Poem: "First Give Something in Charity"
Sep. 13th, 2021 04:48 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ysabetwordsmithThis poem is spillover from the September 7, 2021 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by a prompt from curiosity. It also fills the "Sharing" square in my 9-1-21 card for the Platonic Love Fest Bingo. This poem has been sponsored by Anthony & Shirley Barrette. It belongs to the Aquariana thread of the Polychrome Heroics series.
"First Give Something in Charity"
[Thursday, July 7, 2016]
Mamadou Latheef observed
the holiday of Eid al-Fitr
with joy and humility.
He stood in the field of faith
and bowed with others in
the communal prayers.
He paid Zakat al-Fitr
by hosting a feast for
the poor and the destitute.
Then he sat in a prayer room
and contemplated what
his country had done and
what they received in return.
It had really begun when Mamadou
had asked an imam how he could
save the Maldives from sinking
under the waves, and was told:
"If you want to pray to Allah
for better means of subsistence,
then first give something in charity."
After meditating and praying on
that advice, Mamadou had realized
people with superpowers had
many difficulties and few refuges,
but they had been touched by Allah
with diverse aspects of His power,
such that they might aid others.
The President therefore offered them
sanctuary and support, a home and
even a voice in the government, if
they would help keep the country
above the rapidly rising waters.
The Abd-Qadir had answered,
and now the Maldives held many.
Two whales, Steel and Moderato,
had become the Maldivian Navy,
the world's first all-aquatic one.
They brought an influx of cetaceans
seeking the protection of citizenship.
Among the most precious immigrants
were Chops, a Chinese man who
made uncounterfeitable currency,
and Aunt Flo, inventor of Flushies.
Then Kraken decloaked, and
the Republic of the Maldives
ceded some territory to create
the new nation of Thalassia,
gaining a powerful neighbor.
The world's first teleport hub
opened, creating all kinds of
new opportunities for transport.
For several years, the Maldives
had been encouraging teleporters
to settle there, particularly those
specializing in cargo, which had
greatly improved the shipping.
President Latheef used zakat
to buy an island sanctuary for
the Rohingya refugees, who
needed escape from Myanmar.
Delighted by their new home,
the Rohingya devoted themselves
to learning about the Maldives.
The President hoped to gain them
new territory of their own eventually,
in the Laccadive Sea, but so far
the United Nations was still
dragging its feet about that.
Not long after then, Dr. Infanta
bought an island for the Uighurs,
which further helped the Maldives
to maintain a Muslim majority.
The Maldives also took in
many other refugees from China,
especially those with superpowers.
Meanwhile, Thalassia had taken
most of the former sexbots, but
a few of those had sought out
the Maldives, which already
had a national university.
Then at the end of May, tragegy
had struck -- the West Coast of
America suffered an earthquake
far greater than anything else
since the country's founding.
The Maldives sent aid, and
received another wave of
refugees, of whom the soups
and the Muslims were the most
inclined to resettle permanently.
Everything they gave away
returned to them in greater gains.
Eager for a new opportunity, Mamadou
turned to Imam Adil Kalinga who had led
the Eid service and said, "I wish to hear
a quote from the Quran about generosity."
"When one of you plants a tree, the fruits
of which all creatures enjoy, let it be
written as charity," said the imam.
"Perfect," said the President.
"I'll get started on that right away."
He had heard about Aida Finn
wanting to reclaim land to make
a garden island and fill the area with
native plants for everyone to share.
Perhaps a new program could
encourage other people to do
likewise, expanding territory
and boosting the food supply.
President Latheef pulled out
his phone and began sending
messages to those officials
he would need to meet with
in order to make this happen.
He felt confident that the program
would prove a success, though.
The more the people gave,
the more they would receive.
* * *
Notes:
"If you want to pray to Allah for better means of subsistence, then first give something in charity."
-- Hazrat Ali (R.A)
"When one of you plants a tree, the fruits of which all creatures enjoy, let it be written as charity."
-- Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W)
June 7, 2016 -- Start of Ramadan
July 7, 2016 -- End of Ramadan, Eid al-Fitr
Zakat al-Fitr is a special type of zakat which ensures that the poor have something to eat at the end of Ramadan. The requirement is merely that each person provide a day's food for the poor; President Latheef is being extra generous by feeding many of them.
