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#writing muslims
queenie-blackthorn · 6 months
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tips for writing muslim characters
except im a muslim, born and raised
dont mix it up with arab characters, yes a muslim can be arab and muslim but theres a difference. the link to my post abt writing arabs is here
first and foremost, not all muslims are arabs, and not all arabs are muslims. yes, most terminology and the holy book is in arabic, but that doesnt mean its exclusively arabs
indonesia (not an arab country) has the highest population of muslims worldwide
the arab country with the most christians is egypt, but the arab country with the highest population of christians is lebanon 
not all practicing muslim women wear hijab (some extremely religious women might not wear a hijab)
five prayers a day: fajr (before sunrise), zuhr (midday), asr (afternoon), maghreb/maghrib (sunset), ishaa (nighttime)
call to prayer is known as 'azan', you can listen to it on youtube
muslims use the lunar calendar (known as the hijri calendar), which also has 12 months but its around two weeks shorter than the gregorian calendar. most people only remember the ninth month: ramadan
fasting consists of not eating/drinking from fajr until maghrib. you stop as soon as the azan for fajr sounds, and you can start again as soon as the azan for maghrib sounds. you fast for the entire month of ramadan, but its also encouraged to fast on mondays, thursdays, and the 14th/15th/16th days of each month of the hijri calendar
allah isnt the name of god. allah is the arabic word for 'god'
women dont have to cover up completely until puberty, athough some girls cover up before then and other women dont cover up at all
women can be religious and not cover up
the word 'hijab' doesnt show up in the quran, its 'khimar'. hijab is to cover up completely, not just hair. you cant wear a headscarf with a short sleeved shirt
men have to cover up too. from their navel to their knees absolutely has to be covered up, and (in most islamic cultures, not necessarily exactly religious) they cover up their chests as well 
also men are told to avert their gazes from women more than women are told to cover up. youd find a lot of men in muslim countries not looking up from the floor when walking, especially in areas w a lot of women
kids by the age of eight can usually recite at least four chapters from the quran (the first one and the last three, mostly. it doesnt matter if theyre not arab)
if you want to use verses from the quran for whatever reason, i recommend quran.com
theres only one version of the quran. the same copy thats existed for 1400 years and millions of people have memorized it
on that note, people who memorize the quran are called hafiz, and there isnt a particular age. theres a three year old hafiz and a woman who didnt memorize it until age eighty three
there are two different sources for islamic law: the quran (holy book), and hadith (quotes of the prophet). dua' is completely different, its a prayer used to ask help from god, but unlike the five prayers, it doesnt really require a specific ritual. you just sit, face the direction of mecca, and say the dua'
superstitions are haram, but muslims do believe in black magic (its sihr in arabic and its one of the biggest sins) and djinn (there are djinn muslims but theyre widely regarded somewhat like monsters who encourage/help you to do black magic)
allahu akbar means "god is greater" or "god is the greatest". it isnt used as a signal to blow people up, and it isnt a term used purely by islam extremists
assalamu aleikum / waaleikum assalam mean, respectively, "peace be upon you" and "and peace be upon you too" basically just our way of just saying "hi" along with the reply
subhanallah means "glory be to god" usually when witnessing a miracle or when amazed
mashaallah - there arent any exact english equivalents but it means "what god wills". usually for compliments or to protect someone from evil eye
insha'allah - simply "god willing" but we use this when talking about the future (like "will you come to school?" "insha'allah" or "we'll get the gift, right?" "insha'allah"). can be replaced by the lesser used "bi'ithn illah"
alhamdu lillah - "praise be to god" or "thanks be to god. used in the way you might imagine, but also as a way to express that youre doing fine. "how are you doing today, sister?" "alhamdu lillah" (also when finishing a meal / finishing drinking water)
astaghfir ullah - "i seek forgiveness from god" whenever we see someone do something haram or when we ourselves do something haram and wish to repent
bismillah - "in the name of god" we use this whenever we begin something. a lot of arab literature starts with this. every chapter im the quran starts with this. every meal starts with saying this before eating
you can submit asks if you have any questions, but try to be a lil specific !!
feel free to rb with more info :)
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riymeep · 4 months
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With representation becoming more inclusive and welcoming, I’m happy to say I’ve seen more people create Muslim characters they don’t include harmful stereotypes.
However, I have noticed a trend where someone makes Muslim characters just for the sake of saying they have a Muslim character. I’ve made a post like this about Muslim teen characters before, but I’ve been noticing this happening more with Muslim characters in general.
They rarely explore their religious identities and how strongly they associate with it. A lot of the time it’s clearly just an excuse for them to put a hijab on a character. Nothing wrong with that if you just want to draw them, but if you’re gonna make stories with those characters, please make an actual effort into understanding Islam.
