#and how ibrahim died

[chaos-of-the-abyss]

as much as suleiman and ibrahim's relationship - including its slow fracturing and the grief that remains in its wake - has, in theory, all the pieces necessary to make me deeply emotional despite me not particularly liking either of them... the show's constant favoritism and whitewashing of ibrahim after his death is making me roll my eyes every time there's a scene of suleiman being sad about him

[mihrunnisasultans]

Have you ever thought what he felt that night when executioners woke him up and wrapped a rope around his neck? And you, what did you feel, brother? What did you feel, sleeping next to his room? (...)  Do you remember what you told me? Your pain will pass, you will forget. You will feel better. A lot of time passed, brother. But I couldn’t recover. And trust me you won’t either; you will slowly burn away just as I did. Hürrem won’t even have a grave. Just like Ibrahim.

Hatice + roasting Suleiman to his face (and to others)

Happy Birthday Plami! @mc-critical

[magnificentposting-fabrizioart]

We were talking about the Italians in this show, and this is funny because it doesn't have anything to do with anything, but I simply MUST inform you that the actor playing adult Mustafa (I know, you didn't get there yet) is married to an Italian, speaks the language and lives in Italy. He was even in some Italian things, most recently La Compagnia Del Cigno (some drama about an orchestra idk).

Well that's cool. Does that mean I'm gonna hear unbutchered Italian later on at one point?

Unlikely unless the character himself has reasons to learn it.

[sayruq]

Abdulrahman was one of the first to die.A carpenter in the village of Qarawat Bani Hassan, he had been on his way back home from work in Ramallah in February last year when he was arrested at a mobile checkpoint. He was taken into administrative detention - under which Israel can hold people indefinitely without charge - in Megiddo prison. His brother Ibrahim said the charges against him were minor, such as taking part in protests and possessing a firearm, but said he was also accused of belonging to Hamas although there were no specific charges about any activities within the group. Ibrahim is still trying to piece together how exactly his brother died. He has to rely on testimony from Abdulrahman's former cellmates, as well as reports from court hearings. One former cellmate, who spoke to the BBC on condition of anonymity, said: "After 7 October, it was total torture. They beat us for no reason, they searched us for no reason. Even if you look at someone the wrong way." He described having seen Abdulrahman heavily beaten in front of him and others. "At 9am, they came into our cell, and began to beat us. One of the guards began to insult Abdulrahman's parents, which he didn't stand for, and he began to fight back. "They beat him badly, and took him away to another cell upstairs for a week. During that time you could hear him crying out in pain." He said he had only found out about Abdulrahman's death after he left prison a week later.

[armageddon-generation]

Empire of Death was bad and cemented several fundemental flaws in this season.

I watched this in the theatre, and the contrast between everyone's excitement before Empire, and their universal disappointment leaving the theatre was super disheartening. I'm gonna try to articulate my problems with episode, and how they're linked to fundenental structural issues of this season.

SPOILERS BELOW:

Sutekh

The moment the UNIT characters died the story was robbed of any stakes. (Also? Kate and Ibrahim?? During Pride month?? Disgusting)

Sutekh was pointless, big CGI spectacle who was barely there. Saying he's been latched onto the TARDIS since Pyramids of Mars was such an asspull. Why couldn't he have latched on during Wild Blue Yonder? wouldn't that make much more sense??

You're telling me the guy who holds all life in contempt is invested enough in learning the identity of Ruby's mum he willingly reveals himself??

And then they defeat him by dragging him through the Vortex just like before, which it's been explicitly stated *didn't work* last time? He just *lets* Ruby leash him??

The 'death of death is life' bit, and the idea of the Doctor representing life as a Ying to Sutekh's Yang, is a cool concept just jammed in there with no real buildup or depth.

The issue is bringing Sutekh back takes so much effort- a literal, clunky clipshow of Pyramids of Mars, a whole episode spent building up to the reveal of a silly anagram entirely unrekated to Sutekh's previous appearance. And it just... amounts to nothing. What a silly way to cap off a season meant to be jumping-on point for brand-new viewers.