Abd-Qadir is a common Islamic term for someone with superpowers. It means Servant of the All-Powerful. The implication is that, as humans are reflections of Allah and His virtues, some are reflecting individual and differing aspects of His universal power. Some use the term only for Muslims, while others use it for everyone, largely depending on whether they see God only in other Muslims or in the whole of humanity. As a volunteer group, the Abd-Qadir use their superpowers for emergency services, much like the Abd-Raheem.
القادر Al-Qadir
The All-Powerful, He Who is able to do Everything
The President's invitation for soups to join the Maldives appears in "Sink or Swim."
Steel and Moderato first appear in "Extraordinary Experiences."
Chops and his uncounterfeitable currency are introduced in "The Greatest Legacy" (Thursday, January 2, 2014) and "The Currency of Leadership."
Aunt Flo, creator of the famous feminine hygiene product Aunt Flo's Flushies, joins the Maldives in "Flowing into the Future" (March 8, 2015).
"In Search of a Sanctuary" 9-19-20 (outside fishbowl)
Story Date: Monday, January 25, 2016
Summary: Dr. Infanta goes to President Latheef, wanting to buy an island to house the Uighur refugees.
Thursday, January 2, 2014 -- Chops moves to the Maldives and creates uncounterfeitable currency, detailed in "The Greatest Legacy."
Sunday, March 8, 2015 -- Aunt Flo immigrates to the Maldives, pitching her products including Aunt Flo's Flushies. Alerted to the idea of using Flushies to treat endometriosis and other menstrual malfunctions, she begins research into these areas.
Mid-to-Late March 2015 -- Kraken decloaks, invoking Contingency X and allying with the Republic of the Maldives. Negotiations begin to transfer a span of ocean from the Maldives to Kraken so they will have territory of their own.
Late March 2015 -- Construction begins on floating facilities for a lab and a factory to produce Aunt Flo's Flushies and other products by the same creator. Additional facilities are planned to launch in stages.
June 2015 (3 months) -- After consultation and prayer, the imams in the Maldives approve the Flushies for use by Muslim women, setting this as "recommended" because Muslims just generally dislike bodily emissions of all kinds. The opinions divide on whether or not a woman wearing a Flushie "is menstruating" for the purpose of religious rules: a majority say that she is not, because the rules rely on blood appearing outside the body, which quickly stops with a Flushie on. Go do your cleansing just as if you had finished menstruating, and you are then spiritually clean. This parallels prior rulings on the topic of birth control pills that stop menses, except that Flushies do not require the husband's permission since they do not block fertility. Imams in other Muslim cultures vary in their opinions, but even some of the conservative ones are swayed by the option of not having to deal with all that blood. Some very sharp arguments break out because reading the source material makes it pretty clear that cleanliness is to be preferred when available, and those opposing Flushies are called anti-woman and not good Muslims; which predictably leads to fighting in the already fraught Middle East.
Monday, June 1, 2015 -- The Republic of the Maldives cedes territory from parts of the Laamu, Gaaf Alif, and Gaaf Daal administrative regions to create the nation of Thalassia for Kraken.
Monday, July 6, 2015 -- The auxiliary teleport airport opens in Malé, at the lower righthand corner where it says Varunulaa Raalhugandu. There's a heliport pad marked in the middle of a sizable open space and plenty of room to add a teleport building.
Monday, October 5, 2015 -- The first free-floating teleport lock opens, complete with conventional and zetetic equipment to minimize risks of transporting foreign water and organisms into Maldivian territory. It lies southwest of Malé, far enough out to sea that waves from water displacement don't cause problems for the islands. This way, Master cargo teleporters can deliver fully loaded ships safely.
November 2015 (9 months) -- The new floating lab goes online, and Aunt Flo moves into it from her temporary facility.
Monday, January 4, 2016 -- President Latheef decides to buy an island for the Rohingya refugees to maintain a Muslim majority in the Maldives, as shown in "The Best Richness."
Monday, January 25, 2016 -- Dr. Infanta goes to President Latheef and buys an island to house the Uighur refugees. See "In Search of a Sanctuary."
March 30, 2016 (12 months) -- The preliminary study on how Flushies affect endometriosis is released with excellent results: it solves the problem for most women, reduces it for all of them, and causes nearly no side effects. Longer term and larger scale studies are launched for this and other conditions.