So many times, I’ve seen Muslim characters who say once or twice “I’m a Muslim” or wear a hijab. And that’s it. Of course, their personality should be more than just “The Muslim”. Me and all the Muslims I know are so much more than just that and have personalities. But being Muslim is still a huge part of our identities. Even for the less religious ones, then being Muslim has defined a lot of their lives and shaped them into who they are. So it makes me really upset to see a Muslim character and see nothing done with that part of their identity.
Finding information on Muslims and Islam is pretty simple, since you really only have to look it up, although you do have to be careful as many sources are inaccurate and some people have different interpretations of Quran. I’ll try to list some tips from others:
I was gonna include more, but one that is fully accurate is hard to find, so make sure to double check most sources you find. For example, I found a source that looked really good, but when it said that stuff like feminism goes against Islam, I realized it wasn’t as great as I thought, and is another example of some Muslims mixing culture and religion together.
Feminism is of course, the belief that men and women should be treated fairly, which is okay in Islam and actually promoted. Yes, many cultures with Islam are sexist, but as a religious woman, I can tell you that the cultures and religion are quite different.
But yes, even if you do not agree with everything Islam stands for, then I still ask that you incorporate Islam into your Muslim characters.
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kaatiba · 1 year
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general taglist (open!):  @muddshadow, @lockejhaven​
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fairieicetea · 1 month
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you must be what the poets talk about
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mindofserenity · 10 months
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honeystarsss · 11 months
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jumaimahzaman · 25 days
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the best kinds of love
Love of Allah
Love for Allah
Love for the sake of Allah
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poorly-drawn-mdzs · 1 year
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Advanced Hall Monitor Technique: Go To Detention
[First] Prev <–-> Next
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wrappedinamysteryy · 2 months
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Yearning | تَوّاق
Though delays in our unanswered prayers can be difficult to bear,
Do you see how they can often lead us to strive harder to limit our sins and please Allāh?
Our yearning for something from Allāh can benefit us in the afterlife.
It's as if our yearning itself becomes a form of goodness that guides us to be a better human being and a better Muslim.
Knowing how deeply you desire it, you strive for patience and avoid displeasing Him in any way.
Though patience wanes and fatigue sets in, I seek refuge only in You, my Rabb.
-Mona Al Kabir (wrappedinamystery)
And Allāh accepts all duās right away, or in delay or grants something beyond our comprehension.🧡
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sinful-archangel · 1 year
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Religious conservatives love talking about trans people “mutilating their genitals” and then go off to circumcise their children without their consent 😇
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maihonhassan · 17 days
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Fasting for 16 hours and being full after 10 minutes is a prime example of how fleeting the pleasures of this world are and how small this life is.
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queenie-blackthorn · 5 months
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HI HI HI long ask incoming :,,DD
so i have a transmasc muslim character from Malaysia, and i was wondering what the biggest no-no’s are when it comes to writing their transition? and, also, what is it like being a queer muslim in general?
being a queer and trans asian i understand enough (personal experience lol) but i was raised (unfortunately) in a predominantly catholic country that has a LOT of misinformation abt muslims. which sucks. i vaguely know that removing one’s hijab is a very delicate, sensitive thing to do. but what happens when the person no longer identifies as a woman, and wishes to present masculinely? or heck, even present a bit femininely, but still choose to identify as a man? how would a trans muslim go about presenting the way they want to, in the theoretical situation that they’re in a safe enough environment to do so?
