AL-FUSTAT MAGAZINE

  A Monk on the Path By Tareq Hamida The narration says, “When the magician grew old, he said to the king, ‘I have grown old, so send me a boy whom I can teach magic.’ So the king sent him a boy to teach.” Here, several questions arise: - Why is the magician keen to pass on his magic to someone else after him? - Why does he want it to be a boy? - Why did he wait until he grew old? - Why does he feel the need to tell the king, “I have grown old”? - How will this boy be chosen? Since it is the devil who guides the magician, he wants the state of disbelief and deviation from the path of God to continue. Moreover, when a person is forsaken by God and surrounded by sins, he does not stop at being corrupt but also seeks to be a corrupter, having an ongoing negative influence around him. As for why the magician waited until he grew old, if he had requested this earlier, he would fear that the boy might compete with him or take his place and position. Why did he need ...

    On his channel, Blogging Theology , Paul Williams reviews a section of Tariq Ali 's book, Winston Churchill: His Times, His Crimes , discussing Churchill's thoughts on Palestine , Palestinians , and Jews .

  King and a Magician Confronting the Call By Tareq Mustafa Hamida   “There was a king among those who were before you” ... The curtain rises, presenting the reader or listener with a king. Those who opposed the prophets and advocates of monotheism were the leaders and chieftains because they enslaved, oppressed, and exploited people, consuming their rights. It was only natural that these individuals would be the first to carry, and indeed lead, the banner of war against religion. In the Qur’an , almost every story of a prophet involves the faithful confronting the elites—the leaders who are highly regarded by the people due to their status and wealth. This is evident in the stories of Noah, Hud, Salih, and Shuayb, peace be upon them. In the story of Moses, peace be upon him, Pharaoh and his elites lead the opposition against the call to monotheism. When we consider the phrase “among those who were before you,” it becomes clear that what the Prophet, peace be upon hi...

  By: Tareq Mustafa Hamida