daybreak Press publishing

Daybreak Press publishes books that give rise to women’s voices and promote positive cultural change.

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Daybreak Writing Circle

Join us at 5:00 pm CST the first and third Thursday of each month over Zoom to connect with other writers, gain inspiration, and overcome writer’s block together!

Led by Anse Shabnam Mahmood, the circle is tailored to attendees’ needs, providing guidance and expertise to nurture their writing journey.

Sign up by filling out the Google form below. Feel free to share this link with fellow writers: rabata.info/writingcircle

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Calling All Manuscript Submissions

Daybreak Press publishes books that give rise to women’s voices and promote positive cultural change. We are a traditional press and publish in a variety of literary genres and academic fields. Whether you are a new writer or a published author, we want to read your work!

We are continuously on the lookout for authentic works of Muslim women authors to share with the world. Enriching the literary landscape requires each of our voices.

To submit, follow the link below for detailed instructions and steps. We welcome queries accompanied by completed, polished manuscripts for fiction, as well as proposals accompanied by synopses and sample chapters for nonfiction.

Submit Manuscript
Award-Winning Publications
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Daybreak Press Catalog

Explore the Daybreak Press catalog to discover in-depth information about each book, its authors, accolades, pricing and more, all in one convenient place.

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Monthly Daybreak Dispatch Newsletters

Get the latest on our current programs, free writing classes, new releases, and behind-the-scenes stories! View past issues.

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Writing Webinars

Access the recordings of writing webinars hosted by the Ribaat Academic Institute to enhance your writing skills and further your development as an author.

With topics in marketing, connecting with your audience, and more, explore the recordings and register. 

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Daybreak Live with Anse Najiyah Maxfield

Daybreak Live is a YouTube Live series with insights and advice on writing, marketing, workshopping, and winning hosted by Najiyah Maxfield, Head of Publishing at Rabata’s Daybreak Press.

Daybreak Press publishes Muslim women writers in a variety of literary genres and academic fields, bringing to life work that cultivates positive cultural change.

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Authors Studio

Daybreak Press is excited to host Muslim women writers in an annual, exclusive 12-month Authors Studio. Whether you write fiction or nonfiction, this program is designed to take you from the early drafting stages to a polished, submission-ready manuscript. With personalized mentorship, expert guidance, and a supportive community, this is your opportunity to elevate your writing and achieve your publishing goals.

2026 applications will open October 1st, 2025, and close November 16th, 2025.

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Daybreak Writing Season

Ready to get that novel moving along, but need accountability, inspiration, and encouragement? Want to participate in National Novel (or Nonfiction) Writing Month, but not sure how you will write 50,000 words throughout the month?

Daybreak Press presents the Daybreak Writing Season, spanning October and November, to help! Gear up for writing, publishing, and marketing your book.

Throughout October, or Preptober, Daybreak Press will be leading weekly workshops each Saturday to prepare you for National Novel (or Nonfiction) Writing Month in November, during which we will offer in-person and online writing spaces to create community and accountability. 

Let’s come together to build a community of Muslim women writers!
Coming October 2025.

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Tamara L. Gray
Project Lina, Joy Jots

Dr. Tamara Gray is the founder of Rabata, an organization dedicated to promoting positive cultural change through creative educational experiences. She is an Islamic scholar and holds multiple ijazas in Islamic sacred texts and subject matters. Dr. Tamara completed her doctoral studies in the Leadership, Policy and Administration program at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, MN. She also holds a master’s degree in Curriculum Theory and Instruction, and worked for 25 years in the field of education, before moving into the nonprofit world. Dr. Tamara is also a public speaker, often engaged to speak about issues of gender, leadership, Islam, and spirituality; locally, nationally and globally. Some of her platforms have included, the International Leadership Association, the World Parliament of Religions, the Bonyaan conference on the Muslim woman (Sweden), the Islamic Society of North America and several universities, including Princeton, Virginia Tech and Oxford University.

@tamaralgray

 

 

 

Najiyah Maxfield
Sophia's Journal, Project Lina

As a writer and educator, Anse Najiyah Maxfield brings to Daybreak Press years of teaching History and English in the United States and Middle East, as well as her background as Managing Editor of a magazine. Her experience brings with it a broad perspective on world issues, Muslim realities across cultures, common threads across humanity, and the professional and logistical process of publishing.

