DARKNESS AND LIGHT

Behold the subduer smiling in the sky.

"We need four-letter words to unlock this system," Akande said when they were through with introductions and formalities.

"Did you have any idea what your father may use as his secret code?"

"No idea," Fatima replied, one thousand and one thought came into his mind, but none seemed so significant to serve as a password.

"I know where he kept his diary, maybe it will

help." Fatima stood abruptly from her seat and walked towards a drawer in the middle of the room, she opened it, dipped her hand inside searching for her grandfather's diary. She brought out a big book with a black and white cover and returned to her seat, flipping the sheets and searching for any four letters words, or something out of place. Midway, she brought out a piece of paper hidden in-between the diary sheets. Fatima study the strange text, for a second, she can feel the initial frustration resurfacing.

"Jabbir, I can't seem to place this," Fatima confessed.

From where Akande was seated across the table, he could not yet see the text but Fatima's inability to immediately identify the meaning surprised him, his friend wrote a text so obscure that even his granddaughter don't understand. Akande quickly realized this is not the first secret Awodigba will be hidden from his granddaughter.

He is ready to burst from excitement as he quivered, leaning in, trying to see around jabbir who was still hunched over the text.

"I don't know." jabbir whispered. My first impression was that it's mathematical jargon and probably has no meaning, but now, am not so sure.

Akande have not yet set eyes on the text as Jabbir was still hovering over the script. A Sephardic transliteration perhaps... Akande couldn't bear it any longer. "perhaps if I just..." reaching over with his uncompleted statement, he edge the sheet away from Jabbir and pulled it toward himself.

No doubt Jabbir had solid familiarity with the standard ancient Greek, Latin, and roman codes. But from the fleeting glance, he had heard of this code, he thought it looked more specialized.

Taking a deep breath, Akande feasted his eyes upon the words but said nothing for a very long time. With each passing second, he felt his confidence deflating. "I'm astonished." He said. "This looked like nothing to me."

"May I see the text?" Fatima called.

"Of course dear," Akande replied.

"Ah-ha!" Fatima gasped. "I should have known this."

Jabbir and Akande turned, staring at her.

Fatima shrugged. "I think I wasn't expecting this."

"You are saying you can decipher this," Akande exclaimed.

Quite easy, Fatima chimed, obviously enjoying her show now. " My grandfather taught me this code when I was only six years old." She leaned across the table and fixed jabbir with an admonishing glance. "And frankly, I'm a little surprised you didn't recognize it."

Jabbir groaned with embarrassment.

Fatima smiled, "as I said earlier, it's quite easy to decipher.

Akande was still sputtering. "What's going on?"

"Easy," Fatima said, closing her eyes as she drew a breath. She felt the physical world fading away as all of her thought converged on her grandfather's coded text.

2 5 8 15 12 4

20 8 5

19 21 2 4 21 5 18

19 13 9 12 12 9 14 7

9 14

20 8 5

19 11 25.

Jabbir felt something more fundamental resonate within him. The text has meaning!

"All we have to do is to create an alphabetical equivalent to the numbers." Fatima continued.

Jabbir quickly wrote the alphabet from A to Z inside the diary below the text.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z.

Fatima dramatically mopped her face with a white handkerchief and continued. "Then we have, BEHOLD THE SUBDUER SMILING IN THE SKY."

Jabbir paused his breath." Good God," he muttered.

Akande was grinning like a kid lost on his way from the market.

Jabbir was laughing now, "quite literally, the subduer smiling in the sky."

A century after the death of the last Islamic Prophet Mohamed S.a.w, the Islamic empire extended from Spain in the west to Indus in the east. The Abbasids, Fatimids, Almoraxids, Seljukids, Ajuuraan, Adal, and Warangal in Somalia, Mughals in India, Safavids in Persia, and Ottomans were among the influential and distinguished powers in the world.

The Islamic civilization gave rise to different cultures and science and produced notable scientists, astronomers, mathematicians, doctors, nurses, and philosophers. During the golden age of Islam, technology flourished, there was an investment in economic infrastructure, such as irrigation systems and canals. The importance of reading the Quran produced a comparatively high level of literacy in the general populace. The Fatimids continued to conquer surrounding areas, entered Egypt in the late 10th century, conquering the Ikhishidid dynasty and founding a capital at Al-quahira in Cairo in 969. From Persia to Egypt, an Islamic World power was created. They had constructed a capital there and named it the subduer; a name to reference the planet mars which was prominent in the sky at the moment that city construction started.

The password we are looking for is

Mars. Jabbir said.

Every faith in the world is based on fabrication, acceptance of that which we imagine to be true, that which we can't prove.

God is described metaphorically, allegorically with more exaggeration. From the early Egyptians, through Sunday's schools, down to the latest Quranic school. Metaphors make our mind process the unprocessable, accept the unacceptable and believe the unbelievable.

Bible, Quran, Torah offer guidance to people of different religions. Yet those who understand knew the stories are metaphorical. Yet it has become part of the fabric of reality. And living in that reality has helped us all to cope and try to be better people.

But when one religion stands to fight against the other or force their religion on others. We see chaos as a result of this.

When an anti-religious group is formed, a religious phobia society is created-Vandalism and defacement of religious symbols and properties, desecration and arson, or some religions become the target of g******e.

Why will some religions see others as heretics? When every religion grows from other religions. It is called transmogrification. Putting old wine in a new wineskin.

in the cradle of existence lies a god intered.

His labor's fruit, holy wrath incurred

you seek the sign that ought to be on his tomb

It speaks of roasted flesh and seeded womb.