Tag Archives: Story

Ismaili Authors Series: Teenager Maya Shariff of Dallas, Texas, Tells a Lively Story to Explain Peer Pressure – Self-published, it is in Paperback and Read-Along Formats and is a Must-Read

4 October 2024

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By MALIK MERCHANT

Simerg’s introduction of “Books by Ismaili Authors” continues with a story by 16-year-old Maya Shariff. We follow the same Q/A format as our earlier presentations of books, which are listed chronologically below. We encourage Ismaili authors worldwide to participate in this series, regardless of when their books were published. See details of the series HERE and submit your responses to Simerg’s editor, Malik, at mmerchant@simerg.com.

Simerg’s Message to Young Ismaili Muslim Writers: If a story you have presented in your school — whether in the classroom, a special event, or a newsletter — has received high marks from your teacher, please consider the opportunity to share it with a broader audience by submitting it for publication on this website, with the consent of your parents and school teacher. Maya Shariff’s submission and story below are good examples for your consideration. Note that Maya has published her book as a paperback and has a YouTube read-along presentation. Please submit your responses to the standard questions — see below — with the story to Simerg’s editor, Malik, at mmerchant@simerg.com.

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I want to bring awareness to peer pressure and the importance of being able to express yourself from a very young age. My goal is to try to bring awareness to kids about what peer pressure is in hopes that when they are being pressured to do anything they are uncomfortable doing, that they able to voice their feelings and are not afraid to do so — Maya Shariff, Dallas, Texas.

Simerg: What is behind the name and title of the book? 

Maya Shariff: The title of my book is “Swim or Climb? Max’s Swimming Dilemma.” The Character in the book has a choice of either doing what he loves to do, which is climbing, or choosing what his friends want him to do so he can fit in like the rest of the kids.

Simerg: Why would you want me or my family to read the book, and what will we learn from it?

Maya: From my research before I started this project I found by talking with many parents, children, and teachers, that peer pressure begins at a very young age. There is a stigma that peer pressure only happens in middle and high school. However, it happens at a very young age when kids are not aware that they are pressuring someone to do something of their liking and the other person may not know how to properly respond and stand up for themselves. Reading this book will give an example of peer pressure at a young age and show children how to stand up to it and be confident in themselves.

Simerg: What inspired you to write the book?

Maya: I want to bring awareness to this topic of peer pressure and the importance of being able to express yourself from a very young age. From my experience as someone who was peer pressured and from conversing with younger kids under the age of 10, peer pressure starts at an age as young as kindergarten. My goal is to try to bring awareness to kids about what peer pressure is in hopes that when they are being pressured to do anything they are uncomfortable doing, that they are able to voice their feelings and are not afraid to do so.

Interview continues below

Paperback Edition of Maya’s Book

Swim or Climb? Max's Swimming Dilemma by Maya Shariff, with notes Mrugakshi Kulkarn
“Swim or Climb? Max’s Swimming Dilemma” by Maya Shariff, with notes Mrugakshi Kulkarni; self-published through Lulu, July 12, 2024; paperback, 20pp. See below for a read-along version on YouTube.

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YouTube Read-Along Presentation By Maya Shariff

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Simerg: How can I purchase the book, and what are its available formats?

Maya: You can purchase the book’s paperback edition through the Lulu website; all proceeds from the sale go to the Girl Scouts Organization. I also have a read-along audiobook version on YouTube for kids that you can watch above.

Simerg: Did you hire an editor or an illustrator, or did you do all the work by yourself? 

Maya: This is a self-published book through Lulu. My IB English teacher approved all the content, and I wrote and hand-drew my illustrations. 

Simerg: Which was your first book, and how many have you written? 

Maya: This is my first self-published book.

Simerg: How long did it take you to write the book — from start to finish?

Maya: Writing the book and content approval took about a month. Illustrations took 6 months. This book is not to be marketed as it’s a Gold Award Project. Having the book on this website will create a greater awareness of this issue to young children, and the activities at the end of the book will assist the kids in comprehension and understanding of the topic “peer pressure.” 

Simerg: Tell us something more about your book (and its primary character).

Maya: Max and Jack come across an ad in the local newspaper for a swimming competition. They meet a girl named Crystal who loves to swim. Max feels pressured to learn how to swim to fit in. Will Max be influenced by Crystal’s behavior? Or will he resist being peer pressured? I, therefore, invite you to join in the reading of “Swim or Climb? Max’s Swimming Dilemma,” as we discover an example of peer pressure.

Date posted: October 4, 2024.

