i had the fortune of meeting a brother who is a filmmaker and working with him a bit - i figured the best way to gain some experience is to sign on as somebody’s appretice, so i went in for about 14 hours the other day to help film - it’s a lot more boring than it seems on the outside lol and it was sooo hot since we had to keep all windows closed due to audio concerns - but it was cool watching him work - mapping out his shots, setting the scenes, and most importantly getting the lighting balanced for the effect he wanted to achieve; i hope to watch him edit, lay the sound, and produce the final product as it would be beneficial; someone asked me the other day, if you are interested in making films, why didnt you study that - story of my life lol - i am simply too interested in too many things so what i end up doing is go “i feel like i wanna do this right now” and then taking the steps in that direction (mostly practical rather than theoretical) so you could say im a jack of all trades, master of none; but i also think that fragmentation only adds more flavor to what it is i happen to be doing at the time; (also i am MARVELING at qadr - how i keep meeting certain people and in what ways, it’s astounding really, subhanallah; maybe i’ll go into that story some other time) anyhow, you can check this bro’s website here: http://www.ramzinabulsi.com

i met this very cool lady the other day - she’s also bengali, and she’s a linguist (she knows like 6 languages, mashallah) and into literature and stuff - and i had heard from a guy at school (a non-muslim guy who’s studying arabic because he’s a classics major - latin, greek, and maybe even yiddish now) that some fellow named “arberry”‘s translation was quite good; well, this sister had a copy and i finally got to look at it and i must say - subaanallaah! i am blown away, really - what he did was like 85% what i had in mind for this project! it is BEAUTIFULLY laid out, the author (who surprisingly was not muslim, but an authority on arabic linguistics, and died fairly recently in 1969) took pains to keep much of the rhythmic style of the quran, which is often QUITE neglected when translated, and the volume is simply designed, with little added, in order to keep the focus on capturing the beauty, power, and resonance of the original; it is truly a work that can reach out and strike at the heart of the reader; i also had an idea to lay out a quranic translation with the numbering often found in literature - not to dismiss the referential value of it, but to keep it at a minimum, to “dim the lights” so to speak, in setting a mood for the reader of the book, and so does arberry; he uses a minimum of parenthetical interjections and other academic distractions (which of course can be found in other works) which i also felt would be a point most in keeping with the objective at hand; at any rate, contrary to how many people (and honestly, this comes also from a good place - the protectiveness of god’s word) view translational work - i think each work has its own unique objectives, and think as many good translations and styles (obviously as long as it is kept within the technical possibilities demanded by the arabic language as well as orthodox extrapolation), the better; and also something which many people do not understand - i, like many other artists and workers for the religion, do not necessarily do what i feel like doing - rather, if a great idea comes along and it hasn’t been done, i often feel positively COMPELLED to do it (ie i will not feel rest until it is done); and this feeling has little actually to do with how widely i want to see it circulated (often i want very little, if any, since that is most comfortable actually) but is a drive simply to put it out into the universe, to see it exist, if allah wills, to bear the responsibility of seeing it “done” (no matter by who); and so it was a pleasure to see this particular project done, and done so well; the only disappointment i feel is “o brothers and sisters, where art thou?” - why is it we as a nation are still stuck with the mental residue of colonialism, still the followers when we were once the experts and the innovators; why is it some of the best work done in the modern era regarding islam (heck, even arabic and hadith with hans and other orientalists) comes from OTHER THAN its own adherents?! perhaps we are too busy fighting each other in religious matters and following everyone else in worldly matters; it surprised me a little to hear that shaikh nuh highly praised this work, and i admire his honesty and integrity in giving credit where credit is due, since it truly is a great achievement; for some time i have felt that scholarship is one thing and artistry another - the prevailing “wisdom” in the current regime of muslims is that academic study is the only way and the arts merely a sinful waste of time; but no, art has always had the power to shape the way people saw things and the prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam himself would listen to it or commission it if it served a purpose; it is about time we saw someone who had not only the academic capacity but the utter love of words and sounds put down a translation for a book which in its day was a miracle to non-believers simply by virtue of the way it SOUNDED; my only sorrow is that our magnificent holy book has been “reduced” to an “oxford world classic”, on par with other temporal, albeit masterly, works! and seeing it with the “oxford university press” stamp on the back does distress me somewhat; anyway, i did breathe a sigh of relief and feel that for now, i can put the driving compulsion to do this particular project (a very daunting one actually), away, at least for now; obviously, the work is not perfect, nor can any work ever be, and many people (a common objection is also that we already have translations, so why more?) do not understand that WORDS, that LANGUAGE and meaning change over time, that each generation needs to be brought not only the “message” of islam, but needs to be able to catch even a glimpse of what used to cause the most hard-hearted to sway; i may very well come back to this later (the work does have a few outdated/strange usages for anyone not in the ivy league, some of the connotations could be rendered less like a biblical passage and more in a universal construct, and of course there are some stylistic improvements that could still be made regarding design, etc.), but at least it doesn’t have to be NOW…

