BASICS

My baseline as a believer that informs my values and positions in the world, followed by my emotional support Quranic bookmarks and ongoing hadith collection.

An invocation from the Qur'an (7:89). My Rabb or Beloved >>>> My 'Lord'

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I update this page very often. It likely has changed since your last visit.

I begin by invoking the Beloved, Most Gracious-Compassionate, the Source I am loyal to above all.

MY BELIEVER BASELINE

From what I know to be true, to believe is to:

Explore signs of Truth that are inscribed in my existence, that of other living beings, and out in the world, not just from within sacred texts.
Seek knowledge and change our minds+actions in the face of clear evidence.
Never worship, prioritise, or devote myself to any modern construct or human power above the Source.
Abolish relational hierarchies of domination and exclusion.
Resist cruelty and oppression in the name of an All-Compassionate Creator.

These are the beliefs that inform my values and how I intend to move in the world.

A dua from Nisa Ihsan Dang: O A!!ah, I yield to Your infinite wisdom and mercy. And I pray that You watch over us and continue to guide us in our battle against tyranny. I pray that You bring ruination to the oppressors, that the tyrants may fall with their institutions, and that they are ripped from the face of this earth. I pray that You blind those who would do us harm, who would seek us and hunt us, and who would attempt to extinguish this flame You have sparked. I pray for Your love to hold us, to grant us wellness, to keep us safe, and to embolden our communities. I pray that You continue to empower us to fight for justice in your image, and that You are merciful to those of us who cannot fight. And, O A!!ah, I am grateful for You, and humbly pray for Your wisdom as we work to build a more just world. (Source: Duas against the surveillance state)

Signs

Emotional support Quranic bookmarks

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These are not direct translations, only takeaways from befriending the Qur'an. Verses are cited as possible ways in for the curious.

IN

the inherent value in the proper use of reason (akal, 21:67, 30:28, 36:62, 45:5, over 50+ more)
taking responsibility for one's actions. This precedes freedom of choice and expression (10:41)
paying attention to the person in front of you regardless of their status or position (80:1-11)
listening closely to everything that is said, then following the best/kindest interpretation— that is the one with insight (39:17-18)
checking the news you receive so that you don't wrong others by sharing misinformation and disinformation (49:6)
purifying your belongings from concealed oppression by giving away your wealth to those with less (9:103)
to practice redistributing our resources to resurrect our hearts (2:261)
removing your attention from frivolous talk and those who act ignorantly (28:55)
upholding privacy and consent (24:27-28)
relationships that build spiritual peace: the certainty that they are each other's partners (2:187), upholding commitment as a promise (4:21), mutually upholding each other's dignity (4:19), solving problems through discussion (2:228, 3:159)
speaking up and making bad words public when you have been wronged (4:148)
to condemn the entitled and the oppressive (83:1-3) because no one should submit to the tyranny of an oppressor (42:39)
to change our collective condition by changing our collective selves (13:11)
saving a life from injustice (2:179, 5:8). To save even one life is equivalent to saving all humankind (5:32)
learning about what has happened before our time (3:137)
traveling Earth's regions to gain insights from the past (3:137-138, 22:46, 29:20, 67:15), and to learn about how the powerful who reject reality are inevitably overwhelmed by what they used to ridicule (6:11, 27:69, 30:42, 35:44, 40:21, 40:82-84, 47:10)
gaining knowledge against ignorance and stand firm on justice (3:18, 9:122, 29:69)
accepting the signs of Truth in ourselves (41:53, 51:20-21)
freeing a human being who is enslaved, feeding an orphan in famine, or a poor person in distress (90:12-17)
dressing well when at worship (7:31)
delaying debts owed to you until things become easier for them, or even better, pardon the debt altogether (2:280)
delaying any disagreements about religious beliefs until the Last Day of Accountability (7:87, 67:29)
knowing that all that is false is perishable and expires by nature (17:81)
accepting ease after hardship (94:5-6)
making time to turn inward as well as time to expand (2:245)
practicing the ability to be grateful (2:152, 14:7, 31:12)
connecting love to both generousity and justice (2:35, 16:90)

