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celestialholz · 3 years ago

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Q-uick Qcard: STP 2.8

... Bit fucking late on this one, chaps. I'm trying to work on a 100% factually accurate post on the subject of why Qcard is now inevitable, but I can't be fucked right now after a six-day week, so I've decided to give up and write this gem instead. ;) There's always later, right?

In the meantime, I've also set up a Qcard Discord! Have a lovely link here and come and join us in talking absolute nonsense about these space husbands. We're just setting up, so feel free to offer us suggestions on the matter too.

We're doing something a little different here, thanks to the absolute legend that is Theresa. If you don't marry her, Cris, she's my wife. So, set explicitly post-3.10 (because Qcard's inevitable) and cross-posted here to AO3, welcome, my darlings, to:

I Do (Whenever You Want To)

"Pretend we're married."

Q blinked innocently up from the grassy hillside, which had just spontaneously exploded into a carpet of very much non-native red peonies.

"We don't have to pretend, you know." His voice wore reverence as though silk, eyes shining brilliantly with warmth. "Just tell me when and where, dear."

Thoroughly derailed, Jean-Luc stared across at him, shaking his head.

"I was - leading to a hypothetical question, Q," he murmured, almost awkward; Q claimed his hand softly, forced him to meet his eyes, and his vague anxiety vanished into insignificance at the sheer completion he found there.

It was so strange to be loved, he noted silently, yet so very wonderful.

"No pressure intended," Q promised, squeezing his fingers gently. "Just wanted you to be very aware that my answer, should you ever wish to ask, will always be yes. Now, and forever. Anyway - 'hypothetical question', you were saying?"

Jean-Luc took a moment with his free hand to pluck a peony from the grass; the bouquet was vibrant on the inhale and puffed out a wisp of stardust, and he laughed quietly.

"... You've completely put me off, now." There was a thread of apology in his beloved's amused gaze, and the peony he was clutching suddenly became fourteen more, tied with a maroon ribbon.

"What can I say - I am exceptionally distracting." He threw him a wink, and Jean-Luc almost blushed an appropriately peony rouge - truly, he was, in every possible way, for the past thirty-nine years, and was going to be for the rest of time.

He wouldn't have had it any other way.

"I... it just seems so insignificant, compared to forever."

"Oh it is, absolutely," came the agreement, godly eyes intense, "but perhaps not to you, and that's what matters."

Jean-Luc shook his head, marvelling. "And that's sufficient, is it?"

"Yes. And it'd probably be notably more accurate when others ask who you are, frankly. You recall those Taguans, a linear fortnight ago? I told them we were married."

"... The Taguans don't marry, Q."

"... Well, no, but they do bond for life. Same difference."

Jean-Luc smiled, warmly. "You and I are bonded for life."

"We are," Q replied reverently, eyes sparkling, "and one day, sometime in the very distant future, that might seem something less than utterly astonishing. Slightly, anyway."

Foreheads met for a long moment, breaths gently taken in harmony, mutual love so achingly clear; their universes resplendent in total peace.

"You tell everyone we meet that we're married, don't you."

Q laughed lightly, breath tickling his captain's cheek. It wasn't a question, and they both knew it.

"... I may do."

A soft chuckle left Jean-Luc. "You are the most sentimental being in the cosmos, truly."

"Mmph," came the muttered protest, "I am no such thing, darling. I'm terribly frightening and awful, I'll have you know."

"Well, of course you are." Jean-Luc smirked. "And because you're so awful, and evidently I have abysmal taste in entities, I've no choice in the matter."

He directed a finger forwards, and a flash burst around Q's hand; upon his left ring finger appeared a band of gold, its central gem sizeable, and a deep, jet-fringed maroon.

"... I'll just have to immortalise my abysmal taste, make it officially official that no one else could ever be this misguided ever again." He grinned at Q's stunned response, at the parting of his mouth, at the comprehensive rapture in his gaze as he ran trembling fingers across it and absorbed its sentiment fully.

"I..." Q stuttered, tears burning as they met an equally eternal gaze. "Hello, mon mari."

"Hello, mon soleil," Jean-Luc whispered in response, beaming. "Lovely to finally marry you."

A gentle sob tripped from Q's throat and Jean-Luc was plunged backwards into grass even softer and more densely floral than it had been, the embrace and its accompanying kiss so absolutely joyful that he might have wept.

Shall I take it that's a yes? He eventually managed to whisper to his mind; a breathless, mental sob of pure delight met it, and Jean-Luc's head exploded with the sheer force of white brilliance, the suns that sprung to life in a thousand faraway galaxies.

Please do, came the almost desperate reply. Please, stars, do, dearest husband.

He held him close, let him utterly understand that he was fully adored, and looked up; the cosmos swam overhead in pale starlight, and he smiled at its wonder as he whispered his adoration to them both.

#qcard #q-uick qcard #my writing #jean-luc picard #q of the continuum #I am so SOFT #star trek picard 2.8 #I want y'all to remember this when we kill Q next week lmao #re-read this six times and remember what we're getting eventually ;)#adorable picard and adorable Q are just... *chef's kiss*#😭😭😍😍

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eternityhistoria · 9 months ago

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by some godly miracle that, W, this madwoman, who has consumed countless lives, people who could have lived, but blown into bits & pieces will meet her end. ; She doesn't care anymore, letting his hands choke her neck.

Dagger digs onto his flesh.

Please, kill me.

Theresa wouldn't like this. ; the ghostly empress shall be torned apart if she knew that two of her most loyal subjects, the blademaster & jester are wilting, in the field of red.

Would that woman cry, out of mere hopeless?

"[SARKAZ] Then let us return to dust, awaiting for our next revival."

Unfortunately, may it be fate. That a certain familiar dragon shows up. Using it's claws to hitch onto Seth's uniform, pulling the male & female away from each other, even it meant more blood loss. It huffs smoke, ready to strike either of one if they planned to die today. Allowing the lynx to come out the shadows, gun loading up. Voice becoming the usual emotionless tone, yet lacing the emotions beneath them.

