#Allah this entire family is so dramatic

[shehsart]

DABI IS SO INSANE HE DRAGGED HIS MOTHER TO THE BATTLEFIELD

[aromantic-enjolras]

Muslim and Maghrebi Amis headcanons

So I said the other day that this fandom needed more Muslim Amis, if we’re writing Modern AU set in France. I don’t have much time right now, but let me try to put my money where my mouth is for a bit.

For context, my usual headcanons of the Amis are that Jehan is Jewish Algerian (his family moved to France after the independence), Feuilly is Egyptian and arrived to France as a unaccompanied minor, and Bossuet is Senegalese and got to France as an adult. Marius’ dad is Moroccan, but of course he didn’t know until he was an adult. For the time of this post, Grantaire’s mom is Greek.

Feuilly works at a kebab place. It is hell during Ramadan, because it means he has to work the entire day in a hot place, surrounded by food, without drinking or eating. His boss is Muslim too, so at least the minute sundown hits they close and go home to eat.

Another, less dramatic bad consequence of his place of work, is that he spends his days cringing at French people pronouncing the items on the menu horribly wrong. He sometimes slips and uses that pronunciation when speaking to other Maghrebis and he wants to die. Those words just have no meaning to him at this point. They’re just sounds customers make.

Jehan and Feuilly bond around speaking similar Maghrebi dialects. Also, the struggle to find restaurants that serve Halal and Kosher food. Jehan complains that it isn’t fair that Feuilly can eat kosher but he can’t eat halal.

Feuilly and Enjolras (and Marius, later) are always the designated drivers/herders of drunk people because they are the only Amis who never drink.

When Marius discovers his dad was Moroccan, he converts to Islam (his far-right grandfather is horrified). He’s very serious about it, he’s super diligent with his prayers. Bossuet teases him a lot about it, he calls him “imam” and “haaji” and he asks him when he’s going to do the peregrination to Makkah.

Marius immediately starts learning Arabic to read the Quran. Enjolras decides to join him, because it’s important to be inclusive, and is very frustrated to discover that Quranic Arabic does not help him communicate.

Bossuet can read and write Arabic because he learned in Quranic school as a kid, but he doesn’t speak a word of it (and if you take the vowels out he’s lost as hell).

Bossuet is not a practicing Muslim. He eats pork, he drinks excessively, the whole shebang. He’s quite unapologetic about it. That said, he does have a different set of “clean” social media for the people at home. One time Grantaire posted a picture of them having a beer at the Musain during Ramadan to the wrong account by accident and Bossuet almost had a heart attack.

The rest of the Amis end up picking random sentences. Courfeyrac one time said “ya Allah” in front of his parents and his dad flipped his shit over “bad influences”.

Grantaire is super into Ancient Greece, and whenever there’s a debate in the Amis about whether something is Greek or Maghrebi or Middle Eastern he ends up saying some variation on “you’re all Greeks, anyway”. If Feuilly tries to say he isn’t, he simply goes “you’re from Alexandria, shut up”.

And believe me, there are a lot of debates over whether stuff is Greek or not, especially food. It usually ends with Grantaire and whoever the other person was making the dish and bringing it to the Amis to let them decide which version is better. The others aren’t complaining!

Hope you enjoyed this!

[imagine-silk]

As a Muslim I like to think the platonic yandere Peter B Parker family would be super chill with me being a Muslim. They'd definitely protect me from any hateful people and I'd have so much fun teaching mayday phrases like inshallah and alhamdulilah. Since I'm learning Arabic I'd try to teach mayday some Arabic too, actually I can see the entire family wanting to learn Arabic alongside me lol

See, this is what I was talking about!

Look I'm going to keep it 100 with you, they would totally be super chill about it.

Peter and MJ are going to learn Arabic before Mayday. She's not talking yet but they want to be able to have their kids comfortable. Besides, they already started learning when you started staying over so it would be easier while you stayed indefinitely. Mayday is going to speak Arabic and English in the same sentence like she's speaking Spanglish. Once Peter and MJ got the rhythm of it they'll speak it in the house more often and correct on another before trying to say it to you.

When you meet Miles he greets you with, "Allah." Thinking it meant hello. Peter smacked him upside the head and corrected him. You take his apology but he says it might be better if he just doesn't learn the language because he's trying to learn Spanish and it is very slow progress, he can and will mess it up. But he promises to learn after he's got Spanish. You're going to wait until Miguel is done hounding him.

The very first time they see you pray they ask what you're doing and when you explain it they get you a mat and beads the very same day. You didn't bring those things to not intrude and they tell you it's better if you have your own set there. And if they're around and have the time they'll join you.

Any and all pork is thrown out of the house after they see a thing online about it. Peter silently cries about it but then he thinks about how happy you would be at him and then he's on cloud nine.

The chances of them killing someone is dramatically higher. As I said in the last post racism is one of the things that most get under their skin, and Americans just loves to let Muslims know how they feel. The kill count is hard to say but I can promise you it's at the very least it's higher than the ones that made you cry. In the moment they mostly skip passive aggressive and go straight to threats. If you're with MJ she asks them to say it again and they do she will punch them right then and there. If you're with Peter he will kick them out of where ever you are. They'll be at Target with a cart full of stuff and he'll say he'll be right back before ushering them out of the store making his grip tighter than needed, he'll always say it's justified.

All in all you are still their kid and you need to adjust to your kids, especially for things important to them. Their still the overly doting parents they will always be.

[iatethepomegranate]

Homecoming Chapter 24

Masterlist (I’m going to experiment with internal links and see if tumblr will disappear this chapter from the tag if I do this)

Pairing: DickTiger

Rating: Teen (this chapter)

Length: 5.5k

Summary: Secrets in Wayne Manor rarely remain secret. Tiger has tough decisions to make.

Notes: I'm making up my own scraps on canon because I have no idea what canon currently looks like. And, honestly, canon sucks like 75% of the time anyway. So there.

Warnings: references to alcohol, references to mental health issues. These are mostly addressed in passing.

****

Chapter 24

Tiger used to be good at multitasking. His life had depended on it as a double agent for Checkmate. Now, trying to juggle Dick’s condition, Bruce’s knowledge that he’d shot Alia, his own guilt and the looming issue of Checkmate threatened to send him into a breakdown.

He was beginning to understand why Jason drank so much, and that made him increasingly grateful for his faith. It was the only thing holding him together some days. Taking time out to pray and read the Quran forced him to slow his thoughts and direct them away from self-pity and anxiety. Thus, Tiger found himself sticking to his prayer schedule much more diligently than he had in a while. He asked Allah’s forgiveness for his lapse, and the peace he found in prayer seemed to tell him that forgiveness had been granted.

Praying alongside Damian was the only time the world felt even remotely stable.

As soon as he stepped out of the room and Dick wasn’t there to bother him, however, the world turned sideways again. Even if Dick were awake, he likely wouldn’t have the strength to drag himself out of bed for a few more hours at least.

Damian pinched his arm. “Alfred will have begun making breakfast. We should help him.”

Tiger managed a smile. “Dick tells me your ‘help’ means sitting at the counter and criticising everyone’s cooking.”

“If a talentless nobody from Gotham can be paid to tell other people how to cook, why am I not allowed to do the same?”

Tiger had no idea who exactly Damian was referencing, but it didn’t matter. “A compelling argument. Lead the way.”

“I heard you shot Agent 8 before she could turn Grayson into a puppet,” Damian said as they walked.

“And where did you hear that?” Tiger was past the point of concern, since the worst had already happened. He was, however, curious.

“Todd and Drake are not as subtle as they think.”

“Is there anyone in this house who does not know?”

“No. Brown and Cain were eavesdropping as well. Pennyworth, of course, knows everything.”

“I see.” Tiger wasn’t sure if this made him feel better or worse. “And Barbara?”

“Gordon also knows everything. She was once an information broker.”

Tiger could feel the beginnings of a headache pinching his temples. “Do any of you have privacy in this house?”

“It depends.”

They reached the kitchen.

“Good morning, sirs,” Alfred said, whisking a bowl of batter. He asked Damian to chop some fruit and Tiger was tasked with cracking more eggs. They worked peacefully together for a while. Tiger had forgotten how good it felt to keep his hands busy and let his mind rest.

He was beginning to miss gardening. He hadn’t had the opportunity since the undercover mission in Gloria’s neighbourhood had ended. He was tempted to ask Alfred if he could help him in the garden but wasn’t sure how to broach the subject. Tiger could survive most social situations, but this family was not like most.

Cassandra arrived not long after Tiger had begun to grate cheese for omelettes. Alfred had her set the table. There was little discussion, aside from the occasional instruction from Alfred. Tiger found himself enjoying the peace of it… and then immediately wondered what was wrong with him.

Except for prayer time, Tiger did not consider himself the type of person to simply rest on his laurels. There was always something to do. Moments of inactivity were to be avoided whenever possible. And yet… he was quite content.

“Well, ain’t this fucking domestic.” Jason leaned against the kitchen door. He was paler than usual and the set of his mouth suggested nausea.

“Language, sir,” Alfred said mildly, dropping a fizzing tablet into a glass of water and passing it to him.

“Sorry,” Jason mumbled before immediately gulping down the whole glass.

Damian scoffed. “I thought Drake was being dramatic when he said you were indisposed last night.”

Jason rolled his eyes, and then immediately clapped a hand over them. “Ow. Bad idea.”

“I heard that, Damian.” Tim slid past Jason to grab a handful of cutlery from the drawer with the hand not occupied by a coffee mug. He smiled at Tiger. “Cass recruited me into table-setting duty.”

“Bribed you, more like.” Jason stole the coffee mug and downed its contents. Tim retreated to the dining room without acknowledging what had just happened. Tiger did not know what to make of that.

“Will Master Dick join us for breakfast this morning, sir?” Alfred asked.

“I am uncertain,” Tiger replied. Dick had been on the mend last night, but sometimes the fatigue after his migraines would linger and make it difficult for him to leave his bed.

Alfred sent him off to check on Dick. He passed Stephanie on the way, who pointed a pair of finger guns at him and made a clicking sound with her tongue. He did not understand, but it seemed friendly, so he nodded at her.

Tiger opened the bedroom door quietly, but he needn’t have bothered. Dick was sitting on the bed, fully dressed and tying his shoelaces. “’Morning, sunshine.”

“How are you feeling?”

“Mostly human.” Dick sat up. “And very hungry.”

“Breakfast will be ready soon.” Tiger helped him up. “You should eat.”

“That’s the plan.” Dick stepped closer and planted a kiss on Tiger’s cheek. “How are you feeling?”

Tiger came very close to giving a kneejerk I’m fine, but Dick’s eyes narrowed and he instantly knew that was not an acceptable answer.

“I missed you this morning,” he admitted.

Dick sighed. “I know. I would’ve been there if I felt up to it.”

Tiger took his hands, squeezing gently. “I know. I do not blame you.”

Dick squeezed back. “So, where have you been?”

“Damian insisted we help Alfred prepare breakfast.” Tiger paused, wanting to say more but not quite knowing how to articulate the feelings swirling inside him.

“And?” Dick prompted.

“I liked it.”

“Tiger, are you telling me you didn’t realise you liked cooking?” Dick grinned, haltingly at first as if waiting for it to hurt. “Have you, like, forgotten everything that happened while we were fake-married?”

“I repressed it.” That wasn’t entirely truthful, but the face Dick made at him was worth it.

Dick snorted. “Of course you did. Come on. I need food.”

 Breakfast was weird. Jason was clearly hungover, so he wasn’t saying much, and Tim was preoccupied with his laptop. Dick was grateful for the quiet, since his head still didn’t feel quite right, but it was still disconcerting.

Then Steph went for the jugular. “Where were you last night, Jason?”

Tim sighed and kept typing.

Jason rubbed his eyes. “Mind your damn business.”

“Okay, just asking…”

Cass smacked her arm. Jason mumbled something about wishing he hadn’t gotten out of bed.

Damian rolled his eyes so hard his head moved. Mercifully, though, he just kept eating his omelette without adding to the conversation.

Last night felt like a bit of a fever dream to Dick. He wasn’t sure if it was coming off the migraine, or the fact Jason had spoken openly about his feelings that had done it. Both, probably.

Breakfast settled back into quiet, but an uneasy kind of quiet. Then the door squeaked open to reveal Bruce. Jason glared up at the ceiling before pouring himself a glass of orange juice.

Bruce took a seat and poured himself a cup of coffee. “How was your meeting with Duke last night?” he asked Tim.

Tim shrugged. “Fine. I talked to the Rows as well.”

“Did you ask that Cullen kid out yet?” Jason said.

Tim fixed him with a silent stare.

“What? He wants you to.”

Tim sighed. “I’m not having this conversation. Everyone’s doing fine, Bruce. Honestly, given how well they held the city the night we took down Spyral, you can probably afford to give them a longer leash.”

Bruce nodded silently and grabbed some oatmeal. “Anyone have something to report that we didn’t cover last night?”

“Oh, Catwoman’s showing her face again,” Steph replied. “Forgot to mention. I think she’s being a good girl, though.”

An exhausted look crossed Bruce’s face before he reset his expression. “We’ll see.” He visibly fortified himself with a spoonful of oatmeal. “Checkmate is increasing their presence in Gotham for the moment. I need everyone on alert.”

Barbara slipped into the room and took a seat.

“Has Helena given us any indication what they’re going to do with their Spyral prisoners?” Tim asked, looking up from his screen.

“They’re recruiting heavily,” Bruce replied. “It’s my understanding they haven’t decided what to do with Bannon yet. Bertinelli has strongly discouraged his recruitment, but her opinion may not matter.”

“I’ve spotted Helena a few times in Burnside,” Barbara added. “She doesn’t trust me at all, but she did mention she’s not sure Checkmate is listening to her about Bannon.”

Dick wasn’t sure what to do about that. Tiger could reveal himself as a Checkmate agent, but things were precarious enough already. But if he could convince them to avoid recruiting Bannon…

Tiger sighed. “I may be able to help.”

“May being the operative word,” Dick added. He didn’t know a huge amount about Tiger’s relationship with Checkmate, except he was trusted enough to undertake a long-term undercover mission in a rival spy agency on his own. That had to count for something, right?

Bruce raised an eyebrow. “Is this about your affiliation with Checkmate?”

Tiger, to his credit, took that in his stride. “Yes.”

They stared at each other, and Dick was starting to wonder if an intervention would be required.

Jason cracked first. “Oh my fucking god just say something.”

“I need to report in to Checkmate regardless,” Tiger said. “They will ask for my report and I will have the chance to give recommendations.”

“Are we all just gonna skate over the fact Tiger’s literally been a Checkmate agent this whole time?” said Stephanie. “Like, am I the only person not keeping up?”

“Checkmate placed me in Spyral a number of years ago to stop them from finishing their mission,” Tiger explained flatly. “My goals aligned with Dick’s, even if our preferred methods did not. Fortunately, Dick was able to free Helena from Daedalus before I had to kill her.”

“Unfortunate for Agent 8 that she did not have the same opportunity,” Bruce said.

“We’ve already established Agent 8 was dead long before we got in the room,” Jason shot back.

A muscle twitched in Tiger’s jaw. Dick bumped their knees together.

“Can we focus on Bannon?” Dick said. “Tiger’s offering to explain to Maxwell Lord, and probably Amanda Waller if we’re being honest, that recruiting Bannon is a bad idea. Which it is. Shall I show off my scars? Or we could just wait until the next time I get a migraine?”

Bruce exhaled loudly through his nose. “Point taken. Tiger, if you think you can convince them, I won’t stop you. Do you intend to rejoin Checkmate?”

“No,” Tiger replied.

Jason raised his hands. “Well, that settles it. Now, out of respect to those of us with killer headaches, can we all shut up now?”

But Bruce was still watching Tiger. “You remained loyal to Checkmate for the duration of a very long undercover mission, which provided ample opportunity to defect. Ultimately, however, you carried out your mission and destroyed Spyral. Why not return to Checkmate?”

Tiger had somehow managed to retain eye contact. “Perhaps I have learned Checkmate is no longer the right place for me.”

Bruce just watched him.

Dick had to say something. “Yeah, I’d say going back to the organisation that wants to recruit the guy who tortured the shit out of both of us isn’t that appealing.”

“Even if I wanted to,” Tiger added, “it is unlikely I would pass their reintegration tests.”

“They just deputise people in the field most of the time anyway,” Tim said, tapping on his keyboard again. “Checkmate can afford to let an agent retire every so often.”

Tiger twitched a little at the word retirement. It was probably the correct word, but Dick supposed he hadn’t really thought about it like that. Or much at all. They had been preoccupied of late.

“We can always use more help in Gotham,” said Steph. “I think Tiger would look great in spandex.”

Tiger raised his eyes to the ceiling in exasperation.

“We’ve had that discussion already,” Dick said. “He vetoed the spandex.”

“Most of us don’t even wear spandex anymore,” Tim pointed out, frowning at his computer screen. “I think it’s safe to say Dick was the only one who ever liked wearing it.”

“Being able to bounce a quarter off my own ass isn’t any fun unless everyone else knows I can do it,” Dick replied. Tiger frowned at him.

“Is this another idiom? It is a bad one.”

“Is there such a thing as a good idiom?” said Tim.

Dick put a hand over his heart. “You take that back.”

Tim rolled his eyes and went back to typing. “I am very sorry, Dick. Please forgive me.”

Tiger looked like he had no idea what was going on. Which was fair. He and Damian shared a look.

