This question constantly pops into my head when I ponder upon the problems some people have with the term 'Islamic fiction'. For some, it's an oxymoron - two distinctively separate words mismatched into one phrase. However, which part of the phrase 'Islamic fiction' is inherently out of place? Islamic or Fiction?

Everyone’s an individual, right? What Khalid likes, Bilal may not like; and what Amina likes, Rukhsana may not like. Yet in terms of fiction, there’s a general consensus that preaching is taboo - it should not be done by a writer who wants to be successful.

But what is defined as preaching? Is it where you’re reading more facts than an actual plot (is the story even fiction anymore?), or is it where characters are explicitly stating what is and isn’t allowed?

Muslims tend to think that Islamic fiction is of no benefit; they say it doesn’t increase a reader in anything good. We have found this to be the total opposite, so we’ve come up with a short list of 4 reasons why Islamic fiction is needed.

Here goes...