so im in the process of finishing up the artwork for the poetry album - what i really need now is access to video equipment! i want to include a short film (about 5 minutes long) and i would LOVE to take the footage myself - only issue is money lol (that and access to what i want to film) - we’ll see, i might have to use stock footage (ugh) - also i sent out some demo “solicitations” for the demo i made a LONG time ago (before i got married lol) but that’s always a backup (not the other way around, as with most people who submit stuff) - in the mean time, i’d be happy if i finished the film and did a small tour of readings before i left amman…

Well, the initial NM campaign is over and it’s time to focus on the next project - a multimedia poetry album, which was started years ago (subhanallah, so much time has passed and so much has changed, and yet it’s funny how you always go back to your roots).

The writing is 99% done - there are about 20 poems and writing ranging from my single years until now - once in a while I still have an errant idea or so for a new one, but my method is to write as it strikes me and if it can last for a few weeks, it’s “in” (as opposed to those throw-away passing thoughts you have).

The artwork is about 75% done, and the audio was recorded years ago (I might add a few spoken word pieces without any beats or enhancements, just plain voice). I might throw in a wild card or 2, though, which would be in film format, so we’ll see.

Anyway, it’s very soothing to go back to work on this - at this particular point in my life, I pretty much abhor human contact (more than normal lol)...

Well, Eid ul Adha just passed, the end of the semester is upon us, and we’re smack in the middle of finals. I have 3 copies of NM left in Jordan - if you get them here then obviously it’s MUCH cheaper in terms of shipping but also, no waiting.

We are smack in the middle of the initial NM campaign. One of the first things we had to do was create a site worthy of NM and this in itself was a fun project. Like the comics, although seemingly “simple” at first glance, the site is by no means simplistic, but was art-directed the entire way through. I decided that obviously a pop art feel would best suit the motif of the site, so Sas and I looked up the fonts and designs related to smarmy pop culture. Even though honestly pop art was probably one of my least favorite (in terms of like what I’d put up in my living room or something) genres, me being pretty classically or surrealistically inclined, I was absolutely thrilled with the NM website results. A particular favorite for me is the Warhol style “self-portrait” of the Man himself. I hope everyone enjoyed it as much as we did - to us the website itself was a work of art.

Today is the first day of the official IN Production website. I am lol actually too pooped from working on the sites and stuff to say much but welcome.
Stay tuned because alhamdulillaah after ALL THIS TIME things seem to be converging and gaining some momentum…gotta go sleep lol.

ok so by a complete fluke on the last day of ISNA some african american brothers came to my dad’s booth to talk to him and one of them makes a little rhyme like “give me your card, if its not too hard, and-something-i-cant-remember-that-rhymes-with-‘ard’” - anyway i sort of laughed a bit at that and he turns and goes, oh, i see she got it - you see, im a poet - so when i told him i was too, we started talking
i am always looking for artists for IN Production, but i have a pretty high standard (please dont confuse this with a PRETENTIOUSLY HIGH STANDARD) - i insist on both originality and competence - and he did some of his stuff for me and it was GOOD subhanallah
now this bro is a classic, classic gentleman from a sadly-passing generation - old-school, southern, with manners and compassion, but with a righteousness that is very down to earth
unfortunately, he lost everything he owned in katrina and although people know OF him, its never materialized into anything steadily - he had a chance to perform for nelson mandela even based on one of his writings, he has hundreds of poems, he’s gone all over america, etc. yet let me tell you again - there are virtually no modern day emily dickinsons - i mean no one’s gonna come up to you, go wow, you’re really talented, and drag you into the spotlight - talent is talent, but to get somewhere takes the “necessary evil” of marketing
now i believe i have a balance inshallah - i dont want to become a monster like the really commercial, solely money-making ventures in the “entertainment” (versus art) world - but i dont think artists should have to starve either
so i told the guy i am like 90% ready to sign him to work with me (i dont like leading people on so i wanted him to know its not set in stone or anything) but i am pretty excited - i mean the guy is intelligent, but very simple too - and has strong presence - a classic all the way
anyway, when he told me to meet him at denny’s in the 3rd ward, LOL, i was like that’s perfect!
again, not sure if i will really go through with it, but he’s definitely a possibility, may Allah grant him long life and eternal success…