"[SARKAZ] For her ideals, for those to come bear fruit, I cannot let you, Operator Seth & W disappear into your pitiful dying wrath. Even as I watch your ideals falter, even as I bare watch to one losing everything."

"[SARKAZ] URK! But you, a woman who bears heart of this rhodes island, think you can sto-"

"[SARKAZ] I cannot stop your fate. Once this is all over, do what you must, until then I beg of you, as a director, as someone who followed her highness, I cannot let you fade away."

"Oh, I can't Seth. If I die, I'll drag your being along with me. Even when I haunt you in your sleep!" Yet she spats out vitality, dripping from her silver tongue.

She hated this world, allowing the ruthless cycle of violence over & over, but here this devilish fiend is, repeating it. ; Tearing down those 'ideals' & countless lives until Theresa, who spoke such saintly words, until she expired at the hands of that wretched person.

W wants to see his ideals shatter, unable to come to bear fruit, thanks to their king who no longer provides warmth & water.

Even if Amiya keeps going, with, or without these idiots. Coming fourth, letting blade dig deeper. Ruining it's metal color, dyed in war. Lifting Dagger.

"& I am taking you down, demon!"

#director (kal'tsit)#devillish sniper (w)#tw long post #// ask to tag

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starkcontrasts · 4 years ago

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Grimm Ravings

The political connotations of a Grimm having a Hexenbiest baby mama and, eventually, wife are just-

So gorgeous and delightful to consider, if you ask me. Because for all that Nick tries his best to keep his identity secret, that doesn't mean he doesn't have a reputation. Oh and what a storied reputation it is, especially as the years pass.

I mean, just think about it: Wesen, Resistance Members, Royals, and other Grimms around the world just spreading the hearsay about The Portland Grimm and how he's killed a member of the Royal Family, how he had a brief debacle with but eventually went back to working alongside Another™ member of that same Royal Family. How he outmaneuvered said family in their centuries-long endeavor at attaining godly power, within his first few years as a Decapitare. How he works alongside a Blutbad and a Fuchsbau and has a whole lodge of Eisbiber starry-eyed and willing to call on long-forgotten courage to aid in his pursuits. The Portland Grimm who they say can identify a Wesen from hearing them woge alone and fights with the strength of his entire bloodline (exaggeration? maybe, but who can say. Theresa Rubel aka Trubel aka Hadrian's Grimm, traversing the globe and said Portland Grimm's 3rd cousin, certainly won't be the one to correct them. Neither will Eve, for that matter, but she's mostly helping run HW nowadays so she doesn't get out on the field much unless it's absolutely necessary anyways.). The Portland Grimm who saved a foundational member of the Resistance, sent two heads as a crystal clear "fuck around find out" message to the same organization that has successfully executed a slew of his own ancestors for centuries, and who has killed too many members of the Verrat to count. The Portland Grimm with ties to the Wesen Council, Old and New, and who's been granted diplomatic immunity so long as he keeps his decapitating tendencies to lawbreakers only.

The Portland Grimm who's married to the same Hexenbiest who not only bore a member of the same™ aforementioned Royal Family, but who's eldest daughter is The-Heir-To-Beat and possibly the most powerful being in creation. The Portland Grimm and his Hexenbiest wife who made a child that's an amalgam of two genetically opposed bloodlines - seriously Kelly is a petri dish for all sorts of wacky magic, just like his older sister - and is the grandson of both Catherine Schade, a Hexenbiest infamous in Europe if not elsewhere too, and Kelly Burkhardt, the Grimm Who Defied Death.

And what about Adalind? Adalind who simply has to be aware of her own reputation because you can't be a kickass lawyer and, freshly robbed of your powers, choose to throw your lot in with volatile bluebloods as a strategic way of regaining your livelihood, without having an iron-grip on how you present yourself before the masses. Adalind, the Hexenbiest who outlived three Royals: a prince with a reputation for ruthlessness and getting results, the actual Crown Prince himself, and the reigning King. Adalind, who has a begrudging relationship with the recently crowned King Viktor and who's first baby daddy is Sean Renard, the Portland Royal. Adalind who, in the span of a few days, gained the affection of a high-ranking asset to the Resistance, The Martin Meisner. Adalind, the Hexenbiest who bore not one but Two miracle babies (I want to say a third too because there's no way her and Nick have presumably 15+ years of marriage, give or take, beneath their belt without at least one more child between them). Adalind, the one-woman law firm with serious pull regarding the outcome of Wesen-related cases, and who has represented more than her fair share of Wesen before a trigger-happy, newly-established and justifiably paranoid Council. Adalind, the Hexenbiest that bagged a Grimm and makes it common knowledge that if you come after her family, she won't just sit pretty. Nick is the one who takes heads, who brandishes a gun and an axe, Nick is executioner, hunter, and he's also the knight protecting the castle gates but Adalind is the last defense(before the kids get to have their fun, anyway), Adalind is wife and mother (would've been Queen in another life and will be Queen Mother when Diana takes her rightful place on the throne) but Adalind is also the Witch in this little fairytale metaphor that is their entire lives, and witches won't even leave a soul for the afterlife to take.

Genuinely, the tomes of lore and socio-political implications for where our main characters stand on the world stage within Grimm are ridiculous in their potential and I remain endlessly peeved that NBC's coward ass cancelled them when we'd just scratched the surface.

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apollosdaughter39 · 2 years ago

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So like I have had this random HOO fanfic thing in my head for months ever since I started reading Percy Jackson. It’s literally just the same exact story but with one added main character and other added characters to go along with her. I might post some of my favorite edited scenes here, but for now, enjoy some of my characters’ descriptions!