Mel was just takingup space. Pointless.

Ruby's Mother

I don't have a problem with the *concept* of Ruby's mum being normal. I really like the idea thematically. The execution was terrible.

First of all it leaves so many unanswered questions (why the snow? Why was time changing? Why was she shadowed? Literally just for the sake of the mystery-box?) and represents the worst thing about this new era- RTD using fantasy logic to handwave any logic at all, and just do whatever he wants without properly justifying it.

Second, I *hate* how easy and simple and neat the reunion is. Ruby seems incapable of getting angry with anyone. She has never once argued with 15, or Carla, or anyone besides that one moment in 73 Yards. She has never expressed any kind of negative feeling towards her mother for abandoning her. And it's fine for her to reach that conclusion! It's just bizzare we never see Ruby struggle with her feelings beyond the shallow goal of wanting to find her.

(Also Carla? Has nothing to say?? Just welcomes that woman in with basically no comment? Carla is a 2D cutout of a person, used as a plot device and otherwise relegated to the single character trait of I Love My Daughter. The children yearn for the ilk of Jackie Tyler, Sylvia Noble, even Francine Jones.)

15 & Ruby

The emotion behind 15 & Ruby's split felt entirely unearned because we've never seen their bond develop. They never argue, never disagree, Ruby hasn't learned anything about herself or grown or changed. The closest we got to that is 73 Yards, which was undone. She was already brave and kind and musical and sure she loved her adoptive family when we met her in Church on Ruby Road.

Similarly, 15 tells us Ruby encouraged him to talk about family in a way he never has, but that was in what, two moments across the season? And they seemed random, unrelated to Ruby being with him. New viewers will assume 15 is just that open anyway- he was discussing fatherhood with a dead man's hologram- and old viewers assumed trauma-dumping was just a new trait of 15's personality, not Ruby-specific.

The problem is we're told Ruby & 15 are best friends but it isn't earned. I liked 15 crying initially but both he and Ruby do it so much (15 cries about 5 times in this one episode) it loses its impact and I'm becoming numb to it. There is no contrast, no downtime.

Season Structural Issues

I think the biggest problem is Season 1's storytelling priorities. It's much more interested in selling *the show* (look at our big budget! And guest stars! And how flexible our format is! Musical episode! The Beatles as props! Bottle episode! Indie folk-horror! Black Mirror! Gay Bridgerton!) it forgot to put effort into developing and investing us in its characters. I liked a lot of the individual stories this year but in retrospect a lot of them feel like they're wasting space that needed to go to essential character and theme setup.

These skewed priorities, combined with the cut down episode count, really impact the pacing of the season. Ruby and 15 were barely together! Even in Rogue they were seperated for most of the story!! We only loop back to a flashback of 15 meeting Carla in Rogue!

This is made worse by the baffling insistence on a 45-minute runtime. We know key sequences were cut from almost every episode, with highlights including:

The Gobin King invading Ruby's flat and her banishing him with scratchcards in The Church on Ruby Road: Her missing 'companion saves the day' moment!

Refrence to the Toymaker in The Church on Ruby Road, which was itself referenced in The Devil's Chord. 'I told you about the Toymaker when we first met' sir, objectively you did not.

The TARDIS jukebox playing the Sugarbabes' Push The Button in the opening scene of Space Babies, hastily cut around in the final edit. This is the setup of a running joke still in the episode, and part of the story's climax. The first encounter with the Bogeyman was also longer, with 15 taking particular interest in its skin

Extended scenes in Abbey Road from The Devil's Chord, including an apparently significant speaking role for Cilla Black, according to her annoyed actress.

Cut dialogue from The Devil's Chord explaining the musoical number was caused by Maestro's power lingering, and that banishing them undid everything they'd done. Fans inferred thos based on the rules established in The Giggle, but again, new fans haven't seen The Giggle and were left clueless.

An opening sequence for The Legend of Ruby Sunday where 15 & Ruby meet Susan as a nanny in 1947 America, a blue-skinned waitress, and an astronaut meeting a colony of giant, sentient ants. At the end of this we actually see 15 decide to go to UNIT for help. In the broadcast version he just sorta shows up.

