People

You know,

it's hard to say who are the faces that represent the world of Islam now.

The faces change so fast.

And some are of a political nature,

leaders of muslim countries of whatever persuasion,

and some are more part of popular culture in different ways.

writers, actors,

screen personalities, bridging cultures,

not necessarily known for their religiosity,

but still seen as faces representing Islam

But popular faces come and go,

and when we look at the world from here in Scotland,

the people we think of as representing the face of muslims now

will depend on the now when we are looking.

Popular culture changes rapidly as the world changes,

and as men and women come and go on their way to meet their Maker.

It is written in the present, but is a historical document as soon as it is written,

each life written by its Pen,

and political or popular, the faces of the ummah that stand out,

for whatever reason,

are dependant on their language,

And this separates english speaking muslims

from other language branches of the ummah.

If Arabic is not your mother tongue,

rhythms and melodies of the language might be caught,

but much much more flies past untouched.

Because language, as an art form is tied to its history.

Throughout the centuries,

poems will be written and stories told,

to inform or entertain through language,

and forms arose to fit the needs of each time,

setting standards of beauty to nourish those who come later.

Shakespeare was written for voices in a theatre,

not to be read,

whereas words nowadays are more likely to be heard over headphones.

The pre-screen availability of story time has vanished,

having fostered the Victorian five volume novel

but the format is still there to fill great amounts of screen time,

whether it be magic or murder or fantasy series.

In the same way, penny dreadfuls were precursor to

today's brief digital communications,

Dickens' novels were published as serials

that we now read as box sets,

and the public who waited eagerly for a Victorian poet's next verses

were the forerunners of the millions anticipating a rapper's next release.

And with each new generation,

muslim faces will somewhere be part of any trend,

demonstrating the variety of muslim expression for their time,

whether it be as actors in movies,

or situation comedy series,

or superheroes,

or standup comics,

the language of the english-speaking muslim is local.

Islamic references are not built in,

as they are in the language of the users family culture,

but this can be an advantage,

as applying a different language to a subject

can reveal it in a different light.

Plus

the Islamic roots of muslim cultural language

can become so familiar that they lose their strength

and just become part of the wallpaper,

a background that can quickly be forgotten

and then ignored,

voicing Islam in your local language can take a little more thought.

And what has gone before is the language you have available,

unless like Shakespeare you make up your own.

Then each generation takes what is available,

and shapes it

to give it current meaning.

And then it will be gone.

The international controversy over The Satanic Verses

is almost forgotten,

while the shock of the punk rock Islam of the Taqwacores slips into history,

but having been written, they have left their mark,

to be re-evaluated in time.

It was the language of the Qur'an

that led people to be overwhelmed by the beauty of its expression of their language,

accepting it as a Divine Message on the strength of that beauty alone.

But they had a language context

in which to set it for comparison.

The Arabs of the Jahilliya may have been illiterate,

but they were also widely nomadic,

and language is the most mobile of art forms.

They had poets and storytellers,

famous in their turn,

whose words people could recite along with,

sharing feelings and emotions.

But the language of the Qur'an overwhelmed all that.

To hear it was enough for many to completely change their lives,

and their understanding of the world,

on the strength of those words alone,

Words that required the listener to challenge the status quo,

to speak truth in the face of mockery,

to be merciful

and generous and trustworthy,

and offer bravery in the face of the inevitable brutal backlash.

English speaking muslims

will never be capable of recognising

all the beauty and subtlety of the Message

as it was heard by those original companions of the Messenger,

then again

neither will modern Arabic speakers,

even though they may have greater understanding,

but both can have a recognition of the enormity of the event of its Revelation.

It is not possible for what is created

to be able to prove the existence of the Creator,

but occasionally in human history,

the Creator sees fit to intervene,

to make display,

to use a human to show the truly intangible nature of the world around us,

and God's ability to manipulate it.

But Moses and Jesus performed miracles,

and now they are seen as no more than fairy tales from long ago,

unbelievable,

because that is what miracles are,

the performance of the impossible.

But the Messenger didn't do those kinds of miracles,

though a few are associated with him.

His miracle was hearing God's words

and then repeating them

The Qur'an is a direct record of the words God used

to communicate with those original Arab listeners

words that would be distinguished for use in the Sala,

remembered and written down verbatim,

not an ephemeral fairy tale

but a preserved record,

to delight in, to be studied and explored.