Name: Tricia Peters (demigod)

Godly Parent: Pan

Mortal Parent: Amelia Peters

Location: Camp Half-Blood (was born in Greece)

Siblings: None

Weapon: Reed flute, gets Celestial Bronze-reinforced sword made of ancient vines but rarely uses it

Powers: Can summon vines and other plants with her will

Strengths: Guitar playing, supporting others in the Seven + Nico

Weaknesses: Physical strength, her supposedly dead bf Caleb Vittadini

Fatal Flaw: Takes responsibility for everyone and everything

Birthday: May 14

Name: Caleb Vittadini (mortal descendant of Apollo)

Parents: Theresa Vittadini, Alessio Vittadini (Alessio is descendant of Apollo)

Location: Maryland

Siblings: Devante Henry (Half brother), Javier Esculla (Devante’s bf)

Weapon: None (killer dance moves?)

Powers: Music comes easy to him (because Apollo)

Strengths: Can calm arguments even in huge groups

Weaknesses: always striving for perfection, extreme loyalty

Birthday: February 12

#percy jackson #percy jackson and the olympians #heroes of olympus #pjo #pjo hoo toa #hoo #percy jackson fanfiction #my ocs

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lovetaled-a · 3 years ago

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* @warnsyou ( theresa katsaros ) ⋆ › ' yeah, yeah, I'm okay ... are you okay? ' / accepting.

there’s a lot eden doesn’t remember: not so much the major things, like the fact that he was stuck in a block of ice like captain america until yesterday, that he’d been to camp half-blood before because everything about it was so deja vu even though there were things just enough off about it to feel like a literally-campy horror film, and that chiron looked at him like he knew something and wasn’t about to tell eden what it was. what confuses him most are the details, taking foreign shapes like grass growing up the pillars of the pavilion, the way columns sink into the ground, that campers hum songs that he’s never heard and different lettering on the cabins. the food they throw into the fires tasting strange in his mouth — or the way he’s forgotten who his godly parent is when everyone else seems to know theirs or be satisfied with not knowing, but he remembers his dad’s face the last night he saw him ... that no other faces are familiar to him, save those he knew before, in his mind and still sharper and clearer than what he saw now with his eyes.

he startles from the sense of belonging to another plane, as he’s asked a question and he reels back into a present he isn’t yet a part of. ❛❛ oh. yeah, ❜❜ the demigod stammers, confused why the aphrodite girl he’s partnered with would even talk to him or why he asked her first like she’d actually answer ( he recalls them being kind of like those cliques in school, the kids that were rich enough or prep enough for car phones and preferred the music on mtv to the vinyls he liked. that treated him differently for a little while when he made the hockey team sophomore year and hung around a few jocks, then quickly moved on. ) hesitantly, eden turns to the girl — theresa he’s just been told — and sizes her up. brown hair, short and unstyled by a blow dryer or curlers. which, when talking stereotypes for “it girls,” was weird. it actually looked wet, though it hasn’t rained since he returned to camp. one way of putting it. return of the frozen amnesiac jedi. a shake of his head, as his earthen eyes drift across the field where the competition is about to take place, and adrenaline cannot match his anxiety over everything else. he almost imagines the earth quaking, as though some unseen hand were reaching its finger over the grass they tread on, pulling the canvas of their world back like a page-turner just as it’s getting interesting: threatening to tear the ground out from under them. but the air had no breeze, and it was late spring, so he shouldn’t feel this cold inside.

he shakes his head, pulling back the hood from his jacket. ❛❛ it’s just ... well, i’m not sure who i am ? and i fail to see how rock climbing over magma is going to help with any of that. oh, and i almost drowned in the lake yesterday, in case you didn’t hear. throws you off. ❜❜

#*◝ ✧ eden thorn. ◟ interactions.#› verse. ◝ son of demeter，cold as ice. ◟ pjo.#warnsyou #› theresa katsaros.#throws this at you #oooop #eden is bio-less but not banter-less apparently!#rattles my tin coin spare unlikely-friends to lovers good sir

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multiverse-0f-madness · 4 years ago

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• Godly Parent - Hypnos

• Full Name - Theodore Somnum

•Nickname - Ted, Teddy

• Age - 19

• Age Within Stories - 16 when arrived at CHB (in Sea of Monsters) and 19 in the Battle of Manhattan

• Birthday - November 21

• Gender - male, cis

• Nationality - Canadian

• Hometown - Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

• Sexual Orientation - Aromantic Asexual

• Hair Color - medium dark brown

• Eye Color - brown eyes

• Physical Description - olive skin with sunken eyes, constant bags under his eyes even with the correct amount of sleep, not very muscular and a few freckles all over his body

• Tattoos - the words “need sleep” under closed eyes, in the inside of his arm

• Personality - drowsy, spacey, always sleepy, friendly, kind, antisocial

• Favorite Food - apple pie

• Favorite Drink - hot chocolate

• Favorite Animal - koalas

• Favorite Place - the ice cream shop where his mom would always take him

• Favorite Sound - rain

• Mother - Theresa Somnum

• Father - Hypnos

• Abilities - astral projection, memory alteration, sleep inducing and memory retrieval

• Weapon - Archery

Ted’s parents met in a library. His mother loves to read and was there choosing her next book; he doesn’t really know what his father was doing there tho. They saw each other a few times but he left before she found out she was pregnant. Ted has always been a sleepy kid, the opposite of his mother that runs a company and is always busy. When he was 12 his mother told him about his dad and that he was a demigod and had to go to a place called Camp Half-Blood. Theresa had to insist for 4 years before he finally went, he doesn’t really like interacting with other people and sometimes he says that he wished he was a poppy flower. But once he arrived at CHB he really enjoyed meeting all his other half siblings and the rest of the campers.

#percy jackson #pjo #hypnos cabin #cabin 15 #percy jackson oc #picrew #my oc #ted somnum

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zorkaya-moved · 4 years ago

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[ DEFEND ] : Tobias intervenes between Zarina and a source of unwanted attention.