Really what Empire of Death exposed to me is how emotionally hollow the season was. I enjoy the exoperimentalism, but not at the cost of character. And then in the finale Russell reverts to almost a parody of his RTD1 finales, with the nonsense logic and lack of consequences. All the worst bits of Last of the Time Lords and The Giggle put in a blender.

[moxiebustion]

Cursed Old Guard fic idea:

Yusuf ibn Ibrahim ibn Mohammed al-Kaysani.

Died: First Crusades, Ramadan 492, c. 1099

Born: Hijiri Reckoning Safar 473, Gregorian Reckoning 1080

Age: 19

Nicolo di Genova.

Died: First Crusade, Year of Our Lord 1099, July

Born: Gregorian Reckoning, December, Year of our Lord 1082

Age: 16

Notes:

Joe was travelling with his uncle, apprenticed in the family trade, when Jerusalem falls. Joe stays because he's young and hot headed and up for a little derring-do. He very quickly learns a valuable and painful lesson about how wars are.

Nicky gets dragged along with his pious and tyrannical father on the People's Crusade after di Genova Senior loses his wife and he essentially goes off the deep end, which meant Nicky spent about three years on the road and starving for most of it as their ill-quipped band of zealots learn very hard lessons about the effectiveness of prayer as it pertains to things like logistics and supply lines

Joe's beloved uncle is slaughtered. Nicky kind of lost his father to his grief first but he was also killed by the defenders, so both of them hate each other the way only grieving teenagers can hate

It takes them a long time to realize they can't die. Like an astonishing ridiculous level of self-delusion, because young men always think they're immortal anyway

They end up travelling together, although bloodshed ensues for Quite Some Time, because Joe's an impetuous hothead and Nicky's a self-righteous zealot and they're both grieving and don't want to admit it

Teenage Hormones Get Them In The End

Nicky's goddamn lucky he hit an early growth spurt or he'd be in high school until the end of time. As it stands, the very second legal minimum drinking age was established in public houses, he got carded and this trend has continued non-stop to this day

Joe can actually grow a full beard. He lords this over Nicky, who can barely manage one if he puts a lot of effort and time into it (he still gets carded)

Bad Guys are Extremely Weirded Out by this Childhood Sweetheart Teenage Murder Couple

Meanwhile, Andy and Quynh find out that their baby immortals are Actual Babies

Centuries of teenage horniness and melodrama are to come.

Quynh cackles. Andy weeps.

[krowjet]

Tell me, what crimes did they commit? What crimes did four year old Ibrahim Hashash commit to be mauled by an attack dog? What crimes did six year old Hind Rajab commit to be missing even now? That four year old girl shot and killed at a checkpoint? Over ten thousand children alone under seventeen have died, with over 200 being not even a year old.

An eight year old boy was killed in a West Bank refugee camp by the IDF. The body of a fourteen year old boy was stolen by the IDF. His name was Wadea Shadi Sa’d Elayan. They are not alone in their fates.

Tell me how these children have sinned beyond being Palestinian. They suffer for nothing. Their suffering and deaths mean nothing to Israhell.

Do not forget their names. Do not forget their dreams, their hopes, their families. They will not see tomorrow. And it will not end. Over 120 days of genocide. Speak up.

[gizantara]

Some things are predetermined, no matter how hard it is for you to accept, sebagaimana Maryam akan tetap mengandung Nabi Isa atas ketetapan Allah.

Jadi fungsi kita berdoa apa kalau begitu?

Coba sesekali kalau kalian punya Al-Qur'an yg ada search barnya, cari berapa kali kata "berdoa" keluar.

Nabi Ibrahim mendoakan ayahnya yang mengabaikan dakwah tauhidnya, Nabi Nuh berdakwah selama 350 tahun mendoakan kaumnya termasuk anak dan istrinya, tapi pada akhirnya paman Nabi Muhammad pun meninggal tanpa memeluk agama islam, anak dan istri Nabi Nuh tenggelam bersama umatnya yang kafir. Kalau sudah setingkat nabi tapi tidak menjamin terkabulnya doa, untuk apa kita berdoa?

