Did you write all the treasure hunt riddles in JKP yourself?
Yes, all the riddles were original and I wrote them myself. Treasure hunt theme is an old theme. It has been used for centuries. Shaukat Thanvi had written a treasure hunt novel in mid twentieth century about a group of people looking for a buried treasure, and their bread-crumbs were verses of Ghaalib. Each sher led to a place where another sher was written and so forth. I have not read this novel, neither know its name, but I stated the example just to clarify that there were examples of treasure hunt novels even before Uncle Dan Brown was born. His are terrific thrillers no doubt. Some reader had once said here that my puzzle box idea was like DaVinci Code’s cryptex. Let me clarify something. Puzzle boxes are around for centuries. There was no puzzlebox used in DaVinci Code. It was a cryptex that is different than a puzzlebox. Every treasure hunt uses riddles, let it be Nathional Treasure, Harry Potter riddles, The Hobbit, or even Emma had a riddle in it. This is called genre-writing, and when you are writing a specific genre, you have to write according to that genre rules. Like every romance needs a happy ending (otherwise it’ll fall into some other genre) or every legal thriller needs an investigation, a private eye, or a lawyer advocating a case in court, every treasure hunt is full of riddles. JKP would be translated (rather adapted) in English too insha’Allah and I hope this last thing I said answers many things.
Two unanswered questions in JKP. Jahan’s cocktail vanishing trick and with whom was he seen being dropped home by Suleman Sahib?
These questions were deliberately put in the story and deliberately left unanswered. Jehan answered every query arising in reader’s minds, or Haya’s, but there were a few things he never told. Some readers did ask that Jihan’s specific reason for going to Cappadocia was not mentioned. Well, it was metioned (his reason for being in Cappadocia) in the first draft of JKP, but in second and third drafts, (you have read the third (final) draft), I had encrypted the reason. If a smart soul who is maniac about JKP reads it over and over they might get a clue. It IS written somewhere but was not explained just because it might become controversial for some readers. (But it IS written. Just go through the last bit of Jihaan’s story again).
However, about the above mentioned two riddles, they were left unanswered just to make the reader ‘’imagine’’ the future life of Haya and Jehan that “Jehan will never always tell her everything. He has his secrets and he will keep them”. Just like this, he told readers about Feriha and Kiramat Bay issue but he did not tell Haya about it. So there are things he will keep from Haya and some even from the readers
Research work and manuscript writing took how long?
A total of 2 years.
Haya always felt while praying post DJ’s death that a part of her had died with DJ. What was that part?
Her faith in dua’a that it might never be accepted again.
Jehan mentioned one sign of liars. What are the other nine?
Google them. If I knew, I might have written them as well. (
Child marriage and its Standing in Islam?
This issue has been so oft-repeated in stories that it led me to (naturally) believe that everyone out there knows about it, thus it was not explained in the novel. My mistake. Anyways, child marriage IS a valid marriage in Islam. Just like in adult marriage (especially of a girl) Wali (Guardian/father of the bride) HAS to permit the nikkah otherwise Nikkah is not a valid one, similarly in a child marriage, nikkah is carried out by permission of Wali of girl, and if the boy is young too, then that of boy as well. Children are not adults so they are not asked. When they grow up, it is their right to keep the nikkah or not. If they want to break it, they’ll do so like every adult marriage is broken. And if they want to keep it, they will not need a new nikkah. You can confirm it from a scholar too by the way. Oh and Hazrat Aysha (RA) was also married in the age of 6. So that makes things clearer. So it is not illegal, rather completely legal.
Issue of Cupping and Saying your Namaz in shoes?
The Hadiths and references about these issue have been given on JKP Page many, many a time. They were mentioned in the story in a general way, where giving a reference spoils the story sequence. Everyone has internet, or books, or a masjid nearby where a scholar can be consulted, or everyone has a religiously knowledgeable person in their families and I guess we all have brains. So those who want to clear something, they do get it done. As for me, I’ll try to add a page in the coming editions of JKP Books with reference of each and every hadith/verse mentioned in the novel. It was not possible for this edition due to shortage of time.
You cannot perform Abulultion while wearing make-up. So how did Haya do so?
And who says you cannot perform Wudhu in make-up? (
Those girls who are regular of prayers know how to do wudhu with makeup on. If your make up is not water proof, then you can surely do wudhu in it without damaging even the line of eye liner. Practice makes a man perfect and a woman VERY perfect! (;
Why Haya lost DJ’s glasses and why every time her Gingerbread house would break?
Every ‘’thing’’ in JKP that Haya or any other character ever cherished, was lost, broken or left. Haya’s gingerbread house, red heels, DJ’s glasses, Haya’s mobile, golden clutch, jehan’s mobile (that he was not shown carrying in the end, meaning he gave it back ) , Bihare’s necklace, Ayeshe’s pearls. Everything was one way or the other lost. Cheezain waqti hoti hain, toot jati hain, bikher jati hain. Rawaiye daaimi hoty hain. They last for centuries and this was the lesson of JKP that people are more precious than things. So cling on to people, and remorse for the loss of people, not things.
OK we can do Ghoonghat on Barat, what about Walima then?
Do the same. Ghoonghat is not conventional on Barat and if you are brave enough to endure the awkwardness and people’s tongues on Barat, then you must be brave enough to do so on walima. Simple!
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