A social Muslim family story with the family and related social issues. Iqbal and Tabassum are childhood friends. Their struggle and commitments in life and to their parents, friends, and society are examples of care and courage.
The book is reviewed by Pacific Book Review and rated AS STAR
The book was published by the Author to his wife on their 50th wedding anniversary in 2014 as his gift to her.
The book was published by Page Turner USA who has failed to market and sell a single copy so far. This is the author's attempt to evaluate the reasons of his failure.
A social Muslim family story with the family and related social issues. Iqbal and Tabassum are childhood friends. Their struggle and commitments in life and to their parents, friends, and society are examples of care and courage.
The book is reviewed by Pacific Book Review and rated AS STAR
The book was published by the Author to his wife on their 50th wedding anniversary in 2014 as his gift to her.
The book was published by Page Turner USA who has failed to market and sell a single copy so far. This is the author's attempt to evaluate the reasons of his failure.
Chapter 1
Iqbal’s Mother Sharifa’s Childhood
I
qbal ‘s mother Sharifa, from a religious middle-class family, had a
disciplined and contented childhood. At the age of ten, she nished
her rst reading of the Quran. She learned the essential skills
which a woman is supposed to know to become a devoted wife and a
responsible mother.
Masood, her father a Maulvi and a school teacher gave her
essential training and education. Maimuna, her mother, from a small
primitive village, had not much education. But she was a loving mother
and a never demanding wife. Self-contention and a strong belief in
Allah and His Mercy were her character strength.
Sharifa’s education was limited to the school level. She with
natural talent and the grasping power – a strong characteristic of her
father, learnt fast. Once she attained her puberty age, she stopped going
to school and was conned to the house.
Sharifa used to read the books of his father. Following the books
with much ease and whenever she had any questions she asked her
father who took interest in her quest and satised her.
Once she asked her father a stupid question.
- Dad what is the dierence between God and Allah.
- Father laughed.
- You are too young to understand it, but let me explain. ey
are the same thing and one Entity. God is a word to express
that entity. Allah is the same entity but has feelings included
in the name. Allah has other ninety-nine names which
expresses those feelings and characters of him.
- HE can love you, can punish you, and can forgive you
I almost missed out on reading The Diamond Necklace, by Turab Dedanwala. The word “Necklace” was misspelled as “Necklac” on the book summary; seemed like a bad sign.
But I decided to take a chance on the book. I’m really glad I did. I got completely caught up in the story and lives of the characters and enjoyed “visiting” them in Mumbai. Now I feel almost like I know a Muslim family and understand more of this culture than I did before. When I downloaded the .pdf of the book the cover image had the correct spelling.
It’s important to know that the book is Dedanwala’s first novel and that it was written as a gift to his wife. It is written in English, but on the first page, the reader immediately realizes that it was not written by a native English speaker. At first, I found the odd syntax and unusual wording a distraction, but by chapter two, I was hooked. It began to feel like I was listening in on a family and the foreign-sounding phrases added to the experience.
The Diamond Necklace follows two childhood friends, Iqbal and Tabassum. Their deep friendship is unusual because Iqbal is a boy and Tabassum is a girl. Their care and trust for each other survives many crises, including Tabassum’s forced marriage to a man she hates and fears, her early widowhood, and Iqbal’s marriage to her friend, Hasina. Tabassum, who has struggled with traditions she finds stifling is at last free to pursue her desire to become a doctor. Families evolve and traditions change with time. The joy and the pain of this are beautifully portrayed in this story.
Dedanwala presents the reader with a large cast of family and friends. He skillfully builds knowledge of each character so that I understood why they responded to each other the way they did. Most importantly, I found myself loving these people and hoping that each one could find a path of peace and happiness. The ending was satisfying but surprisingly nuanced and thoughtful. This story goes deeper than “boy finally gets girl.” Far deeper.
As I finished the book, I was glad that I gave it a chance. It left me with better understanding of Muslim family life and a conviction that people everywhere are very much the same regardless of the surface differences of culture.