Kita berdoa karena kita adalah hamba Allah. Tentu kita kadang berharap doa kita dikabulkan sebagai bentuk permohonan tolong kita kepada Allah, tapi tujuan akhir dari doa adalah bentuk penghambaan dan kita tahu Allah akan selalu bersama kita, apapun hasil dari doa tersebut.

— Sean, dalam threadnya di Komunitas Muslim Support Muslim di X

[gryficowa]

Remember to boycott Disney and the Olympics

Unfortunately, 100 people at the UN school (While in hiding) while praying were murdered by criminals (Israel), I know they will romanticize it (Because they prayed before they died), but still, it's a tragedy, it shouldn't have happened (I hate romanticizing tragedy, that's why I don't like Polish history, because when they talk about it, they say how wonderful it is that people died for their country, and those who wanted to survive? Traitors… Sorry, I'm allergic to romanticizing death)

Please don't romanticize the tragedy, Israel is the perpetrator and these people should live, they didn't deserve to die, especially children (Because there were children among the victims), they should have fun and not be afraid of death (Much less die), that's just it children died… Whether they prayed before they died or not, they should not have died, they shouldn't live in fear of death, no one should, not even adults and teenagers

I can't describe my feelings (ASD), but that's all I could say, I just worry more than I can describe…

Now that I have your attention:

[hurremsultanns]

I know I go on about this, but people in the fandom really discount the gravity and the impact of Leo's death.

A man died and his pregnant ex was traumatised to the extent that she never eats and has an aversion to Turkish delights for decades afterwards. This act is the reason why Hürrem wanted Ibrahim dead, so it had consequences for her, Ibrahim, Hatice, their children, Matrakci and Nigar. It has consequences for the Team Mustafa faction because it results in them losing allies. And it provokes Ayşe Hafsa's first stroke. And yet it's something no one really knows about because Leo was someone they barely gave a passing thought and because Leo wasn't an important person to them.

There's something so profound to me about someone who was seemingly so unimportant to these grand aristocrats in the empire having such a significant impact that ripples through the show. It goes to show how ordinary people and how they get treated matter. Your actions have consequences.

[eretzyisrael]

President Sisi, how can you say Jews were not persecuted in Egypt?

Once numbering 80 – 100,000, there are fewer than a handful of Jews left in Egypt. Yet ‘Jews were never persecuted in Egypt,’ President Sisi of Egypt declared to US secretary of state Anthony Blinken. Here is Edmond Haddad’s response in JNS News: 

Carefree days on Abu Kir beach in Egypt in 1938 (History of Egyptian Jews Facebook page)

Let me tell you about oppression and persecution: In 1947, my uncle went to prison for 15 months for purchasing a train ticket to Tel Aviv. In 1948, my father broke his arm trying to prevent the burning of his factory. He was beaten in 1950 because of his religion.

In May of 1956, Jews employed by Egyptian public institutions were sent on vacation, then dismissed. When he announced the blockade of Akaba, then-Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser dared the “Jews” to come—not Zionists or Israelis, but Jews. On Nov. 23, 1956, Egypt’s Minister of Religious Affairs declared, “All Jews are Zionists and enemies of the state.” Imams read this statement in mosques across Egypt.

In 1962, I went to the bank with my mother to open a savings account. After the teller saw on my identification card that I was Jewish, he threw the money I gave him back at me and told me that Jews could not have savings accounts in Egypt. Muslim teachers in my school often told us that Jews were not wanted in Egypt, so we’d better not talk in class.

In 1967, all Jewish homes and property were confiscated. All male Jews were put in detention camps for anywhere from six months to three years. Just before Nasser died, all the prisoners were deported and their families expelled.

