25 Jul 2022, 14:58
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Prayer should not be regarded as a duty which must be performed, but rather as a privilege to be enjoyed, a rare delight that is always revealing some new beauty. (E. M. Bounds)
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All by himself, Marius Brown sat under a tree just beside the Great Lake. Soft brown eyes staring at the sunshine on the water, the Hufflepuff's brain was full of thoughts, thoughts about both the past and the future.
The final exam for the 2021/2022 academic year was approaching, and he knew that he was supposed to study as best as he could and get a good night's sleep. But instead, just last week he was attempting something terribly disgraceful; he was weak in Potions and was about to have a prodigal student to brew one and pass it as his. The attempt was thankfully unsuccessful, and his conscience regretted the hasty, dishonest decision he could have take to a further action.
He had been thinking much after the incident. Thinking, and listening to his conscience. He remembered how Dad often murmured "Lord, give me patience" when something went awfully wrong, and then took a deep breath or two. And what was that again, the words Marius himself had read from the back cover of an autobiography? "I don't ask for my life to be trouble-free, I ask Thee for strength and endurance, and it is enough" or similar.
And thus finally he had decided to come here to pray. It was so still the atmosphere was calming, perfect for prayers and meditations. He would like to sincerely tell God that he was sorry for his attempt to cheat and to ask for guidance to be better. Marius' heart was set on praying the rosary, he could also ask the Mother of the Church, his mother, to pray for him.
Taking the beads he received for his seventh birthday from his bag, the boy started to recite the prayers he remembered by heart.
The final exam for the 2021/2022 academic year was approaching, and he knew that he was supposed to study as best as he could and get a good night's sleep. But instead, just last week he was attempting something terribly disgraceful; he was weak in Potions and was about to have a prodigal student to brew one and pass it as his. The attempt was thankfully unsuccessful, and his conscience regretted the hasty, dishonest decision he could have take to a further action.
He had been thinking much after the incident. Thinking, and listening to his conscience. He remembered how Dad often murmured "Lord, give me patience" when something went awfully wrong, and then took a deep breath or two. And what was that again, the words Marius himself had read from the back cover of an autobiography? "I don't ask for my life to be trouble-free, I ask Thee for strength and endurance, and it is enough" or similar.
And thus finally he had decided to come here to pray. It was so still the atmosphere was calming, perfect for prayers and meditations. He would like to sincerely tell God that he was sorry for his attempt to cheat and to ask for guidance to be better. Marius' heart was set on praying the rosary, he could also ask the Mother of the Church, his mother, to pray for him.
Taking the beads he received for his seventh birthday from his bag, the boy started to recite the prayers he remembered by heart.
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Reducio
OoC note to mods and everyone else: In this thread, Adlai and Marius are to learn general knowledge about the religions of Islam and Roman Catholic. No argument, fight, banter, or insult shall take place either IC or OoC.
Having eyes, but not seeing beauty; having ears, but not hearing music; having minds, but not perceiving truth; having hearts that are never moved and therefore never set on fire - these are the things to fear.
22 Aug 2022, 22:23
Still
@Marius Brown
Date: June 19thIf there was any place that was Adlai’s favorite it would be the Great Lake just a few hours before curfew. The banks were mainly empty around this time making it easier to maneuver around and find flat stones to skim across the top of the water. The air was crisp and the sun crawled slowly across the sky waiting to dip below the forest line in a few moments.
Asr would be soon. Of course there was the regularly practiced prayer where Adlai recite the words of the four obligatory rak'ah that had been taught to her since she was a baby by her mother and her ever learning father. However, once the rak'ah were complete every once and a while Adlai was stay still for a moment and ask for Allah’s guidance or blessings on personal matters.
Further wandering down the bank do find more smoothed stones, Adlai stopped to adjust her hijab which had shifted as she skipped the rocks. While doing this she saw a boy. She had seen his face before she knew that much, perhaps in the corridors or somewhere in the dorms? Nonetheless, she looked familiar and thus she inched a bit closer to him. It wouldn’t hurt to become aquatinted with a familiar face.
Asr = The islamic afternoon prayer that starts at sunset, Rak'ah = The movements and supplications performed by Muslims during obligatory prayer, Allah = The Arabic word for God.
Last edited by Adlai Rod on 30 Sep 2022, 03:43, edited 1 time in total.