@yeonban

The unwanted attention always followed and she expected it, the sleazy men and women who wanted a trophy -- so many were similar. They were predictable, they were easy to understand, they were easy to manipulate, but they were boring. As boring as some people saw lectures in universities (not that she’ll understand). The disgusting combination of perfumes and colognes were making her want to take a shower, but they were all just pests who she won’t remember by tomorrow morning since they were all useless. All of them thought they were such tough shit, but they were so easily falling into the pit of failures. One after another, over and over again like specs of dust that she’ll dust off when she’ll wish to clean up this place. Let them live like pigs, that’s how she’ll get bacon one day.

They’re her cattle and they’ll serve their purpose someday, but today this cattle had the gall to behave so self-righteous with her. Just when one of them reached out to her, a figure she didn’t expect was already standing in front of her. The raven-colored hair and the aura of confidence, a familiar presence that she didn’t expect to even care of coming here. There’s no reaction in the golden gaze besides a raised eyebrow, her smile disappeared as she looked at him. The look in that swine’s eyes showed shock but they stepped back. Tobias had that effect on people, she was not surprised. And when the unwanted attention was taken off as the people would walk away, understanding that they had no competition against the genius himself - it was just her and him.

“Trying to play a knight in a shining armor?” She jests, returning back to her playful nature. A hand was brought up to cover her lips as she chuckled, tilting her head to the side and glancing at the people who just walked away. The smell of perfume mixed with cologne and drinks were no longer felt, but she could sense Tobias’ cologne now, a much more preferable option as unlike others he had class and he had a better choice in choosing fragrances than others. “I thought a knight protects a damsel from dragons, not from pigs who will be up for slaughter at my command.”

Zarina let a second pass before looked back at Tobias. He’s one she should always be cautious with and it was obvious she never, ever would allow to underestimate him. People like they both were exactly the ones not to be underestimated. A young age didn’t mean shit when genius mind was taking part in the progress and in the skillset. He’s a beast of a different category. Any beast would know a fellow beast even under the layers of chains and the sheep’s skin. It might take time, but the gut will always tell the truth, be it attack or protect its territory. This was why Sokolova’s words were playful and sharp, she didn’t trust him and she never will. A man like him? And a woman like her? It will only end in a disaster.

“How flattering. You going out of your way to help me not deal with troublemakers,” with the same hand that she covered her mouth before, Zarina tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. The golden earring in the shape of a rose was exposed at that very moment. “Now, why exactly did you do that? You’re not one to waste your time or... did you want to grab my attention? Or, perhaps, you want something?” No way she’ll ever trust him to do anything out of goodness of heart. This man, in Zarina’s eyes, had no wasteful kindness. They didn’t live in this world to be Mother Theresas and some godly saints.

Ah, she won’t be able to make it to the fight without rules today, it seemed like it. She wanted to get some cash just for the fun of it. So many would go to a casino, but she won so much the other day and she wanted to test her body against some new fighters that Hae-Won send her information on. How much she loved for people to forget that she was a killer, not just a pretty face. The fights without rules were a place for her to unwind and remind people of their place through sheer skill. She always wondered if she’ll find someone there to get into her team. After all, that’s how she even heard of one of her people - Evgenia.

#yeonban #this got long but :333 #zarina's just 'ok so. what do you want for that save tobias'#she just doesnt hide away she doesn't trust him lmao #doesn't trust him to do anything for her for free*#❄ ― IN CHARACTER. ╱ you breathe by the sun，i breathe by the moon.

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loverandservantoftheahlulbayt · 4 years ago

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🍂🥀🍂 Introducing Imam Husayn (as) to Humanity 🍂🥀🍂

🍂 Dr. Mohammad Ali Shomali 🍂

🥀 Introducing Imam Husayn (as) to Humanity: Spiritual Advice for Organizations 🥀

🍂 Abstract 🍂

This paper is based on a lecture given in the city of Mashhad, during the gathering with representatives of the WhoIsHussain global campaign, which aims to educate and inspire humanity on Imam Husayn, the third Imam, and the values he stood for; as well as bringing positive changes at the grassroots level from helping the homeless, to feeding the hungry, to donating blood.

In this lecture, Huj. Sh. Mohammad Ali Shomali praises the group for their efforts, and acknowledges this project as an exceptional one, due to the importance of reaching out and making Imam Husayn known and beneficial to humanity. He also gave gentle and thought-provoking ideas and reminders to the group regarding the importance of being far-sighted in our approaches, being genuine in our love for people, being sincere and disinterested in power and position, uniting the Ummah rather using our institutions to divide it, increasing in our humbleness when we witness success, and focusing on moving towards the truth and serving it rather than egotistically bringing it to our side. In this way, we uphold Imam Husayn’s principles, which is ever more needed as we approach the time of Imam Mahdi (aj).

****************************************

It is a great blessing from Allah to be here near the shrine of Imam al-Ridha (a) and in your presence to talk about Imam Husayn (a) in the way that our love for him can help us prepare for the coming of Imam Mahdi (a). I thank Allah and I thank all of you, and the Who is Husayn team and volunteers, including those who were unable to be here; for sure their hearts are with us. We remember them and pray for them insha-Allah. There are few things I thought we need to remind ourselves of today, so I will try to be brief and I pray to Him to remove the blockage from my tongue so as to do justice.

First of all, we are not only interested in showing our love to Imam Husayn and gaining some reward (thawaab) from it, though it is definitely part of the reason for the Who is Husayn campaign. But I think what motivated you is more than that.

Unfortunately, we sometimes become very selfish, even when it comes to religion and spirituality. Sometimes we just want to add to our reward—like a businessman—although instead of money we want a reward. And sometimes the pleasure of Allah becomes secondary. Gaining rewards seems to be the main thing for many, though we sometimes forget that there can actually be a greater reward for something from which you do not expect a reward for. In your work, business, and overall lives, many times you have been blessed during unexpected times.