Anse Najiyah also authored the Daybreak Press book Sophia’s Journal, a time-travel adventure. Alongside the award-winning novel, she designed a teacher’s guide, which is now used in schools across North America. Anse Najiyah also teaches classes at Ribaat Academic Institute in public speaking and creative writing, where she encourages women around the world to find comfort and confidence in their voice.

When not writing, teaching, or working on publications, Anse Najiyah can be found kayaking, crocheting, or playing “The Floor is Lava” with her delightful grandkids.

@najiyahwriteswrongs
@clickedmyrubyslippers

 

Muna Imady
KAN YA MA KAN

Muna Imady was born to an American mother and a Syrian father. She earned a BA in English Literature and a diploma in English-Arabic Translation from Damascus University, as well as a Maitrise from the Sorbonne. Imady has designed a beginner’s English reading course for children, and has written several text books to teach children English as a second language. She has had a lifelong interest in folktales and promised herself that one day she would write a book of the folktales she eventually collected.

 

 

Hafiza Saadia Mian, MD
Crowning Venture

Dr. Saadia Mian is board-certified in internal medicine and endocrinology. After completing an undergraduate degree in psychology at the University of Michigan, she went to medical school at Michigan State University. She works fulltime at Metro Detroit Endocrinology Center in Dearborn, Michigan. She is a member of the founding board of Rabata and continues to serve while working full-time as an endocrinologist. She is also a member of AACE (American Association Clinical Endocrinologists), Endocrine Society, Syrian American Medical Society and Women Physicians for Humanity. Anse Saadia leads the level 4 Quran course at Ribaat, “The Crowning Venture: Quran Memorization” and also works with tajwid students one-on-one as part of the Quran Program.

@saadiamianmd
saadiamianmd.com

Afshan Malik
Pieces

Afshan Malik is a Chicago native turned southern belle who loves Dr. Pepper, afternoon naps, and historical novels. She holds a BA in English Language and Literature and an MA in Nonprofit Management. Afshan is excited to bring her interest in uplifting Muslim women at the global nonprofit Rabata. She is currently the Director of Development at Rabata working to amplify its mission of positive cultural change. She is also in the first graduating class from the Ribaat Academic Program and continues to pursue additional Islamic studies certifications under the tutelage of Dr. Tamara Gray. Afshan is the calm eye of the storm in much of what life tosses her way and enjoys soaking up the Texas sun with her husband and five children.

@afshanmalikwrites

 

 

A.M. Ramzy
Brewing Storms

Dr. Anna-Maria Ramzy learned Arabic from scratch as a non-native speaker. Her relationship with this beautiful language took her to the University of Oxford, where she gained a First Class in her Arabic degree and is now working on her PhD. Her undergraduate studies led her to the lands of Syria, where she met Dr. Tamara Gray, honed her Arabic skills through intense study, and embarked upon the journey to gain her ijaza in tajwīd. Dr. Anse Anna-Maria built the Ribaat Arabic Program and continues to oversee this department. She has been teaching with Ribaat since its inception in 2013.

 

 

 

Hiba Masood
Drummer Girl

Hiba Masood is a Canadian-Pakistani writer, storyteller, and speaker. Apart from running her wildly popular Facebook page (Drama Mama), she is also a columnist for Muslim Matters. Currently based in Karachi, Hiba runs Happy Place, an enrichment center for women and kids, where she holds story, art, and yoga sessions centered around her primary passion, children’s literature. Hiba is the author of Aiza and Alina, a story of friendship and Down syndrome, which she wrote for use in inclusive programs across Pakistan. Drummer Girl is Hiba’s second book. As an uplifting story about empowered women and a supportive father, this book encapsulates her mission in life: to encourage women to become their best, most radiant selves, and to celebrate everyone who helps them in this essential journey.

@hibamasood

 

 

 

Saba Syed
An Acquaintance

Saba Syed is the author of the international award-winning novel, An Acquaintance. Saba has a BA degree in Islamic Studies. She studied Arabic Language & Literature at Qatar University and at Cairo Institute in Egypt. She also received her Ijaazah in Quranic Hafs recitation in Egypt from Shaikh Muhammad al-Hamazawi. She has been actively involved with the Islamic community since 1995 through her MSA, then as a founding member of TDC, and other community organizations. In 2002, she organized and hosted the very first “Muslim Women’s Conference” in Houston, TX. Since then, she’s been passionately working towards empowering Muslim women through the correct and untainted teachings of Islam.