Adlai Winifred Rod
12 Sep 2022, 14:07
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It took time to finish reciting the rosary prayer. For a preteen like Marius, it could be challenging, or so they may consider. A couple of tweens and teenagers he met at church gatherings, some with guilt and the others with the air of I'm-only-here-because-my-parents-made-me, had confessed that they often perceived praying as a task to complete. But then again, there was very few number of them, and it was likely inaccurate to conclude that most Catholic youngsters were like this.
Back to Marius himself, it usually took the Hufflepuff take or give half an hour to complete one recital of the rosary. Once Dad had tried to recite it seven times in a row for nine consecutive days; at that time, he had informed Marius that he got the idea from Uncle Henshawe. And still, until today, the Chinese-English boy could not understand how one was able to do that - Dad and Uncle Henshawe must had absolute patience and great concentration.
Marius' recital was complete for the day. It would be lying to say that he did not feel tired the slightest bit, because he did, which meant he still had not got into the level of appreciating praying as a privilege. But at the same time he felt relaxed as well; it was as if something very heavy had been lifted from his shoulders.
His body was slightly stiff from sitting still for thirty minutes, so the boy started to move around a little. Turning around, his brown eyes caught sight of a girl in a hijab; not wanting to be rude, he gave her a polite smile.
Back to Marius himself, it usually took the Hufflepuff take or give half an hour to complete one recital of the rosary. Once Dad had tried to recite it seven times in a row for nine consecutive days; at that time, he had informed Marius that he got the idea from Uncle Henshawe. And still, until today, the Chinese-English boy could not understand how one was able to do that - Dad and Uncle Henshawe must had absolute patience and great concentration.
Marius' recital was complete for the day. It would be lying to say that he did not feel tired the slightest bit, because he did, which meant he still had not got into the level of appreciating praying as a privilege. But at the same time he felt relaxed as well; it was as if something very heavy had been lifted from his shoulders.
His body was slightly stiff from sitting still for thirty minutes, so the boy started to move around a little. Turning around, his brown eyes caught sight of a girl in a hijab; not wanting to be rude, he gave her a polite smile.
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Having eyes, but not seeing beauty; having ears, but not hearing music; having minds, but not perceiving truth; having hearts that are never moved and therefore never set on fire - these are the things to fear.
30 Sep 2022, 03:38
Still
@Marius Brown
Date: June 19thSeeing the boy smile at her, Adlai smiled back. She realized it must have been odd or rude of her to have watched him as he prayed, or she assumed he was praying. Why else would he have a rosary in his hands? Personally, Adlai did not like it when people watched her pray. Thus she could only imagine how uncomfortable the poor boy in front of her must feel.
"Hello," she started, "I'm sorry for staring... your rosary is just... so pretty?" She wasn't sure is what she said was appropriate or not. At the little mosque she and her family attended back home it was perfectly normal for the girls to compliment each other's prayer mats, subha's, and Quran covers, especially if they were new. Although Adlai had no idea if the same applied to Rosary's.
Plenty of the children she had gone to school with before in elementary school work rosary's around her neck but the significance about them or the etiquette for that matter. Over all she felt bad for not knowing, since she felt everyone should have basic knowledge of all major religions so that the vast majority of the world's people might be able to get along.
Subha = Islamic Prayer Beads, Quran = Islamic religious text, Prayer Mat = An often times lavishly embellished floor mat on which muslims pray upon
Adlai Winifred Rod
10 Oct 2022, 03:45
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Honestly speaking, Marius suspected that the girl had stared at him for another reason. The way he perceived it, her tone when talking about his rosary was slightly unsure, as if she was trying to find a more plausible reason to cover the original. However, of course it could be that this was the way she usually spoke, at thus her words and intention were genuine.
Unconsciously, his soft brown eyes darted at the beads in his hands. He had been having the rosary for years, and as precious as it was to him, the Hufflepuff boy thought it was not that pretty, or at least it was not as impressive as some others he had seen. His cousin Valerie, for example, had a rosary that could glow in the dark. And one of his classmates from Muggle school had once showed him the rosary she received as a Christmas gift; it was red and white and green, with a crucifix that resembled a mistletoe, kept in a dainty white box with her name engraved on it in green and red.
Realising, he quickly turned his view back at the fellow Hogwarts kid next to him. Was she attracted by the rose beads? He may never know, and it would be awkward to ask such question to someone he was speaking for the first time with. Therefore, he said nothing more than a polite thank-you.
A beat.
