Barakah Beats

Jenna Birdie is Nimra’s childhood best friend and a secondary character. At the start of the novel, Nimra and Jenna have a close relationship. Because Jenna isn’t Muslim, she and Nimra don’t see one another often. However, Nimra feels excited and unashamed about welcoming Jenna into her home, family, and religious life. The girls have been friends since they were children.

Jenna changes when Nimra starts attending the same public school as her. Instead of welcoming Nimra to Farmwell, Jenna treats her unkindly. She makes comments about Nimra wearing her hijab to school, excludes her from conversations at lunch, and blames Nimra for making her other friends feel uncomfortable.

Jenna’s character exposes the discrimination and rejection Nimra faces at Farmwell. She proves incapable of loving Nimra for who she is and for accepting Nimra’s culture and faith. Nimra knows that Jenna’s behavior is hurting her. However, Nimra does everything in her power to win Jenna back instead of cutting her out of her life. She is so afraid of losing Jenna that she changes who she is to please her.

In Chapter 24, Nimra finally confronts Jenna about her behavior. Nimra’s ability to address Jenna’s stereotypes and prejudice marks a turning point in Nimra’s narrative and character arc. Although Jenna subjects Nimra to cultural, racial, and religious oppression, she also teaches Nimra how to stand up for herself and to defend her true self.

Waleed is a secondary character. In the narrative present, Waleed is an eighth-grade member of Barakah Beats. Nimra initially meets him in her algebra class. She’s surprised by Waleed because he’s the first person at Farmwell to show her “a little kindness” (41). She’s also curious about Waleed because he seems familiar to her. She soon remembers that he and his family are part of the same Muslim community. Therefore, Waleed’s graciousness and shared Muslim faith draw Nimra to him.

Waleed is known throughout the school for being good-looking, talented, and funny. Nimra quickly realizes that if she befriends Waleed, girls like Jenna, Julie, Val, and Evelyn will see her differently. Although this plan works, Nimra does genuinely like Waleed, too. She and Waleed share similar artistic passions. They also both have parents who do not fully support their creative dreams. Waleed loves to play music and started Barakah Beats, but his parents still see the band as a hobby rather than a life plan. Therefore, Waleed understands Nimra’s struggle to convey her drawing passions to her family.

Waleed is the most passionate and devoted member of Barakah Beats. He is desperate to prove his musical talents to his parents via the band. Therefore, whenever the band is distracted, tired, or unfocused, Waleed gets anxious and upset. Nimra often helps him to relax by reminding him of why he loves music in the first place.

Waleed’s parents begin to understand his investment in music after Barakah Beats wins the ADAMS talent show. With his family’s approval and his friends’ support, he can pursue his passions more effectively. He remains Nimra’s friend after she leaves the band and even keeps her included in their work.

Balil is another secondary character and member of Barakah Beats. His character is most often depicted alongside Matthew’s character. Nimra frequently spends time with Balil and Matthew in gym class.

Like Waleed, Balil relates to Nimra’s experience. As a Black Muslim teenager, Balil is familiar with adversity. Therefore, he’s sympathetic to Nimra’s discomfort at Farmwell. He helps her to feel seen and understood and welcomes her into his friend group.

Balil is the sole lead singer of Barakah Beats before Nimra joins the band. When Waleed appoints Nimra to lead vocals too, Balil isn’t jealous. Rather, he is gracious, complimentary, and encouraging. He and Nimra learn to work and sing together.

Matthew is the fourth member of Barakah Beats. His character is also secondary. When Nimra first meets Matthew, she’s surprised to learn that he’s Muslim because he’s white. Matthew explains that he and his parents converted when he was a little boy.

Much like Waleed and Balil, Matthew is gracious, encouraging, and kind to Nimra. He’s known as one of the goofy, attractive, popular boys, but when Nimra gets to know him, she learns that his character is deeper and more complicated.

Nimra worries she’s embarrassing Matthew when she agrees to introduce Julie to him during gym one day. Matthew isn’t rude to Julie during this interaction, but he expresses no interest in Jenna’s friend. The scene changes how Nimra understands both Matthew and Julie.

Mama and Baba are Nimra’s mother and father. Although Mama and Baba are secondary characters, they both hold significant roles in Nimra’s narrative. Because Nimra is an only child, she is close with her mother and father and doesn’t want their relationship to change. Therefore, when she starts lying to them about her new friends, Jenna, and Barakah Beats, she fears that she is ruining her parental relationship.

Both Mama and Baba have difficult relationships with their parents. Although they still practice Islam, their interpretations of the Qur’an and their cultural expressions don’t always please their parents. Nimra often hears her grandparents yelling at Mama and Baba for dropping out of the workforce to start their own business and for setting bad examples for Nimra. Because of these constant familial fights, Nimra worries that she and her parents will end up the same. She wants to tell Mama and Baba how she feels about drawing and playing music but thinks that going against their wishes might destroy their connection.

By the end of the novel, Mama and Baba help Nimra to remember how much they love her. They tell her that she must find her own path and follow her own heart. Therefore, Mama’s and Baba’s characters play archetypal roles in Nimra’s life. They act as her guides, leading her through difficult experiences, offering advice, and maintaining consistent love for her.

Khadijah is a secondary character who befriends Nimra shortly after she starts at Farmwell. Khadijah is Balil’s younger sister and therefore included in the Barakah Beats friend group. She and Nimra initially connect when Khadijah helps Nimra find a place to pray at school.

Khadijah is bookish, soft-spoken, and gracious. She listens to Nimra and sees her for who she is. She doesn’t compromise her own identity to win other people’s approval. When Khadijah tells Nimra about the way Jenna and her friends treated her in the past, Nimra realizes Jenna has done the same to her.

Khadijah’s character helps Nimra claim her true self. She also offers Nimra genuine friendship, care, and support. She becomes the friend Nimra always wanted Jenna to be.