It was probably for the best when Cassandra spoke up to bring everyone back on topic. “Tiger needs backup.”

Bruce nodded. “You have a point. Tiger, could you arrange a meeting if I provided a cell phone?”

“Yes.”

“Do it. We will arrange backup once we know when you are expected.”

 It was a simple enough matter to call the external agent line and arrange a debriefing. Tiger didn’t typically use the phone line. It felt wrong to do it now. However, that was the technology Bruce had provided.

He was not sure what to make of this. He supposed it was not surprising to hear Bruce had known he was connected to Checkmate, but he still felt blindsided.

The matter of backup also had him on edge. He would have preferred Dick be on the mission, but that was not an option. Jason would likely not be chosen, either, especially now that his meeting had been scheduled during the day. He could not envision anyone from Dick’s family performing such a task in broad daylight.

Perhaps Helena was available.

“Penny for your thoughts?” Dick had been lying in bed, watching the ceiling while Tiger had made the phone call. He had yet to fall ill today, but something didn’t seem… right. Tiger suspected he would have another attack tomorrow.

“I need to contact Helena,” Tiger said.

“For backup? Good idea. I’d go myself, but…”

“You are allergic to daylight.”

“Exactly.” Dick scowled; it didn’t suit him. “Fuck me… I really hope this isn’t permanent. I’m bored shitless. Seriously. I can’t even read.”

“Could you ever?”

“Oh, by all means, kick me when I’m down.” Dick pinched his leg. “This what they teach you at Checkmate?”

“Yes, we are trained to hurt your feelings. Yours specifically.”

“I can believe it.” Dick stretched. “You got a way to talk to her? I’ve got a communicator in here somewhere.”

“Yes, but Bruce may prefer to contact her himself… if he trusts her enough.”

“Ugh. I’ll talk to him.” Dick sat up slowly. “He’s probably down in the cave again.”

“The screens will give you a headache.”

“I’m already on the way to another migraine anyway.” Dick stood up and stretched. A joint cracked. “Ooh, that was nice.”

“Should I come with you?”

“Probably not.” Dick leaned down to kiss him. “I’ll be a few minutes. Probably. If you could go check on Jason, that’d be great. He’s been more off than usual since he and Bruce talked yesterday.”

“I am not the right person to address the problem.” Tiger knew very little about their problems, with the obvious exception that Jason died, came back and wanted the Joker dead.

“You don’t need to talk about it.” Dick crossed to the door. “Just hang out with him or something. Please?”

Tiger sighed. “Fine.” Saying no to Dick was hard at the best of times. So while Dick headed to the Batcave, Tiger knocked on Jason’s door.

“I’m not here,” Jason said.

“That is not how it works,” Tiger replied.

“Whatever. Come in.”

Tiger pushed the door open. Jason was sitting on his bed, twisting a screwdriver into the side of his grapple launcher. His face had more colour in it than it had this morning.

“Feeling better?” Tiger said dryly.

Jason snorted. “You really want the answer to that?” He set down the launcher. “Dick put you up to this?”

“Yes.”

“Well, at least you’re honest.” Jason patted the bed. “May as well come here. Should we braid each other’s hair? Talk about boys?”

Tiger sat down. “Are those normal activities for you?”

“Nah, I normally just scroll Grindr in my boxers while watching soap reruns.”

“Riveting.”

Jason shrugged. “Most of us aren’t one half of a battle couple.”

“A what?”

Jason laughed. That seemed like a good thing, but Tiger didn’t know him well enough to be certain. Dick would probably like it.

“You and Dick. Battle couple. You know, if you were in a movie you’d be standing back-to-back with a cool pose ready to kick some ass.”

That forced a single, bitter laugh out of Tiger without his permission. “Maybe we were like that before we left Spyral.”

“And now?”

“I’m not sure either of us will ever fight again.”

Jason lifted a knee to his chest and rested his chin on it. “Okay, so maybe if we can’t find medicine for Dick, or if he doesn’t get better on his own… he might not make it back into the field. But what’s stopping you?”

“Are you sure you want to have this conversation?” Tiger hadn’t even talked about this properly with Dick. He wasn’t sure where he stood.

“I asked.” Jason fixed him with a steady stare. Tiger had read his file; he was meant to have bluer eyes than this, but they were a disconcerting teal-green. Perhaps it was the Lazarus Pit. Either way, his stare was… penetrating. Tiger found himself answering.

“I don’t enjoy battle as much as I once did,” he admitted. “I am also experiencing… ethical concerns.”

“About killing people?”

“Yes.”

Jason sighed. “Look. I might not be the best guy to give advice, but maybe you should train more with Bruce. He’s a piece of work, but he’s a master of nonlethal combat. And maybe he’ll grow the fuck up if you spend more time with him. Hasn’t worked for me, but…”

It was worth considering, but that wasn’t the only thing on Tiger’s mind. He wasn’t sure he had the mental strength to work in the field anymore. It was easy enough to think it, but saying it was another matter entirely.

Jason was still looking at him. “I’ll be level with you, Tiger. We can always use an extra pair of hands here, but we’re not hurting for help. There are some new kids on the block who help out here and there. If you wanted to join us, I’d welcome you. But… it’s not for everyone. And, honestly? Every time someone successfully retires from this life, that’s a good thing. It proves to the rest of us that it’s possible. Because for some of us, the thought of not going out there every night is unthinkable. I mean, we literally don’t know how we’d cope without it. It’s a fucking addiction. So if in the end you decide you don’t want to fight anymore? Good for fucking you.”

“You’ve thought about retiring?”

“When I’m really fucking drunk, usually.” Jason groaned, rubbing his face. “And sometimes when I’m hungover. But I don’t think I’m ready for that. You talked about this with Dick yet?”

“No.”

“I get it. He’s got his own shit going on. You should talk to him, though.”

“I might, once we know if his migraines are treatable. I do not wish to add to his worries.”

“Oh, for fuck’s sake. Dick likes it when you tell him shit. He’s like that with all of us.”

“Fine. If it comes up, I’ll tell him. If not…”

“Yeah, whatever. Don’t know why I bother giving you relationship advice anyway. What the hell do I know?”

“Aside from how Grindr works? I have no idea.”

Jason snorted. “Yeah, I set myself up for that one.”

 Dick almost took his sunglasses down into the Batcave, but then he wouldn’t be able to see shit. So he didn’t. Bruce was parked at the computer, frowning at the screen like he often did. He just looked like that, even when he wasn’t pissed.

“I used to think you were mad when you glared at the screen like that,” Dick said, leaning against a part of the computer that kept him mostly angled away from the worst parts of the screens.

“Hm.” Bruce pressed a button and the screens dimmed a little. “You did often ask what you’d done wrong when you were little.”

“Yeah, because I thought you were pissed at me.”

Bruce glanced up at him. “Stephanie tells me I have that kind of face.”

“Well, yeah. You do.”

Bruce’s concentration frown eased a little. “Better?”

“I mean, it’s like putting a band-aid on a bullet wound, but it’ll do.”

Bruce managed not to roll his eyes, but it did look like his soul left his body for a second. “Did you need something?”

“Tiger arranged a meeting with Checkmate. It’s during the day, so he was thinking Helena might make good backup instead of one of us. She’ll attract less attention.”

“And your thoughts?”

“I agree with him. Most of us are either too famous or too dead. And, I mean, a media frenzy about me taking my new boyfriend out on the town wouldn’t be the worst thing that’s ever happened, but I’m currently allergic to daylight, so…”

Bruce glared at his screen again, and this time he did seem irritated. “I’ll consider it. Cass or Stephanie are also an option.”

“We need Helena,” Dick said firmly. “If you want someone with her, that’s fine, but this is Tiger’s party. I think he should have a say in who gets invited.”

“Fine.”

“Fine?”

“Fine.”

“Okay.” That was easier than Dick had expected. “You know I get suspicious when you give in too easily, right?”

“I know.”

“I’m naming my next migraine after you.”

“I’m honoured.” Bruce typed something into the computer. “I imagine Tiger would prefer to contact Bertinelli himself, and that you intended to give him access to your communicator. You can give him one of the spares. Have Tim code it to give him a unique identifier.”

Dick would normally do it himself, but he couldn’t look at a screen for long enough. “Will do. What are you working on?”

“Updating crime files. Tim’s been playing with an electronic-paper display e-reader that you can use when your eyes are up to it. I’ll send some audio files if you like. The reader should nearly be ready for you.”

“Thanks.” That’d be easier on his head than a backlit screen, even if he still couldn’t use it when things got bad. “So.”

“Yes?”

“You knew Tiger was Checkmate.”

“Yes.”

“What gave it away?”

“Helena’s files on the Checkmate attack on Spyral were redacted, but I put the pieces together.” Bruce leaned back in his chair. “Tim may also have hacked into Checkmate’s systems temporarily. No identifying information, but it did confirm Checkmate had an agent inside Spyral. Tiger made the most sense, given all else I know about him.”

“So you didn’t actually know for certain.”

“I was certain enough.”

Bruce had been doing this work long enough to have developed a keen instinct for his things, so Dick couldn’t say that he was entirely surprised. He often uncovered the truth long before he had enough evidence to prove it. Dick had the same instincts, though he’d never claim they were as developed as Bruce’s were.

“Okay,” Dick said. “What are you going to do about it?”

“I haven’t decided.”

“Yeah, I’m gonna need some indication where your head’s at.”

Bruce switched off the computer screens and swivelled the chair to face Dick properly. “I don’t like being lied to. You know that. However, these past few months have demonstrated to me that a nuclear response is not the most effective.”

“No shit.” Dick couldn’t keep the bitterness from his voice.

“So, he was going to kill Bertinelli?”

“It wasn’t personal. And he backed off as soon as I’d resolved the situation myself.”

“By taking Daedalus into your own head and kicking him out, yes. I read your report.” Bruce actually cracked a smile. “That sounds like you.”

“Believe me, I would’ve tried it again if I’d had the strength for it.”

“Hm.” Bruce rubbed his jaw. “That is the other problem. Whether it was intended or not, he did kill Agent 8 and lie about it.”

“No, he let us lie about it for him. It might not make a difference to you, but it does to me. And he did save my life, so…”

Bruce’s frown came back. “Yes. I’m aware. That makes it more difficult.”

“He wants to change, Bruce. He’s been trying. I don’t know if he even wants to do field work anymore, but he should train with us. Cass learned better. So can he.”

“I’ll consider it. After he meets Checkmate.”

“Fine. But I’m gonna tell Cass, and she’ll hold you to it.”

Bruce chuckled. “Clever.”

“It’s been known to happen.”

“I’m aware. I trained you.” Bruce got up. “How are you feeling? Up to some training?”

“Keep the lights down and we’ll find out.” Dick had missed the exercise, and it wasn’t every day he got to train with Bruce anymore.

It probably wouldn’t be a long session, but Dick could use some endorphins. Maybe a little adrenaline wouldn’t go amiss either. Lying around anticipating his next migraine had left him with a sense of lethargy. It took everything in him not to broadcast that to the world, but it was there.

Bruce kept the lights in the training ring dim, but enough to see by. They wrapped their hands and warmed up. Dick’s joints complained a little after so much inactivity, but they loosened up as he worked them.

“Tell me about Agent 8,” Bruce said once they were warm and facing each other.

“What’s there to tell that isn’t in my reports?” Dick jabbed lightly.

Bruce dodged. “I want to hear it from you.” He jabbed back. “Everything.”

Dick blocked; it hadn’t been a powerful hit. “Well, her name was Alia. She’s—she was—from Smallville.” He hit back.

Bruce blocked him. “And yet it appears she knew little of Superman.”

“He’d probably moved to Metropolis by the time she was old enough to think about it.” Dick dodged another strike. “I’m not sure of her age. Anyway, she was Tiger’s mission partner when I arrived.” He struck, and Bruce blocked him. “I worked with them on the Old Gun mission. This was before Tiger would give me the time of day.”

“Hate at first sight?” Bruce kicked.

Dick dodged. “Funny. I made some mistakes on that mission, so Tiger had to save my ass. He was… displeased. Alia yelled at me a bit, but we still got along pretty well. If you, uh, know what I mean.”

Bruce paused, sighing. “Really, Dick?”

“You have a literal child with Talia al Ghul. Don’t judge me.”

“Hn. Point taken.” Bruce increased the pace of his jabs. Dick was still keeping up, which was nice. “So, she faked her death at the end of that mission.”

“Yeah. And then Tiger and I got partnered together, which was, uh, not ideal. Until we worked it out.” Dick tried something a little flashier, ducking under Bruce’s punch and kicking the back of his knee.

Bruce stumbled but corrected. “Good work.”

“Thanks.” Dick had to dodge another punch. “Alia was working for Dr Netz and Daedalus the whole time. She masqueraded as me and killed spies who were meant to be off-limits. Helena thought it was Tiger doing it for a while, so I may have punched him in the face and abandoned him on her orders. But then Alia lured Tiger to Italy to kill him. I got there in time but lost the fight. She was still pretending to be me, so I hadn’t quite put it all together at that point. She used a Hypnos kill switch to take me down.”

“And then Tiger led Helena to believe Checkmate was behind all this?”

“Yeah. Not sure why. I guess he let Alia go so he could try to track her movements, or maybe she manipulated his affection for her.” Dick tried for another feint, but Bruce anticipated him and hit him in the stomach. Dick backed off, bending over to suck in air.

“When do you think Daedalus possessed her?”

Dick straightened, taking one last deep breath. “After she faked her death. Less scrutiny.”

“I agree.” Bruce adjusted the bandages on his right hand. “Had enough?”

“Normally I’d say no, but…”

“Better safe than sorry.” Bruce unwrapped his bandages. “You’ll need a good cooldown.”

Dick freed his hands from the wrappings and threw them at Bruce. “Duh.”

They stretched together, massaging aches out of their muscles as they went.

“One thing I don’t understand is how Tiger went from hating you, to, well…”

“Being here?” Dick laughed. “What can I say? I’m a charmer.”

Bruce just looked at him.

“Okay, fine. I’m going to redact some details because talking about sex with you is still fucking weird, but…” Dick lay on his back in a semi-supine position and took a few breaths to get his heart rate back down. “It’s a good story. Starts with me nearly falling out of a window, to being fake-married in suburbia, to the weirdest debrief with Helena I’ve had in my life. Get comfortable.”

Bruce and Dick weren’t really the type to talk about relationships with each other, but maybe that needed to change. Dick was willing to try if Bruce was.

So Dick told his story and Bruce listened.

At the end of it, Bruce helped Dick to his feet. They’d been down here a while.

“Tiger should ask Alfred if he can help in the garden,” Bruce said.

“That’s your takeaway?”

“I have a lot of takeaways. I’m just saying Tiger could use an outlet and he seemed to enjoy gardening.”

Bruce wasn’t wrong, but…

“I never thought you’d be giving mental health advice, Bruce.”

“I’m trying new things.” Bruce clapped his shoulder. “Look. I know I’ve dragged my feet on this matter. I don’t like change.”

“Everyone knows that, B.”

Bruce frowned at him. “Respect your elders.”

“Too late.”

Bruce threw that topic away and kept going with his original point. “What I mean to say is, I trust your judgment. Tiger has been very helpful in the short time he’s been with us. I’m not going to pretend I’m comfortable with his past, but I understand I have been harsher than I needed to be.”

Dick didn’t need to say anything. He could feel his opinions beaming out from his eyes, and Bruce was able to read them.

“Yes, I know I’m stating the obvious, Dick. I’m trying to say Tiger can stay here as long as he likes.”

“Good,” Dick replied. “Because if he goes, I go.” He smiled, and knew it was the most passive-aggressive smile he’d ever given anyone in this family. “Just so we’re clear.”

“Message received. Now stop smiling like that. It doesn’t suit you.”

“Yeah, yeah. I’m gonna take a shower.” But Dick paused halfway up the stairs. “Oh, and you might want to tell Tiger all this. I could talk to him, but he’ll believe it more if he hears if from you. Just saying.”

“We’ll talk when there’s time,” Bruce promised. “Now go drink some water.”

Dick rolled his eyes. It hurt a bit, which wasn’t a good sign. But at least he’d accomplished something today. There were enough problems without Bruce and Tiger being at each other’s throats.

He kept walking.

“Oh, and Dick?”

He paused.

“You were right to be angry,” Bruce said, barely loud enough to hear. “I did not anticipate I would suddenly be unavailable to you while you were undercover. That was an oversight, but I have always trusted you to think for yourself. You relied on your instincts to see you through to the end. I am proud of you.”

That was nice, but the delay stung. “It would’ve been nice to hear that months ago, Bruce.”

“I know.” Bruce looked steadily at him. “I’m sorry.”

Dick had hoped, but doubted, he would ever hear Bruce say those words. A small part of him wanted to reject the apology and wallow in his anger some more, but the more mature side of him prevailed. Dick could hold a grudge with the best of them, but it never felt good.

He breathed. “Okay. Thank you.”

[urfavmurtad]

It’s Ramadan.... what a blessed time to celebrate Mohammed’s own family getting repeatedly fucked over by the caliphate. Let us continue The Death of Crazy Mo.

CHAPTER 2: FAMILY MATTERS

There are three intertwining subplots at this point in the story. The first is the ongoing Islamic conquests, which are still happening but have been somewhat interrupted by the second subplot: not everyone brought into the loving embrace of Islam by Mohammed’s men wants to remain within its fold. There is a real possibility of the caliphate breaking apart before it even expands outside of Arabia. Actually, it’s not a “possibility”–it’s already happening.

