Allah tests our patience and our fortitude. He tests out strength of faith. Be patient and there will endless rewards for you, INSA'Allah" - Utah Bad

— Leila Aboulela

All through life there were distinctions - toilets for men, toilets for women; clothes for men, clothes for women - then, at the end, the graves are identical.

— Leila Aboulela

And why is it that so many years later it is so easy to distinguish the bullies from their prey? Adult bodies surrounding the children of long ago. The years have changed nothing.

— Leila Aboulela

Can I asked forgiveness for someone else, someone whose already dead? Yes, you can. Of course, you can. And you can give charity in their name, and you can recite the Qur'an for their sake. All these things will reach them, your prayers will ease the hardship and loneliness of their grave, or it will reach them in bright, beautiful gifts. Gifts to unwrap and enjoy, and they will know that this gift is from you.

— Leila Aboulela

Control yourself, it is not worth it. You will regret your rudeness afterward, your sensitive nature will be troubled

— Leila Aboulela

I am touched by her life, how it moves forward, pulses and springs. There is no fragmentation, nothing stunted or wedged. I circle back, I regress, the past doesn't let go. It might as well be a malfunction, a scene repeating itself, a scratched vinyl record, a stutter.

— Leila Aboulela

I grew up in a very Westernised environment and went to a private American school. But my personality was shy and quiet, and I wanted to wear the hijab but didn't have the courage, as I knew my friends would talk me out of it.

— Leila Aboulela

I like talking to you,' he said, slowly.' Why?' That was the way to hear nice things. Ask why.

— Leila Aboulela

In the distant past, Muslim doctors advised nervous people to look up at the sky. Forget the tight earth. Imagine that the sky, all of it, belonged to them alone. Crescent, low moon, more stars than the eyes looking up at them. But the sky was free, without any price, no one I knew spoke of it, no one competed for it. Instead, one by one those who could afford it began to sleep indoors in cool air-conditioned rooms, away from the mosquitoes and the flies...

— Leila Aboulela

I wanted to be good, but I wasn't sure if I was prepared

— Leila Aboulela