and difficult to set up but tends to have a bigger payoff in terms of the plot.ConclusionReligion is an important part of our world and therefore it needs to be part of your fantasy world. Your places and characters can gain much depth by the inclusion of communal and personal beliefs, with rituals and festivals providing a shape and uniqueness to your peoples. There is a lot of scope here for dealing with today’s difficult topics and world events by creating parallels in your fictional worlds. You can use powerful allegory, like C. S. Lewis, or you can be more subtle like Tolkien. You can make religion a central source of conflict like Abercrombie’s First Law books, or part of the milieu like George R R Martins A Song of Ice and Fire books. Either way, religion and belief need to be in the mix.Don’t forget to Like, Share ,Subscribe and leave a Comment. I reply to every comment that I receive. Thanks for joining me on Fantasy and Faith—until next time, keep dreaming, keep writing, and let your stories shine. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit noorajahangir.substack.com

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit noorajahangir.substack.com

Coming up with new characters for a story is one of the most fun and also daunting tasks for any author. Sometimes it comes easily, with a main character already cast in your mind with your initial idea. Other times its like trying to squeeze out that last bit of toothpaste. Let’s start by looking at some of the common characters you get in almost every story.The Protagonist (Hero, main character)This is a Greek word that means first actor. The protagonists is your main point-of-view character, or the one the story follows. The job of the protagonist is to learn about their problem and then overcome it. What do the Epic of Gilgamesh, Beowulf and The Odyssey all have in common, other than being early examples of literature? They all feature the protagonist in their title. The protagonist doesn’t have to be larger than life or, even male, but they do have to be active in resolving whatever problem the story has set for them.The Antagonist (Rival, archenemy, nemesis)Another word with Greek origins, means the rival. This is the character who’s job is to oppose the protagonist, to ensure they do not resolve their problem, or better yet, have a conflicting problem of their own to solve. Unfortunately, in order for them to solve their problem, they have to make the life of the protagonist miserable.The Heroine (love interest, hero)In traditional literature, the heroine was the female love interest of the hero. Her job was to be the damsel in distress or provide a softer side of the protagonist. However, in more recent times, the Heroine has become a protagonist herself. An early example of this is Scheherazade in the A Thousand and One Nights, who is the actual protagonist in the over-arching narrative, using her wits to survive her traumatised husband’s murderous mood swings. More recently we have had Ripley in the Aliens franchise, Lara Croft in the Tomb Raider franchise and of course, Bridget Jones. There is growing trend in the fantasy genre of female leads, with the majority of Romantasy novels fielding lady adventurers saving the world.The Companion (Best Friend, Side Kick)Every Gilgamesh needs an Enkidu, every Frodo needs a Samwise Gamgee. The companion is a foil to the protagonist’s more serious and brooding characteristics. They often provide the comic relief, allow the reader to see past the hero’s more business like exterior into their beating heart. For Gilgamesh, Enkidu becomes the cause of his transformation into a more humble and human character. For Frodo, Sam is the shoulder to lean on when things get bad, but also a reminder of what is at stake if he fails to destroy the One Ring. Not every story will have a companion character, or maybe will have more than one to symbolise where the protagonist is in their own character development.There are also a number of archetypes that reappear in fiction. When we think of Archetypes, normally we are thinking of characters, however, an archetype can also by a situation, idea or object. The reason why they are important is because they symbolise things within our cultures and ambiguous ideas that are hard to define or capture without the use of archetypes. The most common one’s are as follows:The Warrior: a symbol of courage, strength and power. The warrior is a staple of the fantasy genre. (Aragorn, Harry Potter, Ned Stark)The Child: symbolises the loss of innocence, coming-of-age, but also wonder. The child is usually innocent and naive but will become changed and world-weary by the adventure. (Grogu, the Hobbits, Arya Stark, Luna Lovegood)The Orphan: almost all protagonists are orphans in some way. The loss of parents is often the call to adventure in many stories. The Harry Potter books start with the aftermath of his parents’ murder. The Baudelaire children lose their parents in a suspicious fire. Bruce Wayne becomes Batman because of his parents’ murder in Crime Alley.The Mentor: A wise and world-weary person who ushers the protagonist through the door and gives them the push/advice/weapon that they need to get started on their journey. Gandalf is the obvious one, literally pushing both Bilbo and then Frodo out of Bag End. Obi Wan Kenobi is another example of this, where he presents Luke with a mythical weapon, tells him he needs to join the fight against the Empire, and then shows him the ways of the Force after Luke becomes orphaned.The