Utilizing Fairytales as Tarbiyyah: Hamra and the Jungle of Memories’ Approach

Tarbiyyah is an important aspect of Islam, as well as Islamic literary theory. Linguistically, scholars define tarbiyyah as “spiritual pedagogy.” Practically, tarbiyyah is a parent raising their children with proper etiquette, and teachers cultivating good character in their students. The pillars of tarbiyyah are the Quran and the Sunnah (the statements, actions, and approvals of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ). Those pillars build the same framework for Islamic literary theory; that is, “an Islamic worldview which seeks to bring and maintain peace, love, justice, goodness, and non-coercion.”¹ Hamra and the Jungle of Memories proves that fairytales can also be tools of tarbiyyah. Young Muslims grow up familiar with these fairytales as entertainment, but can use Islamic retellings of those fairytales as education. In this way, they become better Muslims, and overall, better people.

While most curricula revolving around tarbiyyah favor realities—the practice of prophets (may peace be upon them) and pious predecessors (may Allah have mercy on them)—there are growing opportunities to leverage fantasies. Fairytales and folklore already operate as tarbiyyah in a secular sense: to warn children of the consequences of negative characteristics and to reinforce the positive outcomes of goodness. To this end, Hamra and the Jungle of Memories explores the question: “How would ‘Little Red Riding Hood’ look in the Muslim paradigm?” Its author, Hanna Alkaf, answers with a book that uses the original fairytale as a roadmap but with Islam as its compass.

This approach is remarkable in its own right. As with interfaith da’wah, many focus on the commonalities between ourselves and the other faith communities we engage with. By starting with what is familiar, it can is easier to start a conversation that flows easily between both parties. When a non-Muslim picks up Hamra and the Jungle of Memories, they are already drawn in by a connection to the tale as they knew it, and they might stay for the uniqueness that Islamic literary theory provides. However, a limitation of this approach is recognizing to what degree to rely on the original story as a template. For some Muslim writers, relying on Western fairytales can seem too much like a crutch, and others may feel pressured to concede on certain values. Imagine attempting an Islamic take on “Rapunzel,” where the precariousness around khalwa or sihr poses one of many concerns.

This is not to diminish the efforts of Muslim authors who develop original stories. Relying on the mythos of European and American cultures can seem very limiting. “Scheherazade” “Aladdin,” “Sinbad the Sailor,” “Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves,” and “Layla and Majnun” all have the same formulas that fairytales do: other-wordly beings such as jinn, forbidden love, magic, and more. Furthermore, many non-Muslim readers are familiar with these stories, and many look for more of them. Muslim writers can and should conceptualize fairytales (or jinn-tales, however they please) from the ground-up. As it is a universal religion, it is most refreshing to see other cultures weave in Muslim beliefs.

Returning to Hamra and the Jungle of Memories, we see sprinklings of creatures from Malaysian folklore to bring a new perspective to a tale of a little red riding hijabi. Hamra (meaning “red”) cares for her grandmother, Opah, who suffers from dementia. Instead of a German forest, we find ourselves in a Malaysian jungle. And when she disobeys the rules of that jungle, she faces a tiger—rather than a Wolf.

In “Rotkäppchen,” or “Little Red Riding Hood,” compiled by the Brothers Grimm, Jacob and Wilhelm highlighted virtues in 18th-century German society: treating relatives well (“And take to your granny some cakes”) and obeying parents (“Do not run off the path along the way”).

Hamra must also adhere to similar commands. Allah tells mankind: “Your Lord has decreed that you worship none but Him, and be good to your parents.”² The Prophet ﷺ also said, “The pleasure of the Lord is in the pleasure of the parents, and the displeasure of the Lord is in the displeasure of the parents.”³ Despite her young age, Hamra cares for her elderly grandparents, and is dutiful to her parents despite how distant she feels from them.