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ok so day 2 was AWESOME - obviously, more people - i sold twice as many as the first day at full price, another twice as many at a promotional price (to vendors and volunteers) and got picked up by dar-us-salam! alhamdulillaah also someone who runs a bookstore said that a partner had reviewed it and had some criticisms (which was sort of expected) but she says to me, “i disagree, i think it’s charming!” - so she says when she opens her physical location inshallah she will carry it - i had a few “golden moments” where literally some teenage guy would see it, look at it for a second, say, “cool”, and plop down the money and be on his way, but overall it was still a lot of hustling on my part - i started getting even more active - offering vendors a chance to read it and if they liked it offer them a discount, going out into the crowd and seeing groups of kids and telling them about it, etc. - again, i got some more insight into marketing - as i mentioned, if you dont put in people’s faces, they dont notice it - and even sometimes they would be looking at it and then you STILL have to go - its a comic book! and THEN they say “ooooh” - so i dont know why its like that, but its just the reality of life - i do have to admit, i dont like marketing in this manner - i feel pretty bad actually trying to get people to buy something on a personal level (as opposed to having a store or something out which they come to on their own) - so i pretty much just got some thick skin, and was almost robotic in my professionalism - simply coming up with
like a 30-second, pressure-free informative line - my MAIN goal (more than sales even) was to make it KNOWN - i really cant thank allah enough - for such a small conference, for being stuck in the back, sharing a booth, not having fliers, etc. and being the first days with a single product, it was beyond expectation

the last day was a half-day of course (sunday) and pretty dead, but i made some really cool contacts alhamdulillaah - i’ll write about that under IN Production…

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OK, as an “artsy fartsy” person, I HATE marketing and dont really have a knack for it. Yet I recognize it is one of the “necessary evils” of getting something out there. So today we picked up the first NM books - they were not exactly how I imagined them (every step of this process teaches you something new), but I was still really happy with the results, alhamdulillaah. So it was the Friday of the ISNA Houston conference and I was fortunate enough to have my father (Abdul Hye) let me use his booth. That’s good since we’re just starting lol and I have no money, but at the same time, I learned a lot about marketing (ok more than with a few of the other things I had to help with in the past). I mean, I thought I had such a great product that it would “sell itself” ha ha. Well, I learned no matter how great something is, it takes a lot to run the “marketing machine” which puts anything out there (oh, don’t let any “modest, humble” type sit and act like it doesn’t take hustling - either they’re doing it or someone else is doing it for them). So here was my learning curve for the day:

1. ISNA regional is not as many people (of course) so the crowd was already not too packed -> If we were spending money on this we’d have to look at if it’s worth the exposure.

2. The layout of the bazaar was “bizarre” and there was like a main hall and a side hall - and we were in the side hall (not as many people) -> Sign up early but also have a marketing campaign ready to go.

3. The fact that I was with my dad, who had most of the table (it was his after all) led many of the youth to pass by the table since at one glance it was all “grown up” or “educational” stuff -> You only have a few seconds to make an impression.

4. At first, many people from a quick glance also thought it was a children’s book (like for 3 year olds or something) -> Things have to be spelled out for people.

5. I finally started being more active - I made a long stack of blue books and laid one open so people could see it was a comic book -> The more flashes you can give of the product without giving it away (think trailers), the more effective at “reeling them in” (you need bait).

6. I also started standing up/walking out to meet people I knew or seemed interested (as opposed to doing what comes natural to me - sitting there minding my own business and letting people find it on their own - I guess when I shop I HATE people staring at me or even talking to me, so I feel like doing the same thing, but most everyone else seems to either enjoy or at the least be happy you called their attention to something they may have missed) -> You can’t just sit back and watch the money roll in - you have to make stuff happen.