@saba_umreem

 

 

 

 

Waheeda Joosab
Kismet: For Roses to Blossom | COMING SOON

South African author Waheeda Joosab is an educator who holds a BA Honors degree in Psychology. She maintains an award-winning blog called What Waydi Says, where she focuses on marriage, parenting, and spirituality and advocates for the holistic well-being of teachers. Waheeda is also the founder of AMWASA, the Association of Muslim Women Authors in South Africa, where she shares author resources and offers networking opportunities for new authors.

whatwaydsays.co.za

@waheeda_joosab

 

 

 

 

Dana Nass
My Prophet, Myself | COMING SOON

Dana Nass lives in Arizona, where she works as a behavioral health professional. 

Dana has a B.S. degree in Arabic Literature from Damascus University and an M.S. degree in Psychology from Grand Canyon University. Additionally, she studied traditional Islamic Studies from famous scholars in Damascus and at Rabata. She received her ijāzah in Hafs recitation of the Quran and an ijāzah in the Forty Hadith of Imam Nawawi.

She volunteers at Rabata as a women’s halaqa leader and a RabaTEENS youth teacher. She also successfully developed a curriculum for Arabic and Islamic studies.

@dananass_

 

 

 

Nishat Lal
In the Garden of Remembrance

Nishat Lal was raised in Cardiff, Wales. A born Muslim of Indian origin, she began studying Arabic at age 14, which was her springboard to receiving Bachelor’s degrees in Arabic and History from the University of London. She then traveled to Syria for her third year of study, where she met Dr. Tamara Gray, earned her ijāza in tajwīd and studied at the University of Damascus. Nishat has taught both Arabic and tajwīd online extensively as well as in person. Nishat has been teaching Arabic with the Ribaat Academic Institute since 2014.

@Nishat_89

 

Aisha Hussain Rasheed
Auntie Aisha Answers

Aisha Hussain Rasheed is bint al-juzur, a daughter of the Maldive Islands, currently acclimating to the tropical rainforests of Malaysia with her husband and son. She holds a BA in Islamic Law and Jurisprudence and a Shahadah Alimiyya. She is honored to give back to her local Maldivian community as well as the larger international family of knowledge seekers, and is currently working as a teacher at Al-Salam Institute and freelances as a community organiser. Over the years, she has helped train community leaders in the fields of family and child protection through advocacy, material development, training facilitation and public engagement. Aisha has a natural attraction to water bodies and would love to one day swim with a whale shark. She likes to split her spare time between contemplating life and telling bad dad jokes (aka mom jokes).

 

Muti’ah Badruddeen
Habeebah's Tale | COMING SOON

Muti’ah Badruddeen is a Nigerian reproductive health physician and writer, the author of Rekiya&Z, 2022 winner of the SprinNG Women Author Prize in Nigeria and 2021 Daybreak Press Award for best Islamic fiction. 

Longlisted for the 2022 Commonwealth short story prize, her work has appeared in Brittle Paper, The Shallow Tales Review, Overtly Lit among others, and has been nominated for the Pushcart prize and the Best of Small Fiction. 

Her next novel, Fallow, will be released from Daybreak Press in late 2024.

Outside of writing, Muti’ah is the founder and educational lead for S-R-HEd, a social enterprise that provides evidence-based sexual and reproductive health education and support to adolescents and women from religiously conservative backgrounds. 

Social media: @deenprogress

 

 

Nausheena Hussain
Prosperity with Purpose: A Muslim Woman's Guide to Abundance and Generosity | COMING SOON

A social justice activist by heart, Nausheena Hussain is the principal of Nissa Consulting, providing capacity building services to Muslim women-led nonprofits and organizing Muslim generosity. She has been a nonprofit practitioner for the past 20 years serving in various roles as founder, board member, and development staff. Previously, Nausheena was the founder and executive director of Reviving the Islamic Sisterhood for Empowerment (RISE).  As a former start-up founder of several nonprofits, Nausheena has a proven track record of taking an idea and creating a movement. 