Ibn Ishaq’s sira, written around 750 AD and the oldest text of Islamic history available to us, concludes with Mohammed’s death. It ends with two mourning poems, prefaced by this ominous note:

“I was told that the last injunction the apostle gave was in his words, ‘Let not two religions be left in the Arabian peninsula’. Aisha used to say: ‘When the apostle died, the Arabs apostatized and Christianity and Judaism raised their heads and disaffection appeared. The Muslims became as sheep exposed to rain on a winter’s night through the loss of their prophet until God united them under Abu Bakr.’"

These incidents of mass apostasy will come to be known as the Ridda (apostasy) Wars, and Abu Bakr will spend most of his time as caliph trying to get the lost sheep back in line. It is the first warning sign that the early caliphs will not actually enjoy their jobs very much.

The final subplot, bubbling under the surface, is the still-unresolved issue with the Banu Hashim. When we left our heroes, Abu Bakr had just been declared the caliph and Mohammed had been buried, in that order. So how do Ali & Friends feel about all this?

Well… not too happy, is the obvious answer. Upon learning that the issue of Mohammed’s succession has been resolved without their input, the Banu Hashim are rather sulky. A hadith describes Ali indicating his displeasure with the whole process to Abu Bakr a few months after this:

“We know well your superiority and what Allah has given you, and we are not jealous of the good what Allah has bestowed upon you, but you did not consult us in the question of the rule and we thought that we have got a right in it because of our near relationship to [Mohammed]."

The same hadith says that Ali “had not given the oath of allegiance” to Abu Bakr for six months following Mohammed’s death, and another hadith states that the rest of the Banu Hashim also avoided pledging fealty to Abu Bakr. They weren’t openly agitating against his rule, but they also weren’t sanctioning it by giving an oath of fealty. The message was clear: Ali and the rest of the Banu Hashim felt  robbed of their rights. Even if being related to Mohammed wasn’t enough to confer the right to rule, it at least conferred the right to decide on the ruler, in their eyes. And Abu Bakr and Umar denied them even that.

Given the delicate nature of the situation, Abu Bakr decides that it’s preferable to just leave the Banu Hashim alone to sulk, so long as they’re not openly opposing him. He knows that engaging in a PR battle (or worse: an actual battle) with Mohammed’s extended family literally immediately after his death is unlikely to positively impact his image. Abu Bakr does, however, feel entitled to the support of his own extended family. Nearly all of them support him already, but there are two holdouts named Talha and Zubayr, with the former being a member of Abu Bakr’s clan and the latter being Abu Bakr’s dumbass son-in-law via his other daughter, Asma. Al-Tabari’s account describes them neglecting to pledge allegiance to Abu Bakr and instead visiting Ali’s house, presumably to grumble about recent events for whatever reason. (As we will later see, both of these guys were opportunists–they weren’t loyal to Ali, but they were happy to ally with him if they thought they would get something out of it.) Umar responds to the situation with his usual tact and grace.

Talhah, al-Zubayr, and some of the [others were] in the house (with Ali). 'Umar cried out, "By God, either you come out to render the oath of allegiance [to Abu Bakr], or l will set the house on fire.” Al-Zubayr came out with his sword drawn. As he stumbled [upon something], the sword fell from his hand, so they jumped over him and seized him.

This story is highly dramatized by many sources, in which Umar actually does set the house on fire, or barges into the house and hurts Fatima in the process, or something similarly outrageous. Those accounts aren’t reliable, but the event itself is mentioned by authors who had no real reason to depict either Abu Bakr or Umar as evil, and Zubayr aligning himself with Ali is something found in strongly-sourced reports. So this may well have actually happened, and if it did, it certainly did not make the Banu Hashim any happier with the way things were going in the caliphate.

Another, more minor problem adds to the Banu Hashim’s  sense of victimhood. Mohammed had owned many pieces of property, and now that he’s dead, his relatives want to inherit those lands. The properties are located in multiple different areas, but the prime land is in a Jewish-majority cluster of cities that had been conquered by the Muslims a few years earlier. It’s rich agricultural land, and it’s extremely valuable in Arabia’s desert climate. Some of Mo’s widows ask Abu Bakr for it, and their requests are denied. Both Fatima and Abbas also request a share of the inheritance. Abu Bakr rejects their petitions.

Fatima and Al-`Abbas came to Abu Bakr, claiming their inheritance of the Prophet’s land of Fadak and his share from Khaibar. Abu Bakr said, “I heard the Prophet (ﷺ) saying, 'Our property is not inherited, and whatever we leave is to be given in charity. But the family of Muhammad can take their sustenance from this property.’ By Allah, I would love to do good to the Kith and kin of Allah’s Apostle rather than to my own Kith and kin.”

“So....” says Fatima.

“So,” agrees Abu Bakr.

“My father is dead.”

“It would seem thus.”

“It says here that when someone’s parents die, their children should inherit a significant portion of their wealth.”

“And?”

“And I am my father’s only surviving child?”

“...and?”

“........and I should inherit from him because of that??”

“Oooooh! Lol sorry I didn’t get where you were going with this. Look, that’s what it says in the Quran, you’re right. But the Amendments to the Quran state--”

“The... the fucking what? The Quran was supposed to have been created before humanity, and it has amendments?”

“Ma’am, I don’t make the rules. As I was saying, the Amendments to the Quran state that these rules actually do not apply if one’s father was a prophet. All the wealth and property owned by prophets is transferred to the state after their deaths, according to clause 5633§26. See?”

Fatima squints at Abu Bakr’s copy of An Idiot’s Guide to the Stuff Allah Forgot to Put in the Quran. In green crayon, someone has written “moe’s agricultural land belongs to the caliphate now -allah”.

This is evidently news to the Banu Hashim, and many of them plainly do not believe that this is what Mohammed actually would have wanted. Now they feel robbed in a political sense and in an economic sense.

On the face of it, this seems way less contentious than the whole succession thing, and it mostly is. But there is one detail that inflates its importance. Fatima is genuinely pissed off at Abu Bakr for rebuffing her, to the point that she holds a grudge against him and doesn’t even speak to him for the rest of her life.

So she became angry with Abu Bakr and kept away from him, and did not [talk] to him till she died.

This is not, as it turns out, a long period of time. Fatima dies around six months after Mohammed, probably of the same infection that killed him. Stress and a lack of self-care due to grief are sometimes also said to be the cause of her death, while some Shia traditions attribute it to miscarriage-related complications or (more dubiously) violence at the hands of Umar. No one really knows for sure, but the last of Mohammed’s children is now dead.

This might surprise non-Muslims, but the reality is that very little is said about any of Mohammed’s daughters in reputable sources. His middle daughters Roqaya and Umm Kulthum might as well not even exist for how little they’re mentioned; his oldest daughter Zaynab has a biography totaling perhaps two paragraphs. Even Fatima, the youngest and the only one who outlived him, is mentioned in only four or five anecdotes over the entire course of her life in reputable sources, one of which is the inheritance incident. They presumably played some important role in early Islam, at least among young Muslim women, but that’s never actually said.

But it is at least clear that Fatima was held in high honor by the Muslim community after Mohammed’s death, being his only surviving child and all. Also, Mohammed had specifically told people to never make her angry. (Funnily enough, this was prompted by something Ali did–he was considering taking a second wife and Mo said no because he didn’t want to upset Fatima, making poor Ali the only Muslim man forced into monogamy! ...well, ignoring his sex slaves, so... a-anyway...)

Fatima is a part of me, and he who makes her angry, makes me angry.

If you’re a Muslim who believes that everything Mohammed said was true, and you know that Abu Bakr made Fatima upset, then how can you avoid the conclusion that this situation would displease Mohammed? And by extension, how could you avoid thinking that something in the new caliphate’s milk ain’t clean? Even if you think Abu Bakr is the rightful caliph, and even if you’ve never really given any thought to the Banu Hashim’s temper tantrum, this still might give you pause. That perhaps explains why Fatima and the Banu Hashim’s refusal to swear loyalty to the empire’s new leader in a time of war–which is ordinarily insubordination, if not worse–was something that many people frowned at, but ultimately let slide.

But the sympathy train can’t last forever. And now that Fatima is dead, the Banu Hashim have lost their prophet-approved excuse for holding out on Abu Bakr. They have to rethink their strategy, and fast.

So after she dies, a clearly pissed-off Ali buries her by himself, without Abu Bakr’s involvement. It’s hard to tell that snub was due to Fatima’s own wishes or Ali’s. Regardless, keeping the caliph away from the funeral of the prophet’s kid is A Choice.

When she died, her husband `Ali buried her at night without informing Abu Bakr and he said the funeral prayer by himself.

This was essentially the end of an era for Ali. The day he put Fatima in her grave was the last day he could get away with feuding with the caliph, and he knew it. The above hadith continues:

When Fatima was alive, the people used to respect `Ali much, but after her death, `Ali noticed a change in the people’s attitude towards him.

Times are tense in Medina: the Ridda Wars are ongoing at this point, the caliphate has fallen apart, and this feud is no longer cute in the people’s eyes. The general population may have looked the other way when Fatima was alive, owing to Mohammed’s own instructions, but now she’s dead and people think it’s time for the Banu Hashim to grow the fuck up. The negative change in people’s attitudes is evidently immediate, so the Banu Hashim, deprived of what little support they had, effectively surrender.

So `Ali sought reconciliation with Abu Bakr and gave him an oath of allegiance. `Ali had not given the oath of allegiance during those months (i.e. the period between the Prophet’s death and Fatima’s death). `Ali sent someone to Abu Bakr … So Abu Bakr entered upon them

Ali explains why he’d delayed swearing allegiance for so long and tells Abu Bakr how aggrieved the Banu Hashim have been feeling over everything that’s happened. Abu Bakr doesn’t apologize, but strikes a conciliatory tone, letting bygones be bygones.

And when Abu Bakr spoke, he said, “By Him in Whose Hand my soul is to keep good relations with the relatives of Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) is dearer to me than to keep good relations with my own relatives. But as for the trouble which arose between me and you about his property, I will do my best to spend it according to what is good”

Later that day, Ali finally publicly swears allegiance to Abu Bakr, ending the feud. The rest of the Banu Hashim follow him, and the people of Medina stop giving them the cold shoulder.

On that `Ali said to Abu Bakr, "I promise to give you the oath of allegiance in this after noon.” So when Abu Bakr had offered the Zuhr prayer, he ascended the pulpit and uttered the Tashah-hud and then mentioned the story of `Ali and his failure to give the oath of allegiance, and excused him, accepting what excuses he had offered; Then `Ali (got up) [and] praised Abu Bakr’s right …

On that all the Muslims became happy and said, “You have done the right thing.” The Muslims then became friendly with `Ali as he returned to what the people had done (i.e. giving the oath of allegiance to Abu Bakr).

This is the end of the drama between the Banu Hashim and Abu Bakr. It is not the end of the drama regarding the Banu Hashim in general, and while they may have publicly forgiven Abu Bakr for “usurping” their rights, they certainly have not forgotten it. Ali himself may be playing nice for now, but he and Abu Bakr aren’t friends, and Ali isn’t friends with anyone in Abu Bakr’s circle, either. Especially not Aisha, who has loathed him ever since his involvement in a romance subplot straight out of a shitty show on The CW. These issues will all come to a head later on. The true beginning of the Shia-Sunni split, you see, didn’t happen right after Mohammed died. It happened years later, and it was an absolute disaster involving civil war, assassinations, and lots of tears. We will shortly see that the real Miracle Of Islam is that these people’s empire didn’t disintegrate due to their headassery.

Relatedly, you may have noticed that some of the people I listed in the cast of characters last time, namely the Banu Umayya, have been awfully quiet throughout all this inter-Quraysh drama. Where are they? Well… they’re around. Watching.

But for the moment, there are bigger issues, namely a bunch of people who have declared themselves prophets and amassed large groups of armed followers. What a bunch of lunatics, who would even think of such a thing??

[thetruthseekerway]

From Atheism to Christianity to Islam

New Post has been published on https://www.truth-seeker.info/guided-atheists/from-atheism-to-islam-2/

From Atheism to Christianity to Islam

By Truth Seeker Staff

From Atheism to Christianity to Islam

Step by step, I learned that Islam is not a militant religion.

I once knew an atheist who claimed he had never believed in God’s existence. In his view, believers were supposed to be people of weak character who felt the necessity to find a crutch for their inability and laziness, so they attended church. He felt agitated if, when debating religion, he could not persuade the opponent with his arguments. He despised believers in an almost hysterical way. He had, however, a very good friend who believed in God. They agreed to refrain from discussing religion whenever together.

One day this man, probably in a rare moment of weakness, accepted the invitation of his friend to visit his church. To himself, he laughed at the thought of speaking out in the middle of mass and laughing and pointing his finger at the believers from the pulpit. However, as we know, God works in mysterious ways. He went to church, stood in the back benches, and stared at the people praying.

The mass service started and he gave all of them a sarcastic glance. Then the sermon began, lasting about 15 minutes. Suddenly, in the middle of the sermon, tears welled in his eyes. A strange feeling of joy and happiness washed away his animosity, a feeling that engulfed his entire body. After mass, the two friends left together. They were silent until the moment they were to part ways, when he asked his friend whether they could go to church together again. They agreed to go again the next day.

It’s possible some of you might have guessed that I was that stubborn atheist. I had felt nothing but contempt and hatred towards people of faith. But after that sermon in 1989, when the priest discussed how we should not judge others if we don’t want to be judged, my life suddenly took a dramatic turn.

I started attending church services regularly and was thirsty for any information on God and Jesus Christ. I took part in meetings with Christian youngsters where we exchanged our spiritual experiences. I felt resurrected. Suddenly I felt the need to be in the company of believers. I needed to make up for the past 18 years.

I was brought up in an atheist family, who except for having me baptized, did not exercise any attempt to guide my spiritual development. I remember being in sixth grade when a comrade was sent by the Communist Party to explain to us why God does not exist. I remember myself absorbing his every word. In my case, I needed no convincing. I believed everything he said. His arrogance, contempt, and hatred towards believers became mine. But now I had to make up for all those years.

I met with a priest and others who guided me in this new direction. I was full of so many questions, to which they responded. Later, I was to realize a big mistake: I accepted everything without contemplation or reflection. I could say that they explained things to me in a ‘take-it-as-is’ manner, but that would not be fair to them. It was, in fact, my mistake. I didn’t reflect upon their words, nor did I think critically. This would cause me a lot of complications later. In retrospect, I believe an important factor that influenced my behavior was age. I was too young to properly comprehend matters so serious and complicated as faith.

I wished to become a good Christian, and God knows I tried very hard. Yet over time, I could not reconcile the contradictions found in the Bible, such as the divine nature of Prophet Jesus and the concept of inherited sin. Priests tried to respond to my questions, but eventually, their patience began to run thin. I was told that such matters should be accepted on faith, and that these questions were a waste of time and would only serve to distance me from God. Till this day, I recall myself quarreling with a spiritual leader, an event that restarted my self-destructive tendencies. Maybe I wasn’t right after all. I was young.

How I Became Muslim

My path toward Islam wasn’t easy at all. You may think that since I was disappointed with Christianity, I would have immediately accepted Islam as my faith. This could have been very simple, but all I knew about Islam at the time were things like Muslims refer to God as Allah, they read the Qur’an instead of the Bible, and they worship somebody called Muhammad. Also, I think I was not yet ready to accept Islam.

So I withdrew from the church community and claimed to be a soloist Christian. I found out, however, that even though I didn’t miss the community of believers or church, God was ‘settled’ so deep in my heart that I couldn’t let Him go. I didn’t even try. Quite the opposite. I felt happy to have God around and hoped He was on my side.

Later I began to engage in one stupidity after another, living a life of luxury and lust. I did not realize that such a road would lead me away from God and towards hell. A friend of mine says that you need to hit rock bottom in order to feel the ground beneath your feet. This is exactly what happened to me. I fell really deep. I can just imagine how Satan must have been waiting for me with open arms, but God did not give up on me and gave me another chance.

In July 2001, I met a young man from Iraq. His name was Ibrahim. We very quickly struck up a conversation. He told me that he was Muslim, and I responded that I was Christian. I was worried that my being Christian would be a problem, but I was wrong. I was glad to be wrong. It was interesting that I did not want to become Muslim and he did not try to convert me.

Although I considered Muslims an exotic group, I had been interested to learn more about Islam. It was a good opportunity to learn more. I realized that I had in front of me a man who could teach me a lot about Islam, so I mustered the courage to ask him to do just that. That was my first meeting with Islam, indeed my first step. After some time we parted ways, and I did not see him again, but the seed had been sown.

I remember once reading an interview with Mohammad Ali Silhavy (an old Czech Muslim) and being eager to find his address and write him a letter. Then came September 11. Because of the political climate, I thought it might not be an appropriate time to contact Mr. Silhavy. So I found myself at a dead end.

About two months later, I found the courage to write a long letter to Mr. Silhavy. After a while he replied and sent a package including Islamic literature and leaflets. He told me that he had informed the Islamic Foundation in Prague about me and asked them to send me the translation of the Qur’an. So this was my beginning. Step by step, I learned that not only is Islam not a militant religion, but to the contrary, it is a religion of peace. My questions were answered.

Because of certain circumstances, it wasn’t until three years later that I decided to visit Mr. Silhavy. He showed a lot of patience while explaining to me different issues, and suggested that I visit the mosque of Brno (Czech Republic). When I went to the mosque of Brno, I was afraid that I would be seen as a stranger, an outsider. How surprised I was to find quite the opposite. I met K. and L., who were the first persons to help me. Of course, I met other brothers who welcomed me in the warmest possible way.

