The folly of Alhambra (II)

‘Masha Allah, you crammed every word.’ I commended.
‘I’m very proud of my Islamic heritage, that’s why I memorised it.” Mahmoud replied, making us all smile in agreement.
‘Yes, it is indeed something to be proud of. From the pious, austere ways of the Prophet, peace be upon him and his noble companions to the adventurous and knowledge-advancing ways of the rich sultans, there is a lot to make us raise our heads in pride.’ Tahir responded.
‘That’s true and they were very innovative in the way they advanced knowledge too. I mean it was one of The Abbasid Sultans, the famous Harun al-Rashid who established the Baitil Hikma, an institute which was primarily dedicated to the translation of books from Greek, Latin, Chinese and other ancient civilisations for the benefit of the Muslims of his day. As a result of his initiative Arab scholars were able to read the books written by ancient philosophers and embark on their own observations and reseaches, a phenomenon which gave birth to the great scientific discoveries of the Muslim world.’ I added.
‘Yes, I heard that the Baitil Hikma or ‘house of wisdom’ was Caliph Harun Ar-Rashid’s greatest legacy. It made Baghdad the centre of learning and knowledge in those glorious days of Muslim rule.’ Ahmad contributed for the first time.
‘That’s very true Ahmad. So you see, in spite of their over indulgence in luxury, they did uplift their societies by providing the right environment for knowledge and scientific enquiry. And thanks to their findings, like Carly Fiorina said we have the modern computer, names and cures for diseases, the names of stars and space exploration, the corrective specs we use and many other things that aid the lives of humans on this planet.’ Tahir concurred.
‘It’s hard to believe that with all these Muslim contributions to the positive aspects of our humanity and civilisation, today people are ready to associate only negative things, like terrorism and blooshed, with Islam. I wonder how they got to this level of thinking.’ Ummi observed, thoughtfully.
‘Oh, but that’s not such a great mystery. Every great achiever has enemies, in fact according to some scholars, the one test of a good deed is the opposition you get from doing it. In other words, when you are busy doing something you believe is good but no one criticises you or shows open enmity towards you or tries to detract you in any way, know that what you are doing isn’t good at all. Because no good deed escapes negative attention. Now those people busy tarnishing the image of islam through manufactured terrorism are enemies of what we stand for because they can see that our religion and way of life discourages all evil practices and encourages only what benefits humanity.
They can’t stand the fact that Islam forbids drinking of alcohol, which they drink daily, like water, and  forbids all kinds of immorality, through which most of them make their fortune. For this reason they chose to demonise Islam. And with the aid of a sophisticated media machinery, it is easy for them to reach everywhere with their lies and falsehood. The challenge before us is to establish Muslim-owned media so as to broadcast the positive about our deen and debunk the negatives through truthful reporting and commentary of events.’ Tahir suggested.
‘And where do gou think you are going LB?’ I asked when I suddenly saw her walking away from where we stood overlooking the Alhambra gardens.
‘I’m trying to see whether there is any way we can get into the palace, maybe through some side entrance.’ My last-born replied.
‘No Little Bint, there is no other way except through that main gate where you see all those people trooping. And I’ve told you what they said to me when I reached there to get our tickets, they said we had to book from home because they restrict the number of people allowed into the palace at any given time. And they are fully booked for the next two weeks.’ Her father explained.
‘Does this mean we’ll return home without seeing the famous Alhambra?’ Ummi asked in surprise. ‘Lots of things in Granada are named after it, that was what peaked my curiosity. How can we leave without seeing it?’ She asked.
‘Well. They said the alternative is to be here as early as 6am in order to go in without prior booking. But since even salatul subhi is only due some minutes after 6am, how do you see us leaving home before the prayer? Personally I dont think it’s worth the trouble. One magnificent palace is as good as another in this world.
And the same grandeur and décor your mother is complaining about is now all over the mosques in the Muslim World, particularly the grand mosque of the Ka’aba in Makka. Now that you are old enough to appreciate the pilgrimage, we will in sha Allah plan for it. That way you will worship Your Lord in the most sacred spot on earth as well as see the magnificence of the mosque. Let’s just hope to be alive then and also be able afford the foreign exchange.’ Tahir prayed.
‘Ameen to that but I’ve never been for overdecorated mosques anywhere in the world. Indeed Islam is against decorating a place of worship because it can distract the worshipper. I wonder why the Ulama in Saudi allowed all that. It’s obvious the rulers were copying the decorated cathedrals around the world. The scholars ought to have stopped them.’ I complained.
‘There she goes again.’ Tahir said, rolling his eyes upwards before grabbing LB’s hand and walking away.
Concluded