7. Obviously, I gave a few promotional copies out to book vendors, but I also noticed a lot of the bored youth at booths sitting there so I loaned them copies for the convention - this caused them to read them, laugh, have people ask them what they were reading, and tell their friends, etc. -> You have to think of stuff no one else is doing to stand out - there are a lot of simple, hidden opportunities. Also, sometimes exposure is more valuable than sales.

So after ALL this, I sold a few copies. But the good news is, people really LIKED them - I mean I had some kids stand and read for a long time, even some college guys, reading and laughing. It seemed many enjoyed a chuckle but either didn’t want to buy it or wanted to come back with money to buy later. One girl left reading the book while walking! It’s not bad for a first day of a first conference with a first product with no advertising, etc. alhamdulillaah.

But I think the best part was I met Zuhair’s cousin, who happens to live in Houston! She bought the first copy enthusiastically and gave more - she introduced me to her mother (Zuhair’s aunt), said she’d help how she could, is trying to set me up for ISNA National (in Columbus), and took a copy for Zuhair’s mother (I was going to mail her one myself), whom she will visit this August inshallah. I could tell her and her family were touched that we were doing this for Zuhair (part of the proceeds go to his mother and a masjid he wanted to support) and I was not expecting such a pleasant surprise!

Alhamdulillaah, overall a good first day…

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OK, I’ve had people review the book (so far so good), and now I am desperately trying to find an agent (or at least a contact of some sort in the publishing industry)! I intended this book for the mainstream American audience, but guess what - it seems lots of Muslims need this book too. It’s confusing for many nowadays with the issues on faith, allegiance, secularism, state obedience, loyalty, brotherhood, etc. I’m also revising bits due to my sister Aisha, who told me that I write like Gabriel Garcia Marquez lol - the guy who writes sentences a page long (literally). Anyway, a sister told me that she worked for some think tank and they had a million applicants but they just ended up going with a friend of a friend - you know, the whole networking thing I’ve always heard about. Seeing as how I haven’t heard back from agents (at the unknown entry level) except for a few who said NO, I freaked out and was like yah I need to contact all my old professors (I’m a total dropout though) and anyone else in the media I know, etc. (I admit, I’m impatient - it’s been like a few weeks) - but I don’t know, every time I think about it I get a headache lol - plus some people are like can we use parts of the book and I’ve passed it on to so many already - I feel like paranoid or something - that by the time it’s out someone will just use the title (it CAN’T be called anything else!) or something similar etc. So any one of you, please, I suck at networking - I have enough contacts, but I’m too antisocial frankly to be really good at it - if you have any leads let me know!

Thanks!

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Today I went down to the printers and got the proof. It was supposed to be a “bluebook”, which is basically a monochromatic draft of the print, but it turned out to be a low quality draft print with all the original colors. It looks good - there was only one glitch with the upc bar code on the back, but the bro just went into IN Design and fixed it. It was also really cool seeing the insides of the press - it’s not a huge company, but not too small either - the machines are pretty big and they have several, hooked up to computers, etc. I also learned some stuff about how they print (multiples of 16 are optimal). We now ordered our initial print of 1000 copies on good paper, with a pressed cover. As soon as I got home, my mom read the whole thing and my kid sister read it next (they were the only ones home at the time lol). There’s just something about a comic book - it’s pretty irresistible. I don’t think there’s anything out like it on the market now - and I can’t wait until it’s out.

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I started a company called IN Production (part of IN, Islamic Network) to put out Muslim art. The first project is NaseehaMan, a comic book. The comics used to run weekly on IN. Unfortunately, the author, Zuhair Munshey, has passed away, rahimahullaahu ta’aalaa. But the comic book is coming out this week inshallah. We have a website for IN Production, where you can catch up on all our projects (www.inproductionmedia.com) and specifically for NaseehaMan (www.naseehaman.com), but they are not functional yet. So I decided to start blogging about it here and transferring the entries when the sites are up. It’s just such an exciting process and a lot of people have been waiting around for the comic book!