I began to delve into all aspects of Islam, and found how understandable and logical Islam is. I gradually started to learn how to pray, and today I master Prayer with no problem, even in Arabic. I gave up a bad habit of mine that was not compatible with Islam. I was a gambler and a very good one indeed. It was a difficult struggle with myself, but with God’s help I won that battle.

If I ever doubted my interest in Islam or whether I could live as a Muslim, I know now that my interest is permanent and I consider myself one of them. Maybe it looks very simple, but again with God’s help I won this internal struggle. I thought carefully before I definitively decided to embrace Islam. To be honest, throughout 2003 and the beginning of 2004, I was not completely sure if I could manage this. Finally I decided definitively. I am not that young man from the early ’90s anymore.

That’s why today I feel very happy that I am Muslim. I finally feel free. I still have my imperfections but I am trying to improve upon them. I believe that God will help me. Now, listen to what I want to tell you and consider this my obligation: I believe in my heart and declare by word that there is no other god but God and Muhammad is God’s Messenger.

________________

Source: www.Onislam.net. 

[quranreadalong]

#191, Surah 39

THE QURAN READ-ALONG: DAY 191

I’m curious to see where we’ll be at day #200. Inshallah, it will be a surah better than this one. Surah 39 is called Az-Zumar (“The Groups” or “The Companies”... of disbelievers being driven into hell), it comes from the mid-Mecca days and it is a skippable surah in the sense that there ain’t anything in here we haven’t seen before. The entire thing is one long kuffar hell counter hit.

Well.... let’s do this. Again.

The Quran is from Allah, and it was sent to Mohammed so he could tell everyone the “truth”. The truth in question is that Allah is the only god, and Allah will judge those liars who believe otherwise at the end of the world. Riveting.

This surah might be a bit light on the commentary, given how much of it is just repeated material. Let’s see if we have anything to work with here... 39:4:

If Allah had willed to choose a son, He could have chosen what He would of that which He hath created.

Allah could have made someone his son, but he didn’t, because he didn’t want to share his Netflix account with any family members. We’ve seen this reference to Allah’s non-son before. Sometimes it’s in reference to Christians (Jesus), and in Mohammed’s delusional mind it could also be a reference to Jews (remember the Ezra thing from surah 9?). But this is a Meccan surah, directed at polytheists... and the Quran implies that the polytheists believed Allah only had daughters, not sons. So who is the son of Allah that Mohammed is ranting about here?

If you remember surah 6, which is also a Meccan surah but may have some ayat from Medina stuck in it, we came across this:

Yet they ascribe as partners unto Him the jinn, although He did create them, and impute falsely, without knowledge, sons and daughters unto Him.

Who ascribes sons and daughters to Allah? Disbelievers in general, including Christians and Jews? It doesn’t give the identity of the evildoers in question, so we don’t know. Like I said in surah 37, the relationships between all the gods of the pre-Islamic pantheon remain obscure because of how little was written down--the Quran tells us that Allah+Allat+Manat+al-Uzza were a family, but nothing beyond that. A later verse in the Quran implies that the polytheists believed Allah had a wife or multiple wives, the mothers of his daughters, and their identities are also unknown. So it’s possible Allah was believed to have a son, or multiple sons, maybe including Hubal or one of the other gods popular in the area. Or the verse is just complaining about Christians and Jews. We dunno!

Moving on, Allah made the heavens and earth and night and day etc. He also created humanity and... eight types of farm animals. (Ibn Kathir says this means “a pair of sheep, a pair of goats, a pair of camels and a pair of oxen”). Some people are nonetheless insufficiently thankful towards Allah, and this displeases him. Allah is especially displeased by people who only pray to Allah in bad times, and pray to other gods in good times. Our first kuffar hell counter (1) hit follows that:

Take pleasure in thy disbelief a while. Lo! thou art of the owners of the Fire.

Bad, the rest so far is neutral. Allah also reminds us that those who pray to him are not equal to those who do not, which is his typical nonsense, but then adds that good Muslims will be rewarded with jannah, which is good.

Mohammed finishes up today’s section in 39:11 by informing us for the seven thousandth time that Allah has commanded him to be a Muslim--the Muslim--not a polytheist. Allah will punish him with The Doom if he disobeys this order, so he must obey and worship Allah alone. Mohammed’s dramatic ass pretending to threaten himself is neutral.

NEXT TIME: Doom, fire, woe, hell, etc.

The Quran Read-Along: Day 191

Ayat: 14

Good: 1 (39:10)

Neutral: 12 (39:1-7, 39:9, 39:11-14)

Bad: 1 (39:8)

Kuffar hell counter: 1 (39:8)

⇚ previous day | next day ⇛

[thoughtdumpshitposts]

Emotional Breakdowns Lead To Passably Poetic Ramblings

26.06.21

word count: 2.15K

I never write because I need everything I write to be evocative. I need it to be painful. What's the point of writing something if the reader doesn't hurt? It hurt me to write this, and I hope it hurts you to read.

I've always imagined putting my thoughts into words, but I don't know if I want them to be on paper or my phone. Digital is easy, it's good, it's clean. It's easy to edit, to navigate, to save; it'll probably live on forever. It won't erode and disappear like the writing journal I had for six years, eaten away by the same termites who ate my entire closet from the inside. His name was Reggie, and he deserved better. I'd kept him safe in the closet, but I learnt too late that nothing was safe in the closet. Nothing physical, existing is ever safe from the World and it's beasts – Man or insect.

But paper is personal, it's real. It's beautiful. Sure, sometimes my brain and heart think of words faster than my hands can keep up, and the words are barely legible and my hand-writing's not pretty anyway, but that's the beauty of it. That's what makes it mine. But someone I know can stumble upon these words and read the truth of my existence. But maybe I want them to stumble upon it, one day. Maybe I want them to find my words and understand, really understand, who I was and what I am and what I kept locked up inside of me. That I wasn't some selfish, ill-mannered brat. That I really loved them, but sometimes it was hard. My mother always tells me no one can ever trust anyone but family, that even if she screams and shouts and scolds at first, at the end of the day she'll always have my back, and I know that's the truth.

But my cousin molested my other cousins and I, and she cried when she found out after years because she had to hear it from the other side of the family, and she cried because she'd told me so many times that she'll always have my back if something like that happened to me and she keeps saying family and family and family, and trust and trust and trust and how family is my parents and brothers and that's all we can ever trust but how do I tell her that the reason I said nothing when my cousin did it was because I was used to staying silent when my brother did? It's all so funny because I was blessed enough to have been born to parents who would never blame me for being abused in a society in which the blame- and shame-game is prevalent, but what do you do when the victim is your daughter and the abuser is your son – your firstborn, the first "nawasa" in the family, your pride and joy, the prince charming. You've loved him for seven more years than you've loved me. I understand. You don't deserve to suffer the truth. I saw how you were when you found out the truth about the cousin, I remember the things you said about family and trust. I know you have your own issues. You don't deserve to suffer. You don't. I love you all. So much. So so much. I won't let you suffer. I won't let you be the collateral to his sins. I'll protect you, and you'll never know.

And I'm okay, so why would I say anything? When we're happy and whole and great? Why would I say anything when I'm actually, genuinely fine and unaffected? Why would I ruin us? How could I say anything? And I'm fine, I really am. I'm okay. And I know my friends think I'm gaslighting myself when I say that I'm fine and it hasn't effected me much and it wasn't that bad because I was never actually physically hurt, but it's true. I'm used to laughing and loving the people I hate. I'm used to hating the people I love without an ounce of real hatred. I know what it sounds like, but it really isn't that way. It's okay. I'm okay, and no one should worry, even if sometimes I want everyone to worry. Even if sometimes I want everyone's pity and attention and love and sympathy, and I want them to hurt for me, like I hurt for the people I love. Sometimes I just want validation, I want people to know everything so they understand me. But everyone wants to be understood, so that's nothing special. I'm okay, and that is the only thing what matters.

I wasn't raped; I was molested. There's a difference.

I wasn't raped, and honestly I only remember a few instances with clarity. Everything else is a blur – it's all just snippets and flashes of memory spun together to make a vague, dramatic montage. But I wasn't ever physically hurt, and of course I know that it was still terrible and horrible and I didn't deserve it, but understand that it wasn't as bad as it sounds. I'm fine and genuinely, actually okay and I'm only affected when I have a mental breakdown, but that's almost always because I'm pms-ing. And it hasn't happened in a while now. It stopped. I think it's been four years? And it happened for five? six? I was 9 or 10 when it started? And he was 16 or 17? Okay, that – Oh, God oh fuck that sounds bad doesn't it? I'm 18. My younger brother is 10. I couldn't imagine– I can't. God.

But it actually wasn't as bad as it sounds. I was asleep – of course I wasn't asleep (but I think sometimes I must've been? I don't know) – but I was "asleep" when he did what he did. And he did do a lot, to be honest. His hands, everywhere on me. His mouth – everywhere. His–

Why is it so hard to write? I think it's harder to write than it is to think and speak of it.

But I don't know what happened to me. I don't know. I don't remember what happened. I wish I'd kept a better record, but I didn't. Oh, I remember a lot of things that happened, but I don't remember it all. I wish I did but I really don't. I wish I could read and revisit and do a shitty psychoanalysis of him. But I can't, and now he's the only one who knows what really happened, and I'll have to live with it.

There were no words. Never any words, never any pain. So again, I'm fine, and I'm okay. And he's great and fun and funny and I love him and I care about him and I'm always joking with him and he's a terrible person and I hate him and I wish I knew how his brain works and what he was thinking and still thinks and I'll never forgive him, but it's okay. It's really okay. As long as I was the only one who suffered. As long as I'm the only one who continues to suffer for my silence.

I think the only reason I still think about it so much is because I never got closure. I never got an explanation. I never understood why. I don't know if he's an irredeemable monster or if he at least feels guilty. I don't know what he was thinking, because there were never any words. And I'm glad there weren't any words and I was "asleep" because it makes it easier to interact with him and pretend it never happened, that it was someone else and everything's still okay.

But there were never any words, so I don't have anything to work with. Nothing to draw conclusions from, nothing to psychoanalyze him with. I don't know what he was thinking, I don't know what happened. I want closure, I want to understand. But I'm scared of whatever will lead up to the conversation, and the conversation itself. I'm scared of the acknowledgment and how it'll change everything irrevocably. I'm scared of getting closure, but I need it too. I need to understand.

Did you feel bad? Did you think of how it'll hurt me? Did it hurt you? Or were you indifferent to it all? Did you just not care or –fuck–was it some big joke? Was it funny? Was it amusing? Do you feel entitled to me? How fucking dare you? How could you? How fucking could you? You loved me. You were great to me, you still are sometimes. You're my big brother, man. I loved you. I love you. You were supposed to be my hero and I fucking swear to God you were. What the fuck happened to you? What made you this way? How could you do that to me? How could you do that and still look at me in the fucking eye? How? Why? I deserve to know.

But please don't tell me. I don't know what I'll do if I find out the extent of your monstrosity. I don't want you to fall even lower. I like to think you can't, but I know that's not true. Especially after what I learnt about Z- There's always room to fall.

But anyway – Reggie. I'd been brave enough to write a chapter of my life for the first time in that journal. It was the last story Reggie got to know. I'd never been brave enough to actually write about how I'd been hurt. I could never even write his name when I tried to make a record of what I went through – I was always smart (or sentimental?) enough to try and and keep a record, some proof, dated and organized. I was smart enough – but not brave. Maybe because my coping mechanism was pretending he was two different people, or maybe because writing it would make it real; I'd lived long enough without acknowledging it (even more so without understanding it), maybe if I ignored it long enough it would just go away. But the story I wrote in it wasn't even about that exactly. It was an older story; It was about how all of it might've been my fault. About how maybe I was always a fucked up child. But the story also brings me comfort – it reminds me that I've always been me, that the person I am today is because of the person I always was. That there was no influence that made me this way. I am what I was.

The termites consuming Reggie also reminded me of the old Islamic story about how the Boycott of Banu Hashim ended – the parchment holding the banishment declaration by the Meccans had been eaten by termites, except for the word Allah – the name of God. I thought it'd be interesting if this was God's way of sending me some message I have yet to decipher.

But I don't believe in God. Maybe life would've been easier if I did; if I could have found peace in He who I could not see, could not touch. If I could've found the same relief that my friends and family find in His words, His presence.

But I never felt His presence. I tried, I really did (maybe I didn't, maybe I should've tried harder?). During my last try, I made the resolution to offer all my prayers one Ramadan. I thought if I manage to nail down all the worship obligations, actual faith might follow somehow.

I lasted two days. I cried on the prayer mat during Fajr both times, like my mother does all the time, but I doubt it was for the same reasons as her, or lead to the same result. I did not feel at peace, and I did not feel seen and heard by the Creator; I had never felt more alone, more abandoned. My heart did not feel a little less heavy; it had never felt heavier.

I cried because I was desperate the cycle wouldn't repeat. I wanted to believe there was someone who could make it stop, someone who could make sure that others didn't follow in his footsteps. It did stop, eventually. But I think that's just how it was supposed to be – not because some deity cared enough to make it stop. He doesn't care about us, but if you don't agree with that, I envy you. I wish I believed what you believe.

But I'm also glad I don't. So I will just exist, till one day I don't. And you won't remember me, and He won't care, and no one will greet me at the Gates of Heaven or throw me in the depths of Hell, because neither exist.

I hope.

[itsyourchoicedevotionals]

I Am Loved

“O Lord, there is no one like You. We have never even heard of another God like You! What other nation on earth is like Your people Israel? What other nation, O God, have You redeemed from slavery to be Your own people? You made a great name for Yourself… You performed awesome miracles and drove out the nations that stood in their way. You chose Israel to be Your very own people forever, and You, O Lord, became their God.” 1Chron. 17:20-22NLT

Daily we hear news about the terrorists, some slaughtering Christians. Each of them are doing insanely horrid things in the name of their god, Allah. It is supposedly because this Allah has to be served and demands disloyalty be eradicated. Per my understanding, they commit these atrocities to earn a guaranteed place in heaven. I’m not the most intelligent person regarding Islam, but I do not surmise this Allah god is a loving god. At least it isn’t the impression I perceive from their actions.

Lou and I attended a conference in Pittsburgh PA. The entire conference was WOW! One thing stood out to me more than any other: During praise and worship there were several late teens through late twenties avidly worshipping God. In their worship, they danced, jumped, and clapped. A young, dark haired man appeared to be their leader. After one evening worship was finished, the speaker asked this young man to come forward. Then she asked him to introduce himself and the town he was from. Names aren’t relevant. His home amazed me. “I am from Iraq,” he replied. “I noticed you are exuberant in your worship of God. Can you tell me why you are so joyous?” she asked. He flung his arms wide. Dramatically and empathically, he shouted loudly, “I AM LOVED! BY GOD!” The knowledge of this love thrilled the young man.

Does this knowledge thrill you? I deemed myself the worst of sinners, deserving death, for all of the sins I’d committed. Instead of killing me, asking me to kill myself, or torturing mee to pay for my sins: GOD LOVED ME! He sent His Son to die in my place. Name any other god of any other religion, which has done this for its people. “O Lord, there is no one like you. We have never even heard of another God like you!”

Believers needn’t hang their head in shame— ever. We’re loved by the only true and living God. John 3:16KJV says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His Only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

Almighty God hasn’t stopped with loving us: John 1:12KJV “as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:” Are you a believer, who received Jesus into your heart? You’re in God’s family.

If you didn’t know you are loved by God, understand it now. Receive His Love. Become His sons through the death, burial and resurrection of His Son Jesus. You don’t have to do something valiant to earn His love. All you have to do is BELIEVE to receive! Will you? It’s your choice. You choose.

PRAYER: Papa God, when I think of how You love me, joy enters my being. I’m exuberant and bubbling over. Thank You Sir a billion times over thank You for loving us. Help us to believe Your love and spread Your love to others, in Jesus’ name I pray.

by Debbie Veilleux Copyright 2020 You have my permission to reblog this devotional for others. Please keep my name with this devotional as author. Thank you.

[the-record-columns]

Jan. 15, 2020: Columns

Magic in plain sight...

By KEN WELBORN

Record Publisher

During the first week of January of each year, the N.C. Association of Agricultural Fairs has a meeting in the Raleigh/Durham area to preview acts, hold seminars, and generally have a great time catching up with old friends and making new ones.

The Rotary Club of North Wilkesboro as you know, has put on the Wilkes Agricultural Fair for the past 40 or so years and the club's Fair Manager, Mike Staley, and me attend the event.

This year was a very special one for our trip as the Wilkes Agricultural Fair received a statewide award from the association in the area of Innovation for the clubs "Wednesday at the Fair."  On this day, the club opens the fair at 10 a.m., and hosts over 500 Special Needs children, adults and their caregivers for their special day at the fair.  At this past September’s fair, the Rotary Club served 600 meals at the Special Needs Children event.  At last week’s meeting, club President Teresa Minton and Staley recognized Rotarian Jim Beckwith for his 27 years of managing the Children's Day event.

The fair convention is a truly special event—you can literally book a full three-ring circus for your kids birthday party if you've got the money.  Both ends of the banquet hall had vendor booths and entertainment venue displays for the attendees to browse and folks to speak with.  At each meal, two or three acts would do a brief "showcase" to highlight their particular act or venue and I want to share a bit about one of them today.