An important example is in the Qur’an regarding Prophet Moses. When he was traveling with his family in a dark and presumably cold night he saw a fire.2 He told his family to wait where they were while he goes to check, which indicates that the fire was not in front of them. Because if it was in front of them, they would have been able to see it. He saw the fire on the side and went himself to check it. A leader does not take the entire community where he is unsure. If there is any risk, the least he can do is examine the area and environment; and if there is proof of overall goodness, it can be offered to the rest of the community.

When Prophet Moses checked, an unbelievable event occurred: God addressed him for the first time. God spoke to him and told him that He had chosen him and has a mission for him. The story is mentioned in the Qur’an as follows:

وَهَلْ أَتَاكَ حَدِيثُ مُوسَىٰ إِذْ رَأَىٰ نَارًا فَقَالَ لِأَهْلِهِ امْكُثُوا إِنِّي آنَسْتُ نَارًا لَعَلِّي آتِيكُمْ مِنْهَا بِقَبَسٍ أَوْ أَجِدُ عَلَى النَّارِ هُدًىفَلَمَّا أَتَاهَا نُودِيَ يَا مُوسَىٰإِنِّي أَنَا رَبُّكَ فَاخْلَعْ نَعْلَيْكَ ۖ إِنَّكَ بِالْوَادِ الْمُقَدَّسِ طُوًىوَأَنَا اخْتَرْتُكَ فَاسْتَمِعْ لِمَا يُوحَىٰ

Did the story of Moses come to you, when he sighted a fire, and said to his family, ‘Wait! Indeed I descry a fire! Maybe I will bring you a brand from it, or find some guidance at the fire.’ So when he came to it, he was called, ‘O Moses! Indeed I am your Lord! So take off your sandals. You are indeed in the sacred valley of Tuwa. I have chosen you; so listen to what is revealed. (20:9-13)

Did Moses expect this to happen while he was traveling? No. Perhaps his maximum expectation was to travel safely with his family and arrive at their destination. But Allah blessed him with something unexpected.

And it is important to note that if Moses had all his qualities and practices, but failed to be alert at that time, he would have missed this opportunity. He was not only farsighted, but he was also broad-sighted. He saw right and left; behind and front. This is what a leader must do. Because he was alert and did not dismiss anything, he went and checked and saw the most beautiful thing awaiting him.

Thus, we should be very alert and careful so that we do not lose what is unexpected, as well as great opportunities that await us. In an interesting hadith, we read that Imam Sadiq (a) said:

With respect to what you have no hope for, be more hopeful than what you have hope for. Truly Moses (a) went [just] to bring a brand of fire to his family, but he returned to them while he was a Prophet and Messenger.3

I hope Allah (swt) would bless your activities throughout your lives, and in particular the activities you do for Imam Husayn and Imam Mahdi, and surprise you with many blessings, including those you did not expect. But that needs alertness. That needs openness. Do not limit Allah’s blessings to merely come through the channels that you define for Allah. Ask Him to bless you in every possible thing. There are many projects in the community, but I very much like projects like Who is Husayn because these are exceptional ones that we as a community have come to realize to be responsible for to reach out. Most of our projects, especially what we do for Imam Husayn (a) merely or at least primarily serve our internal needs.

But this is one of those exceptional projects that aim at reaching out and is based on the understanding that we have a historical duty which, unfortunately, has not been sufficiently and adequately dealt with in the past. It is embarrassing to know that after 14 centuries there are people in the world who still do not know Imam Husayn. Really embarrassing. There are contemporary figures like Nelson Mandela, Gandhi and Mother Theresa that almost every educated person knows about and respects. And this took only a few decades. For almost fourteen centuries, Imam Husayn has been a gift for humanity and yet many still do not know him. Who is responsible? Who should feel embarrassed? We should.

This project is to undertake the responsibility of reaching out and introducing Imam Husayn to humanity. Not because we are Shi‘a. Not because we love Imam Husayn. Not because we want to gain something. No. Because we feel humanity needs Husayn. We want to benefit humanity.

In all your activities, it is very important to always be genuine in the love you show for people. Do not do anything merely for publicity. Only do things with unconditional love. The Qur’an says:

كُنْتُمْ خَيْرَ أُمَّةٍ أُخْرِجَتْ لِلنَّاسِ

You are the best nation [ever] brought forth for mankind. (3:110)

This verse tells us that to be the best means to be the best people God has brought about for mankind, and not over people (li-naas, not ‘ala al-naas). We are not interested in power or position. We want to serve. We want to serve humanity without any expectation. We do not want to be thanked or praised or to have status and power, or marginalize any sect in Islam. We just want to help. The Qur’an says:

إِنَّمَا نُطْعِمُكُمْ لِوَجْهِ اللَّهِ لَا نُرِيدُ مِنْكُمْ جَزَاءً وَلَا شُكُورًا

We feed you only for the sake of Allah. We do not want any reward from you nor any thanks. (76:9)

If we do anything, we just want to please Allah; we do not even want to be thanked or praised.

We want to serve humanity by introducing Imam Husayn to them. Because we believe that in all ages and corners of world humanity always needs people like Husayn to inspire. Husayn is not a man that can be limited to a particular time, place, or even religion. Real servants of God are those who are absorbed, taken by the light of God—they move beyond the geographical boundaries, beyond time and space. In the same way God is not bound to time and space, Godly people also can travel beyond time and space.

Imam Husayn—by emptying himself from ego as much as he could— and then by God having a special plan for him to purify him further (33:33), is a man of God. You do not find any trace of ego in Imam Husayn, nor with his true companions. These people had the quality of becoming universal. Husayn is a universal figure. Especially when we read our hadith and reflect on it about Imam Mahdi, we see there is a message, a direction, an instruction there that we perhaps we didn’t notice beforehand.