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About the Author

Ismaili story teller Maya Shariff, Books by Ismaili authors, Peer Pressure,

Maya Sharif, a sixteen-year-old high school student at Plano East Senior High School in Plano, near Dallas, Texas, is a Girl Scout Cadette with Troop #167. Her passion project, Peer Pressure, reflects her commitment to making a difference. Her book, “Swim or Climb? Max’s Swimming Dilemma”, is a powerful tool in raising awareness about peer pressure at young ages, helping children understand its implications and learn to resist it. Maya’s future is bright, with aspirations to pursue a career in the healthcare sector. In her free time, she enjoys running track, binge-watching Netflix, and spending time with her family. She lives in Dallas.

Calling all Ismaili Authors

We encourage Ismaili writers to introduce their books in a similar format as has been done in the post above. Please also see the series launch article and submit your responses to Malik at mmerchant@simerg.com. All submissions will be acknowledged. If a writer has published multiple books, each book will be highlighted in a separate article, and not combined with other books into one post. All writers should include a brief profile with a portrait photo.

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Links to the Ismaili Authors’ Series (in chronological sequence, oldest article first)

  1. “Justice Bertha Wilson Pushes the Boundaries of Humanity” by Shamas Nanji (featured in Simerg on February 10, 2021, series start date)
  2. “Little One, You Are The Universe” by Zeni Shariff (February 25, 2021)
  3. “Memoirs of a Muhindi” by Mansoor Ladha (March 6, 2021, and see also 15 and 21 by the same author)
  4. “To Be One With God: Seven Journeys to the Meaning of Life” by Shafeen Ali (March 25, 2021)
  5. “Invisible Birthmarks” by Alnasir Rajan (April 13, 2021)
  6. “IN THE NAME OF JUSTICE – Portrait of a ‘Cowboy’ Judge” by Azmina Suleman (April 28, 2021)
  7. “RSVP Rice and Stew Very Plenty” by Nazlin Rahemtulla (May 28, 2021)
  8. “Coughdrops” by Nargis Fazal (June 12, 2021)
  9. “The Roots and the Trees” by Nizar Sultan (June 25, 2021)
  10. “Faith and Ethics: The Vision of the Ismaili Imamat” by M. Ali Lakhani (July 4, 2021)
  11. “Nairobi Days by Shelina_Shariff Zia (July 21, 2021)
  12. “Shine Brighter” by Shairoz Lakhani (December 8, 2021)
  13. “This is My Life” by Naznin Rahemtulla Hébert (February 26, 2022)
  14. “Humanizing Medicine – Making Health Tangible” by Dr. Azim Jiwani (March 9, 2022)
  15. “A Portrait in Pluralism: Aga Khan’s Shia Ismaili Muslims” by Mansoor Ladha (June 8, 2022, and see also 3 and 21 by the same author)
  16. “Malaria Memoirs: My Life Journey as a Public Health Doctor in Tanzania” by Dr Zul Premji (June 30, 2022)
  17. “Monkey Tales and Other Short Stories” by Mahmoud Hirji (September 10, 2022)
  18. “Bloom! A Story of Diversity and Understanding” by Shamim Murji (October 27, 2022)
  19. “Cooking with Mom” by Rozina Ramji (November 7, 2022)
  20. “SPARK: Journey from Success to Significance” by Azim Jamal (July 17, 2023)
  21. Off the Cuff by Mansoor Ladha (August 3, 2023, and see also 3 and 15 by the same author)
  22. Mehndi Boy by Zain Bandali (November 18, 2023)
  23. All the Russ Without the Fuss by Reeshma Haji (March 2, 2024)
  24. al-Risalah al-Bahirah (The Epistle on the Radiance) by Abu Ya’qub al-Sijistani, translated by Boustan Hirji (April 3, 2024)
  25. Namirembe Road by Salim Rahemtulla (August 3, 2024).
  26. Swim or Climb: Max’s Swimming Dilemma by Maya Shariff (October 4, 2024).

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Before departing this website please take a moment to review Simerg’s Table of Contents for links to hundreds of thought provoking pieces on a vast array of subjects including faith and culture, history and philosophy, and arts and letters to name a few. Also visit Simerg’s sister websites Barakah, dedicated to His Highness the Aga Khan, and Simergphotos. Simerg’s editor may be reached via email at mmerchant@simerg.com.

“I Wish I’d Been There” – A story of Prophet Muhammad and Hazrat Ali, and linking it to Hazar Imam’s message, “I think of you as working by my side”

22 February 2019

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A close-up view of Mount Hira, a rocky mountain with a sheer face under a clear blue sky.
Prophet Muhammad (s.a.s.) received his first revelation from Allah through Angel Jibreel (Gabriel) in a small cave on top of Mount Hira which is also known as Jabl al Nur (Mount of Light). The Prophet used to climb this mountain for his devotions and meditations. During the 23rd night in the month of Ramadan the first 5 verses of the Surah Al-Alaq (96) were revealed to him. The mountain is located just 2 kms from the Ka’bah.