This couple was new to the Fair Convention, a pair of Illusionists named Reed and Ashton Masterson.  Their showcase event did several sleight of hand and disappearing tricks and was very well received by the audience of convention goers.  But it was later in the day as I perused the various booths that I had my eyes opened.

There was a slow spell about mid-afternoon, and I was in the banquet/exhibit hall looking around.  After stopping by Michael Garners Gold Medal Popcorn booth and getting a box o the best popcorn in the world--no exaggeration--I stopped to visit with the Mastersons.  He was petting a dove he had literally took care of before she hatched--and yes, he could tell the girls from the boys.  After a few minutes, Reed asked me if I would like to se a few tricks.

"Of course," I replied and he put the dove away and began to amaze me.  He did things I simply couldn't believe--and I was standing less than a foot away from him--not 50 feet like at the lunchtime showcase they put on.  But the one that I liked best was a card trick--sort of.  Reed showed me a deck of cards, fanning them out.  I figured they were all marked, but I was still interested.  He then handed me a black Sharpie marking pen, like the one in the photo with this column. 

I held it, turned it over and noted the logo on both sides of the barrel of the pen.  He then started fanning the deck of cards and told me to say when to stop.  I did and pulled a card out and held it next to my stomach with my hand covering it completely.  He then held the Sharpie and asked me to give him the card being careful not to let him see which one it was.

I did and he placed the card on the barrel of the pen like the one in the photo and began to slide the card down the barrel of the pen.  To my amazement, it did not read Sharpie any more, but instead clearly read Six of Clubs.  He flipped the card over and, you're right, it was the Six of Clubs.

I will admit to being a simple guy, but I was less than a foot away from him.  I touched the pen and it was dry--as though manufactured with the Six of Clubs on it.  Blew me away.

I couldn't help but remember one of the late Bob Gresham's favorite expressions, "How doooo they do that?"

 Immigration: Is the ‘Melting Pot’ separating?

By AMBASSADOR EARL COX and KATHLEEN COX

Special to The Record

Many reading this article will recall being taught to understand America as a “melting pot” – a blending of cultures, faiths, hopes and aspirations which, when fully combined, resulted in a delicious American pie where the sum total was more desirable than any of its individual parts. This was during a time when America was proudly defined as a “Christian” nation.  However, faith is no longer a key component of America’s identity.  So, what does it mean to be American?  What defines America’s national soul? It may be possible to begin forming an answer by asking another question, “What does it mean to be Israeli?” 

Since the beginning of time, Israel has had to fight just to exist. Many times throughout history the Jews were pushed to the precipice and on the brink of extinction.  In AD 70, the armies of Rome destroyed the Temple of Jerusalem, seized the city and captured the entire nation.  A small band of Jewish revolutionaries fled to Masada where they took their last stand.  Other Jews were left to wander the earth settling in foreign lands and among foreign people. So, how did they manage to stay identifiably connected when separated geographically from their fellow kinsmen?  It’s because they retained, whether naturally or supernaturally, a common thread - their Jewish faith and therefore their Jewish heritage and identity. 

In 1948, Israel was reborn as a nation.  Prior to and ever since, the Jews have been returning to their homeland in droves from every corner of the earth.  Today, Israel is fighting hard for their right to exist as a Jewish state.  Those Jews making Aliyah (immigrating) to Israel are from France, Germany, Ethiopia, Spain, Nigeria, Australia, Uganda, China, Japan, the Americas, Russia and just about every other place on the map.  Yes, they are bringing with them their various cultural identities, but they are embracing and strengthening that which unites them as a nation – their Jewish faith and heritage.  And, they are learning and adopting their ancient and once common language, Hebrew. 

Ironically, the concept of America being a “melting pot” was created back in 1909 by a British Jew who wrote a play about a fictional Russian-Jewish immigrant intent on moving to the United States after his family died violently in an anti-Semitic riot in Russia.  It dramatized how people around the world were aspiring to come to America because it was a place that offered promise and possibility.  It was a place where diverse cultures blended in a joyful marriage forming a public national identity called “American.”  But, what does this mean today? 

At the turn of the century, the answer would have been similar to defining what it means to be Israeli.  Americans were a people who culturally identified as believing in God, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and who viewed the practice of Christianity as the hub of the wheel.  After all, America’s first immigrants arrived on her shores seeking a place of refuge from religious persecution.  

But, in today’s world, definitions are becoming blurred. America’s growing population is viewed in terms of multiculturalism void of any common core identity. People from a great number of ethnic and religious backgrounds have set up shop in the United  States.  The common threads which once held us together as a nation and formed the foundation upon which “united we stand,” are being stretched to the brink and are unraveling.  We’ve diluted or deleted our core values in favor of “y’all come.” 

America is plagued by great divisions among her people and leaders.  Immigration is a very important issue requiring vision, foresight, maturity and agreement in order to formulate a solution.  Yes, we welcome “the tired, the poor and the huddled masses yearning to be free,” but we must have clear guidelines and safeguards. Not everyone who comes to America has good intentions. Many even distain our Western culture and reject our traditional values. For instance, to whom do those immigrating pledge their allegiance?  For Muslims, their first allegiance is to Allah.  What does this mean should America be forced to fight against an Islamic foe?  Will we be undermined from within much like the story of the Trojan horse?  It is for this very reason that Israel will not compromise on her right to exist as a Jewish state nor give an inch on the Palestinian demand for the fictitious “right of return.” They know the dangers inherent in, “y’all come.”   ”We the people” must agree on what it means to be an American and understand what we would be fighting for and against should the situation arise. There are already a few Trojan ponies feeding in U.S. government stables. When election time rolls around, cast your vote as though America’s very existence depended on it ... because it does. 

Radio Talk

By CARL WHITE

Life in the Carolinas

It was a good week to talk with storytellers. We had an on-camera visit with Francene Marie Morris, better known as Francene Marie on the Beasley Broadcasting (formerly CBS Radio) stations in the Charlotte Region. With 23 years in the broadcast industry, she has clearly established herself as an extraordinaire storyteller for a broad and diverse audience.

The Francene Marie Show is on multiple stations and brings to life community stories that are important to almost everyone. People in the broadcast are unique, they see life a bit different than others do

When you spend much of your wakening hours developing stories around the lives of others, over time you see and hear just about everything. The good and the bad.

I have great admiration for radio people because they bring everything to life with words and sounds. TV people have the benefit of the visual. However, radio people are faced with the task of captivating listeners with their voice talents and the drama support of suitable music.

On-air talents often make their way out of the studio for community events. It’s all about connecting with listeners and further building the relationship. Sometimes it’s for a sponsor, and sometimes it’s for charity. No matter the reason entertainment is undoubtedly the objective.

Francene is not one to shy away from the public appearance. She has a solid foundation; her mother was an elementary school teacher and classical pianist. While Francene learned many things from her mother, the piano was not among them. However, she did learn to present herself properly.

This awareness served her well as she became a model and eventually discovered the broadcast world. Born in Illinois, later lived in Kansas City Missouri, where with much delight she discovered BBQ which she says, “must be ribs.” Francine ultimately moved to the Charlotte area where she found the radio business.

While she has not interviewed everyone in the Carolinas the numbers are in the thousands. It’s a Who’s Who list of community people. Her guest love being on her show and I am glad we showed up with cameras to share a bit of her story.

As it turns out our editor for the segment on Francene Marie also has an 18-year history in Radio Broadcast. Tim Vogel first set behind the big board at the age of 13. He would work part-time while in school and later full time.

Tim shared the story of meeting Charlie Daniels at a performance the station was sponsoring. That meeting would come in handy when Tim was at WHHO AM/FM in Hornell, NY. Tim pitched the station manager on an idea for a show. He was given the go ahead if he could sell the show to advertisers.

With this challenge, Tim went to work on producing his first show. He called Charlie Daniels and asked him to be in the show, he said yes. The studio call was made, the planned 30-minute call turned into 3 hours. Tim said they just talked and talked, it was when Charlie was working on the Blue Moon Album.

The recording was not a digital file like today, it was on Reel to Reel and editing was done with a razor blade and tape. A 30-minute show as produced, and the advertisers loved it. Tim was forever hooked on the creative process, and I am glad.

We have many friends in the Radio world, and it is a beautiful part of the Carolinas. There is something for everyone. While things have changed a great voice is hard to beat.  

Thank You Francene for the great stories.

Signing off till next time.  

 Carl White is the Executive Producer and Host of the award-winning syndicated TV show Carl White’s Life In The Carolinas. The weekly show is now in its 10th year of syndication and can be seen in the Charlotte market on WJZY Fox 46 Saturday’s at noon and My40. The show also streams on Amazon Prime. For more information visit www.lifeinthecarolinas.com. You can email Carl at Carl@lifeinthecarolinas.com.

[fatimakarim]

Suzanne Haneef, Islam: The Path of God, pages 7–24

To ALL OF YOU, MY READERS, WHO ARE SEEKING TO KNOW ABOUT THE FAITH OF ISLAM OR WHO ARE SEARCHING FOR A PATH OF LIFE, I DEDICATE THIS WORK, WITH A PRAYER THAT IT MAY BE USEFUL TO YOU IN YOUR QUEST.

“The little book you’re holding in your hands was written by an American woman who accepted Islam in 1965. However, when I first encountered Islam in the mid-50’s, I knew absolutely nothing about this religion or its followers. In fact, whatever I thought I knew-that Muslims believe in a pagan deity called Allah and that they worship Muhammad-couldn’t have been more incorrect and absurd.

At that time, the Muslim presence in this continent was hardly noticeable and was limited almost entirely to foreigners hailing mainly from the Middle East and the Indian subcontinent. American Muslims were extreme rarities, who came into their new faith with very little support from any direction: there were very few Muslim communities and Islamic centers, a small and inadequate supply of literature and information about Islam, and a severely limited number of live role models to learn from. The critical question of how Islam could be applied by people living in the mainstream of American society without sacrificing any of its basic principles or teachings had barely been asked, much less answered.

But during the past three decades, all this has changed dramatically. The Muslim community is now firmly established in this continent; currently there are some 1500 mosques or Islamic centers in the United States, and a large number in Canada as well. Muslims are found everywhere, even in the smallest places. They are making significant contributions not only to the religious and spiritual life of North America but in many other areas as well: politics, business, teaching, technology, research, medicine, and the social sphere.

Islam is generally thought of as an Arab religion. But the fact is that Arabs comprise only one-seventh of the world’s Muslims. Indonesia has the largest Muslim population in the world, followed by Bangladesh, Pakistan and India. Some twenty or so million Muslims live in the People’s Republic of China, and triple that number in the former Soviet republics. Thus, the Muslim population in North America represents the Muslim world in miniature. While it consists primarily of Arabs and Indo-Pakistanis, there are also significant numbers of North Africans, Iranis, Afghans, Turks, Bosnians and South East Asians. And there is a steadily increasing number of American Muslims.

Still, in spite of this growing Muslim population, and the fact that Islam and Muslims are constantly in the news, many people in America know almost as little about Islam as I did a third of a century ago. We may imagine that we’re getting a lot of information on the subject from the media, but much of what comes to us is actually misinformation, which does nothing but reinforce prejudices and stereotypes.

Even now, at the end of the 1990s, I find myself constantly surprised by the unwillingness of people in the West even to consider Islam as a possible source of correct information. I’ll give you just one example of this. Christians and Jews are deeply interested in biblical history and archeology. But with very few exceptions, they approach these subjects without ever consulting Islamic sources, which would unquestionably provide a wealth of authentic information. And I keep asking myself, When are the people of the West going to realize the treasure that Islam is and avail themselves of what it has to offer?

I’m sometimes asked what attracted me to Islam. To answer this, I must give a bit of personal history.

By the time I first began to hear about Islam, I’d parted company forever with my earlier strong Christian convictions. Not finding answers to the insistent questions I was struggling with (questions which you’ll frequently encounter in this book), I stopped believing in God because the only God I knew about was unbelievable. It was simply impossible for me to come to terms with what I perceived His dealings with humankind to be.

But as time passed, I found a deep aching emptiness within myself where God had previously been. It then became clear to me that Islam offered something I desperately needed: absolute certainty and clearness of direction. As I came to understand the Islamic concept of God and His purposes for mankind, it was one that made complete sense to my mind and that I instinctively recognized as right. Islam’s emphasis on the individual’s relationship with God and its deep spirituality drew me like a magnet. And I knew I had to make it my own.

It’s been a long journey from that state of knowing less than nothing to this point. But it’s been a grand and exciting journey. It’s taken me from inner emptiness, sometimes verging on despair, into the heart of a faith which I’ve found to be like an ocean in its depth and breadth. This journey has allowed me to recapture the spirituality of my childhood, and to taste the flavor and sweetness of Islam as a way of life in some of the Muslim heartlands. Summing it up, it’s been a journey of coming to an understanding of the purpose and meaning of existence and of finding my own personal path to God.

This is a path which I feel so blessed to be a part of that I must share it with others-with you, if you’re willing. I’m offering to be the tour guide on your journey of discovery of a faith which is as dear to life itself to millions of the world’s people. The fact that some of these people may be your neighbors, friends, fellow students, co-workers, grocers, physicians, teachers or even your relatives may make this journey more real and personal for you as you try to look at things through their eyes.

Muslims are no longer “those people over there.” On the contrary, they’re over here and they’re an integral part of our communities. This fact in itself demands from us the willingness to be open-minded and to replace prejudice, speculation and stereotypes with accurate information, which hopefully in turn will lead to tolerance and respect. And in the process we may find out how much Islam and Muslims have to offer us.

My approach to the subject is simple and direct, not scholarly. I’ve emphasized the concepts and high spiritual principles of Islam rather than its rules; this is not a how-to-do book but simply an overview. May God, your Lord and my Lord, the Lord of the universe and every creature in it, bless you and guide you as you read.”

THINKING THINGS OVER

where am I going? This society? The whole human race?” These are questions which many of us today are asking urgently, deeply troubled about what we see happening in our world Our concerns may be quite personal ones, centered around our own particular life situation. They may be general ones, related to the state of things as a whole or both. For this is a strange and difficult time, a time when all the old values and traditions seem to have been cut out from under us without anything clear and definitive having been substituted for them. From every direction and every possible source, we’re being bombarded by the newfangled ideas, values and behaviors of the New Age in which we live.

The New Age is an age with many interesting features. One of these is confusion. Great numbers of us no longer seem to have a clear sense of right and wrong, good and bad. Under the impact of too much personal freedom and the flood of new ideas and values, we’re falling apart, frightened, uncertain, lost. After all, how is it possible to have certainty about anything when even the most basic, time-honored values are being called into question?

In comparison to earlier times, everything around us today seems upside-down and backwards. A great deal of what was previously considered right is now looked upon as outmoded, irrelevant or just plain dumb. At the same time, much of what used to be considered wrong is now accepted as right, normal and okay. Members of the older generation, like myself, still maintain our vision of what things were like in an earlier, simpler, less perplexing period. But when our generation goes, apart from people of strong religious faith, who will be left that still retains a clear vision of a saner, more stable society? That vision will have gone with the winds of change.

This tum-about in basic human values and morals has led to a steady unraveling of civilized standards and behavior, not only in the country but worldwide. Brutality, lust and all manner of other evils flourish around the globe; violence, vice and exploitation seem to have become the new order of the day. And fear hangs over the whole world. Those of us who are even slightly sensitive to the currents and energies around us realize that something is wrong-deeply, awfully wrong. And we carry the collective burden of humanity’s pain and turmoil deep within our hearts.

Day by day the fear and uneasiness increases. Often we sense that we’re at the edge of a terrible and dangerous abyss, surrounded by intense darkness. As the end of this millennium approaches, predictions of a worldwide Armageddon-like catastrophe haunt our minds. And how can it be otherwise when we sense deep within ourselves that things have gone so wrong that such a crisis is due? For each day, new and deeper holes appear in the social and moral fabric of mankind, and it seem obvious that when the holes become more than the fabric itself, it’s past repair.

Why? you may be asking. Why is our society, our world, so terribly disturbed? Why is there so much suffering, misery and evil on earth? Why is everything around us and inside us in such a state of upheaval?

Why are the rates of crime, violence, sexual misbehavior, family breakdown, substance abuse and suicide mounting day by day? Why are there so many problems within my family, among my friends, or in my own life? Why am I so anxious, depressed, stressed-out, uncertain, unable to find any peace of mind?

These are all-important questions. I’ve thrown them out to you, not in order to make you uneasy, but because they’re matters which we urgently need to address. Yet we seem unable (or perhaps unwilling) to put our finger on the cause. Social scientists spend years studying such issues, but even they often fail to understand the primary reason for this troubled state of affairs, much less what can be done about it. Why? One possibility is that in a secular society such as ours, the reason is one that few people want to admit or accept.

Can it be that we’re all suffering because a critical something is missing from our society and world in our time? And is it possible that because of this missing thing, a huge emptiness exists in a great many people’s hearts? Might it be that our attempts to fill this void, although without knowing what it represents, has resulted in our blind race for material solutions, material supports and material satisfactions, without taking into consideration our total human nature and its needs?

Then, we may further ask ourselves, can it be that the race to replace that vital missing element with material goals and goods has warped our spirits and, in turn, our values even more? To take this line of questioning further, is it possible that the drive for material props could be fuelled by an intense spiritual hunger, even starvation, which we try to fill in any way we can?