Imam Husayn plays a special role in paving the way for the coming of Imam Mahdi, and moreover, for the success of Imam Mahdi. Many of the hadiths about the End of Times mention Imam Husayn. I firmly believe that without mention of him, Imam Mahdi would not be able to succeed. Maybe people think Imam Husayn was more known when we approach the time of his martyrdom and we should try to remember him so that he is not gradually forgotten. There are personalities with respect to whom you need to be very careful so that passage of time would not affect them or make them ‘outdated,’ but this is not the case about Imam Husayn.

Imam Husayn is meant for the future, not merely for his own time. The passage of time and human experiences, especially the challenges humanity faces throughout the centuries, more so sparks people’s curiosity about Imam Husayn and the values he stood for. The best time for people to know and understand Imam Husayn is close to the time of the Imam Mahdi’s reappearance. But this is not a miracle that we should wait to happen. This requires our effort. Something will happen but who is going to ensure that it does in our time? This is us. If not us, there will be others. But then we would be denying ourselves this blessing.

Imam Husayn is a universal figure who has the solution—the medicine—from God for humanity. And this man is ever more needed as we approach the time of Imam Mahdi.

I would like to refer to one hadith, when Imam Husayn in night of Ashura quoted from the Prophet:

My grandfather, the Messenger of God, said: “My son Husayn will be killed in Karbala while he is a stranger, alone, thirsty, and without help. Whoever helps him has helped me and has helped his son, the Hujjah [al-Mahdi].”4

There is no way to help Husayn properly, with understanding, unless you would strengthen Islam and the Ummah. Those who think they can promote the cause of Ahlul Bayt and their teachings by dividing the Ummah—making Shi‘a against Sunni, Sunni against Shi‘a—are wrong. Anything properly done for the Ahlul Bayt would strengthen the Prophet and the Ummah. Islamic unity is very important for us. How can anyone serve Islam and the Ahlul Bayt by dividing the Ummah or humanity? It is impossible.

The Prophet also said that not only has he helped me (which you may say it is easy to understand because Imam Husayn saved Islam) but he also said, “Whoever helps Husayn has helped his son, the Hujjah [al-Mahdi].”

This is important. Anything we do for Imam Husayn with knowledge (ma‘rifah), with insight (basirah), with sincerity, in right direction would help Imam Mahdi, whether we know it or not; whether we mention the name of the Imam or not. We do not need to merely repeat the name of the Imam. Anything we do—our words and actions—that resemble the message of Imam Husayn or upholds his principles helps. Sometimes you may mention the name; other times it may be unwise depending on the context. Either way, anyone who promotes the values Imam Husayn exhibited in the best way is indeed helping Imam Mahdi.

So there must be dynamism in our works for Imam Husayn. Unfortunately, some are static in their efforts for Husayn. They lose the vision of the future. They enjoy remembering the Imam and cry for him, yet without completing this process by drawing lessons for both the present and the future. The Prophet’s saying reminds us that Husayn is a point of direction in the past and future: if we understand what to do with respect to Imam Husayn, we would be continuing the efforts put forth from the beginning of Islam until the end of the world. All would be all harmonious.

We must always remember this. Merely having a good intention, or undertaking a noble cause, is not enough. There are many aspects to consider and we constantly must reflect on the requirements of this great task. Moreover, we are to consider how to improve, especially when there are signs of success:

إِذَا جَاءَ نَصْرُ اللَّهِ وَالْفَتْحُ وَرَأَيْتَ النَّاسَ يَدْخُلُونَ فِي دِينِ اللَّهِ أَفْوَاجًا

When Allah’s help comes with victory, and you see the people entering Allah’s religion in throngs…(110:1-2)

If you see victories come from Allah and you see people flocking towards His path in masses, do not sit back, nor praise yourself, nor forget how much Allah has blessed you. That is the time that you are to have maximum reliance on Allah. When you see success, praise and glorify God and ask for forgiveness. Do not let self-conceit and arrogance seep in, as that would be the end of any success. In a well-known hadith, Imam Sadiq (a) is quoted as saying:

The one into whose heart self-admiration (‘ujb) permeates is destined to be destroyed.5

If any person, organization, or nation take the blessings of Allah for granted and want to take credit for themselves, that is the end of it. When you see success, do more worship (‘ibadah) and ask more for forgiveness (istighfar):

فَسَبِّحْ بِحَمْدِ رَبِّكَ وَاسْتَغْفِرْهُ ۚ إِنَّهُ كَانَ تَوَّابًا

Then celebrate the praise of your Lord, and plead to Him for forgiveness. Indeed He is all-clement. (110:3)

These people do not see any success from themselves; their only worry is whether (and how much) they have narrowed the channels of mercy of Allah. Let me honestly tell you: most of the time, we act as barriers for Allah’s mercy to come. If we are experiencing good days, with good understanding, we merely let the mercy of Allah come without adding to it, without attracting more light. All you and I need to do is try not to narrow the channels of Allah’s mercy. This requires stepping on our ego, as ego is big problem.

I wish we had time to reflect more on some passages of Dua Makarim al-Akhlaq especially concerning the lessons organizations can take from it. I will mention a few. Imam Zayn al-Abideen says:

وَأَعِزَّني وَ لآ تَبْتَلِيَنِّي بِالْكِبْرِ

Exalt me and afflict me not with pride.

Oh Allah, please give me honour and dignity. Perhaps the most important message for humanity from the life and message of Imam Husayn is honour and dignity. I think more than anything else Imam Husayn can be introduced as an icon of honour and dignity. That is what humanity needs, especially when basic needs are already met. Food, shelter, and clothing are their basic necessities, although gradually these things will be provided. However, honour is the most important. If you have physical life without honour and dignity, there is no value.

But we are to be cautious; when Allah gifts us with honour and dignity in the eyes of the people, do not think that you are special. Do not suffer from ego.

وَأَعِزَّني وَ لآ تَبْتَلِيَنِّي بِالْكِبْرِ

Exalt me and afflict me not with pride.

