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THE HISTORY OF IN ISLAM NAJIULLAH SHAH, 14
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tories are important to everyone, especially to us as Muslims. If we didn’t have them, it would be harder for us to learn about our religion. People like listening to or reading stories to understand things better, which is why storytelling is a great way to propagate our Deen.1 Within a story often lies a lesson, moral, or a conclusion that would benefit us. Stories were originally used to help us learn about important facts. A perfect example of this would be the story of Yusuf (AS).2 He always had patience and endured pain after pain, struggle after struggle, and in the end he “We are presented became one of the important people in Egypt. The lesson with a roadmap to take away from this story to success in the is to always be patient; Allah form of the will always be with you if you lessons in these have taqwa.3 The Quran4 is full of stories.” stories. In fact, one of the surahs5 in the Quran is called “Al-Qasas,” which means “The Stories.” This surah is full of stories. It starts with the story of Musa (AS) and ends with the story of an Eygptian Tyrant by the name of Qarun. All of these stories have lessons that will help make us better Muslims. Islamic storytelling has always been important. If stories didn’t exist, we wouldn’t have good examples and lessons. During the Makkan Period, when the Prophet (SAW)6 had lost hope in the Quraysh, Allah (SWT) sent
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down the story of Musa (AS), and how the people of Egypt always mocked him and never believed him. Then, Allah says that He helped Musa (AS) and He destroyed the people who didn’t believe. The lesson from this is that Allah “If stories didn’t always helps the people who exist, we wouldn’t are in dire need, as long as they believe in Him as the have good only God. examples and Storytelling is very lessons.” important for us as Muslims. Muslims are extremely fortunate to have stories of the past recorded in the Quran and Ahadith. We are presented with a roadmap to success in the form of the lessons in these stories. If we follow the lessons derived from the stories, we will be successful.
1. Deen: A reference to the Islamic Way of Life. 2. (AS): An abbreviation of alayhi-salaam, meaning “May peace be upon him.” Said after the names of prophets. 3. Taqwa: Consciousness of Allah. 4. Quran: The Holy Book of Islam. 5. Surah: A Chapter of The Quran. 6. (SAW): An abbreviation of sallA-llahu alayhi wa sallam, meaning “May peace and blessings be upon him.” Said after the name of Prophet Muhammad.
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POWER OF THE PEN:
ICHINARU L, 21
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he pen is mightier than the sword.
This is a common idiom with variations in many languages, and is quite widely understood as well. However, with the mention of the pen, the first thing that comes to mind is usually words, and the message is perceived as how intellect can often be superior to physical strength. It is easily forgotten that the pen can be mightier in quite a few ways – such as art. Art is impactful and precious. It holds information in a unique way: open to interpretation, but paradoxically specific as well. Although the appreciation of classical forms of art is fading away in favour of technological and economic advancement, it does not change the notion that the creation of art is important. Art matters because of how potent and influential it is. It has the power to convey emotions in a memorable way, and it is found in every nook and corner of society. It serves as a reflection of the beliefs and values between all of the cultures on earth. Our lives are surrounded by it. For instance, theatre, movies, and TV shows are a form of art that can teach us about the history and culture of any people in an engaging way; education about these topics from books in classrooms can make learning dull and forced, but using entertainment media can help spark MY VOICE | ISSUE2VOL7 2019 | 12
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SAMIHA RAHMAN, 22
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am not a professional in this field. I am simply sharing my story on a public platform to bring awareness to the intersectionality of the matter, and to let go of something I have wrongfully identified with for far too long, so I can move on with my life. Even if 20 people read this, I will know I shared it, and am bidding farewell to something so secretive and sacred to me, because it’s not me anymore. In a sense, I am implementing a form of therapeutic freedom, by facing my fears head on, and being completely vulnerable. Eating disorders are painful, traumatic, and extremely hard to unlearn and grow from, but recovery is possible. We need to talk about this more, as it exists on an intersectional level. I am not the ideal eating disorder prototype (white, privileged and of higher class). I am visibly Muslim, of South Asian descent, and I exist in a family dynamic and culture that still has trouble understanding mental health, let alone eating disorders. I also belong to a family where there are multiple illnesses, mental and physical, being both resisted and treated.
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I’ve been in active recovery from an eating disorder for about a year now. It hasn’t been easy, and each day comes with its own trial and tribulation. It doesn’t make it better either, when you get comments like, “You look so much healthier now”, or, “You looked anorexic back then, but now you look okay—stay at this weight!” What people fail to realize is what’s beneath the surface: the months it took for me to painfully re-gain the weight I spent years losing. e countless nights I cried myself to sleep because I once again chose the harmful, destructive method to cope, the lack of control I had when things were changing so fast. I’ve been to hospitalized treatment for 3 months before, and now I guess I’m sharing a bit of this very personal part of my life, to simply speak about it, to hopefully normalize it. My story is totally unique to me, and no two eating disorders look alike. To this day I still don’t know the exact reasons it manifested in the way it did. It was a combination of deeply rooted insecurities about myself, situations in my life that made me feel invisible/unlovable, and important people in my life that caused me to hyperfixate on my appearance and other people's criticisms of me. But it started with control: controlling the part of life you’re able to have a total say on. For me, it was what I put in my body; my diet. is control was able to compensate for the areas in my life where it was lacking. When you feel trapped and confused about what constitutes validation and what it takes to receive unconditional love, it becomes very easy to start punishing yourself. By policing my body and my food intake, I felt accomplished and in control. I got praised for being “so good” and “so determined.” Of course there were moments
where the people I cared about asked me how I was doing and what was going on, but when you're in a dark place, all of this blurs out. You only hear the comments about your body and what you’re eating. I felt inspirational, like I belonged. I am aware at some points in my writing it might be hard to understand the exact details of my diagnosis and story, and I plan on continuing to write and share for whoever wants to listen, but as of right now this is what I feel comfortable with sharing to the world, I hope you can respect and appreciate this. My intention is to help someone, anyone who is reading this right now who has felt the pressure from their family, friends, culture, or society to change any part of themselves: their bodies, their personality or any other aspect that is special and unique to them, to feel apart of something and to feel accepted. It doesn’t have to be this way, I promise. Please don’t waste years of your life shrinking yourself (literally) and putting your life on the line to fit a narrow, self-destructive definition of beautiful. Easier said than done — I know, but that’s why I want to share my journey (one I'm
!"#!$!%&' still on); I hope my story makes you feel more open to seeking professional help, to gain the skills and self understanding you so direly need to recover and feel better. We all have a long way to go. I hope this article urges you to be kinder and more understanding with each other. We are all fighting battles, sometimes alone, and those are the worst of the kind to go through. e ones that manifest in our minds. You can’t really escape yourself, can you? Check up on your friend today. Make it a habit to compliment others based on how they make you feel. Make sure the people you lean on in times of distress are able to give you genuine, unconditional, positive regard. Most importantly, never stop learning and unlearning.
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