In my view, the essential thing we’ve lost is religious faith. Together with faith, we’ve also lost the fixed set of values and principles which guided the lives of peoples and civilizations before us, giving them stability, continuity and certainty. The prevailing materialism that’s taken the place of faith has resulted in a misplaced trust in science and technology, which are good servants but bad masters. It’s cheated us and robbed us of a sense of direction, both as individuals and as a society. On a deeper level, it’s also deprived our spirits of the deeper, truer satisfactions they require.

While earlier responsibilities and rights went handin-hand, today freedom rules. This freedom is defined as the right to do what one pleases without accountability as long as it doesn’t “harm” anyone-that is, as long as no criminal or civil codes are violated. But who’s to decide whether a word or an action is harmful to others, or to our own inner selves? Without a strong conscience, firmly grounded in universal principles of right and wrong, it’s easy for us to be cheated by the desires of our egoes, so that whatever we want to do seems all right.

Because of this loss of faith and the moral responsibility which it instills, another catastrophe has occurred: our society’s loss of its clear understanding of the family as a God-ordained institution, to be upheld and supported by every possible means. Sexual enjoyment has become an end in itself, divorced from responsibility. Better methods of”protection” are offered as the solution for the host of problems this attitude has brought upon us, rather than encouraging responsibility for the consequences of our actions.

Our children and their well-being have become the first victims of this loss. Many of us grew up in disrupted families in which we never learned any positive parenting skills. Some of us want to be good parents but are so strapped financially that it’s difficult to be. Others of us have given priority to a better lifestyle or a rewarding career. No matter what the reason, great numbers of our children are growing up without the emotional security, parental love and attention they require to be healthy. And the circle of deprivation continues from one generation to another. As a result, we’ve become increasingly a nation of emotionally crippled, dysfunctional people. Due to no fault of our own, many of us carry hollow spaces inside hearts which should have been filled with love and a sense of well-being from the moment of birth.

Another casualty of our lost sense of responsibility is the moral and spiritual training of our children. From a young age, they’re bombarded by values, morals and examples which conflict sharply with any religious belief, and even with civilized standards. But young people who’ve never been taught morals and values other than material ones have no standards for distinguishing right from wrong or beneficial from harmful. Nor do they have any effective weapons for fighting against their own powerful impulses or the pressures coming from outside.

Science, which many people believe provides answers to all questions, has played a major role in eroding religious belief and traditional values. Many people today question the very existence of God, demanding “proofs,” although strangely enough, we never hear of anyone’s demanding proofs that God does not exist. Others, although believing in His existence, do not grasp His relevance, even to their own personal lives.

Although as a society we may give lip-service to belief in God, this is far removed from having certainty that He is in complete control of all things. According to our current thinking, a vague force called “Mother Nature” (or just “Nature”) is responsible for running the natural world in an orderly, predictable fashion. But when something out of the ordinary occurs, something which we look upon as unpreventable, such as a natural disaster, it’s viewed as an “act of God”-as if God were some sort of an intruder in the smooth, orderly running of the universe.

But without firm belief in a Supreme Being who is continuously involved with His creation, we human beings are spiritually and emotionally empty and deprived. We go through life uncentered, unfixed, and a prey to every wind that blows, without clearly-defined beliefs, values or goals by which to chart our path.

If you grew up with a religion and strong faith, you’re one of the lucky ones. Many of us were never exposed to anything of the sort. Others were brought up with a religion but later outgrew it; we still believe in God but don’t subscribe to any particular faith. Some of us may have looked into various religions without finding any clear direction. Others would like to believe but don’t have any idea in who or what, or even where to look. And still others of us may feel that even if we knew what to believe, we’re beyond all hope of salvation.

Whatever your particular case may be, it is critical for you to know that you were created by an absolutely merciful, loving Lord. He created you because He desired you to come into being, and He honored you by breathing into you something of His Divine Spirit.! No matter who you are or what you may have done, that fact alone gives you worth and importance. And He, your Creator, is asking you to connect with Him.

God is always there for you. He never leaves you; there’s no way you can get rid of Him. All you need to do is reach out to Him. If He doesn’t have any place in your life but you would like Him to, initiate the relationship. Call to Him, ask Him for help and guidance, pour out your heart and your needs to Him, tell Him that you love Him. For without being firmly bonded to our Source, we’re hollow, empty creatures, easily crushed and

destroyed by the difficult conditions surrounding us. Without belief in the purposefulness of our lives, we’re likely to be in despair.

At the same time, you need a way, a path to walk upon to Him, a system for guiding your life. But, if you’re not to be misled, it must be a true and correct one.

Islam, the faith of one-fifth of the world’s people, is one among many ways claiming to be the truth. I’m talking about real Islam, of course, not the biased versions you hear about in the media or the Farrakhan variety, but the genuine, pure faith that goes back to Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and the early Muslim community.

Islam, meaning “surrender” or “submission”, is the original religion revealed by God from the beginning of human history. He revealed it through the first man, Adam (peace be upon him), who was also the first prophet. Later, He revealed it through Abraham (peace be upon him), the father of Judaism, Christianity and Islam.

“ Abraham was neither a Jew nor a Christian, but he was a Monotheist, a Muslim. And he was not of the Polytheists.” (Quran 3:67) God says concerning him.

Still later, He revealed it through Moses (peace be upon him), and afterwards, through Jesus Christ (peace be upon him), the miraculous prophet who came to revive and purify it. And He revealed it for the last and final time through the prophet who established Islam as a world religion, Muhammad of Arabia (peace be upon him), the most perfect of all mankind. And this final revelation contains God’s unchangeable guidance for humanity up to the end of this world.

“I hear what you’re saying,” you may be thinking. “But exactly who’s making the claim that Islam is the truth, and why should I believe it any more than in the claims of any other religion?”

Good questions, which you should be asking. Islam’s answer to the first part of your question is, quite simply,

God Himself. This, and much more, is what He has to say about His final revelation:

o mankind, the truth has come to you from your Lord. Therefore, whoever is guided, is guided only/or his own soul, and whoever is in error errs only against it. (Quran 10:108)

That which is revealed to you [Muhammad] by your Lord is the truth.

(Quran 13:1)

Those who have been given knowledge see that what is revealed to you [Muhammad] from your Lord is the truth and leads to the path of the Almighty, the Praised One. (Quran 34:6)

By the Lord of the heavens and the earth, this is indeed the truth, as [much as the fact that] you are able to speak. (Quran 51:23)

But claims to being the truth are not to be taken lightly. In order to test this claim for yourself, please read on. Gather information, sift and weigh it all in your mind, and come to your own conclusion.

If you do conclude that this religion is the truth, then other conclusions follow: that in Islam’s divine Message lies hope for ourselves as individuals and for mankind as a whole-indeed, perhaps the only hope; that nothing other than this faith that can cure the deep, devastating ailments of humanity; and that, without it, there can be no lasting solutions, no safety, and no way out of the life threatening global crisis of our time.

ISLAM’s WORLD VIEW

“I bear witness that there is no deity except God, and I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of God-Ashhadu an la ilaha illa-Llah, wa ashhadu anna Muhammadu Rasool-Allah.”

Muslims repeat this Declaration of Faith over and over again in their daily prayers. But what does this Declaration really mean?

This act of witnessing proclaims that I accept no one as my God except the One, Eternal, Almighty God, who alone is worthy of my worship and service, and that I accept Muhammad ( peace be upon him) as His last and final messenger to mankind. In accepting both, I’m prepared to follow the guidance which God revealed through Muhammad ( peace be upon him) as my way of life and my path to salvation.

When a person is ready to make such a commitment, he or she enters Islam by repeating the Declaration of Faith in front of witnesses. He or she is now formally a Muslim, part of the world-wide community of the millions who live by the teachings of Islam. He or she is also absolved of all sins committed before accepting Islam, as pure as a new-born baby.

1 THE AGE-OLD MESSAGE OF ISLAM

I have already pointed out that Islam is not a new religion. Rather, it is the original religion revealed by God to mankind from the dawn of human history. Thus, the first man, Adam, who was also the first prophet, was a Muslim in the sense of being surrendered to God. And after him came a series of prophets, including those we mentioned previously and many, many others, who were all Muslims or surrendered ones. And every single prophet brought the same divinely-revealed Message from his Lord.

And what is that Message? It is that there is a single, unique Being who is the Lord and Master of all creation. He alone deserves to be worshiped and obeyed, and we, mankind, are accountable to Him for all our actions. We are in this life for a brief, limited period, after which we will return to Him for judgment. We will then enter a life of eternal duration, during which we will either be in permanent happiness or in misery. And the choice of our destiny in that future life is up to us.

2 UNDERSTANDING REALITY

Now, everyone has a certain world view, an understanding of what constitutes Reality, and this view naturally differs greatly from person to person. But what’s really important about our world view is whether it’s a correct one or merely someone’s mind-product — possibly our own.

If it’s correct, well and good. However, if it’s one that we human beings have concocted out of our own or other people’s guesswork or imagination, it’s bound to be wrong. On our own, we simply don’t possess the equipment or capability to grasp what makes up this endlessly complex Reality. And since our principles follow from our world view and our actions follow from our principles, if our world view is wrong, everything we do is almost bound to be wrong as a result.

What we’ve got to figure out is this: Is Reality only what we can see, touch, taste, smell or hear with our bodily senses or grasp by means of our technology, or is there something more? Is there Someone in charge of it all who is Himself the Ultimate Reality, or are there just individual bits and pieces? Is everything in existence simply the result of randomness, coincidence or blind chance? Or, alternatively, did Someone arrange it so that all the bits and pieces are actually parts of a great, meaningful whole, an unbelievably grand, complex cosmic plan?

Then, if there is such a Someone, who and what is He? And-if you really want to take all this to its logical conclusion-isn’t it just possible that finding out about that Someone is the most important thing anyone has to do?

Let’s continue this line of questioning and get more personal. Perhaps we further need to ask: Does my own individual, personal life have any purpose and meaning, or not? Does it really matter what I do, say, think or feel? Am I just some physical being who will one day stop living, like all other living things, so that, suddenly, when the switch is turned from On to Off-fini? Is this life that I’m now in the only life, or was there something before it-and if so, what? And will there be something after it for me, some other state of existence? If not, none of these questions matter. But if there is going to be something after it, the critical question is: What is that future life of mine going to be like?

These are questions that every thinking person must ask because they form a vital part of human consciousness, questions which human beings have sought answers to since the beginning of history. The only problem is, Who has the answers?

3 ARRIVING AT ANSWERS

It’s obvious that finite beings cannot arrive at answers to questions such as these on their own, for such questions are related to Infinity. Therefore, to rely on our limited senses, technology, thought processes or personal understanding for answers is futile and may even be dangerously misleading. For, again, even if some of our answers are right and some are wrong, the end result is bound to be inaccurate.

We are therefore faced with the unescapable conclusion that no one can possibly have all the correct answers except the One who created the whole. Only when the Creator Himself supplies us with the answers are they certain to be correct ones. Otherwise, human attempts to arrive at such answers are bound to be nothing more than guesses, or, at best, bits and pieces of the truth. And in view of our limited equipment, answers arrived at on our own probably have much more likelihood of leading us astray than guiding us aright.

Islam teaches that God, the Creator, Himself communicates the answers to us. By means of revelation through His chosen representatives, the prophets, God speaks to us about Himself and His creation. He informs us that there is an ultimate Reality which is known only to Himself, its Originator, and that He is the sustainer and center of that Reality.

What we human beings are able to know and understand of this Reality by means of our limited human equipment is actually only the tiniest, most minute portion of it. God refers to this part of His creation that we’re able to know about or experience as the ‘Witnessed’ or visible, in contrast to the ‘Unseen’ or spiritual realm. And He makes it clear that belief in that unseen realm is a pre-requisite to being open to receiving His guidance, His final Message to mankind, the

holy scripture of Islam known as the Qur’an, saying,

ذَٰلِكَ الْكِتَابُ لَا رَيْبَ فِيهِ هُدًى لِّلْمُتَّقِينَ الَّذِينَ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِالْغَيْبِ وَيُقِيمُونَ الصَّلَاةَ وَمِمَّا رَزَقْنَاهُمْ يُنفِقُونَ

This [Qur’anl is the Book in which there is no doubt, a guidance to those who are mindful of God, who believe in the Unseen. (Qur’an 2:2–3)

Anyone with a working mind is aware of the incredible complexity of the physical universe in which we live, as well as of our own selves. But it’s quite probable that the complexity of this material world is as nothing compared to the infinitely greater complexity of the unseen Reality. Its depth and complexity is so immense that even the prophets, who were intimately connected to the spiritual realm, knew only a minute part of it.

It is therefore critical that we take our answers to the questions we’ve asked about Reality and about ourselves from the One who has them, not from any other source. Otherwise, we may never fulfill our appointed destiny and may end up in some limbo which we’re not going to like. It’s our business, our obligation as thinking human beings, to know the answers to these and many more questions which relate to our ultimate destiny.

We will start by taking a look at the basic beliefs of Islam, which are a summary of the unseen realities and our own place within them.

credit: Suzanne Haneef, Islam: The Path of God, pages 7–24. (PDF)

i recommend this book to everyone!

E-book copy http://www.islamicbulletin.org/free_downloads/new_muslim/islam_the_path.pdf

read her first book: What Everyone Should Know About Islam and Muslims by Suzanne Haneef

E-book copy http://www.islamicbulletin.org/free_downloads/new_muslim/what_everyone.pdf

[fangirlmomentsandmytwocents]

Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus: A Devout Muslim Encounters Christianity by Nabeel Qureshi Review

An Unexpected Journey from Islam to Christianity In Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus, Nabeel Qureshi describes his dramatic journey from Islam to Christianity, complete with friendships, investigations, and supernatural dreams along the way. Providing an intimate window into a loving Muslim home, Qureshi shares how he developed a passion for Islam before discovering, almost against his will, evidence that Jesus rose from the dead and claimed to be God. Unable to deny the arguments but not wanting to deny his family, Qureshi's inner turmoil will challenge Christians and Muslims alike. Engaging and thought-provoking, Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus tells a powerful story of the clash between Islam and Christianity in one man's heart---and of the peace he eventually found in Jesus. 

'I have seldom seen such genuine intellect combined with passion to match ... truly a 'must-read' book.' --Ravi Zacharias

http://www.nabeelqureshi.com/seeking-allah-finding-jesus/

Review

Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus: A Devout Muslim Encounters Christianity by Nabeel Qureshi My rating: 4 of 5 stars This author is so passionate and sincere in his journey to find God. He was raised Muslim and comes from a loving home environment. I didn't really have much true previous knowledge about Islam so I found the parts describing it very interesting. He is a good Muslim boy growing up and through college. For some time, his best friend is a Christian. They have many discussions about religion over the years. Both are smart. They study historical facts to explain Islam and Christianity. This leads to him switching to Christianity. It's a very difficult decision because he was so devout in his beliefs, and his family is still Muslim. I thoroughly enjoyed this entire book. I often feel that someone is trying to shove religion at me, but this book takes the reader along on it's logical and educated approach to everything. It speaks to the mind and spirit. It is also respectful. In the beginning, he is Muslim, and before the end, he is Christian, but he doesn't put down the believers of either religion during his research. I recommend Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus to people of all faiths and non-faith.

***copy given in exchange for an honest review*** FGMAMTC 

Fangirl Moments and My Two Cents

Website / Facebook / Twitter / Google+ / Pinterest / Goodreads / Tumblr / Bloglovin' / Instagram

var addthis_config = {"data_track_addressbar":true};

[m-v-s]

Best Bollywood Movies of 2016

From Wazir to Dangal, the year 2016 has seen many downs and a few ups both in terms of quality of the movies and the business they made. Its surely one of the worst years in the past decade in terms of quality of Bollywood movies despite some of the very good movies that have set new trends. Even from a planning perspective, it was bad to see two movies competing against each other on long weekends and eating into each other’s earnings.  Its almost safe to call this year a sports/biopic/individual-oriented one. Its also one of those extremely rare years where you would see SRK, Aamir, Salman, Aditya Chopra and Karan Johar films coming in one single calendar year. Here’s a look at the top 12 movies.

Twelve: Ae Dil Hai MUshkil

Karan Johar’s most-close-to-his-life-yet movie had lots of expectations with the casting coup that he has managed to pull off and the chemistry between Aish and Ranbir that we got to see in the teasers. The movie had that emotional quotient coupled with stellar performances from everybody in the cast, except that KJo went wayward both with the screenplay and story in the second half. Its safe to say that Pritam, Amitabh and Arjit combo has peaked in this movie and Pritam is going to be sureshot winner at most of the award ceremonies alongwith Arjit. I would love Amitabh also to get an award for his soulful lyrics. Ranbir will have to wait for Dutt’s biopic and Dragon to better his last hit Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani.

Eleven: Udta Punjab

Just the concept and the conviction to do such a film would be enough for this movie to get in the top ten list this year. The movie made enough pre-release noise to be taken seriously and the performaces by the four pillars of the movie, with a special mention to Alia Bhatt, has taken this movie to a different level. The movie feels loud at times, too good to be true at times, and doesn’t seem to have a well-directed path, but all is forgiven for the guts of the director to bring this out in close-to-realistic fashion. Alia Bhatt is sure to get a best actress (critics) award if not the best actress itself, where she would be facing stiff competition wth Sonam Kapoor’s Neerja.