Please give me honour, and not arrogance. It is difficult to have one without the other. When people praise us, and there are signs of success, we are at risk for thinking we are special or privileged. We may think it to be due to our talents, hard work, or a secret goodness in ourselves. And even wondering why others do not possess the same. We tend to forget that our good reputation and successes can be a test, a trust, rather than our own achievements.

وَ عَبِّدْني لَكَ وَ لآ تُفْسِدْ عِبَادَتِي بِالْعُجْبِ

Make me worship Thee and corrupt not my worship with self-admiration!

Oh Allah, please make me your servant and use us for your purpose. We do not have a personal purpose. Why are we in this gathering? Are we after anything for ourselves? No. We are here to think, discuss, and pray to Allah to help us understand how we can best make the most out of what He made available to us.

O Allah, please do not let my services to you be corrupted by self-admiration. Even good services can be corrupted after the action through self-admiration (‘ujb). If there is no sincerity before the action, then it is already useless.

And then Imam reaches this point after a few sentences:

وَ لآ تَرْفَعْنِي فِي الْنَاسِ دَرَجَة إِلَّا حَطَطْتَنِي عِنْدَ نَفْسِي مِثْلْهَا

O Allah, raise me not a single degree before the people without lowering me its like in myself.

If my position and respect in the society increases by 10% please add 10% to my humbleness to remain balanced. So if you were completing successful projects before with 50% humbleness, your humbleness must increase afterwards. So if you are as humble as you used to be, it is not enough. You need to be humbler. Otherwise, you would become arrogant.

وَ لآ تُحْدِثْ لِي عِزّاً ظَاهِرَاً إِلَّا أَحْدَثْتِ لِي ذِلَّةً بَاطِنَةً عِنْدَ نَفْسِي بِقَدَرِهَا

…and bring about no outward exaltation for me without an inward abasement in myself to the same measure.

Please do not create for me any external honour unless you give me internal humbleness proportional to that. This is very important for individuals and organizations. Sometimes institutions think that because they are to promote the institution, they can forget about, or compromise, humbleness. They may mistakenly think humbleness is for the individuals; promoting an organization is something else. But this is wrong. You must promote your organization, but in a humble way. And that can be tested in the way you interact with other organizations.

My last sentence to remain in our mind: haqq (truth) and bātil (falsehood), always oppose each other. Like light and darkness. These two would never be separate from each other. We are to ensure that we are on the side of haqq, and not bātil. It is not about ‘Bringing the truth to my side’. This is the problem. Many want to be the truth and think ‘Look at me; I represent the truth. I am the voice of the truth. I am a representative of the truth’. No. You must move towards truth. You must be a mirror of the truth. Do not think or say, ‘I represent the truth’. Who are we to represent the truth? Who are we to represent Islam or the Ahlul Bayt or Imam Husayn? Our responsibility is to try to move towards the truth to reflect it. We never would be able to claim that we are certainly and entirely on the side of the truth. It is a matter of struggle—lifelong struggle—to ensure we will be with the truth. It is only a few people for whom this has been confirmed. For example, we read about Imam Ali:

علي مَع الحق والحق مع علي

Ali is with the truth; and the truth is with Ali.

That is for Ali. Not for us. We must never think we are on the side of the truth and take it for granted. Yes, maybe in a few aspects we can be right; in many things we can be wrong. So first, we have to struggle to always to be on the side of the truth.

Secondly—please remember this point, a result of my life I am sharing with you—haqq can never be served, or promoted, by using the means of bātil. We cannot spread light by using means of darkness. We can never serve Allah by doing Satanic things and thinking we are clever; no lying, dishonesty, selfishness, jealousy, or the like can help you in your sacred struggles.

One of the greatest victories of bātil is to convince the people of haqq to use the means of bātil. This is impossible to work. How can you serve Allah by being immoral or sinning? Look at Imam Husayn. When he was challenged—and I do not think there is any way to be challenged like Imam Husayn—in those few days, especially on Day of Ashura, it was more than what one person can be challenged within 100 years. For example, sometimes people in their entire life lose one, two or ten loved ones and they feel completely frustrated and life becomes miserable for them. No one has lost in such a short time so many family members and companions, in addition to being treated so badly. And they did this to Husayn in the name of Islam, in the name of the Prophet.

But for the sake of Allah—correct me if I’m wrong or if I’m exaggerating—do not think we are Shi‘a, or Sheikh Shomali is a Shi‘a, therefore we must support him even if he errs. If you want to support me, correct me. Was Husayn immoral or did he compromise in the least any virtues, especially during the challenging time of war? Or do we witness Husayn (a) at the highest level of extra caution with regards to maintaining good virtues, especially during hard times? Did he ever lie or deceive his friends by making false promises, or lie to his enemies?

Did he show any sign of fear, selfishness, jealousy, despair, or any other vices you can think of? So, we must insha-Allah remind ourselves and each other that we must constantly and consistently struggle to follow the truth and use permissible and moral means to attain it. Nothing false or immoral can help us in this.

I ask Allah to bless all of you and all people in all parts of the world who try to follow the truth. May Allah enable us to be the generation that are preparing for the coming of Imam al-Mahdi. May Allah enable us to be the generation to set up a universal community of brotherhood under the banner of truth at the service of humanity which would be led by Imam al-Mahdi. May Allah grant all your requests while you are in this sacred city and grant recovery to all the illnesses of our bodies, minds and hearts. And may Allah remove any obstacles between us and Him.

🍂 Sorces 🍂

1. This paper is based on a lecture given on 25th Dec 2016 by the author in the gathering of the representatives of whoishossein from different continents in Mashhad.

2. I say dark and cold because that’s when fire becomes more interesting. He said to his family, ‘Wait, I see a friendly fire’. Sometimes a building is on fire, but the one who sees this fire would not say “ānastu nāran.” But this was a friendly fire, a fire that was not harmful, not even producing heat when it was already hot, or giving light when already bright. For this reason I think it was cold in a dark night.

