IDENTITY, FAITH AND SELF DISCOVERY: EXPLORING MUSLIM WOMANHOOD IN LEILA ABOULELA'S BIRD SUMMONS

Abstract

This research examines Leila Aboulela's *Bird Summons* through Islamic feminism since it focuses on religion, identity, and self-discovery themes as linked for diasporic Muslim women. In that it focuses upon the spiritual experience for three female protagonists—Salma, Moni, and Iman—the novel questions just how rich Muslim womanhood may be in a Western, secular society. The analysis through Amina Wadud's gender-inclusive Qur'anic hermeneutics depicts how the characters negotiate religious faith, cultural displacement, and individual change. The study puts forth the idea that Aboulela overcomes patriarchal religious stories while she is upholding Islamic authenticity. Aboulela presents spiritual agency and community and resistance in such a subtle way that she represents these elements effectively. Because magical realism along with Sufi themes are used, they underscore the inner and outer adventure these women make, setting the novel apart as a method of critical engagement with postcolonial studies and Islamic feminism. Ultimately, the study adds to a larger discussion. It considers “Bird Summons" with regard to Muslim women's agency and identity in twenty-first-century Anglophone fiction.