Ten: Budhia Singh: Born to Run

Just when I thought that the career of one of the finest actors in Hindi film industry is almost over, Manoj Bajpayee gives us four features and shorts each in this year. As the coach of the Budhia singh, this role seems absolutely tailor-made for him. This is one of those rare breed of films where ‘winning  a medal for the country’ is not the motive. The director seemed very clear on what he wanted the audience to see and he did not stoop down to tick off some unnecessary checkmarks that a bollywood film these days needs for survival. 48 marathons at 5 years of age could make the kid a hero, but the coach an absolute villain. The intricate relationships between the coach and the kid, the coach and his wife, the coach with himself more than watchin the kid run those marathons make the film a must watch.

Nine: Airlift

The first good movie of the year and no wonder it had Akshay playing the lead role. The strike rate of AKshay delivering hits has been phenomenal despite not delivering the blockbusters. But he just does not seem to care much about it. The variety of roles he is able to get and also produce some of those movies seem to be motivating him to explore his acting abilities. Airlift, despite all its controversies  of not being faithful to facts, making a hero of the protagonist, dramatizing few incidents, underplaying the actual airlift operations, gets a thumps up for Akshay’s performance and bringing to light a 25-year old incident that very few in my generation would have known. Tere bin duniya chhod dee hai is a winner.

Eight: Kapoor and Sons

Shakun Batra comes up with and absolutely riveting story of a family. The situations, the emotions, the performances, the seeming triangle, Kar gayi chull, backdrop... there are so many aspects of film-making that get 100 marks in the movie. Alia is growing as an actor leaps and bounds. She should also be grateful for the variety of roles she is getting to play. Don’t be surprised if the film bags the story, screenplay, dialogues awards. Did I mention the grand-old Rishi is gonna sweep the supporting category at all the Awards.

Seven: Dhanak

Crystal Bear grand prix for Best Children’s Film at Berlin, Best Film Award at the Montreal International Children’s Film festival and a bunch of other international accodolades, but sadly no recognition in India. It was by a recommendation from a friend that I was reminded that the movie was in my wishlist. Beautiful performances by both the kids and a nice little narration makes the movie an absolute watch.

Six: Rustom

Akshay it is yet again. Teaming with Tinu Suresh Desai, who was Neeraj’s AD for Baby, this was yet another story that needed to be told to the current generation. Akshay played Rustom to perfection, while the director ensured the movie did not lose the plot in the second half. The courtroom scenes were undertaken pretty well and the supporting cast did not disappoint either. Akshay ensured he had  a hat-trick of 100 crore movies in  a calendar year which is a first to any actor/actress.

Five: MS Dhoni: The Untold Story

Neeraj Pandey, Sushant Singh Rajput and MS Dhoni. This combination was one of the most awaited one this year by me after Sultan and Dangal. Sushant nailed the MS demeanor to perfection and Neeraj ensured there was enough drama, enough heroism and enough of the untold stuff to make the wait worthy. I was actually surprised that the movie had crossed the 100 crore mark by a big margin and the credit should go to Neeraj for bringing the whole Dhoni saga to under three hours. He very wisely stayed away from controversies and that was the only complaint I had from the movie.

Four: Neerja

There are few movies where the trailer tells you this movie is gonna work and in the case of Neerja, it did not hold true. It just became a superhit in terms of box office collections and even the producers were taken aback with the response. Ram Madhvani did a good job in ensuring he did not drift away from the plot too much and Sonam Kapoor fitted into Neerja Bhanot so much that when I actually saw Neerja Bhanot’s pics, I felt Sonam Kapoor did more than justice to Neerja. Her elegance, charm and that infectious smile are right in front of my eyes while I am writing this piece. What gives the movie that extra icing is Shabana’s monologue at the end. That one act is sure to get her the best supporting actress award. Also, I sincerely hope its not Ali Abbas Zafar, or Karan Johar, or even Nitesh Tiwari for that matter, but Ram Madhvani who would walk away with the Best director trophy, if not the critics award.

Three: Pink

Pink is one movie which I did not have any expectations on, given how Amitji’s movies did not live upto the expectations this year. Maybe that’s the reason I liked the movie even more. The subject, the performances, the dialogues, the courtroom, the girls, and above all Mr Bachchan. The movie is a winner in every possible way and was a great Bollywood debut for ANirudh Roy Choudhary. The best part was the impact it had on the general public that lasted for more than two weeks. This is a rare breed of female-oriented movies where its not the females, but Mr Sehgal that walks away with the accolades. Dont be surprised if Amitabh walks away with yet another Best Actor Award.

Two: Dangal

Despite ranking Pink at 3, and Sultan as the top movie, I think it would be only fair to rate the three movies as number 1. Dangal had blocbuster written all over it right from the making. And that was the challenge. How could it be attained. We already had the biggest blockbuster of the year and it was based on wrestling, Haryana, the sandpits, the international competitions, the junoon. How different would Dangal be from Sultan. And the answer was the theme itself. While the backdrop for both the movies was different, Sultan was a romantic love story while Dangal was father-daughter love story. And there it was. Despite the innumerable wrestling bouts, it was the emotional turmoil a father was going through by punishing his daughters to make them the best, was what the movie showcased in a very convincing fashion. And needless to say, Aamir ensured no stone was left unturned and we are going to end the year with an-time blockbuster. Awards for direction and best movie alongwith Action are almost certain.

One: Sultan

Jab Eid aati hai, tab Bhaayi aata hai. Aur har Eid ko record thodtaa hai. Dabanng, Bodyguard, Ek Tha Tiger, Kick, Bajrangi Bhaijan and Sultan. Each movie bettered the other and Salman has remained the undisputed king this decade. Sultan gave India its first truly blockbuster pure sports film. I had wondered all my life if India could produce a movie like Raging Bull or a Rocky, and Ali Abbas Zafar has given the entire nation this one movie which we could be proud of for a generation to come. The best part is the narrative seemed so true that people would believe if they are told its a biopic. The music, the performances, the emotions, the drama ensured the Sultan tsunami swept the whole earth away. ‘Khooon mein teri mitti, mitti mein tera khoon, oppra allah neeche dharti , beech mein tera junoon… Rrey Sultan’ on one side and the signature Sultan slam on the other elevated Salman enough for his die-hard fans. All in all, it was not just a perfect Eid gift, but also the best gift of the year.

[alisiatherrien-blog]

Irish Infant Labels And also Spanish Child Names.

The Gemini indication is the 3rd indication of astrology year in the astrology study. Even with several religious masters from ancient opportunities, like the Buddha, offering their input to have humanity out of the dirt, humans have mainly remained sunk in it. Under these scenarios, arrive the compensatory messages off close to fatality expertises (NDEs) that can easily uplift humanity coming from the unfortunate condition that discovers on its own in. If individuals are actually ready to launch themselves off the nearsighted scenery they store located on their social and spiritual conditioning, the notifications may aid just. That focuses on an outstanding historical system of prophecy that uses thrown the planet as basis from divining by carefully examining its own agreement and purchase based upon an individual's lifestyle, personality and his past, present and also, potential occasions. The historical philosophers, nonetheless, possessed a different perspective on individuality and also temperament. There is actually proof off the tomb art works that the ancient Egyptians at times took along cheetahs they had actually subjugated. Today our experts have hit an aspect where meaning is actually linkeded to several flowers, and policies and also policies in this practice are even more substantial compared to they ever before were actually. . As a matter of fact their electrical power and also specializeds were actually much more in comparison to the best strong item of today's times. If you desire to discover Mandarin foreign language, at that point technique that delicately as well as thoroughly as a bridge to not simply interaction using this sensational tradition, yet learn Mandarin language to experience the historical past and also techniques from their planet as well. What I really ased if regarding this book was its own importance on civils rights and also just how previous and existing regulations aid or even harm civils rights. In early opportunities, Sapphires were thought to be safety against rivalry, or even from poisoning. Nevertheless in Australia where the ancient and the very early division from humankind was present the Aboriginal people do not have any kind of know-how about the never-ceasing twins, the myths discussed by a ton of cultures were stemmed coming from the north when the mankind expanded from Africa almost 75000 years back. Grains continuously serve an important, if sometimes ignored, part in the diet plan from modern male, delivering thread, protein as well as iron while staying abundant, flexible and low-cost. This strategy goes back to at the very least 618-906 A.D. Besides putting the reduce blooms in water at their holy places, the early Chinese showed their affection as well as admiration for blooms in other means at the same time. Card prediction is rooted in the Tarot, and also has been carried out through readers given that historical times. This extremely meaning has today been actually made use of due to the advertising community to disperse information to the masses. To read more on yellow pages online australia (budowanie--zdrowia.pl) look at our web page. The phrase, probably off homing pigeons, implies to removal in the direction of an intended, however it does not make a considerable amount of feeling so you can find why a comparable term, refine", meaning to refine or sharpen, is usually substituted. Now you can find different interpretations of this particular historical style grace patios, swimming pools, rotundas, backyards, decks, as well as verandas throughout the country. The Ace from Diamonds by itself forecasts amount of money or an interaction for the customer. Quran is actually a manual of magics and that is actually one statement that is actually accepted through lots of folks which have read through the Holy Quran as well as aimed to understand it. That is actually one thing that was handed out by Allah Almighty for the betterment from the humanity. I could point out that a lot of guide will definitely sound along with my viewers since our company have actually consistently understood that there is actually more to life than the dress sense from some small famous personality or some unrelated political shenanigans. But this was actually the environment through which Michel de Nostredame grew up. It seems Michel was acknowledged as one of the most intelligent of the team and hence he was the one selected to commit his life to the research of the historical messages from the Kabbalah. That was at times scheduled for nobility and lots of lifestyles believed this possessed a theological importance. And finally, color printers acquired these meanings and also released all of them, leaving them for us in modern times. Making use of a Kritya from old times one can get rid of people in away regions while seated in the home making use of Concept shouting energy. That is actually awfully modern to assume that traits today are very other from the method they resided in old times, particularly in terms of the task from women in business, society, as well as national politics. It is actually because of this that the Secret and esoteric universities created by the old sages went underground and also operated clandestinely. Redford (Akhenaten, LJ 11/1/84) provides a research study of the political, social, and theological partnerships amongst individuals from Egypt, Assyria, and also the Levant in the course of the 3000 years off the Paleolithic time frame to the damage of Jerusalem in 586 B.C. What distinguishes this study is the per spective of an Egyptologist that ap proaches the target from ancient Egypt and also Israel without the typical assumptions and also focus discovered in the researches rising coming from scriptural research studies academics. Theater as we know that today has its own origins in ancient Greece, where tragedy as well as dramatization played to swelling crowds. The 'fairly modern-day' from the early Greek hairdos included 'kinking' - a design in which surges were actually made in the hair, making use of a curling iron. Oenophiles might be without the lexicon to describe it, however an archaeological drug store is positive deposits he discovered on 9,000-year-old pottery bits off the old Chinese community of Jiahu are actually coming from the globe's initial fermented refreshment. German's nonetheless may change common word order, beginning a sentence with various other option from phrases. Baseding on the ancient kabalistic content, the trick from the five metals call excellence is actually that at the particular opportunity from the creation of the band along with these five metals, Jupiter's impact is summoned forth. The origin from pizzas in fact started in old times, and also as stated in the past, was more for feature than exciting. The ancient people made use of points like natural herbs as well as blossoms making top quality colognes. This historical burial ground keeps several of the globe's earliest documentation of canine domestication That likewise exposed the respect these old family pets were actually given up ancient societies. Certainly not simply the skeletal systems and also their various other bodily features from the ancient folks are actually known, yet also the attribute and level of advancement of every one of the crafts that may be protected by funeral. This technique has been in make use of due to the fact that the early times for bad and great functions both. Considering that historical times, universities and also institutions have actually been actually thought about as temples from knowledge. This suggested that the popular practice of giving and also scrounging food items from the dining table has actually been going on because old opportunities. The treatment humans have actually shown their canines even in ancient societies is actually really impressive. These editions contain gigantic textual changes, the suppression as well as substitute from whole entire verses, all in series that turn out to tie in integrally along with a publication phoned the Sefer Yetzirah. This is actually since this demonstrates the advanced esoteric as well as thoughtful thinking of ancient opportunities.

[quranreadalong]

SO YOU AFFLICTED THE PEOPLE OF YOUR HOMETOWN WITH A FAMINE BECAUSE THEY ARE DISBELIEVERS

We’ve talked a lot about the Medina days in history lessons, but the Mecca days have been left fairly blank beyond that one history lesson in surah 6 and some tidbits along the way. There is a simple reason for this: far more was written about the Medina days in reputable sources. Mohammed lived as a Muslim in Mecca from 610 to 622 AD, and there was animosity between Mohammed’s camp in Medina and the Quraysh of Mecca all the way through 630 AD. That’s a long time! But the reliable information that we have on what exactly was occurring in Mecca during those 20 years is really skimpy.

Of course, we know the general outline, with the Quran itself as the most important source--how the majority of people in Mecca not only didn’t take to Mohammed’s “message” but thought he was a bit nutty and irritating, and all the drama that unfolded as a result of that. We know a bit about what happened towards the end of this time period, with the Treaty of Hudaibiyya and the conquest of Mecca. But we just don’t have a serious record of everything that happened in between, and most of what Muslims are taught about Mecca in this era relies mostly or entirely on weak traditions.

None of this is really surprising when you think about the numbers involved here. The vast majority of Meccans were not Muslim when Mohammed and his followers left for Medina. Those who stayed and later “embraced Islam” only after the conquest of Mecca (and subsequent hunting of polytheists) years later would naturally have been reluctant to talk about the years they spent in opposition to “Allah’s apostle”. Those who were Muslims at the time and migrated from Mecca to Medina with Mohammed numbered fewer than 200 even by the most optimistic accounts, and not all of them survived long enough to tell the tale. Compare that to the thousands of men that Mohammed led to conquer the city within a decade. Islam was born in Mecca, but it didn’t go from Local Man Becomes Cult Leader to Local Man Becomes Warlord until Medina.

So in addition to a dearth of material to work with, we ultimately have a dearth of potential original sources. Of those who narrated a thousand or more ahadith, in fact, the only two who were present in Mecca at any point during that era (Aisha and Mohammed’s cousin Abdallah ibn al-Abbas) were both very small children at the time of the migration to Medina. As such, trying to piece together exactly what went on in Mecca takes some work and some willing suspension of disbelief. This applies to not only Mohammed’s days in Mecca, but also to what happened in Mecca before Mohammed conquered it. Today we will look at a very good example of this problem.

In the last section, we were talking about this hadith from Bukhari, which is repeated in several sahih ahadith:

We were with `Abdullah and he said, "When the Prophet (ﷺ) saw the refusal of the people to accept Islam he said, "O Allah! Send (famine) years on them for (seven years) like the seven years (of famine during the time) of (Prophet) Joseph." So famine overtook them for one year and destroyed every kind of life to such an extent that the people started eating hides, carcasses and rotten dead animals. Whenever one of them looked towards the sky, he would (imagine himself to) see smoke because of hunger. So Abu Sufyan went to the Prophet (ﷺ) and said, "O Muhammad! You order people to obey Allah and to keep good relations with kith and kin. No doubt the people of your tribe are dying, so please pray to Allah for them." So [Mohammed recites part of surah 44 about how Allah will take them in a “mighty grasp”]. Ibn Mas`ud added, [that] happened in the battle of Badr

After that, Mohammed recites an ayah from surah 44, in which he says that the Meccans would just return to disbelief and would be destroyed by Allah, which is interpreted as a reference to the Battle of Badr. Other ahadith on this subject have some alternate dialogue--in this one Mohammed curses “Mudar”, which was an enormous tribal confederation including the Quraysh--but the general idea is the same.

That famine is assumed to be what Mohammed is talking about in 23:76, where he tells the Meccans that Allah has already punished them for their disbelief, as a warning. Well, fair enough, right? Here’s the issue: this is supposed to be a Meccan surah. And there is no record of such a catastrophic famine befalling Mecca before Mohammed left the city in 622 AD. It could have happened, I guess, but there’s nothing said of it in any reputable source, and one would assume that A) if such a famine had happened, a hell of a lot more people would’ve converted to Islam and followed Mohammed, and B) it would have been mentioned in the ahadith by people who suffered through it. But there isn’t any mention of this event anywhere. In fact, it’s really hard to tell when this apparent famine happened at all!

Let’s look at some sketchy stories that pinpoint the supposed famine in Mohammed’s Mecca days. Here is one from the guy mentioned in the Bukhari hadith. Abdullah ibn Masud is mentioned in another sahih hadith which says:

One day I went to Ibn Mas`ud who said, "When Quraish delayed in embracing Islam, the Prophet (ﷺ) [said:] I invoked Allah to curse them, so they were afflicted with a (famine) year because of which many of them died and they ate the carcasses ... Asbath added on the authority of Mansur, "Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) prayed for them and it rained heavily for seven days. So the people complained of the excessive rain. The Prophet (ﷺ) said, 'O Allah! (Let it rain) around us and not on us.' So the clouds dispersed over his head and it rained over the surroundings."

This and all of the other sahih ahadith concerning this topic stem from the same three narrators: Mansour, Masruq, and Abu al-Duha; they mention Ibn Masud as the ultimate source of this knowledge.

Reader, it is my opinion that one of these people is lying.