Villain: the antagonist and the polar opposite of the hero is a common element in stories too. The Joker in Batman is very much the archetypal villain, going as far as saying that he only exists because there is a Batman. When Batman dies, the Joker becomes depressed, gives up crime and then becomes a version of Batman himself (Batman Who Laughs). Sometimes, there may be more than one villain in the story. The Song of Ice and Fire series is full of villainous characters, and occasionally, people who seemed heroic go on to do villainous things. You don’t have to have a Sauron or Voldemort in the story, sometimes a situation can be the villain, e.g. a world-killing asteroid hurtling towards Earth, a volcano that will destroy the entire city, a virus outbreak that threatens to wipe out human life.These are just the most common ones. There are plenty of books on literature that have listed over a 100 archetypes.My ProcessOften when I am coming up with a new story, I already have an idea of the who the main characters are. However, they are not fully formed. I need to give them psychological profiles, motivators, likes and dislikes and character arcs. Early on in my development as a writer, I would sketch the character in the margins of my exercise books to give me a visual reference for them. Then later when I was redrafting The Changeling King, I started writing short bios for my characters, listing who their parents are, their friends and love interest. Where did they come from, why are they on the adventure and what will their arc be. Now, I use Obsidian, a free piece of software (https://obsidian.md/) that helps me Wiki my characters. I still note down their relationships, but I also write down what their psychological drivers are, what are their motivators, their hopes and fears, as well as what they will become by the end of the journey. The Obsidian software lets me cross-reference my characters and places (which have their own listing) so that I can keep checking back, adding more detail as it develops in my mind and reference in later novels. Often, I will work on the character development just after I have outlined the story. Other times, I start writing and then stop to do some character development and then continue switching between writing and world-building as and when needed.My CharactersOver the past couple of decades, I’ve written a bunch of characters that have unique and interesting psychologies.In the Changeling King, there are a number of viewpoint characters, but the main viewpoints are Nathan, Sultan, Karen and Vasch.Nathan is a teenaged boy from a working class area of a former mill-town in Lancashire. This resonates with me because when I wrote the first draft, I was a working class boy from a Lancashire mill-town too. He lives with his brother (Logan) and his father. The father doesn’t figure in the story but he isn’t a nice man so Nathan and Logan tend to fend for themselves most of the time. Almost all the teenaged characters in this story are missing either one or both parents. This is a reoccurring theme in many stories as it forces young characters to solve problem themselves instead of turning to their parents. It is also makes the characters seem more resilient and allows for their past to hold some mystery to perhaps return to at a later time. For Nathan, it means he is angry all the time because his mother abandoned them at a young age and his father gets abusive when he is drunk. However, he finds some stability with his girlfriend, Salina, who incidentally has an absent father, who went MIA during the second Gulf War. Salina is the balm that Nathan needs to curb his anger and make him feel safe. This safety is important because it means he is able to focus on his ambitions instead of his feelings of abandonment. This manifests in the story through is assumption of the leadership mantle, despite the fact that Logan is older and calmer than him. In Nathan’s mind, Logan is everything that he wants to be. Easy going, liked by everyone and cheerful despite the challenges. Nathan’s arc is to overcome his anger and jealousy of his brother and find acceptance based on his intelligence and loyalty to his friends.Sultan is from a different time and place than the other teenagers. He is a prince from a small Mughal kingdom, Azamabad, India in 1591AD. He is shown as being compassionate, he saves a tiger cub and raises it by himself, aware of the politics of court life, devoted to his family and spiritual. However, his life is turned upside down when a former ally betrays their kingdom with the help of the East India Company. Sultan is forced to run, chased through the jungle. He manages to find a hiding spot but has to turn to his spiritual training in order to escape detection. Sultan is more the archetypal hero than the other teens, showing positive qualities that would have been common in his time, to contrast with the qualities of today’s teenagers. His goodness is tested when everything he knows is stripped away from him and is driven mad by the trials he faces. His arc involves trying to regain his sanity and gain some measure of control over his situation.Karen is interesting because she is not a teenager. She is a police detective who saw too many horrific crime scenes in the job whilst she was working homicide in Manchester Met Police. She has moved to work in Western County for a slower pace. She doesn’t have any family or friends around so her only relationships are with her mentor, who also works in the Constabulary and her