Barakah Beats

Maleeha Siddiqui’s Barakah Beats is a work of young adult fiction. The novel is written from the 12-year-old protagonist Nimra Sharif’s first-person point of view. Nimra’s external experiences and internal struggles inspire the novel’s primary conflicts. At the start of the novel, Nimra is just finishing sixth grade at her Islamic private school Guided Light Academy and already has a strong sense of self. She lives in a Pakistani Muslim household with her parents, Mama and Baba, and follows her family’s religious traditions. She has a close relationship with her childhood best friend, Jenna Birdie, and loves to draw and recite the Qur’an in her spare time. However, everything changes for Nimra when her parents announce that she will be attending Farmwell Station Middle School, a public school, for seventh grade. Nimra tries to stay positive about the transition but soon discovers a wealth of adversities in her new academic setting. Jenna starts discriminating against her because of her faith and appearance. Her teachers doubt her intellectual capacities, and her parents still won’t let her take art class. When a group of popular eighth-grade students invites her to join their Muslim boy band, Barakah Beats, Nimra becomes part of the group without telling her parents, even though performing live music goes against her religious beliefs. She decides to drop out of the band, but she doesn’t want to let her new friends down before the talent show. With the support of her parents, she performs in the show before leaving the group, keeping her promise to her bandmates without betraying her faith. Nimra’s forays into public school and the musical group incite the novel’s explorations of Adolescence and Belonging, Cultural and Religious Identity, and Music and Art as Forms of Expression.

This guide refers to the 2021 Scholastic Press softback edition of the novel.

Content Warning: The source text deals with issues including cultural and religious discrimination, questions of identity, and intergenerational and assimilation conflicts.

Plot Summary

Nimra Sharif is 12 years old when she completes her Hifz program at her private Islamic school, Guided Light Academy. Nimra has become a hafiza, someone who has memorized the entirety of the Qur’an. Although the tradition isn’t typical for girls, Nimra wanted to perform it to make herself and her parents, Mama and Baba, proud.

In honor of her accomplishment, Mama and Baba throw Nimra a party. Many people attend, but Nimra is most excited that her childhood best friend, Jenna Birdie, is there. Nimra and Jenna don’t go to the same school, but they often spend weekends hanging out and watching movies together.

Nimra’s mood changes when her family and friends start to act differently. Jenna doesn’t pay attention to Nimra’s Qur’an recitation, and Mama and Baba get into an argument with Nimra’s grandparents, Nana and Nano. These disagreements are familiar to Nimra, but she wishes they would get along for one day.

That night, Nimra’s parents announce that Nimra will be leaving Guided Light and attending public school for seventh grade. Nimra is thrilled that she’ll be able to see Jenna every day, but Jenna doesn’t seem excited. On Nimra’s first day at her new school, Farmwell, Jenna’s strange behavior worsens. She acts shocked when she realizes Nimra won’t be taking off her hijab for school. She acts distant, annoyed, and judgmental whenever she runs into Nimra throughout the school day. After school, she accuses Nimra of being mean to Jenna’s friend Julie when Julie stereotyped Nimra. Nimra feels uncomfortable but remains silent.

Nimra meets a group of Muslim students named Waleed, Balil, Matthew, and Khadijah. The boys are members of a boy band called Barakah Beats, and Khadijah is their artistic advisor. When they overhear Nimra praying aloud in the band room, they invite her to join Barakah Beats. Nimra isn’t sure what to do. She knows that accepting the invitation will make Jenna pay attention to her again. However, she fears that writing and performing live music is going against her religious beliefs. Despite her fears, she agrees to join the band.

Nimra decides to drop out of Barakah Beats before her parents find out. However, when Waleed announces that they’ll be participating in an upcoming talent show fundraiser, she panics. She doesn’t want to disappoint her new friends and fears that they’ll reject her if she expresses her true feelings. However, if she keeps lying to her parents, they might reject her, too.

The longer Nimra participates in Barakah Beats, the more she appreciates the creative community. Waleed, Balil, and Matthew aren’t just passionate about music. They also care about Islamic traditions. Nimra starts to wonder if staying in the group might be okay after all. However, she still can’t bring herself to reveal the truth to her parents.

Nimra decides to quit the band after hearing her parents and grandparents fight again. She knows her new friends will be unhappy, but she doesn’t want to risk losing her parents for good. At school, she calls an emergency band meeting and tells them the truth about what she’s been feeling. Waleed, Balil, Matthew, and Khadijah are shocked. Upset, Nimra flees the room and runs into Jenna. She hopes her friend will comfort her, but Jenna only expresses concern for the band’s feelings. Finally, Nimra confronts Jenna about her behavior over the past weeks. She tells Jenna they can’t be friends if Jenna doesn’t support who she is.

Nimra tries to calm herself down by drawing and praying once she gets home. Although these pastimes usually help, they fail to comfort her. Mama and Baba find Nimra crying by herself and offer her comfort. Nimra breaks down and tells them everything she’s been struggling with. Mama and Baba give her advice and encourage her instead of scolding or punishing her.

Nimra decides to participate in the fundraiser with Barakah Beats to keep her promise to her friends. Waleed, Balil, Matthew, and Khadijah are happy to have her back. They also understand why Nimra wants to leave the band after the talent show.

Nimra and her friends perform well at the fundraiser. The music moves Nimra, and she notices how it affects the audience, too. Afterward, Nimra is thankful that leaving the band doesn’t mean losing her friends. She and Waleed have become particularly close and work hard to maintain their connection.