There is no record of any such famine in Mecca before the migration to Medina, nor is there any trace of this supposed famine from any chain of narration not involving the people named above. If Mohammed created and ended a drought on demand, I’d guess that he’d have won more than a couple hundred converts in 12+ years in Mecca. After all, one of the Meccans’ persistent criticisms of Mohammed, as the Quran itself states, was that he could not perform miracles. In fact, the account of Mohammed sending rain to relieve a drought, the people getting soaked and complaining, then the rainclouds being pushed out in a circle above is extremely similar to another mythical account... about this happening in Medina, which does not involve the Quraysh at all. It seems like that myth got transformed a bit and then backdated to the Mecca days, and that’s how the first hadith came to be.

This does not mean that the famine itself is purely mythical. It is mentioned by plenty of other narrators--just not the part about Mohammed performing a miracle to both invoke it and stop it, then placing it pre-Badr. I am now going to show, in obnoxious detail, why this detail was almost certainly false and early Islamic myth-making, and why the real famine, if it happened, instead occurred while Mohammed was in Medina.

There are plenty of other famines mentioned in Islamic histories and the sira we’ve been reading, but none that properly fit the timeline here. Ibn Ishaq, for example, references a famine that led to the young Ali coming to live with his older cousin Mohammed and his wife Khadijah:

God showed His favor and goodwill towards him (Ali) when a grievous famine overtook Quraysh. Abu Talib (Ali's father, Mohammed's uncle) had a large family, and the prophet approached his (other) uncle al-Abbas, who was one of the richest of Banu Hashim (their clan) ... the apostle took [in] Ali and kept him with him and al-Abbas took (Ali's brother) Jaafar.

But this was before Mohammed’s prophet days. So that one doesn’t work as a punishment for disbelievers. And anyway it’s unclear whether the people in Mecca were dying of hunger here--the implication is more like Abu Talib in particular was suffering because he didn’t have enough money to feed his large family. That was possibly because fewer people were coming to Mecca for the hajj, and Abu Talib made money catering to pilgrims. And Ibn Ishaq mentions no other “grievous famine”.

Some modern-day scholars instead try to connect the mysterious famine with a “boycott” of Mohammed’s clan, the Banu Hashim, mentioned in some history books, though it is not referenced in any strong ahadith. At some point, these books say, the Quraysh got so pissed off at Mohammed that they agreed to stop trading and marrying with his clan, even though most of his clan wasn’t Muslim at the time. The boycott was not very effective because people went around it and quietly traded with them anyway, then two or three years later the boycotters gave up. Even the sketchy sources describing this event have been drastically dramatized in modern times, implying it was a boycott of all Muslims (it wasn’t) and that it resulted in people dying (it didn’t). The actual sources that mention this never say this “boycott” starved anyone, let alone that it killed people. And at any rate, even if you do connect the Meccan famine to the supposed failed “boycott”, there’s still no mention of the supposed retaliatory famine in this era in any history books!

There is no other famine mentioned anywhere between 610 and 622 AD that we can even semi-plausibly connect with the famine. So we’re gonna have to ignore the belief that this was from the Mecca days if we want to make this work. The first hadith has to contain mythical details--a hadith being sahih does not necessarily mean that it is a true recollection of events, but simply that the statement probably does ultimately trace back to the alleged source (see examples of mythical sahih ahadith here or here). So let’s expand the timeline a bit. Al-Wahidi records a version of the story that does imply it was from the Medina days:

When Thumamah ibn Athal al-Hanafi (a powerful tribal chief) was brought to the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, as a prisoner and the latter embraced Islam, he set him free. Thumamah returned to al-Yamamah (Najd region) and prevented the people of Mecca from getting any provisions from al-Yamamah. Allah, exalted is He, sent upon Quraysh years of scarcity until they were forced to eat animal hair mixed with blood. Abu Sufyan went to see the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, and said: ‘I beseech you by Allah and our ties of kinship; do you not claim that you have been sent a mercy unto the worlds’. He said: ‘Indeed!’ Abu Sufyan said: ‘But you have killed fathers with the sword and children with hunger’

So, okay, here we have a clearer story: the “famine” is caused less by natural causes and more by a blockade of goods that results in starvation, courtesy of this powerful tribal leader from the Najd region east of Mecca and Medina. Allah’s “divine punishment” comes in because the guy doing the blockading is a Muslim. Ibn Ishaq relates the incident in which Thumamah here was captured:

The apostle's cavalry went out and captured a man of the Banu Hanifa not knowing who he was ... The apostle went to him and urged him to accept Islam .. When they let him go he went as far as al-Baqi, where he purified himself and then returned and paid homage to the prophet

If you remember from way back in surah 9, the early Muslims did engage in some raiding and attacks before Badr, most of which involved them trying to attack a caravan; they succeeded in the Nakhla raid, which resulted in a Meccan trader being killed during a supposedly “sacred month”, prompting the Quraysh to put together a defense force for the next caravan. The Muslims at the time did not have the numbers to raid all the way into the Najd region, though, and there’s no record of them having done so in 623-early 624 AD. So... if we want this story to work within the timeline, we have to assume that Thumamah was captured in some small, otherwise unmentioned raid when he was just hanging out in the Hijaz region for some reason. Again, it’s possible. But it seems very unlikely. And based on where this incident is listed in Ibn Ishaq’s work, this happened long after Badr, anyway, closer to 630 AD. Another dead end...

If we assume that the famine really did happen and is not just some early Islamic myth-making, going by the sources available to us, we’re gonna have to ignore 1) the belief that this ayah is from Mecca, and 2) Ibn Masud’s alleged interpretation of the ayah, mentioned in the hadith, as referring to Badr. We gotta put the famine post-Badr. No other timeline makes sense. In this case, the famine would be a warning whereas the outright conquest of Mecca and subsequent elimination of polytheism would be the true punishment, I guess. Basically a variant of the standard Allah Will Destroy You Like Past Disbelievers thing.

This paper records some other opinions of scholars and tafsir authors, which do gel with the al-Wahidi account as long as we assume this is happening after Badr:

al-Thalabi in his Tafsir: the [Quraysh] suffered hunger for seven years and the Arab tribes cut off their food supplies according to the order to the prophet. ... [Abu Sufyan] asked the Prophet to invoke God for them, which the Prophet indeed did. Then the prophet permitted to carry food to them while they were still unbelievers

This 11th century account expands the famine so it lasts the full seven years, whereas the Bukhari hadith says Mohammed asked for a seven year famine but only got one year. It also says that Mohammed graciously stopped the famine upon Abu Sufyan’s request and relieved the starving Meccans. This last part, where Mohammed saves the Meccans from hunger, seems to have sprung up in the works of the Arabic grammarian al-Farra but is not found in any reputable ahadith. But still, keep it in mind for later. The tidbit about the famine lasting seven years is not found in earlier stories and seems fabricated, but the core idea--that the famine was caused by some Arab tribe blockading Mecca--at least does fit with the Thumamah story.

So the best vague approximation for what the famine really was and when it really occurred (if ever) is that it was a blockade of Mecca carried out on Mohammed’s orders at some point between 625 and 630, which is when Mecca was conquered. That at least gives us a better starting point than “idk it happened at some point somehow”.

There is more evidence for putting the famine in the later end of that period (~628) than the earlier end, simply due to Abu Sufyan’s presence in the hadith--his visit to Medina just before Mohammed conquered Mecca, in which he tried to resolve the situation peacefully, is the only time he’s mentioned as actually visiting the city in reputable sources. But for the sake of argument, let’s assume that there was some otherwise unmentioned visit. This will let us look at some alleged incidents that put the famine closer to 625.

Al-Wahidi mentions one other incident involving Abu Sufyan visiting Medina, this time at some point after the Battle of Uhud.

After the fighting at Uhud, [Abu Sufyan etc] travelled to Medina and stayed as guests at ‘Abd Allah ibn Ubayy’s (Medinan leader called one of the “munafiqun”). The Prophet ... had allowed them to come to speak with him with his assurance of protection. ... They said to the Prophet ... “Reject the mention of our idols al-Lat, al-‘Uzza and Manat and say that they have benefit and the power of intercession for those who worship them, and we will leave you alone with your Lord!” Their words hurt the Prophet

This incident isn’t mentioned by any of the sahih ahadith, but it apparently stems from around the 8th century (allegedly from Muqatil), so at least it’s a pretty early tradition. According to this, at some point after Uhud, Abu Sufyan stopped by Medina and asked Mohammed to just keep the names of their goddesses out of his mouth and say that they could respond to prayers. Mohammed and Umar rejected this and the delegation went back to Mecca. The story seems to imply that it wasn’t right after Uhud, because it implies that the Muslims weren’t in a very subservient position here, so maybe it was after the later non-battle at Badr or else the siege of Medina. That would be 626 or 627. If you remember from surah 9′s history lessons, one of the reasons why Abu Sufyan refused to fight at Badr that year is because it was a drought year. A drought coupled with a blockade would have produced some seriously awful results. Maybe we’re on to something here? Could this be the visit in which Abu Sufyan pleaded for relief?

Some traditions, again not found in any sahih ahadith but still worth mentioning, imply that in the period between the failed siege of Medina and the conquest of Mecca, Abu Sufyan began to reconsider his strategy and tried to appease Mohammed by accepting gifts from him and sending Medina gifts in return. The paper quotes the scholar Ibn Asakir (1100s AD), citing a tradition supposedly going back to Mohammed’s follower Ikrimah:

[Abu Sufyan] sent to the prophet weapons and other things which the prophet accepted. Then the prophet sent him [dates] and Abu Sufyan sent him in return hides.

Similar traditions suggest that Mohammed sent food to the people of Mecca in general, which is like that account from al-Farra mentioned above.

So, hey, we maybe got something going on here. The general idea would be that at some point between 626 and 627 AD, Mohammed told one of his followers to blockade the eastern routes to Mecca, depriving them of crucial food supplies in a drought year. In addition, Mohammed ordered his followers to raid their allies and some related clans (the other “Mudar” clans), depriving the Quraysh of outside help. After the collapse of the siege of Medina and the defeat of the Jews and various Ghatafan clans, the Quraysh were isolated and, apparently, starving.

Within a year of that happening, Abu Sufyan recognized the inevitable and interceded with Mohammed to ask for relief, at which point Mohammed sent supplies to Mecca, establishing his control over the city in advance of the Treaty of Hudaibiyya and subsequent conquest of Mecca. Despite the fall of the city, Abu Sufyan would ultimately be rewarded for his subservience, as his family was taken into Mohammed’s inner circle and his son and grandson would both go on to be caliphs. Yaaaay mystery solved!!

...

HOWEVER.

As this other paper points out, this all relies upon sticking different traditions together. The one where Abu Sufyan visits Medina to ask Mohammed to stop talking shit about their goddesses doesn’t mention any famine. Even if the Thumamah story is true, it seems like the effects of the famine weren’t disastrous by the time of the supposed “after Uhud” visit. I mean, that seems like a pretty damn crucial piece of information to leave out. So while, yeah, it’s possible, again, it relies on highly tenuous readings of already shaky traditions. Let’s take one more swing at this riddle and try to place the famine in the latest years possible--closer to the time of the conquest of Mecca itself. After the Treaty of Hudaibiyya, in the years 628-630 AD. Maybe “Allah” only gave Mohammed one year of famine instead of seven because Mohammed would be in control of the city not long after that year. A sahih hadith mentions the following incident of a guy from Mecca leaving for Medina in this period.

Abu Basir a man from the Quraish (who was a Muslim), came to [Medina]. And [the Quraysh] sent (two men) to look for him; so [Mohammed] handed him over to the two men. They took him away ... and alighted to eat some dates which they had, Abu Basir said to one of the men: ... I think this sword of yours is a fine one; the other drew the sword and said: Yes I have tried it. Abu Basir said: Let me look at it. He let [Abu Basir] have it and [Abu Basir] struck him till he died, whereupon the other fled and came to Medina, and running entered the mosque. ... He said (to Mohammed): I swear by Allah that my Companion has been killed, and I’m as good as dead. Abu Basir then arrived and said: Allah has fulfilled your covenant. You returned me to them, but Allah saved me from them. The Prophet (ﷺ) said: Woe to his mother, stirrer up of war! ... When [Abu Basir] heard that he knew that [Mohammed] would send him back to them, so he went out and came to the seashore. Abu Jandal escaped and joined Abu Basir till a band of them collected. 

So this guy, Abu Basir, is sent back to Mecca as per the conditions of the treaty (Mohammed sent the men back at first but kept the women, even though the treaty itself made no such distinction). But on the way back Abu Basir stabs one of the guys escorting him and chases after the other one, who runs back to Medina and tells Mohammed what happened. Mohammed is irritated and says that Abu Basir now really has to go back, because he’s just killed a guy for no reason. Instead of returning to Mecca, Abu Basir instead joins up with this Abu Jandal fellow--a runaway from Mecca who had secretly converted before the Battle of Badr and had switched sides during the battle along with his brother, much to the chagrin of the Quraysh. After the battle, he was dragged home and imprisoned for his betrayal, but he later made his way to Medina. Mohammed said had to go back, mentioned in another sahih hadith.

Abu Basir and Abu Jandal, along with various other Muslims, set up a “band”, as the hadith says. Hey...... haven’t we heard of these guys before somewhere?

Oh yeah! They were in this hadith from surah 9!

Abu Jandal bin Suhail got himself released from them (i.e. infidels) and joined Abu Basir. So, whenever a man from Quraish embraced Islam he would follow Abu Basir till they formed a strong group. By Allah, whenever they heard about a caravan of Quraish heading towards Sham, they stopped it and attacked and killed them (i.e. infidels) and took their properties. The people of Quraish sent a message to the Prophet (ﷺ) requesting him for the Sake of Allah and Kith and kin to send for (i.e. Abu Basir and his companions) promising that whoever (amongst them) came to the Prophet (ﷺ) would be secure. So the Prophet (ﷺ) sent for them (i.e. Abu Basir's companions) and [Allah] revealed the following Divine Verses: "... After He made you the victorious over them. ... the unbelievers had pride and haughtiness, in their hearts ... the pride and haughtiness of the time of ignorance." (48.24-26) And their pride and haughtiness was that they did not confess (write in the treaty) that he (i.e. Muhammad) was the Prophet of Allah and refused to write: "In the Name of Allah, the most Beneficent, the Most Merciful," 

So the “band” in question was a band of murdererous converts from among the Quraysh who attacked every Qurayshi caravan along the Syria route they could get their hands on, killed the traders, and stole all their goods. During the “truce”. The Meccans--presumably including Abu Sufyan--asked Mohammed “for the sake of Kith and kin” (his family/clan) if uhhh hey could you maybe stop your people from attacking us please we kind of have a treaty with you bro lol?? But in response Mohammed blamed them for refusing to recognize him as a prophet in the treaty (remember that debacle?).

Now hold the fuck up. Here we really do seem to have something. There was a drought going on--starting around 626 and continuing at least until the time of the Tabouk expedition, as we’ve already talked about--and here we have a sahih hadith telling us that the Meccans were also being deprived of their trade, not just from the east as in the other story, but also from the north--from their absolute most vital route. And, as the paper I linked above mentions, the scholar Ibn Hajar connects this incident to a time in which:

(Quraysh) sent Abu Sufyan b. Harb to the apostle of Allah to ask him and to plead with him to summon Abu Jandal and the people who were with him.

...Abu Sufyan went to Mohammed in person during the “treaty” era, which would be 628 or 629! And this ties into the earlier explanations about the stories supposedly set a couple years earlier in 626/627--because Abu Sufyan’s visit here still led to Mohammed relieving the Meccans of the blockade, as long as the Quraysh agreed to ignore the one part of the treaty that was actually beneficial to them, which they did:

They (i.e., Quraysh) said: 'anyone who sets out from us to you may stay with you lawfully, and there is nothing objectionable in it'

So it all ultimately fits together!

TO SUM UP A VERY LONG READ: If we assume the famine did happen, the most logical way to put together the story is this. Mohammed first started blockading Mecca from the lands of the Najd in the east, courtesy of Thumamah. Gradually the allies of the Quraysh were defeated or made to submit to Mohammed, from Bedouin clans to the Jews of Medina. There was a drought going on, and times were tough but not unbearable, because the Meccans still had their other trading routes to rely upon. But years later, after the Quraysh’s strength had collapsed and the treaty had been signed, the people of Mecca still “persisted in their unbelief”. And so a band of Muslims began to blockade them from the north with Mohammed’s support. Mecca was cut off from vital trade routes in two directions, and a famine began. After a year or so of misery, Abu Sufyan realized that defeat was inevitable, and began taking steps to effectively surrender to Mohammed, including begging him to stop the blockade in exchange for getting rid of a pro-Quraysh stipulation in the Treaty of Hudaibiyya. Mohammed agreed to this and the condition of the people in Mecca improved once he sent them supplies, but by now they knew that they lived and died on Mohammed’s whim, and it was only a short time before he took over the city itself.

To me this timeline is really the only one possible, given the evidence. The Bukhari hadith is almost certainly mythical, and based on a myth that puts this incident in a totally different era at that. When it comes to the surah we’ve been reading, some parts of it, perhaps including 23:76, appear to be from the Medina era instead of the Mecca days. And the punishment-famine referenced in the various ahadith we’ve read is likelier to be this famine, caused by a combination of drought and blockades prior to the conquest of Mecca, than any other supposed famine.

So there you have it. I think that is the single clearest explanation for that ayah, and several related others that we will later come across. In addition to raids, ambushes, forced conversions, massacres, sieges, mass enslavements, rapes, feudalism schemes, and ethnic cleansing, evidently Mohammed was not adverse to using hunger as a weapon. Nobody ever said that establishing a theocratic empire was a cute process fam!!

⇚ previous day | next day ⇛