Review of Abraham/s Other Children: The Arabs

[Sam Ibeh]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Abraham/s Other Children: The Arabs" by Heidi Tawfik.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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Heidi Tawfik's Abraham's Other Children: The Arabs is a historical fiction that tells the origin and the story of the Arabs, their religion, and their connection to Abraham, the father of nations. The book gives us a glimpse of the lives of characters like Joseph and his wife, Zulaika. We see the way they met, Joseph's visions of honor, his brothers' jealousy, and his ultimate rise as 'Wazir' to the king. We also see the lives of David and the cunning way he took Bathsheba, Uriah's wife, alongside Solomon and his unusual encounter with his wife, Queen Bigil. The life of Abraham, his wife Sarah, and of course, the slave princess Hagar and her son, Ismael, lay the foundation for the entire story.

Abraham's Other Children: The Arabs opens with a solid introduction of the book and the author's delineation of the book into different books based on different eras. The introduction plus the book's structure gives readers a good guide and insight into what they are to expect per each stage.

The book gives us a glimpse of the culture of the century when these stories took place — a culture that in some way is quite different from what is obtainable in our present world. Salma, the wife of Nahor, who later turned out to be Abraham's grandfather, called her husband "master." This act may be found odd and even unacceptable considering the feminist movement and gender equality gospel that is the mainstay today. There is also the custom of early marriage and intra-family marital relations. Teens of fifteen years are married off to their fellow teens, and most often, both parties may come from the same family tree.

The author employs a unique writing style to probe into the mind and lives of these characters that existed long before our time. She tells their stories as if she was there, present in their time, perhaps as an avid observer. This book makes me think of writer and author Francine Rivers, who employs similar techniques to bring religious characters alive. The way Heidi gives form to these characters' personalities shows that a great deal of research has gone into writing this book, which is commendable.

Through Abraham's thoughts, we see an irony in their time that also exists in ours. Abraham wonders how those guilty of adultery are punished severely as having broken the law. Meanwhile, inside the same temple, women commit fornication for money remitted to the temple and are not punished because their act is dedicated to the gods. This, of course, is reminiscent of the unjust justice system of our time. Justice is served when it serves the interests of the powers that be.

The opposition and persecution that Abraham and Mohammed encounter in spreading their message about the true God are reminiscent of human resistance to change and anything threatening their way of life. And yet, Heidi demonstrates to us that truth always prevails.

This book is a bundle of enlightenment and knowledge and will appeal to readers interested in history and religious studies. Researchers may also find the genealogies traced in this book immensely helpful. On the other hand, Muslims and Arabians may appreciate the light that Heidi sheds on their origin.

Christian readers may not find it appealing due to differences in similar Bible stories that they may think are distortions. I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars for the wealth of research and creativity that went into its writing. I don't see any issues with this book; there are only two minor typo issues.

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Abraham/s Other Children: The Arabs
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[Soumya Chauhan]

I still remember, as a child, I was a huge fan of folk tales and this review has made me relive all those memories in the blink of an eye.

[Ailakhu Yusau Aizhebiomon]

Having read different stories of Abraham, I think reading this book will add to my stock of knowledge. Nice review!

[marta baglioni]

What a fascinating read! Very good review

[Alex Mugendi]

What a good review. It helped me understand how to go about all this and become a good book reviewer

[Ellie Acheson]

This sounds very interesting! I like stories about religious figures (regardless of which religion) and Abraham is always a fascinating one. I have not read about Abraham from an Islamic perspective before, so I might have to check this book out. Great review that compels me to want to read the book.

[Tarie07]

A book with biblical stories is definitely something I would want to check out. Thanks for the review.

[onyii_review]

This is a book I will strongly recommend to children with the intention to groom their historical and religious background. Nice review.