I summarize two eyewitness accounts from my cousin Gamliel and Ibrahim Farhi, who were both imprisoned in Egyptian detention centers: The police arrested all Jewish males over the age of 18. Their businesses, cars, furniture and possessions were confiscated or auctioned off. The prisoners were taken to Abu Zaabal prison. “No one was called by their name there,” I was told. There were no watches, no shoes and only women’s names for the prisoners. The prisoners were forced to undress and run around the yard while the guards beat them. Their heads were shaved. Most were raped. They were fed white cheese full of worms and bread full of bugs. For six months, their families didn’t know if their loved ones were dead or alive. This torture continued day and night. Nasser released them only in June 1970.

At the time, Egyptian Jews were of mixed education, wealth, religious observance and political beliefs. The wealthier members of the community founded banks, owned department stores and traveled freely abroad because they could afford the bribes required. Most Jews were stateless, because their applications for Egyptian citizenship were almost always denied.

Many Jews converted to Christianity or Islam and tried to assimilate. Jews spoke several languages, but not Hebrew. They were often ambivalent about the State of Israel. Some spoke against Israel even after they were expelled from Egypt. Most of the middle-class and wealthy Jews immigrated to the U.S., Brazil, Argentina and France. Most of the poor Jews immigrated to Israel.

In Egypt, Jews were continually harassed, insulted and mocked. The secret police would knock on their doors in the middle of the night and ask them when they were leaving Egypt. Had they bought their tickets? They had better leave within a week or else. Over 35,000 Jews left or were expelled after the 1956 war. By 1967, there were about 2,000 Jews left in Egypt. Today, there are only two Jews in the entire country.

President Sisi, although you and some of leaders of the Egyptian military have close relations with Israel, most Egyptians continue to hate Israel and Jews. In 2016, a member of the Egyptian group Tawfik Okasha was physically attacked and expelled because he invited an Israeli diplomat to his home for dinner. A 2023 survey of Arabs living in countries that have signed peace agreements with Israel found that 84% don’t support the agreements.

President Sisi, how can you honestly say that Jews were not targeted in Egypt or other Arab and Muslim countries? While living in Egypt, I was ashamed of being Jewish. I was a slave in Egypt and did not realize I was free after we left. I missed my home, school and “comfortable” life. It took years for me to realize that my life changed for the better because I could now live as a Jew and be proud of my heritage.

Read article in full

[mihrunnisasultans]

I am not going to defend myself, Your Majesty. Whatever I say, your decision will not change anyway. I could calm you by denying it, but I don't intend to do it. Throw me into the fire like you did with your family and other people you loved. [...] So this is [absolute loyalty] why you killed them all? Hatice, Ibrahim, Mustafa, Çihangir...I remember how our father Selim Han died. He didn't die easily. God did not let him leave this world without suffering first. The same fate awaits you!

Fatma + roasting Suleiman to his face (and to others)

Happy (belated) Birthday Plami! @mc-critical

[theroyalsims]

IBRAHIM DENIED ENTRY INTO AL-SIMHARA; ANYA TO REPRESENT BRINDLETON

Reports from both Al-Simhara and Brindleton confirm that Ibrahim, the late King Phillip's eldest son and former heir was denied entry into the country.

Ibrahim reportedly flew using a close friend's private jet immediately after he found out about his father's passing. A source reveals:

"He just dropped to his knees and cried. What's really sad is no one from the family contacted him. He learned that his father died on TV. He couldn't even confirm things with his siblings, his family, because no one took his calls. After he composed himself, he asked to borrow a good friend's jet so he could fly to Al-Simhara to pay respects to his dad. When the plane landed, however, he was turned away, and was denied entry to the country.

The 'ban' has to do with the fact that he was officially banished by his father for relinquishing his titles and later, for marrying Eleanore. Besides, Ibrahim now holds Brindleton citizenship, and since he did not have a valid visa or travel documents, he was denied entry. He asked to speak to his little brother, the new King, but his request was firmly shot down. He was forced to fly back to Brindletonn, more dejected, more depressed than he already was."

(Above: File photo - the father-and-son duo used to be thick as thieves during happier times.)

Prior to all the drama surrounding his abdication, Ibrahim had a very good relationship with his father. The late King often referred to him as his "good son." It was also no secret that Ibrahim was his favourite child:

"He was very much King Phillip's favourite. His Majesty recognised that he would be a good King and would continue the legacy of the Al-Simharan Royal Family. But with how things unfolded, there was just no going back, especially for Ibrahim."

