I knew what we did. I wanted to understand why.

Assalamu alaikum. My name is Rayan Mokhtari. I grew up in Morocco. My dad took me to the mosque every day. We prayed, fasted Ramadan and did what Muslim families around us did. It was normal. But as I got older and moved countries, I realised I couldn’t always explain why we did any of it.

I wanted to understand it for myself. I also thought about the little ones who come after us. What do we tell them when they ask why we pray, why we fast or why Islam? We can teach them what to do, but that alone won’t give them conviction.

So at eighteen, I started asking questions, checking sources and writing down what I found. This book came out of that. It’s my first. I hope it isn’t my last.