And then, inferring from her hijab, he asked in a friendly tone, "Do you have one similar? I think a Muslim classmate of mine, back in Muggle school, had something like a rosary. But she told me it had a different name, and it's a pity I can't recall the name."
Unconsciously, his soft brown eyes darted at the beads in his hands. He had been having the rosary for years, and as precious as it was to him, the Hufflepuff boy thought it was not that pretty, or at least it was not as impressive as some others he had seen. His cousin Valerie, for example, had a rosary that could glow in the dark. And one of his classmates from Muggle school had once showed him the rosary she received as a Christmas gift; it was red and white and green, with a crucifix that resembled a mistletoe, kept in a dainty white box with her name engraved on it in green and red.
Realising, he quickly turned his view back at the fellow Hogwarts kid next to him. Was she attracted by the rose beads? He may never know, and it would be awkward to ask such question to someone he was speaking for the first time with. Therefore, he said nothing more than a polite thank-you.
A beat.
And then, inferring from her hijab, he asked in a friendly tone, "Do you have one similar? I think a Muslim classmate of mine, back in Muggle school, had something like a rosary. But she told me it had a different name, and it's a pity I can't recall the name."
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Having eyes, but not seeing beauty; having ears, but not hearing music; having minds, but not perceiving truth; having hearts that are never moved and therefore never set on fire - these are the things to fear.
22 Oct 2022, 18:44
Still
@Marius Brown
Date: June 19th"Yes! Subha is what their called." Adlai said with a little too much enthusiasm. "Some people call them Misbaha too though, so either name is fine. But if you don't know both names it's easy to be confused if you hear someone talking about them and not understand what they're referring too."
She felt awkward, she didn't know why but she did. What else was there to talk about? The initial purpose of their conversation seemed to have ended, so what could she move onto? "Do you always carry your rosary with you?" She asked.
"I leave my subha with my Quran and prayer mat in my dorm room. I don't trust myself to carry it around with me so leisurely. I've lost one to many before and the thought of loosing one here of all places makes my break out into a cold sweat. It would be far too hard to find it without a massive search party." She laughed awkwardly. Was that really the best she could think of?
"On top of that there aren't many Muslims at Hogwarts, so it wouldn't be like I could borrow someone's. Besides we also pray at the same times every day so they'd be using theirs and we'd just be fumbling over one another."
Subha and Misbaha= Islamic Prayer Beads, Quran = Islamic religious text, Prayer Mat = An often times lavishly embellished floor mat on which muslims pray upon
Adlai Winifred Rod
31 Oct 2022, 07:49
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"Subha," the first year repeated; and then, because he had somehow misheard the other student's pronunciation, "mishaba. Are both words Arabic?" As far as he knew, most names given to Muslim religious items were Arabic names. But the boy also wondered why the bespectacled girl mentioned two names. Were they synonyms? Or was one formal Arabic whereas the other came from a local dialect?
His company wanted to know whether it was customary for Marius to carry his rosary around, and to this the preteen shook his head. "No, I'm afraid," he replied politely. "Some people I know wear theirs around their necks, like a necklace. But I don't like jewelleries because they restrict my movement. Also, I don't happen to be a person who likes storing many things in his bag, so I don't put it there. I mean, half the time, I can't even find my wallet in my bag!"
After that, it was her turn to share with him that she was not accustomed to take her subha with her everywhere, either; telling him that it was easy for her to lose stuff. Marius laughed heartily at her joke about utilising a search party just to find a plastic, necklace-sized item.
His fellow pupil told him that borrowing someone else's was not an option since they would all be praying at the same time, so curiously, he asked, "Do you use your subha in every prayer? Also, you mentioned about praying time for everyone; what will happen if someone is five- or ten-minute late to pray?"
His company wanted to know whether it was customary for Marius to carry his rosary around, and to this the preteen shook his head. "No, I'm afraid," he replied politely. "Some people I know wear theirs around their necks, like a necklace. But I don't like jewelleries because they restrict my movement. Also, I don't happen to be a person who likes storing many things in his bag, so I don't put it there. I mean, half the time, I can't even find my wallet in my bag!"
After that, it was her turn to share with him that she was not accustomed to take her subha with her everywhere, either; telling him that it was easy for her to lose stuff. Marius laughed heartily at her joke about utilising a search party just to find a plastic, necklace-sized item.
His fellow pupil told him that borrowing someone else's was not an option since they would all be praying at the same time, so curiously, he asked, "Do you use your subha in every prayer? Also, you mentioned about praying time for everyone; what will happen if someone is five- or ten-minute late to pray?"