It was confirmed via an official statement that the late King died earlier this week from a freak motorcycle incident. The King, an avid motorcycle collector, enjoyed riding his 'toys' whenever he had free time. Over the weekend, he reportedly rode one of his dirt bikes along a trail at a nature park. However, the King lost control of his motorcycle and fell off a ravine.

The King's unexpected passing has sent Al-Simhara into a month-long period of mourning, headed by its new King, 18-year old King Hakim. A state funeral will take place next week, and heads of state from all over the world are expected to attend. It has been reported that Crown Princess Anastasia will be representing Brindleton for the state occasion.

(Above: File photo - Crown Princess Anya often represents Brindleton on various state occasions whenever The Queen is unable to attend.)

The Crown Princess' supposed attendance has already caused quite a stir, with a lot wondering if a Brindleton representative is welcomed in Al-Simhara considering the mess caused by Eleanore and Ibrahim's relationship. The furor was loud enough that even Al-Simhara was cornered into issuing an official statement:

"Al-Simhara is known for its world-class warmth and hospitality. In true Al-Simharan fashion, our doors are always open to visiting members of the Brindleton Royal Family. We are happy to welcome Crown Princess Anastasia as she pays tribute to our beloved late King."

Despite the statement, many are convinced that Anya should not attend for the sake of her sister and her brother-in-law who have been treated poorly by the Al-Simharan royal family. However, it being a state occasion - with diplomatic implications -does Anya actually even have a say in it?

[nesiacha]

I repeat one of my comments posted on Youtube

If I had my say on the way Suleiman's children were portrayed, because like a lot of people, I didn't like the way it was written in Magnificent Century, that's what I would do. ( In my eyes, Mustafa was seen as a pure white sehzade, which therefore made him in my eyes more stupid and less interesting than he actually was. Mehmed was practically erased of his personality and seen as a pure Gary Stu like his half brother. Cihangir, who I adore, yet in the series was too naive. Selim is seen as evil, etc...)

I would respect the historical point of view more. I propose an alternative version, I would have added Suleiman's children he had when he was sehzade with his other concubines before he became Sultan and met Hurrem and then had them die of the plague as it was historically.

Sehzade Mustafa - I would keep his childlike personality, except he is not close to his siblings (because of the fratricidal law), and I wouldn't put him close to Ibrahim at least until he becomes an adult and allies himself with him. I would let his mother take care exclusively of his education. A young man who craves recognition and attention from his father, who often neglects him in return over his other children due to the fact that Mahidevran is the Sultan's least beloved concubine. The more he becomes an adult, and especially a father, the more he resents his father because of the way he treats his mother and him. He does not really understand his father and therefore his fears due to the fact that he did not grow up close to him. I would keep his efficient heir personality because he performs very well despite his father never teaching him well because of his mother who is a very good advisor. Instead of doing something for his military glory or showing off his harem too much, I would focus on how he improves the lives of common people exhausted by too much conquest. I would make his guilt very ambiguous, at the start it is clear that he wants to wait for his father to die to have the throne and restore his mother's honor, however, he realizes that his father lets his vizier lead his life impossible to see even encourages him, does not hide that he preferred to have a son of Hurrem on the throne no matter what Mustafa will do. Following this, the sehzade wants to have a second plan like his grandfather in case Suleiman wants to abdicate in favor of another of his sons which would put him in danger (which could explain the Venetian correspondence, others say that it was a plan to prevent his brothers from escaping if one day he became Sultan) but hesitates to actually carry it out, then after some hesitation goes to his father's tent and gets strangled. Instead of doing Atmaca, I would focus on Mustafa's son-in-law, Nergissah's husband who started as Rustem's ally and becomes his most loyal supporter ( it seems that it is more a legend than truth, but I didn't remeber well as I didn't have on me my books of historian like Halil Inalcık) . So I would avoid making a treacherous Sehzade, his mistakes would be understandable, but he wouldn't be a pure white Sehzade.

