Upon graduating from Kuwait University in 1987 with a Bachelor of Arts in English language and Literature, she pursued careers in journalism, teaching, and translation before she eventually started to write professionally as a published author.

I walk on water, buttressed by transparent gravel; I braid the air, making plaits you climb on to reach my heart; I spin the clouds, weaving a pillow for your elbow; I embroider lit moons onto the sky's sheet that I unfold and lay out above your image; and yet.. Am I still unworthy of your love?

She explained that all the women characters in the different stories could actually be the same person; all of those personas felt as if they "belonged to one woman," which is why "many critics saw within this collection a nucleus or a seed for a novel.

[17] On a program broadcast by the Norwegian TV channel NRK2, Habayeb addressed the explicitly sexual and erotic language she occasionally resorts to in her writing emphasizing that "we have to put it the way it is.

"[18] When asked in an interview with Al Ghad newspaper on November 28, 2008, about her opinion on the ban decision, Habayeb said that "the media rhetoric flaunts the support of public liberties—and atop them the freedom of speech and writing—but the reality says there's an utter lack of intellectual tolerance; and determination to impose a siege on intellect, limit liberties, confiscate pens, and fabricate taboos on lame pretexts, stemming from a fact that entails imposing a culture of fear and subjection to the system and the official cultural institution."

He also added that "all the well-structured, plentiful sex scenes do not merely aim to arouse—which is something the reader can feel without any suspicion due to the absence of eroticism in its cliched, tacky form—but to achieve gender equality.

The article ends by praising Habayeb's linguistic methodology: "One must note the fastidious language, the intelligent allegories and lexicon that demonstrate a rich dictionary, in which the popular Palestinian vocabulary stands out, gaining an eloquent impact derived from its fluency in conveying the meaning to the reader.

[30] The critic Mohammed Baradah, in an article in Al Hayat newspaper, commended Habayeb's "attractive, artistic form; multilevel language; flowing ability of describing; and cynical humor.

"[32][33] In "Before the Queen Falls Asleep" (قَبْلَ أنْ تَنامَ المَلِكَة,) according to Al Ghad newspaper, "Habayeb draws thorny and suspenseful pages that are preoccupied with pain and stumble over the concept of loss for a woman who's attempting to question love, approach life within the minimum level of personal and general defeat, clarify the meaning that is devoid of metaphor of existence, and beg the homeland; as a charming idea through telling her story to her daughter.

"[34] The following is the English translation of an excerpt taken from "Before the Queen Falls Asleep" (قَبْلَ أنْ تَنامَ المَلِكَة): And when we're caught by the night, and the sorrows betake themselves to their bedchambers, you come to me barefoot with half of your hair falling down your face; giving off the aromas of fresh perspiration from your reckless daydreams, the remnants of the chocolate you're masticating in your mouth without a considerable sense of guiltiness over betraying your fragile diet, and the bread that has been toasted to the limit of burning and whose crumbs bombard the blouse of your pajamas.

It addresses the "social, economic, and even cultural" woes and concerns devoid of ethical theorization, shunning spurious ideals and clichéd principles.

[37] "Velvet" (مُخْمَل) displays a rare paradigm of the true woman, through the main character whose name is "Hawwa" (the equivalent of "Eve" in English language,) as Habayeb utilizes that emotionally monumental persona to encapsulate the life within Palestinian camps; projecting various niceties, sensations, and feelings.

It is a story of a prodigious woman who struggles to survive and love, revives herself every time she gets shattered, and fulfills her desires through perseverance despite the unmerciful society that relentlessly crushes her.

This novel is a place where love, dejection, transgression and embrace converge; developing a scene of egregious realism via a lavish narrative that embodies enchanting and shocking moments and real people, of flesh and blood, with idiosyncratic feelings Habayeb unhesitatingly uncovers.

[40][41][42][43][44] And until the painful moment of revelation, the sea can mollify the homeland's drowning sons and throw them onto the unfamiliar beaches amidst the colorful shells.

And if they were lucky, they'll be lying on the beach—the burial ground, fully clothed; and with their shoe laces tightly tied so they'd look as if they fell off due to tiredness after hiking or having fun, or as if they're sleeping and they don't want anyone to disturb them or wake them up.

[45][46] She also partook in a cultural event hosted by Hankuk University of Foreign Studies in April 2012, in which she—along with two other writers—gave a lecture about the discrimination to which Palestinians in Arab states are subject.

The London-based magazine Banipal has published several pieces by Habayeb translated into English such as the short story "Sweeter Night" (لَيلٌ أحْلَى) from the collection with the same name, and the twelfth chapter of the novel "Before the Queen Falls Asleep" (قَبْلَ أنْ تَنَامَ المَلِكَة).