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Having eyes, but not seeing beauty; having ears, but not hearing music; having minds, but not perceiving truth; having hearts that are never moved and therefore never set on fire - these are the things to fear.
3 Dec 2022, 15:40
Still
@Marius Brown
Date: June 19th"Both Subha and Misbaha are Arabic to my knowledge. The vast majority of Islamic related things are." Adlai explained. "They're both the same thing but some people use one or both words to describe or identify it. It all depends on where you're from and how you're raised though, from what I know. Kind of like a dialect I suppose."
"I don't think I've ever seen anyone wear a subha like a necklace. I don't think it would be very comfortable in the first place. I'm not even sure if we're allowed to do that..." Adlai trailed off thinking about it. "It may be a good idea for some people though, who like to show pride in their faith more publicly."
"The subha aren't used with every prayer, they're main used for personal prayers. Normally to count the recitations and to help concentrate, or at least that's the best why I can explain it. A lot of the times with things like these it's just something you know, mainly because it's just because it's something you see everyone else doing in the Mosque or see your parents doing at home, especially if you're someone who was brought up in Islam.
Subha and Misbaha= Islamic Prayer Beads, Quran = Islamic religious text, Prayer Mat = An often times lavishly embellished floor mat on which muslims pray upon, Mosque = Islamic house of Prayer
Adlai Winifred Rod
27 Feb 2023, 03:52
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Even though there were still a couple of things he was not very clear about, Marius nodded his head. He wondered why the other student mentioned there was a chance they were not allowed to wear the subha around their neck; was it because it could be interpreted that they put it on as jewellery rather than a religious item, as it may resemble a necklace?
But the Hufflepuff decided it might not be such an appropriate subject to ask someone he had just met, so he put it on the back burner for now; maybe one day he would get the chance to ask the question this teenager.
There was, though, a second question popping up in his mind, and this question seemed safe enough. So, Marius proceeded to ask the girl, "I'm sorry, I'm curious about the personal prayers using subha you mentioned. Is it some kind of devotion?" It did not occur in his brain that she might not fully understand about, or even have the slightest idea with, what he meant by 'devotion'.
Looking at his fellow student with genuine curiosity and interest, the first year had a sudden realisation that he had not asked the vital question that began all friendships. "Sorry, what's your name again? I don't think we've been introduced. I'm Brown, Marius Brown."
But the Hufflepuff decided it might not be such an appropriate subject to ask someone he had just met, so he put it on the back burner for now; maybe one day he would get the chance to ask the question this teenager.
There was, though, a second question popping up in his mind, and this question seemed safe enough. So, Marius proceeded to ask the girl, "I'm sorry, I'm curious about the personal prayers using subha you mentioned. Is it some kind of devotion?" It did not occur in his brain that she might not fully understand about, or even have the slightest idea with, what he meant by 'devotion'.
Looking at his fellow student with genuine curiosity and interest, the first year had a sudden realisation that he had not asked the vital question that began all friendships. "Sorry, what's your name again? I don't think we've been introduced. I'm Brown, Marius Brown."
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Having eyes, but not seeing beauty; having ears, but not hearing music; having minds, but not perceiving truth; having hearts that are never moved and therefore never set on fire - these are the things to fear.
12 Mar 2023, 02:56
Still
@Marius Brown
Date: June 19th"Personal prayer? Oh no, it's not really a form of devotion. It's more or less just a conversation between you and Allah. Like if your friend was sick for example, you would pray to Allah and ask them to heal your friend or to send them blessings to make their time being sick more bearable in a way." Adlai went on to explain. "The subha is used during personal prayer to help the one praying concentrate when reciting dhikr, which are praises to Allah."
Adlai stopped herself from explaining any further as she looked at the boys face and wondered if he was understanding anything she was trying to explain. When she thought about it she wouldn't be surprised if he was confused. However, the next words out of his mouth were not a question but his name.
Smiling, Adlai held her hand out to him, "Hello Marius Brown, my name is Adlai, Adlai Rod."
Adlai found herself pleasantly surprised by how decent their information exchange was going. Believe it or not, when she was going up in Iceland and Wales she wasn't asked questions about her families faith. Now, she was rather glad that she was finally able to talk about it to a certain extent.
Subha and Misbaha= Islamic Prayer Beads, Allah = God, Dhikr = Repeated chants (mainly praises) used in accordance to remember God.
Adlai Winifred Rod