Sehzade Mehmed: it's more complicated for him because he died without having proven himself in a complicated province like Amasya, so it's quite difficult to make a comparison with Mustafa. But I would make sure to give him a real personality: initially close to some of his brothers like Selim and Bayezid, he becomes, despite his mother, more distant towards them because of the fratricide (Mehmed II had therefore legalized it there is not much way to escape from it at the time unlike MCK) although he is very close to Cihangir and his sister. Unlike Mustafa, his father trained him in the regency of the palace and he did very well by dint of advice and practice. When he is sent to the provinces, he often listens to his mother's advice when she visits him. Knowing that he has the support of the statesmen against Mustafa he realizes knowing his father better than his half brother that he will have to play the role of the obedient sehzade not interested in politics although deep down he prepare for it. He has the happiness of being a father but dies immediately afterwards.

Mihrimah Sultan- I would make sure to respect the historical Hurrem who wants her daughter to have a marriage of love and happiness. However Suleiman prefers Rustem, and she accepts him immediately because she will do everything to save her brothers and convince her mother to accept this marriage. I would rather show her as a politician as well as her diplomatic relations. However, I would underline the unjust side of Suleiman, he had Mustafa executed and condemned Mahidevran to poverty but refuses to punish Mihrimah by banishing her because she would have helped Bayezid financially during his rebellion. Their relationship would be cold for a time before reconciling. She will be reconciled with her brother Selim because basically they only remain and will be an ally of Nurbanu.

Sehzade Abdullah- I would have included him even if he died very young.

Sehzade Selim- Initially a cultured young man very focused on charity work like his mother and sister and very sober. Nevertheless it is often sad due to the law of fratricide. When Mustafa dies, he realizes he has a chance to escape it and he will fight in a wicked way especially for his son Murad because he knows that Bayezid's temper will put him in danger besides fratricide. He knew how to recruit powerful and efficient state members. He is on the whole an obedient sehzade but who is disgusted with his father's treatment of Mahidevran (after all she is no longer a threat to him she no longer has a son) and who will take risks to her by helping her financially. As the hardships go on, his depression increases he drinks more and more especially after his sister takes the part of Bayezid, that his brother Bayezid dies, and the fact that he is obliged to make other sons in the case where Murad dies without an heir which means that he knows that his other sons will be condemned to death. He has become a broken leader although he makes sure there is effective governance.

As a Sultan he must face his father's mistakes, including the way he led the Empire, including too many wars and unnecessary conquests in Europe. ​

Sehzade Bayezid- Him complicated. Due to his explosive temper he is the black sheep of his siblings (Mustafa does not count since he is a half brother, they do not even know each other) and the most incompetent of Suleiman's sons and Suleiman is worried because he has inherited the worst faults of Selim Yavuz like being angry easily (without having had his qualities). Yet deep down he wants affection and that's why he has several children even if it's irresponsible, his mother favors him because she's afraid for him because he has too impulsive nature . Mihrimah comes to his aid only in memory of his mother, because deep down she prefers Selim, Bayezid knows this, which means that he hardly listens to her. She only helps him financially as a last resort because she couldn't convince him to call off the rebellion. Suleiman was more lenient to his mistakes that Mustafa (we could once again underline the unfair side of Suleiman again with this) until the point that he took refuge to the Shah.

Sehzade Cihangir- A cultured young man very close to his parents and very sick. I would make him a supporter of Selim because although he is close to him, he also knows that he is his only chance of survival because he is not close to Bayezid at all. He often sends information from the Palace to Selim to better aid him in managing his province and at times advises him to be more ruthless in his quest for the throne while remaining an obedient sehzade. It would therefore be a good adviser for Selim (and it would give him more personality). He cannot therefore be limited to the role of a simple supporter but also of a valuable advisor.

And that's how I would portray them if I were in the place of the screenwriters. They are all very nuanced (we avoid all white or all black), we can freely pick a favorite without trying to favor another sehzade at all costs, and I try to be consistent with what we know about them and try to explain why they did mistakes or make sucess.

