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A Tender Portrait of an Indian Muslim Childhood
The book is about a boy named Gibran who grows up in an Indian village.
He loves flying kites and often dreams about them during his lessons.
His teacher punishes him for not paying attention.
Gibran asks difficult questions about God, animals, life, and death.
He becomes attached to a goat and feels sad when it is sacrificed for Eid.
His father also faces suspicion and imprisonment because he belongs to the Tablighi Jamaat.
When life becomes painful, Gibran escapes into dreams and imagination.
The reviewer says the story is special to its Muslim setting but also understandable to children everywhere.
The Urdu novel has been translated into English while keeping the sounds and mistakes of a growing child’s speech.
Mohsin Khan’s novel follows Gibran, an Indian Muslim boy growing up in a village.
Gibran’s childhood includes kite flying, village lessons, family life, religious customs, and questioning faith.
His affection for animals, including a goat and his mother’s hens, shapes his understanding of loss and sacrifice.
The novel also depicts the discrimination and incarceration experienced by Gibran’s father, a member of the Tablighi Jamaat.
The reviewer praises the book’s detailed village setting and Maaz Bin Bilal’s translation of its Urdu idioms and childlike language.
- Who
- The novel’s central character is Gibran, an Indian Muslim boy; it was written by Mohsin Khan and translated by Maaz Bin Bilal.
- What
- A review of Allah Miyan’s Workshop, a novel about Gibran’s childhood, family, faith, imagination, and experiences of loss and discrimination.
- Where
- The story is rooted in the village where Gibran grows up in India.
- When
- The listed edition is dated 2026; the review does not provide a specific review date.
- Why
- The novel explores childhood, religious and cultural life, questioning faith, human frailty, and the consequences of suspicion directed at Muslims.
Key facts
- Book
- Allah Miyan’s Workshop
- Author
- Mohsin Khan
- Translator
- Maaz Bin Bilal
- Publisher
- Harper Perennial
- Edition details
- 2026; 264 pages; Rs 499
- Original language
- Urdu
- Setting
- An Indian village
Sources
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