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Translations of the Quran should not be done for the sake of translation but the sake of communication. The Quran is the final revelation of God to mankind and it is the duty of the Muslims to make sure every human being has the opportunity to know it. Thus translations should be undertaken to serve a specific purpose in this regard.I began translating the Quran simply because I did not find a translation similar to it, and furthermore felt it was a necessary alternative which ought to be available. There are already many excellent translations. Yusuf Ali’s is a classic, as well as the ones by Pickthall and others. What I feel is the shortcoming, not in the translations themselves but for the English speaking audience, is that often the words are too elevated. It is difficult for the average English speaker to understand some of what is written and it requires education, or at least a dictionary on the part of the reader to comprehend much of what is said. As for modern day translations, they are usually much simpler and more direct and this is indeed an advantage. Still comprehension of the message is often obscure. My father recently translated the Quran, not as a literal translation, but a translation of meaning. This is because it is often difficult for English speakers, and moreso for Non-Muslims specifically, to understand what Muslims understand or what Islam intends by some of the words or phrases. For instance it is made clear that God is One although the Quran may refer to God in the royal plural form. In fact many Non-Muslims have told him that it was one of the first times they could understand the Quran.My personal relied upon favorite thus far has been “The Noble Quran” by Al-Hilali and Khan. I felt it struck a good balance between simple language and elevation. Yet the drawback here is that it heavily utilizes tafaseer, in fact, it is written on the cover that it is the “Interpretation of the Meanings” with sources from the classical books of exegesis. This is good for a Muslim in terms of more exact understanding, but is challenging to a Non-Muslim who is simply trying to read and understand this “Quran” that they have heard of. It is disruptive to continually interject by saying “All praise is for Allah (and explaining in detail who Allah is each time He is mentioned), Lord of the ‘Aalameen (and keeping some Arabic words left intact, with the specific meaning and connotations explained).” It takes away from the ease and flow for a beginner.Therefore, what I wanted was a translation for a specific purpose - to render into English the revelation of God to mankind in simple yet eloquent language, displaying the power and beauty of the words and phrases, the Message He has given all of us, while presenting it in a spare, tasteful format which enables the reader to feel they are reading what was revealed, to feel the connection through the words. It is also simply a beautiful book anyone, atheist or deist alike would enjoy reading due to its own merits of language and wisdom. At the same time, it is not for the merely poetic or literarily inclined but for those who do believe in religion and consider it to be
sacred and containing mysticism as well as morality.To enhance this particular style I basically decided upon a very simple, ascetic cover with no explanation. Yet the words have been kept true and direct to the reader. It is also organized in such a way that the passages are coherent to the uninitiated, who may not understand that the verses were sent as parts and for example that the entire chapter of “The Cow” may not actually be about the cow only, that it is revelation and reminder, not a novel or textbook. It is also numbered in a style common to books of poetry and literature for a balance between a book of reference and study, and a book that simply flows with a message.Inevitably the question of my qualifications will arise and I will be frank. I am not a scholar. I am a student of religion, the study of which is a guideline for the message of Islam as derived from the Quran, I understand basic Arabic and am familiar with its function and style, and I have mastery over the English language. Therefore, I did not simply sit and translate on my own. I relied upon those works already translated, dictionaries, exegeses and other tools to derive a unique translation as literal, correct, and appropriate to the original Arabic that I could, and thus to put forth the best possible rendering for the objectives I mentioned above. Most Muslims, when speaking to non-Muslims about the Quran, often paraphrase or put forth a meaning that seeks first and foremost understanding from our audience. This objective is paramount to any translation, whether an official one, a scholarly one, or a layman’s spontaneous attempts.I pray Allah accepts this deed for His Sake and that it brings much by way of benefit to the people. I pray it is a small contribution to the responsibility of
communication between God and man which Allah has placed upon our shoulders after the Angel Gabriel and the Prophets, peace be upon them.

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This is the remnants of a multimedia poetry album which I began about 4 years ago. The entire name was too long to put in the title:

sociopoliticoethnoreligiophilosophicoschizo

I don’t know how far it’ll get here, as my main audience before was a bunch of artistic weirdos of various backgrounds, mostly non-Muslim. I can’t really see “religious” people going for it, and I can’t really see the Muslim community going for it (like in a major way, even though there’s the odd person here and there who likes it), but I also don’t think I can continue to put it out through the indy market, although that’s clearly where it belongs, because I just don’t have the time it takes to build it up through that venue. Plus I’m in Jordan lol. So I figured we’d just release it as a memory of that time and go on from there. We’ll see, it’ll inshallah be IN Production’s second release after the NaseehaMan comic book.

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