hii <333 i want to clarify beforehand that this is a VERY sensitive issue, esp among muslims. cause us as muslims have faced enough misrepresentation as is, and some (i promise not me) may consider it insulting and misrepresentative for a queer muslim to exist (as if they dont already). just, be wary when approaching this subject
now, the issue here is that trans muslims are an EXTREME minority, and i mean extreme. not many people transition and still call themselves muslim. they either renounce islam, or hide their identities for the sake of safety. islam resembles christianity in a way—queerness is a big no-no. HOWEVER, in islam its not haram to BE these things, its haram to act like it (specifically, acting like the opposite gender. dressing like them, who you get married to, etc)
you have to be v delicate, since most ppl would not accept a trans muslim character (i say most bc there are ppl who wouldnt mind, but society as a whole generally would in fact mind)
you almost never see women decide to take off their hijab bc they dont identify as a woman. removing the hijab is taboo enough in muslim culture, but doing that due to not identifying as a woman anymore? BIG no-no
if, theoretically, theyre in an environment safe enough to do so, they still may find ppl unfriending them bc of it, or tryna convince them not to do so for their own safety
HOWEVER, i do have genderqueer friends irl who are still muslim, all of them afab. im gonna use two of them as an example (keep in mind we do live in a transphobic/homophobic society)
the first one (genderfluid but goes w any pronouns) was a hijabi before they stopped identifying as a woman, and they still wear a hijab. however, they do wear chest binders and more masculine style of clothing (e.g. no skirts). they still cover their awrah (the part of a muslim that should be covered. for men its from the navel to below the knees, for women its everywhere except the face and hands), but theyve become a lil more careless w the hijab (like wearing it looser)
the second one (he/they) isnt a hijabi, and they still have long hair. however, he also wears a chest binder, but still likes makeup and things like that. ik less abt this one cause we arent as close as me n the first friend, but thats what ik
and i also mentioned the awrah. keep in mind that men have a hijab too, just a different kind. "hijab" just means covering, n both genders have to cover personal parts. so your character may stop wearing a headscarf, but they still have to wear longer shorts n grow out a beard (and yes, growing out your beard is a must for men in islam. according to most scholars anyway, since the prophet pbuh did it)
if your character was previously a hijabi, you might make him more careless w the hijab (showing more n more hair until he eventually renounces it completely) n start wearing more t-shirts w jeans and things like that (search up "grunge hijab" n youll see what i mean)
it IS better to make a trans non-muslim in a muslim society, considering a lotttttt of muslims might find it offensive if theres a trans muslim, but obv i have no say in your character and in the end its entirely your choice <33 just be aware that its kinda like stepping on broken glass here
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heart-dive · 2 years
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sabrgirl · 3 months
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if there’s anything this year has taught me, it’s been the art of letting go. there are so many things, people, ideas, thoughts and feelings that i’ve let go of this year—more than i ever have in my life. some by choice, some by leaving me with no choice. but i’ve learnt that it’s okay to stop hanging on, it’s okay to stop clinging for dear life and just… fall through the air. and surrender to Allah's Will and let Him guide you. sometimes the landing is so beautiful. sometimes you’re afraid you’ll fall and crash if you let go. but actually. actually :) you’ll find something so much softer and comfortable than the spiky, rocky edges you were scratching yourself and pricking yourself with by trying to hold on. i’ve learnt that sometimes you might be falling for a while trying to find this landing and you’ll keep falling and falling and falling to what seems like no end.
but alhamdulillah, i’ve learnt to what it means to embody sabr and tawakkul. it doesn’t mean you’ll be fine all the time. sometimes it means pulling your hairs out, crying, screaming, sobbing and sobbing in salah, going silent, not wanting to talk to anyone, pulling yourself to get out of bed and get on with your day, pulling yourself out of bed to pray tahajjud and fajr when all you want to do is sleep for 15 hours, trying hard to focus your mind on what’s at hand rather than overthinking about the future, reading Qur'an and the pages get all blurry from your tears, pretending to be happy when you’re not, lashing out at the ones you love and then feeling guilty afterwards and doing istighfar, trying to be extra kind to the people around you so that they don’t feel the pain you’re feeling, or simply just existing, living your life and having absolutely no idea what's going to happen tomorrow, next week, next month and all you can do is just focus on what's happening right now. it means that through this all, you still believe that Allah will make it okay, that He still loves you and will forgive you, that there is a reward that is waiting for you, that you can keep turning to Him over and over and trust that He will make it okay. and He will.
and still, you’ll hang in there, you’ll still push, you’ll still get through it. because you’re strong. because you're being guided by Allah. and you'll already have let go now so there’s no going back. but when you find this fluffy landing, you’ll realise it was all worth it. and you’ll not only have found it, you’ll have grown in the process, become a better person and best of all, you'll have gotten closer to Allah (SWT).
and you’ll discover that this beautiful landing, this soft, cloudy landing that you didn’t expect to land on after falling at such great speed was peace, all along. the peace you were looking for that you finally found. and sometimes you’ll be pushed towards the edge again and this whole cycle will continue— and continue, it will. because what you thought was finally the ground was just another tall mountain with fluff at the top but spiky edges all around again. but the beauty in letting go and surrendering to Allah is that you’ll find peace again and again and again. 
may we all find peace in 2024 and grow closer to Allah سُبْحَٰنَهُۥ وَتَعَٰلَىٰ . may He forgive us for all our sins, increase us in knowledge, guide us on the right path and give us strength to overcome any difficulty/temptation/hardship. may He be with the people of Palestine and may 2024 be the year they are finally free. may He always be pleased with us and let us have a great year. Allahumma Ameen.
happy new year to you all. you’re all such beautiful people who deserve the very best. you have overcome so much this year, gone through so much this year, silently, publicly, and grown a lot. please give yourself credit for it and thank Allah. be kind to yourselves.
