Download the Book - Islam and Science Fiction

and struck me with all of his strength, bloodying my mouth and
sending me crashing into a wall.
"May the hands of the father of flame perish! May he himself
perish. Nothing shall his wealth and gains avail him. He shall be
burnt in a flaming fire ..."
I picked myself up. "What ... are you ranting about?"
"Didn't you hear?"
"About the Ka'ba? Yes. That's why I came."
"You don't know who is behind it?"
"No."
"The Mahdi, you fool. Didn't you hear him? 'Gather reminders,'
he said."
"Zeid, calm down. It must have been enemies of the Faith."
"Oh, that is plain enough."
He broke down in a torrent of tears, and sat on the edge of his
bed. I sat across from him, dabbing the blood from my lip.
Finally he looked up. "You still don't see, do you, Shahid? The
parable about world being consumed in fire?"
I shrugged. "That's what holy men do. They tell us how near
judgement day is. It's their job."
He shook his head. "That's what other holy men do. Talk. Not
this one. You're going to give him the tool to do it."
"You're crazy. What would be the point?"
"He is crazy. That's the point. Don't you see, the desecration of
the Mosque ... the old one won't be around much longer. They'll need
to build another on the new planet."
Zeid stood up, picking up his well-worn copy of the Koran from
his nightstand. "I can't be part of this."
He walked out.
I followed, pleading in whispers, trying to get him to listen to
reason. He wouldn't respond. He walked down to the bus stop, ran
down the crowded bus just leaving for San Fernando, and boarded
without even a look back.
A little bell sounded in my head. I was furious. This person I
had looked after all my life, whose life I had saved more than once,
was threatening to destroy the mission, my career, the cause, and
everything it stood for! I ran down the street to Jamil's apartment, and
told him the basics. "Zeid just cracked. He's leaving."
"I was afraid of this," he replied with a scowl. "You said he was
fine."
"He was, until this thing at the Ka'ba," I replied defensively.
"He must be stopped, quickly. Have Faysal do it."
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