Nausheena currently serves as a board member on the St. Paul and Minnesota Foundation. Nausheena Hussain is a Research Fellow for the Muslim Philanthropy Initiative at Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. She is currently pursuing a doctorate in philanthropic leadership at IU LFSOP. Nausheena’s research focuses on Muslim Women’s generosity behaviors and the nonprofits they lead. She holds a M.A. in Philanthropic Studies from Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, and M.B.A. in Healthcare and Marketing from the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management, and a B.S. in Health Sciences from Benedictine University. In 2019, she received a Certificate in FundRaising Management (CFRM) from LFSOP. In 2020, she was an inaugural Fellow with the Zakat Foundation Institute. 

Married, with two children and a beautiful cat, she lives in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota and loves to garden, read and travel.

 

Claudia Seise
Finding God

Claudia Azizah Seise was born in 1983 in Germany and converted to Islam in 2008. Ever since she aims to study Islam and seek knowledge on becoming closer to God. One of her passions is supporting new and old converts to Islam. She obtained her PhD in Southeast Asian Studies from Humboldt University Berlin, Germany in 2016. Besides her academic writings, she has contributed to the German Islamic newspaper since 2008. Her poetry has been published in several collections. She also writes children’s books. From September 2020 to December 2023, she was a PostDoc fellow at the Berlin Institute of Islamic Theology, Germany.

@clazahsei

 

Anse Dr. Tamara Gray
Executive Director

Dr. Tamara Gray is a founder of Rabata, an organization dedicated to promoting positive cultural change through creative educational experiences. As executive director, faculty, and chief spirituality officer, she focuses on uplifting Muslim women within community and without. She has a special interest in digital spaces in faith communities.

Dr. Gray holds a doctorate in leadership from the University of St. Thomas, a master’s degree in Curriculum Theory and Instruction from Temple University and spent twenty years in traditional learning spaces studying Islamic sciences, Quran, and Arabic in Damascus, Syria.

Dr. Gray is also an author and translator. Her publications range from several culturally appropriate English language curriculum programs to translations of sacred texts. She has authored two books: Joy Jots: Exercises for a happy heart & Project Lina: Bringing our whole selves to Islam and co-translated the Mukhtasir al-Jami’ fi al-Sīra al-Nabawiyya by Samīra Zayid [Compendium of the Collection of Sources on al-Sīra al-Nabawiyya]. Her third book – about theology and creed – is due out in 2024.

In addition to her work at Rabata, Dr. Gray also serves as both faculty and an academic council member for The Islamic Seminary of America, is a Senior Fellow at the Yaqeen Institute and is a member of the Fiqh council of North America. She has recently taken on the position of Board Chair for the Minnesota Multifaith Network Council.

She is a mother of three, grandmother of two, an avid reader and a lover of cultures, coffee, and road trips.
Najiyah Maxfield
Head of Publishing

Najiyah Maxfield serves as the Head of Publishing at Daybreak Press, Rabata’s non-profit publishing house. She brings to this role years of experience in editing for Discover: The Magazine for Curious Muslim Kids, as well as experience teaching English and history in the US and the Middle East. Najiyah holds a Ribaat Teaching Certificate and a Dare to Lead Certificate.

Najiyah has authored many articles, poems, and short stories. Her young adult novel, “Sophia’s Journal”, is an award-winning time-travel adventure, for which Daybreak Press also produced a companion curriculum.

Najiyah serves as an instructor at the Ribaat Academic Institute in the areas of writing and public speaking and leads a Rabata halaqa. She also leads workshops and seminars on writing and developing your craft, as well as facilitating Project Lina workshops.

Outside of teaching, writing, and publishing, Najiyah can be found kayaking in the summer, crocheting in the winter, and playing “The Floor is Lava” with her delightful grandkids year-round.

Leanna Abdelmaged
Administrative Coordinator

Leanna Abdelmaged serves as the Administrative Coordinator for Daybreak Press. She earned her Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance from Prairie View A & M University and later returned to school at the University of Phoenix, Phoenix, AZ campus for a M.A in Education. She has worked as an educator in both public and private schools for over 15 years in the U.S. and abroad.