partner, Detective Hussain. Detective Hussain is a family man and often invites Karen to eat at his house with his wife and kids. When Nathan and his friends go missing at the lake, Karen and Hussain are sent in to investigate. Things start to go wrong when the police station is attacked by Vasch and his trolls.Vasch is a troll from Kryllon. He is one of the Trollking’s (the main villain) most trusted lieutenants. He has been tasked with travelling to Earth with a squad of trolls to hunt down and kill 5 teenagers who have been foretold to cause the death of the Trollking. Vasch has to lead his band of merry trolls through an alien world, where large metal monsters dominate the skies and stampeded across the land at high speeds. He has to deal with the machinations of a rival in his squad and his own growing disillusionment with the Trollking’s growing insanity. He wants to get his mission done quickly and return home, not realising that he has been sent on a suicide mission.Alauddin is my current WIP. It is based on the original Arabian Nights story, Aladdin and the Magic Lamp, though it also has familiar elements from the Disney version. I originally wrote this as a teenager, and it was good for what I was capable of then, however, the characters need to be developed more and the story needs a few more beats to make it sing. There are three main characters. Alauddin, Badr-ul-Badour (the Princess) and Jafar.In the original story, Alauddin is a lazy, good for nothing son, who allegedly makes his father die of heartache because his son won’t do anything. In the Disney version, he is a thief, a street-rat, with a golden heart. I don’t think either of these characterisations are fitting for a hero and role-model for young readers. My Alauddin is a promising student in a house of knowledge in the city of Al-Dhabbiyah, and a dutiful son. He is first seen arguing with a trader over the treatment of his slaves. Alauddin is deeply opposed to slavery due to his mother having been forced into slavery by her landlord in Baghdad, before Alauddin was even born. He meets the Princess one night, outside of his house, but his conduct towards her is both gentlemanly and Islamically correct. Over the course of the story, he comes to admire her loyalty to her people and her fearlessness, but this does not translate into any overtly romantic gestures. He is later tricked by the Wazir, Jafar, to steel the lamp from the Cave of Wonders.Princess Badr-ul-Badour, which is her original name, is driven by two things. First, Jafar is manipulating her father and has intentions of seizing power, and second, he is trying to force her into marrying him. She escapes the palace one day to try and gain public support against Jafar. However, it is much harder than she realises and ends up cold, tired and hungry in the city at night. She is naïve but she is also clever and uses her wits to solve problems. She is fiercely loyal to her people and her family, but believes that she is the only person that can save both her father’s throne and the city from Jafar.In the original story, Jafar is actually two separate people, the Grand Wazir and a magician from North Africa. The Disney version merged the two characters into one moustache-twirling, two dimensional villain who wants power for power’s sake. In my story, his powers are limited to illusion and his desire to overthrow the king comes from his family’s history with the royal family. His father was wrongly accused of black magic and ended up dying from an illness in the dungeons. Jafar, having grown up as the king’s playmate, rises up quickly to Grand Wazir when his childhood friend takes the throne. Jafar doesn’t want to openly oppose the king, but uses his superior intelligence and illusions to manipulate the king. He finds the princess attractive, but mainly wants to marry her to gain legitimacy to rule the people of Al-Dhabbiyah, otherwise he knows there is a risk of revolution over-throwing him. However, if he gains the magic lamp he will be able to wish himself onto the throne.That’s it for this episode. Check out my links in the description. You can support me through Ko-fi. You can also follow me on Bluesky and subscribe to my Substack, Musalmantasy. Don’t forget to like, comment and subscribe for more. Thanks for joining me on Fantasy and Faith. Until the next time, keep dreaming, keep writing, and let your stories shine. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit noorajahangir.substack.com

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit noorajahangir.substack.com

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit noorajahangir.substack.com

Also available as written posts on Substack, check out the Muslamantasy page for more.Support me by buying me my next coffee: This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit noorajahangir.substack.com

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit noorajahangir.substack.com

For the previous episode, check out: This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit noorajahangir.substack.com

This is my very first ever podcast. Its a little stop/start and a I’m a little nervous about it, but I hope you enjoy this new format on my Substack. Please do give me your constructive criticisms and feedback and share any ideas you may have for future podcasts. If you are interested in joining me on a podcast, please drop me a message or leave a comment and I’ll get in touch with you. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit noorajahangir.substack.com