By PERVIS RAWJI

This is a story of Prophet Muhammad (s.a.s.) and Hazrat Ali (a.s.) from the earliest days of Islam. I have been telling the story to my children, nieces and nephews for the past several years.

When Prophet Muhammad first received his calling from Allah via Angel Gabriel in the cave of Mount Hira, he came home shaking and was comforted by his beloved wife Khadija, who validated his experience.

Now, with Khadija’s support, the Prophet of Islam had to convey Allah’s message to the people of Mecca. He invited the important men of Mecca, including those of his prominent Quraish tribe. The guests came and ate the meal and were expecting an announcement, as was customary. None came, so they duly departed for their homes.

The Holy Prophet’s nerves, knowing the revolutionary nature of the idea about to be unleashed upon the pagan Meccan society, had at the last minute failed him.

But at the urging and support of Bibi Khadija, Prophet Muhammad again invited the same men over for another feast. After the meal, the men waited expectantly again.

This time the Prophet did speak. He spoke of his vision,  the message and the mission he wanted to convey to the  people: that of one God. He then asked:

“And who among you will champion my cause and work by my side?”

None answered. People put their heads down and avoided eye contact.

Prophet Muhammad asked again, “Who is willing to help shoulder my burden and to work by my side and to be my champ?”

Foreseeing the magnitude of such an undertaking, none answered. Then, from the midst of the crowd, an 11 year old boy jumped up.

He was Hazrat Ali, the Prophet’s young cousin and future son-in-law. “I will champion your cause, O Muhammad! I shall work by your side,” spoke up Ali.

At this, there was a wave of derisive laughter from the crowd of wealthy and influential Meccans as they contemplated the outcome and struggles of this ‘visionary’ with his little sidekick.

But Prophet Muhammad’s face broke into a smile as he opened his arms and hugged the boy, his brother, really, for had they not both been raised by the same Abu Talib and Fatima binti Asad?

This expression of endearment and confidence in Hazrat Ali is one incident I Wish I’d Been There to witness.

I link this inspiring story to Mawlana Hazar Imam’s 1992 visit to Vancouver, when he addressed the jamat and, smiling from ear to ear, he gestured with his hand and said, “I think of you as working by my side.”

Mawlana Hazar Imam was asking us to champion him in his cause against poverty in this troubled world. His vision is to include us, his lashkar (symbolic army) of men and women, in this endeavor.

Date posted: February 22, 2019.

(This is a slightly revised version of the author’s piece that originally appeared in Simerg’s highly acclaimed series I Wish I’d Been There).

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A smiling woman with long dark hair, wearing a black dress and necklace, posing for the camera.

About the writer: Born in colonial Uganda, Pervis Rawji (née Patni) went to Aga Khan Nursery and Primary schools before immigrating to Canada with her parents and siblings in 1969. Graduating from New Westminster Secondary School, she went for a BA and Teacher Training (PDP) at Simon Fraser University.

Pervis taught elementary school in greater Vancouver, got married, had two children. During this time she got a Montessori diploma as well as an MSc in International Policy from the University of Bristol, UK. Pervis also teaches ESL and yoga. Pervis Rawji has taught English to Ismailis in Iran, India and Syria, and has worked one autumn at the Roshan Clinic in Kabul. Her hobbies are skiing, logic puzzles, badminton and gardening.

A Story About a Celebration that Heralds Nawruz in a Remote Village in Pamirs

21 March 2017

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Concert Celebrating Nowruz

A photo taken at a UN concert celebrating Nowruz (also Novruz, Navruz, Nooroz, Nevruz, Nauryz). In 2010 the UN General Assembly proclaimed International Nowruz Day at the initiative of several countries that share this holiday — Afghanistan, Albania, Azerbaijan, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, India, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkey and Turkmenistan. Inscribed in 2009 — and renewed in 2016 — on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity as a cultural tradition. Observed by over 300 million people, Nowruz is an ancestral festivity marking the first day of spring and the renewal of nature. It promotes values of peace and solidarity between generations and within families as well as reconciliation, thus contributing to cultural diversity and friendship among peoples and different communities. Credit: UN Photo/Evan Schneider

(In the following story, Sarkari Dawlatamamad from Siponj, Bartang,  describes the beauty of the celebration that heralds the New Year in the Pamirs. The story will be familiar to many Pamiris, even if in other villages the tradition is different, or only exists now in stories told by their parents and grandparents. The inspiration of the story was drawn from the beautiful documentary film SHOGUN, made by Pamiri filmaker Tolik Gadomamadov. The story has been adapted below from the highly acclaimed award winning book “With Our Own Hands” authored by Frederik van Oudenhoven and Jamila Haider.

