Sarah Musa's stories reach deep inside the heart and strike at what matters most.

One of her most powerful books is My Garden Over Gaza, a story that turns pain into purpose and plants seeds of strength in the hearts of Muslim children everywhere.

The Story Behind the Story

When Sarah Musa sat down to write My Garden Over Gaza, it was a response to--and a rebellion against--a world that tries to silence voices like hers.

Sarah began writing in May 2021 during attacks on Gaza that kept happening again and again. As a Palestinian American living in Jordan, she has a deep connection of her own to the cause of Palestine. Her father left Palestine as a teenager and was never allowed to return. That pain, personal and generational, became the soil from which this story would grow.

But My Garden Over Gaza isn’t a story of victimhood.

It’s a story of resilience.

Of children tending rooftop gardens even as bombs fall. Of life sprouting in places that were never meant to survive. Of love--fierce, faithful love--passed from one generation to the next.

Sarah Musa’s Stories

As a child growing up in New Mexico, Sarah devoured books late into the night until her family had to confiscate them! She began writing her first novel at age 13 but paused when her older brother sneakily read her notebook. Like many of us, she wrestled with self-doubt and the feeling that her stories weren’t welcome on shelves where Muslim names were rarely seen.

For years, she tried to publish through mainstream publishers. But she felt like she was hitting a wall.

That changed when she found Ruqaya’s Bookshelf.

Here, she wasn't asked to water down her voice. She wasn't expected to explain her identity. She was simply made to feel she belonged.

It was a moment of creative liberation.

“To be given the freedom to write what I believe — it just poured out of me,” she said.

My Garden Over Gaza: More than a Children’s Islamic Book

My Garden Over Gaza isn’t just a story to entertain. It’s a story that respects children.

It doesn’t sugarcoat the realities of Palestine. But it doesn’t drown children in despair either.

Instead, it gives them something far more powerful: truth told with tenderness.

In the story, Noura tends to her father’s rooftop garden while caring for her younger brother. Through daily life, love, and loss, we witness what it means to be strong not in the absence of emotion, but in the fullness of it.

This is where Sarah Musa’s voice shines. As a mother of six, she knows what it means to nurture hearts. To hold space for grief while planting seeds of hope. And that’s exactly what My Garden Over Gaza does.

Sarah Musa: A Muslim Author Writing with Purpose

Many Muslim writers wrestle with the feeling that their stories are “too much” — too religious, too political, too foreign.

Sarah doesn't let those feelings stop her anymore.

Instead, she reminds us:

“We don’t need to ask for permission to be who we are. Allah gave us our voice. We just have to use it.”

And when she writes, it’s with sincerity. Her books are full of deep purpose and the unseen barakah that comes when you write for the sake of something bigger than yourself.

From Ahmed and the Very Stuck Teapot to Amir's Blue Jacket. Sarah Musa continues to tell the stories Muslim children need — stories about kindness, honesty, grief, loss, and above all, hope.

Why Sarah Musa’s Books Matter Right Now

We are living in a time when Muslim children often don’t see themselves reflected in the books they read. Or worse, when they do, it’s through someone else’s lens.

That’s why writers like Sarah Musa are so important.

They aren’t just telling stories. They’re reclaiming the narrative. They’re giving our children books that say:

“You matter. Your story matters. Your home, your people, your faith — they matter.”

Final Reflection: A Story that Plants Seeds

Writers are not just in the business of providing reading material; they're holding the hearts of those turning the pages.

My Garden Over Gaza is more than fiction. It’s the legacy of a father’s memory, a mother’s voice, and a homeland’s grief and glory. So, if you’ve been looking for stories that speak to your children’s souls…

If you want to support Muslim authors writing truthfully, beautifully, and unapologetically…

Start here.

With Sarah Musa's My Garden over Gaza.