Personal

The man seated in the center of the front row, dressed entirely in black, is my great-great grandfather, Sultan al-Wa'idheen (literally, "king of the orators" — no joke, that's what the text beneath the image says) Hajj Seyyed Muhammad Hasan al-Motahari. He was a cleric in Karbala, Iraq. I wonder whether he had a good sense of humor.

I'm deeply interested in the history of religion, especially the history of early Islamic civilization. The Muslim intellectual tradition is brilliant and beautiful. There are some not-so-brilliant-or-beautiful elements, for sure, but the tradition as a whole certainly deserves better than fools like this (watch from 1:10 onward).

If I find the time, I'd like to share my interest on this platform.  We'll see.

وَيَجْعَلُ ٱلرِّجْسَ عَلَى ٱلَّذِينَ لَا يَعْقِلُونَ 

"And He disgraces the irrational." (Quran 10:100)