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bijoumikhawal · 5 months
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hello! i hope it's alright to ask you this but i was wondering if you have any recommendations for books to read or media in general about the history of judaism and jewish communities in egypt, particularly in ottoman and modern egypt?
have a nice day!
it's fine to ask me this! Unfortunately I have to preface this with a disclaimer that a lot of books on Egyptian Jewish history have a Zionist bias. There are antizionist Egyptian Jews, and at the very least ones who have enough national pride that AFAIK they do not publicly hold Zionist beliefs, like those who spoke in the documentary the Jews of Egypt (avaliable on YouTube for free with English subtitles). Others have an anti Egyptian bias- there is a geopolitical tension with Egypt from Antiquity that unfortunately some Jewish people have carried through history even when it was completely irrelevant, so in trying to research interactions between "ancient" Egyptian Jews and Native Egyptians (from the Ptolemaic era into the proto-Coptic and fully Coptic eras) I've unfortunately come across stuff that for me, as an Egyptian, reads like anti miscegenationist ideology, and it is difficult to tell whether this is a view of history being pushed on the past or not. The phrase "Erev Rav" (meaning mixed multitude), which in part refers to Egyptians who left Egypt with Moses and converted to Judaism, is even used as an insult by some.
Since I mentioned that documentary, I'll start by going over more modern sources. Mapping Jewish San Francisco has a playlist of videos of interviews with Egyptian Jews, including both Karaites and Rabbinic Jews iirc (I reblogged some of these awhile ago in my "actually Egyptian tag" tag). This book, the Dispersion of Egyptian Jewry, is avaliable for free online, it promises to be a more indepth look at Egyptian Jews in the lead up to modern explusion. I have only read a few sections of it, so I cannot give a full judgment on it. There's this video I watched about preserving Karaite historical sites in Egypt that I remember being interesting. "On the Mediterranian and the Nile edited by Harvey E. Goldman and Matthis Lehmann" is a collection of memiors iirc, as is "the Man in the Sharkskin Suit" (which I've started but not completed), both moreso from a Rabbinic perspective. Karaites also have a few websites discussing themselves in their terms, such as this one.
For the pre-modern but post-Islamic era, the Cairo Geniza is a great resource but in my opinion as a hobby researcher, hard to navigate. It is a large cache of documents from a Cairo synagogue mostly from around the Fatimid era. A significant portion of it is digitized and they occasionally crowd source translation help on their Twitter, and a lot of books and papers use it as a primary source. "The Jews in Medieval Egypt, edited by: Miriam Frenkel" is one in my to read pile. "Benjamin H. Hary - Multiglossia in Judeio-Arabic. With an Edition, Translation, and Grammatical Study of the Cairene Purim Scroll" is a paper I've read discussing the Jewish record of the events commemorated by the Cairo Purim, I got it off either Anna's Archive or libgen. "Mamluks of Jewish Origin in the Mamluk Sultanate by Koby Yosef" is a paper in my to read pile. "Jewish pietism of the Sufi type A particular trend of mysticisme in Medieval Egypt by Mireille Loubet" and "Paul B Fenton- Judaism and Sufism" both discuss the medieval Egyptian Jewish pietist movement.
For "ancient" Egyptian Jews, I find the first chapter of "The Story of the Jews: Finding the Words 1000 BC-1492 AD” by Simon Schama, which covers Elephantine, very interesting (it also flies in the face of claims that Jews did not marry Native Egyptians, though it is from centuries before the era researchers often cover). If you'd like to read don't click this link to a Google doc, that would be VERY naughty. There's very little on the Therapeutae, but for the paper theorizing they may have been influenced by Buddhism (possibly making them an example of Judeo-Buddhist syncretism) look here (their Wikipedia page also has some sources that could be interesting but are not specifically about them). "Taylor, Joan E. - Jewish women philosophers of first-century Alexandria: Philo’s Therapeutae reconsidered" is also a to read.
I haven't found much on the temple of Onias/Tell el Yahudia/Leontopolis in depth, but I have the paper "Meron M. Piotrkowski - Priests in Exile: The History of the Temple of Onias and Its Community in the Hellenistic Period" in my to be read pile (which I got off Anna's Archive). I also have some supplemental info from a lecture I attended that I'm willing to privately share.
I also have a document compiling links about the Exodus of Jews from Egypt in the modern era, but I'm cautious about sharing it now because I made it in high school and I've realized it needs better fact checking, because it had some misinfo in it from Zionist publications (specifically about the names of Nazis who fled to Egypt- that did happen, but a bunch of names I saw reported had no evidence of that being the case, and one name was the name of a murdered resistance fighter???)
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mindofserenity · 10 months
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