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There is an interesting similarity in the historical narratives vis-a-vis the Christian and Islamic apocalypsis traditions. As is known to Christian theologists even after revelation came to prophet Isa (peace be upon him) there was a moment of strong doubt at the end of his “prophetic career.” The bible documents him saying “oh God why hast thou deserted me?” at the end of his life.

Interestingly a similar type of doubt as regards to the strength of the doubt is found at the start of the prophetic career of the Muslim prophet par excellence, prophet Muhammad. At the first revelation he (peace be upon him) is shaken to his core and can only be comforted by his wife Khadidja. 

I am not entirely sure this is how it played out but as it turns out nobody is sure about the first few ages of the time after the return of Muhammad so to state it undevotely my guess is as good as anbody else’s.

Today I want to detail some old lore that is necessary to understand regional differences in de nederlanden.

Nederland is a country with some longstanding traditions. Some of these are gradually changed and abandoned by some, others are specific to certain regions.

Besides these longstanding practices there are also old myths and stories. One of these stories which can provide some insight into specific provincial group dynamics is the myth of jimmie jimmie.

Let us begin.

I know it well, as if we never truly left the place. The setting is the soccer club of some renown in the east of the Netherlands. I am saying we and this refers mostly to a group of 11/12 year olds, all male.

It was during a soccer match of the national team. We were watching it together in the cantine of the soccer club. Picture a room full of sugar-rushed kids in which the possession of a pack of crisps gained you almost instant popularity.

So we have smells of sugary carbonated drinks, bright colours, yellow and black. A room full of soccer players all pupils. With short hair, because shorter hair made you lighter which helped you with speed in the game.

The parents were in the background. The children sat and the parents stood leaning near the windows, in a circle around the children. All aimed towards a large screen that displayed the soccer match of Holland.

The cantine was dark of course. Around the cantine on the sports fields some lamps were still shining because it is better for the lights to slowly go from full power to darkness. (there was a middle setting in which lamps first went before they are completely shut)

Now the match was nearing its end and I think the Netherlands were ahead. It was then that some lights suddenly shut down.

Since the parents were all in the canteen with the kids watching intently the last part of the game, the lights should not go off, since one of the elders would have to do this manually.

Thus one of the parents went to check the lights.

It was here that some talk already began to arise if I remember correctly.

I think the elder returned and started discussing with some of the parents that there was something going on.

Now more parents went to go see the lights, I think two or three. 

After a while they returned as well and started discussing with the parents.

It was not clear to the youth that something was amiss. It should not be necessary to go three times to check the lights 

This is where Jimmies story began. 

Jimmy apparently was a boy that used to play at the soccer club but was kicked out for some unknown reasons. There was speculation of him beating his parents.

Parents started to go check the physical lights at the soccer fields rather than going to the control room which was used to change the lights.

First a group of two went away.

Afterwards a group of three followed it. They did not return.

Stories began circulating that some of the lightcheckers were beaten as well by Jimmy. 

Now more parents started to go outside, and we were not allowed to leave the canteen.

After a while Jimmy was not spotted for a long period of time anymore, so parents started to take their kids and return home.

How the lights turned off no-one knows. 

Whether Jimmy still haunts the soccer fields and abducts individual parents going out to look for him is also not known.

The Netherlands won the soccer match but no one was occupied with the result anymore.

After that we never watched a single soccer match by the dutch soccer team anymore.

Today’s consideration is not exactly a book review but rather a synthesis of the ideas surrounding the Qur’an and Ibrahims’ academic work on tawhīd.

Wahid means “one” and the prefix ta- can make it a active form. See “ya rabb tabarakka muhammad, alī, fatima, hassan, husayn, etc.” (may God sustain them.)

Thus there is an active component with regards to the idea of tawhīd. Believers actively have to make their worship singular in direction.

Now today’s contribution is a study of how in the kalam allah this doctrine resurfaces also in other signs. Consider surah al-ankabut aya 3:

• “Wa laqad fatanaa allazeena min qablihim falayalmanaa allahu allazeena sadaqoo wa layalmanaa al kaadhibeen”

Notice on the one hand “allazeena sadaqoo” and on the other “al-kaadhibeen.” God distinguishes between “those who do good” and “the deniers.”

God could have distuingeshed between “al-sadiqeen” or rather “mutaṣaddiqīn”¹ to be precise but no the example “those who … *verb*” is chosen. So this example shows how it is emphasized that the believers are actively in connection with their faith, as opposed to those who are merely referenced as a group.

Another thing to note is that in this aya God is literally close to the pious, notice “falayalmanaa allahu allazeena sadaqoo” in contrast to “wa layalmanaa al-kaadhibeen.” It could have been “wa allahu layalmanaa al kaadhibeen” but instead the kunya of the Omniscient is only used in the context of the pious.

To be fair this can be attributed to the language that is used throughout the Quran. The arabic quran is economical with its language.

1. https://corpus.quran.com/qurandictionary.jsp?q=Sdq, accessed safar 18, 1448/2026. ↩︎

My friends and I were in Spain once and were having trouble figuring out the baggage lift. When we approached two Spaniards they pretended they did not hear us but when one of us said “por favor” they immideately turned around and helped. Show some love by leaving a comment about your country and how its language is used by her people.

The unnamed crook opened the door. It was immedieately obvious that he was nervous. They welcomed us in. The unnamed wannabe-g was eating a burger. Big kahoona burger.

I have to say I am a little concerned with the increase of child-like behaviour. I read that Argentina is angry and demands a rematch of their lost final.

A little while before that Rico Verhoeven also complained about a unfair boksing worldtitle.

It seems like people increasingly do not trust what their own hands bring forth anymore

Blessings on the city of Leiden, the first place where I found another person who travelled to his house in his minds eye to recall what groceries he/she/it needed to buy. Rather than getting weird looks for “zoning out” Leiden is a place that holds the powers of the mind in great sway.

I love the Arabic expression “merhaba bik” that is used when guests are welcomed. Merhaba means “welcome” and “bik” is “with you.”

So it is not a welcome to you but a welcome with you. Understood this way it is an elegant way of saying “mi casa e tu casa.”