Superman Elseworlds: 'In the Name of...'

Chapter 5: Odyssey (part 1)

Chapter 5: Odyssey (part 1)

(Kamran)

For all intents and purposes, it was almost unheard of that Mufti Mahmood would attend the home of anyone unless that person was ill…and the whole school knew that Ishy was not ill. Don't get me wrong, the Mufti is a very, very caring man but, from what I understand, a couple of the reasons why he avoids going to people's homes, especially when invited to dinners, are because his time is limited, and he tries to avoid idle talk as much as possible.

Rumours were already spreading that the Mufti had chosen Ishy as his successor and personal student and, as I expected, and now, with him actually coming with us to see Uncle and Aunty, the reception of such 'news' was quite mixed. It's human nature, I guess, and I saw it a lot in the kids when I used to visit the village – the increasing resentment over Ishy's…well, brilliance.

I sat quietly in the back of the car with the Mufti. Neither I nor Ishy could understand the Mufti's reasoning for refusing to sit in front of Ishy – the Mufti's justification was that, as Ishy was a Hafiz (and so had the Qur'an in his heart) it would be improper for him to put his back to someone like that. The counter argument Ishy and I raised – that since the Mufti was also a Hafiz as well as older – was merely met with a smile and some gentle stubbornness.

Ishy kept turning to give me a reassuring look, but my heart would not stop hammering. As much as I respected and revered the Mufti in the short time I had gotten to know him, Ishy's intention to tell him the truth about himself terrified me. The Mufti was an outsider. He hadn't held Ishy as a baby; he hadn't seen his curiosity and watched him learn and discover.

He hadn't seen him almost die.

I didn't realise I was doing it at the time, but according to Ishy when we talked about that day I was tugging at my kurta and began whispering prayers - my fears compelling me to do so in English.

From the corner of my eye I saw the Mufti glance at me, frown with curiosity, and then smile. He recited the opening verses to Surah Rahman:

The Beneficent (God)!

He has taught you the Qur'an (by His Mercy)

He created man.

He taught him eloquent speech…

As beautiful as the recitation was, it wasn't helping, and, frankly, I was even more afraid than when Ishy first told me what he was going to do.

***

(Yusuf) (translated from the Urdu)

 

I hadn't seen Asiyah so frightened since the attack in the village, and as much as we trusted Ishmail's judgment and intuition…well, we didn't know the Mufti, and Kamran's tangible apprehension really didn't make this any easier.

It had been easy for us and those in the village to accept Ishmail. For Asiyah and me, our acceptance and love for him was immediate. For the villagers it varied, as it is wont to do. But, as Kamran kept trying to explain to Ishmail, the Mufti was an outsider…and Ishmail is a being that…is completely alien…

Maybe it was my old age that was dampening my fear, I don't know…

We had often consoled each other in the early years – that this was all part of God's plan. That we were chosen for a reason. That the burden of having a child from the stars was one that God knew we could handle. That it was our duty to raise this boy right, and do right by him.

But we had our limitations.

We lacked knowledge.

We lacked resources.