Author: Nelly Elmanshawy

Several years ago, I began the study of  aqeeda. I had never formally studied the attributes of God and as I learned about them it was like the world had gone from black and white to color! I began teaching aqeeda,  I especially loved talking to children about our Creator. Children have a strong connection with their fitra and are able to easily grasp these Truths. We had many lively discussions and tackled some important questions. These discussions allowed the children to know God through His descriptions and to ask questions in a safe, non-judgmental space. A few years later an idea began to form. I had always wanted to write stories for children and had so many ideas but the idea of writing about God and His attributes was one that kept coming to heart. I thought about my own children, now grown, and how they would have loved a story with loving characters that spoke of such a special topic.

The characters in books are how we connect to stories. The characters in my story had to be caring and loving, and most importantly familiar and trustworthy, who else would be able to discuss such important matters? I chose the Sun and Moon because they are beautiful, powerful objects in the heavens that have seen everything in our history. Imagine then if these amazing, celestial bodies were to have a conversation, what would that conversation be like???

This idea occupied my heart until, one night, right as I was drifting off into sleep, I was inspired! I quietly got up, fumbled for my phone and went into my closet to record a voice note! It was at that moment that my story was born. My story would be a conversation, like the many conversations I had had with my students. This conversation would be between two very close friends Sun and Moon who have graced our skies for as long as we have known. After I recorded my ideas on my phone, I went back to bed and drifted off to sleep.

The following days I began the writing process. I took many notes during this time, listing the 13 attributes of God I had learned from the poem The Creed of Deliverance by Shaykh Muhammed ibn Jafa’ar Alkettani. I thought about what the characters’ relationship would be like. I knew I wanted Sun to take on the role of a mentor as the sun has always been the source of illumination for all that we see, including the moon. I also wanted readers to see Moon’s transformation, so I made several notes to myself about how I wanted Moon to appear to grow until he reached complete fullness and brightness. So many notes were taken, dialogue written and crossed out, attributes worded and reworded; this I thought would not be easy. But, before I could really begin writing I needed to make my intention. Why was I writing this book? What was my goal? Who was my audience?

I had a clear idea of how I wanted these characters to be and I wanted to share that image with parents and their children, so parents could read this story with their children and also share in this very special conversation.

My intention was simple, to know God. “The most important of matters for us to learn and impart is the knowledge of God. We know God through His Attributes. These attributes give us a glimpse into the endless knowledge of God which will increase love in the hearts of our children.”

I wrote my story, revised it, sent it to my closest friends, revised it again and again until I was satisfied. Now came the hard part, finding someone to publish it! It was hard getting rejections, but I loved my characters and I loved their story.  After some time, I found a publisher. It was a wonderful experience and he was so supportive and encouraging. Athar then connected me to an illustrator. Next came the part where I had to take my characters and the images I had of them and have someone translate that into illustrations. This is where I got stuck! I wanted the characters to be exactly as I had been picturing them all of these months, I felt I knew them, they were my friends in a way, but I wasn’t the illustrator. I had to let go, to surrender and have tawakul. I needed to give Uzma the space to do her job and draw Sun and Moon how she saw them. Letting go was the best decision and Uzma’s illustrations brought Sun and Moon and their story to life in the most beautiful of ways!