Faith, Love and Spiritual Growth in Norhafsah Hamid’s Will You Stay? and Will You Love Me?
Abstract
This paper examines Norhafsah Hamid’s Will You Stay? and Will You Love Me? as Anglophone Malaysian romance novels that reframe love and desire within an Islamic ethical framework. Though often categorized as ‘chick lit’ and dismissed for their stylistic flaws and commercial appeal, these novels offer a valuable literary intervention by centering Muslim women’s emotional and spiritual journeys. Drawing on Layla Abdullah-Poulos’ concept of the Stable Muslim Love Triangle (SMLT), this paper argues that Norhafsah’s narratives portray romance as a spiritual undertaking, where God occupies the apex of the love triangle and serves as the moral reference point for navigating romantic emotions. The analysis highlights how romantic love, when guided by Islamic principles, is not opposed to faith but serves to deepen it. Instead, the novels portray the possibility of romantic love as growing in tandem with faith and spirituality. This reading also expands the scope of SMLT beyond its original context in African American Muslim fiction, demonstrating a shared theological and ethical sensibility across distinct Muslim societies. The primary conflict in these novels lies not in external pressures but in the protagonists’ internal negotiations to reconcile emotion with spiritual commitment. Ultimately, this paper shows that love in Norhafsah’s work is both a divine test and a reward – integral to the heroines’ journey toward spiritual maturity.
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