Dear Mother: Letters from the Heart

by Suma Din

Overview

This book empathizes with Muslim mothers nurturing their families within a faith framework. It canters her experience. Doubts and insecurities are gently replaced with understanding and support in the candid exchanges from one mother to another.

Dear Mother… brings together mothers of all ages and backgrounds in a compendium of fictional letters, written from the heart. Great challenges and responsibilities, hopes and disappointments are explored without apology. As one mother prepares for a new-born, another shares her experience of being a single parent. Why is a mother at the primary school gate feeling burnt out by 9 am and what advice does a grandmother pass down to her granddaughter? Whether she’s sitting in the ante-natal clinic, on a bus or in the masjid, these letters reveal a variety of mothers’ inner dialogue – one which is rarely heard in society.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781847742032
Publisher:	Kube Publishing Ltd
Publication date:	08/29/2023
Pages:	193
Product dimensions:	5.30(w) x 7.90(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

Suma Din is an author and freelance researcher based in Buckinghamshire, England. Her titles focus on social justice, education, faith and women. She taught in the supplementary and adult education sector for many years and wrote non-fiction resources for children. One of her writing passions is to bring marginalised voices to the fore, as she did through her book on Muslim mothers and their children's schooling. Suma is married with three children and lives with her pet fascination for bodies of water and recreational painting. Further details of publications are at: www.therootedwriter.co.uk

Table of Contents

Contents:

Introduction

 

1. Dear Mother in the ante natal clinic. 

2. Dear Mother to-be

3. Dear Mother feeling low during pregnancy and post delivery

4. Dear Mother Who has a child with special needs

5. Dear Single Mother

6. Dear Mother Who’s depleted from giving

7. Dear Mother experiencing primary school overwhelm

8. Dear Mother missing ‘home’

9. Dear Mother  exploring hijab for her daughters

10. Dear Mother of teens pre-Ramadan

11. Dear Mother living with pain

12. Dear Mother struggling to be ‘fair’

13. Dear Mother Who’s feeling afraid

14. Dear Mother Who’s in the grocery shop aisle

15. Dear Mother Who’s raising a boy

16. Dear Mother connect to natural

17. Dear Mother approaching their child’s Qur’an khatme

18. Dear Mother living with domestic abuse

19. Dear Mother who needs to recharge her spiritual battery

20. Dear Mother Who educating her daughter

21. Dear Mother hanging there at Eid Salah

22. Dear Mother stuck in the conflict…

23. Dear Mother who has a second job

24. Dear Mother of two generations

25. Dear Mother who is the child  

26. Dear Mother with the car radio on

27. Dear Mother searching for a marriage partner for their daughter

28. Dear Mother of an empty nest

29. Dear Mother who is my grand-daughter

30. Dear Daughter Who’s just given birth

Editorial Reviews

'Who would have thought a book of fictional letters would produce such deep reflections about my 19 years as a mother? I found my safe space as a Muslim mother within the pages of Dear Mother - Letters from the Heart. The chapters took me back to when my children were young, made me feel seen and validated as I navigated being a mother to teenagers, and provided insight into what is to come in the future inshaAllah. This is the book I wish I had from the moment I discovered I had conceived my first child. Suma, my dear, you've done it again.

Beautiful and comforting mashaAllah. A must-read for every mother and mother-to-be.'

Aliyah Umm Raiyaan

Founder and CEO at Solace UK for Muslim Revert Women & Sunday Times Best Selling Author of Ramadan Reflections

'Author Suma Din produces another pertinent book sharing the various stages, experiences, and realities of Muslim women. It is not a stereotypical book of how wonderful motherhood is (which it can be) but the phases and stages that women go through themselves in their own words (fictionalised).'

 

Humera Khan

Co-founder & Trustee of An-Nisa Society

UK

'Exploring Muslim motherhood this book takes the reader through different experiences, journeys, generations, and life stages of being a mother. The joys, difficulties, roller coasters, and emotions of motherhood, coupled with the book’s central focus on interactions with Muslim faith and spirituality, are exceptionally captured throughout the collection of letters.

 

The conversations are real, raw, and heartfelt - each letter offering unique angles, perspectives, stories, and advice about different aspects of motherhood. It's a must-read book for Muslim women of all walks of life and across generations, whether they are mothers or not, as there are many struggles and joys of being a Muslim woman illustrated throughout that we can relate to.'

 

Dr Sarah Akhtar Baz, Research Fellow, University of York (Health Sciences)

'As a woman who has been in and out of being a stay-at-home mother, a working mother, an active in the community, and somewhat in between them both, I agree with the statement that Suma makes, "Damned if we do and damned if we don't,". This beautiful collection of letters reminded me that a woman is valuable and worthy, not only due to her roles but how she managed to stay afloat despite the challenges and tests that come with life. This struggle is one that we all face and Suma describes it through our lens and gives us the reassurance, empathy, and understanding to know that we are not only valuable in our communities and families, but foremost to Allah, our Creator. Thank you for speaking to me on my terms, in my language, through my emotions, and hearing the voice that yearns to not only be listened to but heard by all.'

 

Ustadha Alima Ashfaq

 Author of Duas of the Superstars & founder of Baraka Madrassah

“It felt like a very warm and welcoming embrace.”

 

'Suma Din's writing in this series of heartwarming letters is like a welcoming invitation to go back in time and forward into the future, through the lens of motherhood. It's like speaking to a kind and nurturing figure who understands what is sometimes unconveyable. Islam, and our unique relationship with Allah, is the connective thread that ties this deeply insightful piece of work together, and anchors our experience together as Muslim mums. It is truly a book, and a moment, to savour.'

 

Mariya bint Rehan author of The Best Dua

'Suma writes with such gentleness. Each letter is so poetic and poignant making it a perfect companion for Muslim mothers everywhere.'

Ruzina Ahad, author of Dream, Du'a Do.

From the Publisher