Maryam Sinclair’s Storytelling Tour
By Sana Samdani
Sep/Oct 2024
From April 20 to May 17, Maryam Sinclair lighted up Toronto with her presence. The international master storyteller of sacred events and award-winning author of “The Bowing of the Stars: A Telling of Moments from the Life of Prophet Yusuf” (Kube Publication, 2024) and “When Wings Expand” (The Islamic Foundation, 2013) held audiences spellbound.
For over five weeks, Sinclair sparked hundreds of listeners’ admiration for the Quran. Her works center on the oral retelling of the qasas al-anbiya’ (stories of the Prophets) and have been reviewed and approved of by Shaykh Ali Hani (head instructor, the SeekersArabic Program at SeekersHub Global) and Grand Mufti Salman al-Qudah (Jordan), Mufti Taqi Usmani (Pakistani jurist and leading scholar), Shaykh Hamza Karamali (founder and creator, “Why Islam is True”) and Shaykh Abdullah Anik Misra (instructor and researcher, sacred law and theology, the SeekersGuidance: The Global Islamic Seminary).
“The Fall of the Tyrant” was Sinclair’s second tour in Toronto, where she captivated a variety of audiences through her star performance of “Tyrants Do Fall — Prophet Musa (‘alayhi as-salaam) and the Fall of Fir‘aun [Pharaoh].” Local listeners joined the global group of participants in admitting that this was their very first vivid encounter with Prophet Musa’s story. Indeed, as Sinclair mentions, “When you hear, you will see.”
Through her immersive storytelling experience, listeners are transported to the living, continual realities from Moses’ story. Consider the themes of oppression, genocide and rejection of Allah that we still encounter in the foreground of the Nakba. From the dream of Fir‘aun up until the splitting of the sea, Sinclair teaches us that this story is not a static series of past events, but part of our present reality: “Ya Bani Mustafa, we must hear this story being told to us.”
Her listeners do more than simply hear. With over 40 years of narrating these stories to live listeners worldwide, Sinclair is adept at eliciting audiences’ interest and participation. It’s worth noting that her performance resonated with people of all ages. She can easily persuade children to adopt the persona of a pyramid-building mason, entrance adults by her level of accuracy and contagious passion, as well as motivate youth to read the signs in the decadent archaeological preservation of Fir‘aun…: “Ya Bani Mustafa, we must hear this story being told to us. We must heed the warnings being given to us…”
Overwhelming Response
The response to Sinclair’s performances has been overwhelming, precisely because she illuminates timeless lessons on faith, resilience, justice and courage. Her dynamic delivery left a lasting impression on many. An elder led a group of attendees in takbirat at the end of “Tyrants Do Fall” and added: “The way you express yourself… It is impressive. Allah has blessed you and I think you should continue this task of narrating these stories.”
Children aged nine and ten ran up to her as she was leaving a school to say thank you for doing a great job. At a masjid event, a young girl shared that she was inspired by Sinclair to tell stories in her upcoming role as summer camp counselor. A mother wept at Sinclair’s portrayal of the sweet struggle of Musa’s mother as shared the struggles of her own nursing and postpartum journey. “Parents were in love,” mentioned a sister as she reflected on how mesmerized families were with Sinclair’s presence. An educator shared how her performance deeply resonated with him and that her work was crucial for everyone.
This is the rare talent of Maryam Sinclair — a versatile speaker. As such, she successfully conducted unique programs during this year’s Toronto Tour, including a keynote address on the recovery process of the body of Fir‘aun, a book talk on her award-winning text “The Bowing of the Stars,” a storytelling training workshop for teachers at the Islamic Schools Association Conference and an interactive children’s session on her published picture book, “A Trust of Treasures.”
Her last event, presented in collaboration with local sacred storyteller Bano Murtaja (mentor, educator and volunteer teaching assistant, Dar al Zahra), featured research for her story “Take Heed,” the post-Exodus story of Musa and Bani Israeel — a pertinent reminder given the ongoing genocide against our Palestinian brothers and sisters.
Sinclair invited the audience to “allow for the stories of the Quran to pour into [our] hearts.” This tour was the beginning of what she hopes will be an ongoing conversation on how to deeply connect with the Quran, its stories and lessons. Through her art, Sinclair also asks us to revisit the possibilities presented by oral storytelling. What’s it like to have a community gather to deeply listen together for the sake of God? What might it mean to have a culture of deep shared listening? With the presence of over-digitalization, she offers the enduring power of oral storytelling as a tool to relate deeply with each other, the Quran’s stories and warnings … and, ultimately, with Allah.
“Ya Bani Mustafa, we must hear this story being told to us. We must heed the warnings being given to us…
From the One who made us all And sent the Holy Quran…”
The Fall of the Tyrant — Toronto Tour 2024 was co-sponsored by Basira Education, Seedlings of Jannah and Friends of Maryam Sinclair. Gratitude goes to the volunteers and hosting families who helped make this event a success.
Sana Samdani is the founder and lead teacher of Seedings of Jannah. She is an experienced Ontario certified teacher of French Immersion and Biology (K-12).
Note: The italicized text is from Sinclair’s lyrics for the nasheed “Ya Bani Mustafa,” sung by children in her audiobook version of the “The Fall of the Tyrant.” Sinclair is relating “The Fall of Fir‘aun.”
Tell us what you thought by joining our Facebook community. You can also send comments and story pitches to [email protected]. Islamic Horizons does not publish unsolicited material.