3. Al-Kafi, vol. 5, p. 83.

4. Ma‘āli al-Sibtayn, vol. 1, p. 208.

5. Al-Kafi, vol. 2, p. 313.

🍂🥀🍂 al-Islam.org 🍂🥀🍂

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nerdygaymormon · 5 years ago

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Stages of Faith Transition

Jana Spangler is an expert on faith transitions. I attended a workshop she did at the 2019 Affirmation Conference where she taught Fowler’s stages of faith. I found her explanations to be fascinating. These are my notes.

Christianity should comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable.

Fowler outlines 6 stages of faith

I. Intuitive Projective Faith--images & stories (early childhood) II. Mythic/Literal--limited concrete thinking (children) III. Commitment to Church & Leaders--conventional faith IV. Focus on Personal Faith/Synthetic--individual/reflective faith V. Awareness Perspective--conjunctive faith VI. Transforming Process--universalizing of faith

Each of these stages has positives and drawbacks. As you identify where you are, embrace it and work on practicing it in a healthy way. There’s not just one way to have faith.

Typically people arrive into adulthood at stage III and most stay there for years, maybe even their entire life. So let’s begin there.

III. This phase is a reliance on authority and institution. Structure provides safety & stability. Many remain here throughout life. This stage recognizes life isn’t always black & white, but to stay in this stage people will ignore things which conflict with their beliefs, due to fear or threat to their faith-based identity. People in this stage want everyone to conform.

IV. Critical examination of beliefs. A greater sense of open-mindedness which can open them up to potential conflicts as they accept things that conflict with their faith tradition. Disillusionment. Questioning of Institutions. Angst and struggle as the individual takes personal responsibility for their beliefs or feelings rather than relying on institutional authority figure. They see the downfalls of Stage III and often reject religiosity. People in this stage want everyone to see the problems with the Stage III framework and reject it, which is a different form of wanting everyone to conform.

V. Sees limits of logic. Embraces paradox and mystery. Moves beyond the conventional religious beliefs they inherited from previous stages. Maybe things aren’t strictly true/false but are both, a multi-dimensional perspective. Sees truth, beauty and goodness in all the previous stages. Honor’s both III & IV and the good things from each.

VI. We didn’t spend time going over this stage as most humans do not get here. These are people like Mother Theresa and Ghandi. They are not hemmed in by differences in religious or spiritual beliefs among people in the world, but regard all beings as worthy of compassion and deep understanding. Their experience is so foreign to other humans that often they are killed because they don’t conform to existing structures and paradigms.

People in any stage can be godly & Christlike. A person can grow a lot and be happy in any stage. You’re not able to be more Christlike (love & service) at V than III, we can love at all stages. People in any stage can also be cruel

We don’t choose a stage or work towards advancing, we are pushed out of a stage into the next. People don’t choose a faith crisis or to blow up their world, this happens to them from outside. We play our cards as best we can. It’s just fine to be in any of these stages. As you move forward, it requires questioning & giving up certainty. Meditation & mindfulness helps people with moving to the next stage.

Mormonism is especially well-suited for people in Stage III faith. Institutional authority and community are strong. The Brethren talk a lot about faith, but they speak from Stage III (emphasis on trusting institution, authority, & conformity) and without experiencing the other stages, their talks are hard for people not in Stage III. The Brethren are doing the best they can to speak to others in Stage IV & V about faith even if it falls flat.

People in stage III & IV often don’t get along. Stage III is saying the institution of the church is authoritative and stage IV is saying the institution is problematic. Stage IV thinks those in stage III need to wake up.

Interestingly, stage V can see the good in III & IV and you might think they would be accepted by both, but people in stage III & IV mistrust people in Stage V. They see people in stage V as getting along with “those people” in the other stage, and they aren’t fully on board with me in my stage.

If you’ve done a stage of faith well, you can take your values with you even as the framework changes.

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Cognitive Dissonance is holding 2 conflicting thoughts at the same time. Part of dealing with this is understanding how fundamental these 2 things are in your life and can you see a way to move through it.

Ways to respond to Cognitive Dissonance--

1) Can shore up our existing world view & ignore what’s bothering us. Benefit: Retain your social capital and the safety of structure Drawback: Requires some level of denial

2) Throw out your current worldview Benefit: Authenticity & Freedom Drawback: Existential crisis, loss of community & purpose

3) Confront the Cognitive Dissonance Benefit: Integration, transformation, safety Drawback: Isolation, increased awareness of suffering

People who are LGBTQ experience cognitive dissonance between the growing recognition of their gender identity or sexuality and their religion, and consequently they usually enter these faith transitions early.

“Worthiness” is defined by Stage II & Stage III and it keeps LGBT people in the “closet.” And people in those stages condemn LGBT people who are pushed into Stage IV.

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Differentiation is when 2 people who think or believe differently are able to be together, recognizing we aren’t the same, but we’ll connect with each other on a deeper level as people. We can share understanding & feelings and respect each other and seek to understand the other’s experience.

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As we move to a different stage of faith, we can become ashamed of our past. Recognize the importance of owning those things. It’s hard for someone who has privilege to see the harm we do unless another person of privilege points it out. For example, Stage III hurts others because they want conformity and don’t understand how it’s harmful to people who don’t want to conform, they don’t recognize the truths and beauty of other stages.

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Whichever stage of faith we are in, God still talks to us, you can nurture your direct connection. The covenants you make are with God, not with the church.

Be a prophet in your own affairs. General Conference is general, not specific to me.

Lead with your inner personal experience, let the scriptures and conference talks help you on that path.

The conflict between personal revelation and Church revelation have been at odds since the beginning of the Church. Both can be held at the same time.

Christ is both human and god, and we are made of the same stuff.

#jana spangler #faith transition

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