Raised in Indiana, Leanna has lived in several states and countries overseas over the years. Since converting to Islam as an adult, Leanna has studied Quran recitation and memorization, Arabic, fiqh, and tafsir. She has attended local mosques and centers in addition to institutes locally and globally including Zaytuna College, Bayyinah, and Ribaat. 

Leanna has two adult children and two grandsons. She enjoys helping Muslim women learn to read the Quran, and she prays that Allah (swt) will bless us all wnith the Quran as a companion in this life and a witness to our benefit in the next.

Jessica Hassan
Editorial Assistant

Jessica Hassan serves as Editorial Assistant for Daybreak Press, Rabata’s publishing arm. She has a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Minnesota and an editing certificate from the University of Chicago. She has more than nine years of experience in editing and has worked with Cambridge University Press, Yaqeen Institute for Islamic Research, Claritas Books, Ruqaya’s Bookshelf, and Qalam Research.

Jessica lives in Minnesota with her husband and two children. When not working, she can be found learning about Islam, reading, or fostering kittens.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fatema Hakim
Publishing Assistant

Fatema Hakim is an academic entrepreneur living in London, and works as a Publishing Assistant for Rabata Daybreak Press. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in English from Queen Mary University of London and an MPhil in English Studies from the University of Cambridge, graduating as a Medieval Specialist. Fatema is eager to further the recognition of Muslim women’s publications, ensuring their voices resonate, and are heard.

Soofia Ahmed
Curriculum Developer

Soofia Ahmed serves as board secretary, Chicago chapter lead, and a Daybreak Press volunteer. Dedicated to the pillars of service and education, Soofia has led teaching initiatives for street children in India, taught in UK Islamic schools, and has taught in both public and private schools in the US. She has also spoken at Amnesty International, National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty, and Islamic Society of North America conferences. She was one in sixteen American students to receive an internship regarding the promotion of religiously pluralistic mentalities through Interfaith Youth Core and was invited to the White House by Hillary Clinton as part of the Generation Change youth initiative. She was both volunteer and program coordinator for Indian Muslim Relief and Charities’ Summer Volunteer Program. She also facilitated “Humari Dunya,” an interfaith service initiative to India through Worldfaith. She was invited to Oprah Winfrey and Good Morning America shows to speak regarding issues of faith. Throughout her college, she received the prestigious Founder’s Day Medal of Honor and the Niebuhr Center’s Gandhi Internship for International Justice. In Scotland, she worked as the Black and minority ethnic lead support worker at Inverness Women’s Aid. She was Inverness Masjid’s coordinator of women’s, children’s and new Muslim affairs and outreach.

She graduated from Elmhurst College with honors, majoring in secondary education, English literature, and intercultural studies with a social justice focus and a middle school history teaching certification. She holds an M.S. in project management. Soofia is currently a curriculum developer at Rabata and is the project lead for Rabata’s Leadership and Legacy educational campaign. She teaches the next generation of positive cultural change makers through Rabata’s Dragonflies and Rabateens youth programs. She received her Islamic studies teachers certificate from the Ribaat Academic Institute in 2023 and is pursuing the Ribaat scholars certification. She teaches Islamic Studies at a local Islamic school and is also a licensed real estate broker in Illinois.
Shabnam Mahmood
Daybreak Writing Circle Coordinator

Anse Shabnam Mahmood has her graduate degree in English with a focus on children’s and British literature. She has taught at various universities and coaches a middle school literary competition called Battle of the Books; her team is the reigning champion. Anse Shabnam loves to read YA and children’s literature. When not engrossed in a cup of tea and mystery, she devotes time to her second love, food! Anse Shabnam is a self-described foodie always in the kitchen trying new recipes and baking. She grew up learning about cooking and baking, writing about food for magazines, creating recipes for publication and loves teaching various regions’ food histories and the culinary habits of her favorite authors. Anse Shabnam lives in Skokie, Illinois, with her family and a fish named Rumi, where she loves cooking and especially baking with her daughter for their family and community. Anse Shabnam volunteers at her masjid as the editor for the newsletter and library committee chair and teaches Seerah at Sunday School as Quran Department Head. Anse Shabnam is a board trustee of Skokie Public Library.

Dr. Nameera Akhtar
Editing Support Specialist

Dr. Nameera Akhtar is a professor of developmental psychology at the University of California, Santa Cruz.

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