[magnificentposting-fabrizioart]

Halfway through Episode 19 and the Harem plots are getting nuclear levels of dumb

Well, Ahmet Paşa's rebellion was a joke. Woops.

The bit with the head and Ibrahim reminiscing was peak MC unintentional comedy tbh.

Also, we know, yeah, Ahmet very bad, Ibrahim good loyal Muslim, yes, orphans and widows, we know, it's in the Old Testament too, btw.

I'm not saying it's wrong to show the misfortune of people, btw, I'm saying the market scene was kinda cartoonish in how it did so, might as well have shown Ahmet kicking puppies and laughing maniacally (to be fair it sorta did that).

Buried the lead enough, time to address the time paradox budgies in the room-

DON'T YOU FKING TOUCH NIGAR YOU WELL DRESSED HIGH SCHOOL BULLIES WTF!!!

(Also Hürrem pretty much got what was going on anyway even if Nigar wasn't speaking out of fear of Mahidevran vulturing from the other balcony)

This is so dumb tbh, like, Nigar is literally doing her job, also they're both Sultanas, also even if she dies Hürrem is just going to get given another handler/kalfa, it's not like anyone cares that harem girls keep dying.

WHICH BTW WTF GUYS.

Also Leo, please, like... Either ally with Viktoria, run away, kidnap Hürrem, become gay, DO SOMETHING other than sulk, you're gonna die anyway at this rate.

...This ring thing is gonna be very dumb too, innit?

[quranwithsehar]

You were applying for a job, but it didn't work out. You were really hoping it would work out, or you were really hoping to get accepted into the university. Unfortunately, you didn't get accepted at the university. Those are the kinds of tests where you could feel depressed or sad, but you can't live in that sadness. Feeling those emotions at first doesn't mean you don't have Sabr. You can have those feelings and experience those emotions, then pick yourself up and try again.

So, you can have a dip, a low, and a high – that's being human. Allah didn't create us as angels. Sometimes we may face other trials, for example, an engagement that broke off, a marriage that ended miserably, or not wanting parents to get divorced, and they did. These situations involve people, people doing things that hurt us or things we wish they didn't do.

I think the solace, at least for me, comes from the stories in the Quran where people much better than us, like Yunus, had no control over his family. He didn't have any control; Ibrahim, an incredible human being, had no say in his father's choices. We cannot control other people's choices, and sometimes those choices deeply hurt us. People much better than us were hurt deeply. Ibrahim AS being kicked out of his house was not easy; being married to Firaun was not easy. For Musa AS, running away from home was not easy. These people were traumatized by many terrible experiences. Allah taught us through them that we can only control what is within our grasp, and we have to learn to let go of what isn't.

In the end, we say, "To Allah, we belong, and to Him, we are going to return." Any problem I'm having, how long is it going to last? Well, as long as I last. I'm not here for that long. When I think about the grand scheme of things, this problem isn't as big as I think it is. And of course, Allah has given us hope too. After every difficulty, there is great ease. Now, put yourself in their shoes; how much did the companions love the Prophet? When he died, how devastated were they? In that moment, for them to believe the Quran is still there, saying, "With difficulty comes twice the ease." They were devastated, in tears, broken, but their faith allowed them to heal and move forward. Allah created so much ease for the ummah afterwards.

That's just this life; it's going to come with trials and difficulties. Allah has made us mentally prepared that life isn't going to be easy; He said it many times. We all have trials; don't believe someone else has an easy life because they appear to on social media. Everyone has things causing them hurt; the person next to you has things causing them hurt. These influencers may talk about the blessings of Allah, but that doesn't mean they're showered with blessings every morning and have no issues.

Sometimes we run after things that are not real, believing them to be real because someone else has them. We may think others don't have any challenges, but everyone deals with their own pain. Allah tests people differently, but we don't see the other person's trial or know that their trial is the same as ours. We might wonder why Allah is not testing someone else or why we couldn't have it easy like they do. We don't know their reality, so these thoughts should give us some comfort. Whatever trial Allah has picked for me, whatever loss, whatever experience, is something I'm supposed to learn from, learn and grow from. Keep moving forward.

-Ustad Nouman Ali Khan