BY FREDERIK VAN OUDENHOVEN AND JAMILA HAIDER
WITH SARKORI DOWLATAMAMAD

To understand how we celebrate Nawruz in the Pamirs and how important the holiday is to us, it is necessary first to tell you about time as we experience it in the Pamirs. Our time is different from time elsewhere; it differs even from valley to valley. Our experience of time is conditioned by our dependence on our lands, and our need to predict seasonal changes to coordinate our work in the fields. This is why our ancestors developed special calendars that follow the changes in the land: the passage of the sun through the villages and valleys; the behaviour of plants, animals and spirits; and the influences of these changes on the human body. The body and time are inseparable: you might say that our calendar records the procession of life rather than time, and individual days take meaning from their place in that procession. So, Nawruz, our New Year, is not simply a day of celebration, but the culmination of all the days leading up to it.

Preparations begin already on the darkest day of the year, the winter solstice, which marks the beginning of a period of intense cold in the Pamirs. This period is called chilla and lasts for forty days. When, towards the end of January, the sun shining through the skylight, or roetz, reaches the first mark on the wall, the chilla ends. This is the first sign that spring is coming and we celebrate Khir-pichor.

On the first day of Khir-pichor no guests are allowed to enter the house. Only on the second day, early in the morning, a cousin or niece can visit the house, bringing two kulcha (wedding bread), which they place next to the kitsor (traditional oven). We prepare his or her favourite food — kamoch-tarit (butter bread), khomnigul,  baht (sweet festive porridge), boj (celebratory soup with meat, if we have meat) — and offer a present as well. Afterwards, more people come and bring kulcha. We call this custom salom-salom. Later in the day, the community comes together to eat lunch and the khalifa (religious leader) performs du’a (act of worship for the fulfillment of specific needs, forgiveness or protection).

The Pamiri calendar begins on the second day of Khir-pichor, which literally means ‘sun-in-man’. From now on, the sun will slowly begin to gain in strength, marked by the symbolic passage of the sun‘s rays through the human body. It starts with the sole of the foot or the toenails and gradually climbs up towards the top of the head, before moving down again. The toenails, the top of the foot, the ankles, the shin, the calves of the legs…each part of the body indicates a period of three days. After approximately three weeks, when the sun reaches the knee and the next marking on the wall, we celebrate the second sign of the arrival of Nawruz, Khir-chizon (‘sun-in-knee’).

During Khir-chizon, we put a handful of seeds into the fire of the kitsor and after the fire has finished burning, we look for any remaining seeds in the ashes. These surviving seeds tell us our fortune; they help us know which crops to sow in the New Year. Afterwards we take the ashes and seeds outside and scatter them over the snow.

“Like the majority of the inhabitants of the Western Pamirs, the Bartangi also speak dialects of the family of the Indo-European, non-written Pamir languages. Religiously, they belong to the denomination of the Nizari-Ismailis, a sub-confession of Shia Islam. Nizari-Ismailis consider Aga Khan IV as the closest male descendent alive of the prophet Muhammad and as ephiphany of the divine light. His orders are absolutely binding. The Aga Khan propagates a version of Islam open to progress and to intellectual discourse with the west. His faith is practised even in the remote Bartang valley, enriched with some locally specific practices.” — Excerpt from the website http://www.bartang-has-future.com.

On the first day of Khir-chizon, we prepare boj, and share it with our neighbours. On the second day, we prepare baht. That is why, in our village in Bartang, we also refer to this holiday as Baht ayom.

When, finally, the snow begins to melt and the sun rises over the point on the mountain which we call amalkhana, it is time to celebrate Nawruz in our calendar, the Sun has reached the Heart.

We celebrate Nawruz with great happiness and intensity; Nawruz is the end of a long and difficult winter and the beginning of a new cycle of growth. It reminds us of our great dependence on the Earth, the Sun and Water, and each celebration is an occasion to ask God and the angels to grant us good harvests and healthy, productive animals.

The women and girls will clean every corner of the house and use brooms blessed with wheat flour to chase away the bad spirits that have taken shelter in the nooks and crannies of the wood. Flour is also used to decorate the beams of the ceilings which have been blackened by smoke over time: simple hand prints, old  Zoroastrian patterns whose meaning has often been forgotten, or drawings of sheep and shepherds so that the house will not be without shepherd and a flock of sheep this year. Juniper twigs adorn the pillars of the houses, they bring fertility and blessings.

The men cut the bark of willow branches and weave them into flowers which, once the cleaning is finished and they are allowed back into the house, they offer to the women, with the traditional New Year greeting. The willow is associated with the productivity while the flower is the symbol of joy, abundance and people’s harmony with nature. In every household in the village women will prepare sumanak (pudding made from germinated wheat). It is one of the most well-known new year dishes in Central Asia.

Date posted: March 21, 2017

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