As we continue through both stories, we see that the Grimm brothers and Hanna allude to the temptation that we face as human beings; the straying that both versions warn about. Little Red plays with flowers, and Hamra indulges herself in jambu despite its prohibition.⁴ These acts of disobedience mirror yet another story in the Qur’an, from when Adam (may peace be upon him) ate from the tree.⁵

Temptation can be from many sources, even ourselves. In psychological theory, the Wolf in “Little Red Riding Hood” represents Little Red’s Id,⁶ and the anima, “the animal side of our human nature.”⁷ A similar concept exists in Islamic psychology, and that is the nafs ammarah bi-su’. Dr. Zohair Abdul-Rahman writes that this nafs “instigates [each person] to commit evil deeds and which is exploited by Satan and his devils in their battle against the believers and the forces of good.”⁸

The Brothers Grimm describe the Wolf as a “sad cannibal” after eating the grandmother—and how could he be so, if he was a simply a wolf? Hanna’s tiger is less subtle, telling Hamra he changed by “doing some dark things. Unspeakable things. Things I try not to think about, even now.”⁹ While the Wolf’s stomach desired the grandmother, for the tiger, it was a matter of the heart. This led to his destruction, and thereby transformation.¹⁰ It is fascinating that Hanna chose the heart, as the Prophet ﷺ stated: “Verily, in the body is a piece of flesh which, if sound, the entire body is sound, and if corrupt, the entire body is corrupt. Truly, it is the heart.”¹¹ Our hearts are the needles behind our moral compasses and require constant fine-tuning. Good deeds like being dutiful to our parents and kind to those around us keep it well-maintained.

Echoes of the Wolf’s story is found in the fall of Satan, once a pious worshipper of Allah ﷻ. In Islamic tradition, he is “Iblīs” and a jinn,¹² similar to how he was known as the angel “Lucifer” in other religious traditions before becoming the Devil. Iblīs refused to prostrate towards Adam.¹³ His reason? Arrogance; for thinking that he was superior to Adam.¹⁴ The moral here is that if we are not careful, we may also become monsters.

This is where the parallels become perpendicular, and the story starts to stand on its own.

As with temptation, we also have opportunities for redemption. Hamra is a metaphor for the nafs lawwama, or the reproachful self. This type of nafs holds itself to account and regrets its misdeeds.¹⁵ Hamra battles herself in a war of internal conflict—whether she should talk back to her grandfather, if she should abandon her friend, and whether she should help the tiger. She diverges from her literary counterpart in that she has the agency to save herself, her family, her friend, and even the monster—without the violence of a gun or the intervention of a man. Islam praises this act of agency, illustrated by the statement of the Prophet ﷺ: “Whoever among you sees evil, let him change it with his hand. If he cannot do so, then with his tongue. If he cannot do so, then with his heart, which is the weakest level of faith.¹⁶ Hamra leaves her home, embarks on a series of quests, and returns to break the curse on the tiger of her own volition. Little Red, by contrast, obeys the Wolf “even when it is threatening.”¹⁷ Which lesson is more powerful to impart to a generation—conformity to authority, or rather, bravery?

Hamra’s adventure is not complete after she encounters the monster, nor is she defeated by and saved from him. She goes through a character arc—or rather, a redemption arc. Neither is she alone as Little Red was—she seeks advice from her elders, journeys alongside her friend, and even gets a happy ending. “Little Red Riding Hood” reads as more of a warning, and Hamra and the Jungle of Memories as a reassurance.

Rather than succumbing to the original message that children are to be silenced and obey, Hanna provides a new perspective for child development at large: while dangerous things can happen when rules are broken, it is never too late to create positive change within one’s self and surroundings.

As Hanna writes in the last line of the epilogue: “Because after all, there was always magic and wonder in trying.”

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References:

1. Gilani-Williams, Fawzia. “An Introduction to Islamic Literary Theory: A Conceptual Framework for High School Students.” Bloom Charter School Libraries, Al Ain, United Arab Emirates. Accepted 24 February 2023. https://journalarticle.ukm.my/22477/1/Islamiyyat_45_1_1.pdf Accessed April 15, 2024. [↩]
2. Qur’an 17:23 [↩]
3. Sunan al-Tirmidhī 1899 [↩]
4. Hanna Alkaf, 25-26 [↩]
5. Qur’an 7:20-22, 20:21 [↩]
6. Gardner 7 [↩]
7. Gardner 3 [↩]
8. Dr. Abdul-Rahman, Zohair. “Devil in the Details: An Analysis of the Dark Side of the Self.” Yaqeen Institute, 2019. https://yaqeeninstitute.org/read/paper/devil-in-the-details-an-analysis-of-the-dark-side-of-the-self. [↩]
9. Alkaf, 47 [↩]
10. Alkaf, 233 [↩]
11. Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 52 [↩]
12. Qur’an 18:50 [↩]
13. Qur’an 2:34, 7:11, 15:31, 20:116 [↩]
14. Qur’an 17:61, 38:74 [↩]
15. Mufti Shafi, Muhammad. Ma’ariful Quran. [↩]
16. Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 49 [↩]
17. Gardner 10 [↩]