OUT

choosing to look away, to not speak up, and to not use reason. These are worst of all beings in the sight of the Beloved (8:22)
hoarding bounty and blessings from the people we are in community with (4:36-38, 92:8-10, 3:180)
using your influence to be complicit in an evil cause (4:85)
doing generations of damage on the earth and its labour (2:205)
suspicion and surveillance. The Beloved warns us that surveillance culture feasts on our lack of trust in each other (49:12)
antisocial solidarity, collaborating in hostility and transgression (5:2)
spreading rumours and information disorders (24:15)
wasting nourishment (7:31, 17:27)
the distracting delusion of competing to accumulate worldly resources (102:1-2. 3:14, 9:24, 9:34)
finding faults in others while counting your wealth over and over (104:1-5)
to believe that the great illusions we are capable of can prevail over truth (7:118)
overvaluing ourselves as self-sufficient (96:6-7)
taking your own desires as god (45:23)
wishing for things you know nothing about (11:47)
believing that we are the sole architects of our plan's success (8:30)
rejecting the diversity of creation (16:13, 35:27-28) and that everyone does according to their disposition and nature (17:84, 92:4). There are signs in loving relationships and the diversity of our tongues and tastes (30:21-22).
pushing the orphan away, not influencing others to feed those in need, praying but being oblivious of moral duties, not supplying even small kindnesses (108:1-3)
to narrow paths that were meant to be wide (5:48, 71:19-20, 92:4)
to compromise one's body by fasting through difficulty, which is a rejection of Divine will and kindness (2:184-185)
mocking and undermining people's faith (49:11)
holding other people accountable for your own actions (2:138, 35:18)
insulting what others worship (6:108). Doing so risks driving a deeper disconnect between people and the Divine.
discouraging anyone from praying (96:9-14)
forcing faith upon others (2:256, 2:208, 10:41). For example, forcing people to be Muslim disrespects the Beloved's decision not to make everyone Muslim (5:48, 10:99-100). Any belief to the point of conviction can only be attained through reason, not passively by birth.
giving people without firm beliefs the power to dishearten you (30:60)
walking on the Earth arrogantly like there are no limits to our actions over nature (17:37)
thinking anything other than our taqwa distinguishes us from each other in the eyes of the Beloved (49:13)

Gathering 40 lessons from 40 hadith

My ongoing curation of documented stories re: the mortal messenger Muhammadﷺ

🍉 Notes after Muhammadﷺ's last speech

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Although no narration is as elevated as Quranic revelation, hadiths are regularly weaponised to cause religious trauma in generations of Muslims. So I am now learning to befriend the messenger too. This collection is a personal reclamation project curated based on the Quranic principle that the prophetic mission was meant as Rahma to all beings (21:107). For me this means: to find spiritual healing within so many documented narrations of varying quality, I must value learning only from the messengerﷺ's most Rahma-fied most Rahma-tised actions. I hope to eventually complete my take on a classic Muslim tradition— compiling my own fancam of 40 hadith here. As always, A!!ahﷻ knows best what the man truly said/meant.

40 lessons from 40 hadith (in progress)

What I've learned:

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Liy is a tropical cryptid in Southeast Asia foraging for narrative resources from the periphery to prepare for precarious futures. This is an ad-free space outside of the algo. If you're new here (hello!) or need a refresher, start here for house rules. Here is what I am up to now. I spend time thinking out of my zettelkasten notes system and sharing curated playlists from my time travels. Consider subscribing (it's free!) to read more and stay in touch: I only send out letters a few times a year. If you valued something here, say so (if we have access to each other) or I would really appreciate if you buy me a coffee— that sends me a signal to keep going.