How To Write a Muslim Character in Fantasy

Wondering how to accurately portray Muslims in a fantasy setting? This is your cheat sheet!

Whether you are a Muslim or non-Muslim writer, it is no easy feat to make sure you portray the religion of Islam in fantasy properly. Why is it difficult? Because Islam sees the use of magic as a major sin. In fact, magic is so discouraged that a person forfeits their Muslim faith if they perform magic (this includes the use of magical artifacts and believing in superstitions). Now, I know what you’re thinking — “Almost all fantasy plots and settings have magic! How do I get around that? What about mythical creatures!?”

This article is your cheat sheet. You can also view this thread I made about the Islamic position of writing fiction in general.

In order to have Muslim representation in your stories, you have to take into consideration the religious implications it will come with. Being Muslim is a religious identity, not a racial or cultural identity (although it is often misinterpreted as one). So, let’s consider general fantasy scenarios and the role the Muslims play in your book.

Fantasy Setting Type 1: In a land with magic, magic users, and magical items, Muslims are the side characters.

In this case, you can write the neighboring Muslim kingdom, tribes, clans, or individuals as simply not practicing your world’s magic (nor will they create or use magical items). An example of this can be found in the novel The Cursed Sisters, which uses the term “Yasufi” for a tribe that rejects magic practitioners while the main protagonists accept it.

This would be a great solution for non-Muslim writers who don’t know too much about Islam enough to create a main character who is Muslim. This is also a great solution for Muslims who don’t know a lot about Islam or Muslim writers who want their main characters to be powerful witches and sorcerers while not foregoing Muslim representation altogether in their books.

Please note: if your book’s fantasy setting has polytheist/pagan deities (e.g., Poseidon, Thor, Anubis) existing in it, do NOT add Muslims to make it “diverse.” This is disrespectful to the religion.

Fantasy Setting Type 2: In a land with magic, magic users, and magical items, Muslims are the main characters.

In this case, you only have two options. First, your main characters should be fighting against the forces of magic. Second, your main characters are aware that people use magic, but they do not utilize it.

These options can be stretched a little, but not by very much. I recommend only knowledgeable Muslims write this type of magical fantasy story with Muslim main characters or a non-Muslim who is willing to put in the effort because there’s room to mess up badly here. As mentioned, Muslims forfeit their faith —subsequently heaven — if they practice magic.

Fantasy Setting Type 3: In a land with or without magic, there are fantasy creatures like mermaids and dragons.

This case is simple! Treat them as animals. Just as we live in our own diverse, biological setting, your fantasy land can, too.

For example, the Korean or Japanese kirin can be turned into a steak delicacy by your fantasy Muslims (because it could be classed as a deer, which is halal to eat), but a clawed dragon would not be hunted for food (because they would be classed as predatory animals like eagles, which aren’t halal to eat). Pro Tip: You can equate mermaids with “fish with anthropomorphic qualities” the way primates are seen as “monkeys with anthropomorphic qualities” in Islam.

It’s also recommended that if you do use fantasy creatures, you avoid ones tied to pagan religious beliefs. It’s better to make up your own mythical creatures (like the turtle-duck from Avatar: The Last Airbender).

Fantasy Setting Type 4: In a land with or without magic, there are fantasy creatures like mermaids and dragons, but these creatures are sentient (can speak back and have intelligence).

In this case, your options are very limited. Why? Because in Islam, the Qur’an only specifies Mankind and Jinn as creatures capable of sentience or free will.

1. Opt to cut out your Muslim characters from the story and go for Fantasy Setting 5 or 6.
2. Another option would be to have jinn take up these forms — centaur jinn clan, anyone? Islam specifies that jinns have the ability to take the form of animals (dogs and snakes, in particular), so you’re free to take creative liberty with how jinns live in your fantasy land.

Please note: Jinns are a religious concept unique to Islam; while cultures all around the world may have their own names and shapes for jinn, their existence is a defining belief. If you do not believe in Jinn, you aren’t Muslim. That said, human and jinn interaction is sinful, according to Islam. To keep your story Muslim-friendly, jinn should be antagonists (as only a “bad” jinn would disobey this rule), they should exist in their own spaces/be used for passing mentions or worldbuilding, or have your protagonists interact with them, acknowledging the sin and its severity if prolonged.

Fantasy Setting Type 5: There’s too much to consider.

Entirely understandable — and there’s a solution for that! Simply create a fantasy world based on pseudo-Islamic culture. What do I mean? Take the core tenets of Islam and transplant them into your fantastical world that has no magic. For example, your fantasy land acknowledges a sole Creator, people dress modestly, do not drink alcohol, uphold the sanctity of marriage, etc., as a norm in your society, and run with your plot. This way, Muslims can still be “seen” and “represented” through your characters even if they’re not explicitly Muslim.

For example, many Muslims felt that Avatar: The Last Airbender felt “Muslim” due to the modesty and cultural expression in the series.

Fantasy Setting Type 6: A land with no magic but takes place in an Earth-like world (commonly known as “historical fantasy”).

Your setting has no magic, and your kingdom is based on a specific culture or region from a historical time period. An example of this would be creating a world based on Ming-dynasty China (fantasy retelling of Zheng He!?). Islam and Muslims can be directly or indirectly mentioned. The YA novel Sitara, Lady of the Lotus, does this very well in its 16th-century Joseon Era fantasy.

In terms of being Islamically written, this is the ideal Muslim fantasy! Since it has a historically “real” feel to it, there is no need for magic at all in the book, which makes it easy to write Muslims and Islam into it. Of course, be careful of including real-life historical figures in this (because if someone existed in real life but didn’t say the words or interactions you wrote, Islam considers this as lying and is, therefore, a sin).

Fantasy Setting Type 7: In a land without magic, humans have special abilities or qualities, and Muslims are the main characters.

This is a gray area, and I normally don’t encourage this type. However, the workaround is to establish that this is something humans are born to have in the world or induced by some natural force (e.g., radioactivity, special foods eaten). The novel Blood of the Levant executes this pretty well.

And there you have it! If you have a more complex plot or a world that mixes and matches the fantasy settings I’ve listed above, I am available for consultation. Please like and share if this helped or taught you anything!

Disclaimer: This article was fact-checked and edited by an Alim (traditional Islamic scholar) prior to publishing, but Allah knows best.