Saturday, May 28, 2016 -- A massive earthquake makes a full rip down the West Coast of North America, triggered by the Cascadian Subduction Zone. It destroys much of the infrastructure and comes to be known as the Big One.
curiosity. It also fills the "Sharing" square in my 9-1-21 card for the Platonic Love Fest Bingo. This poem has been sponsored by Anthony & Shirley Barrette. It belongs to the Aquariana thread of the Polychrome Heroics series."First Give Something in Charity"
[Thursday, July 7, 2016]
Mamadou Latheef observed
the holiday of Eid al-Fitr
with joy and humility.
He stood in the field of faith
and bowed with others in
the communal prayers.
He paid Zakat al-Fitr
by hosting a feast for
the poor and the destitute.
Then he sat in a prayer room
and contemplated what
his country had done and
what they received in return.
It had really begun when Mamadou
had asked an imam how he could
save the Maldives from sinking
under the waves, and was told:
"If you want to pray to Allah
for better means of subsistence,
then first give something in charity."
After meditating and praying on
that advice, Mamadou had realized
people with superpowers had
many difficulties and few refuges,
but they had been touched by Allah
with diverse aspects of His power,
such that they might aid others.
The President therefore offered them
sanctuary and support, a home and
even a voice in the government, if
they would help keep the country
above the rapidly rising waters.
The Abd-Qadir had answered,
and now the Maldives held many.
Two whales, Steel and Moderato,
had become the Maldivian Navy,
the world's first all-aquatic one.
They brought an influx of cetaceans
seeking the protection of citizenship.
Among the most precious immigrants
were Chops, a Chinese man who
made uncounterfeitable currency,
and Aunt Flo, inventor of Flushies.
Then Kraken decloaked, and
the Republic of the Maldives
ceded some territory to create
the new nation of Thalassia,
gaining a powerful neighbor.
The world's first teleport hub
opened, creating all kinds of
new opportunities for transport.
For several years, the Maldives
had been encouraging teleporters
to settle there, particularly those
specializing in cargo, which had
greatly improved the shipping.
President Latheef used zakat
to buy an island sanctuary for
the Rohingya refugees, who
needed escape from Myanmar.
Delighted by their new home,
the Rohingya devoted themselves
to learning about the Maldives.
The President hoped to gain them
new territory of their own eventually,
in the Laccadive Sea, but so far
the United Nations was still
dragging its feet about that.
Not long after then, Dr. Infanta
bought an island for the Uighurs,
which further helped the Maldives
to maintain a Muslim majority.
The Maldives also took in
many other refugees from China,
especially those with superpowers.
Meanwhile, Thalassia had taken
most of the former sexbots, but
a few of those had sought out
the Maldives, which already
had a national university.
Then at the end of May, tragegy
had struck -- the West Coast of
America suffered an earthquake
far greater than anything else
since the country's founding.
The Maldives sent aid, and
received another wave of
refugees, of whom the soups
and the Muslims were the most
inclined to resettle permanently.
Everything they gave away
returned to them in greater gains.
Eager for a new opportunity, Mamadou
turned to Imam Adil Kalinga who had led
the Eid service and said, "I wish to hear
a quote from the Quran about generosity."
"When one of you plants a tree, the fruits
of which all creatures enjoy, let it be
written as charity," said the imam.
"Perfect," said the President.
"I'll get started on that right away."
He had heard about Aida Finn
wanting to reclaim land to make
a garden island and fill the area with
native plants for everyone to share.
Perhaps a new program could
encourage other people to do
likewise, expanding territory
and boosting the food supply.
President Latheef pulled out
his phone and began sending
messages to those officials
he would need to meet with
in order to make this happen.
He felt confident that the program
would prove a success, though.
The more the people gave,
the more they would receive.
* * *
Notes:
"If you want to pray to Allah for better means of subsistence, then first give something in charity."
-- Hazrat Ali (R.A)
"When one of you plants a tree, the fruits of which all creatures enjoy, let it be written as charity."
-- Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W)
June 7, 2016 -- Start of Ramadan
July 7, 2016 -- End of Ramadan, Eid al-Fitr
Zakat al-Fitr is a special type of zakat which ensures that the poor have something to eat at the end of Ramadan. The requirement is merely that each person provide a day's food for the poor; President Latheef is being extra generous by feeding many of them.
Abd-Qadir is a common Islamic term for someone with superpowers. It means Servant of the All-Powerful. The implication is that, as humans are reflections of Allah and His virtues, some are reflecting individual and differing aspects of His universal power. Some use the term only for Muslims, while others use it for everyone, largely depending on whether they see God only in other Muslims or in the whole of humanity. As a volunteer group, the Abd-Qadir use their superpowers for emergency services, much like the Abd-Raheem.
القادر Al-Qadir
The All-Powerful, He Who is able to do Everything
The President's invitation for soups to join the Maldives appears in "Sink or Swim."
Steel and Moderato first appear in "Extraordinary Experiences."
Chops and his uncounterfeitable currency are introduced in "The Greatest Legacy" (Thursday, January 2, 2014) and "The Currency of Leadership."
Aunt Flo, creator of the famous feminine hygiene product Aunt Flo's Flushies, joins the Maldives in "Flowing into the Future" (March 8, 2015).
"In Search of a Sanctuary" 9-19-20 (outside fishbowl)
Story Date: Monday, January 25, 2016
Summary: Dr. Infanta goes to President Latheef, wanting to buy an island to house the Uighur refugees.
Thursday, January 2, 2014 -- Chops moves to the Maldives and creates uncounterfeitable currency, detailed in "The Greatest Legacy."
Sunday, March 8, 2015 -- Aunt Flo immigrates to the Maldives, pitching her products including Aunt Flo's Flushies. Alerted to the idea of using Flushies to treat endometriosis and other menstrual malfunctions, she begins research into these areas.
Mid-to-Late March 2015 -- Kraken decloaks, invoking Contingency X and allying with the Republic of the Maldives. Negotiations begin to transfer a span of ocean from the Maldives to Kraken so they will have territory of their own.
Late March 2015 -- Construction begins on floating facilities for a lab and a factory to produce Aunt Flo's Flushies and other products by the same creator. Additional facilities are planned to launch in stages.
June 2015 (3 months) -- After consultation and prayer, the imams in the Maldives approve the Flushies for use by Muslim women, setting this as "recommended" because Muslims just generally dislike bodily emissions of all kinds. The opinions divide on whether or not a woman wearing a Flushie "is menstruating" for the purpose of religious rules: a majority say that she is not, because the rules rely on blood appearing outside the body, which quickly stops with a Flushie on. Go do your cleansing just as if you had finished menstruating, and you are then spiritually clean. This parallels prior rulings on the topic of birth control pills that stop menses, except that Flushies do not require the husband's permission since they do not block fertility. Imams in other Muslim cultures vary in their opinions, but even some of the conservative ones are swayed by the option of not having to deal with all that blood. Some very sharp arguments break out because reading the source material makes it pretty clear that cleanliness is to be preferred when available, and those opposing Flushies are called anti-woman and not good Muslims; which predictably leads to fighting in the already fraught Middle East.
Monday, June 1, 2015 -- The Republic of the Maldives cedes territory from parts of the Laamu, Gaaf Alif, and Gaaf Daal administrative regions to create the nation of Thalassia for Kraken.
Monday, July 6, 2015 -- The auxiliary teleport airport opens in Malé, at the lower righthand corner where it says Varunulaa Raalhugandu. There's a heliport pad marked in the middle of a sizable open space and plenty of room to add a teleport building.
Monday, October 5, 2015 -- The first free-floating teleport lock opens, complete with conventional and zetetic equipment to minimize risks of transporting foreign water and organisms into Maldivian territory. It lies southwest of Malé, far enough out to sea that waves from water displacement don't cause problems for the islands. This way, Master cargo teleporters can deliver fully loaded ships safely.
November 2015 (9 months) -- The new floating lab goes online, and Aunt Flo moves into it from her temporary facility.
Monday, January 4, 2016 -- President Latheef decides to buy an island for the Rohingya refugees to maintain a Muslim majority in the Maldives, as shown in "The Best Richness."
Monday, January 25, 2016 -- Dr. Infanta goes to President Latheef and buys an island to house the Uighur refugees. See "In Search of a Sanctuary."
March 30, 2016 (12 months) -- The preliminary study on how Flushies affect endometriosis is released with excellent results: it solves the problem for most women, reduces it for all of them, and causes nearly no side effects. Longer term and larger scale studies are launched for this and other conditions.
Saturday, May 28, 2016 -- A massive earthquake makes a full rip down the West Coast of North America, triggered by the Cascadian Subduction Zone. It destroys much of the infrastructure and comes to be known as the Big One.
(no subject)
Date: 2021-09-14 02:37 am (UTC)Thank you!
Date: 2021-09-14 11:02 am (UTC)