A story

For eons, stories have played a part in lives of people. Throughout much of human history, we functioned predominately orally. It was how people entertained the masses and put their kids to sleep.

Stories are the connection to the past. There are many cultures that relied on stories to keep the past alive. Sure, one can ask how reliable they are after all these years. But that misses the point. Why? We are not them. With the introduction of technology and different distractions, the strength of our memory has greatly weakened.

You can find examples of people with phenomenal memories in remote places like Central Asia and West Africa for example. Stories are foundational to the human experience.

Stories throughout history

One of the most earliest stories we have is the Iliad by Homer. Written some time between 750-700 BCE, the book is still read and studied today. Historians place the story about five centuries early in the Mycenaean Bronze Age.

In the Western hemisphere, the indigenous natives used stories to convey everything: history, spirituality, lineage.

The Arabs did the same. ‘Ā’isha, the wife of the Prophet Muhammad was knowledgeable in Arab lore and fables, memorizing a great number of stories. Storytelling plays a part in keeping history alive. At the same time, it is used to teach the listener life lessons.

Across the African continent, cultures kept their stories alive through griots. Their job is multifaceted: storytellers, troubadours and royal counsellors, genealogists, historians, and ambassadors. Griots have been a fixture in western African culture for centuries. The griot tradition typically follows family lines, with the profession passing down through generations. Formal training institutions also exist for men and women, called griottes, seeking to master this art.

Today

Today, we have a few other avenues of storytelling. We watch stories and talk about it after the fact. Movies and TV shows are big ones.

The rise and fall of Walter White captivated us for years. The shocking downfall of Daenerys Targaryen caused the internet to riot. The end of Tony Soprano’s story was controversial but that was the point. What do you expect from that life? Avatar makes all the money in the world by telling a timeless classic of power and struggle with a clear beginning, middle and end. The story of Luke Skywalker in the original Star Wars trilogy is another example. The Narrator came face to face with Tyler Durden, sometimes literally fighting in a club, to realize a great deal about himself and the world around him.

I heard years ago Shaykh Hamza Yusuf talk about the importance of us Muslims telling our own story. It was around a time where I was exposed to good art. For a few years, I thought about what that meant. Now with my commute, I have come to enjoy and appreciate podcasts. So, why not put the three together?

I am in my late-thirties and vividly remember 9/11. For man years afterwards, others told our story. “They hate us.”, “They’re out to get us.”, “Taqīīya!” and the list goes on. There are many Muslim podcasts that speak about these things and other issues. There are not many that let Muslims speak. Shaykh Abdullah Ali has Talking With Teachers, now on its fifth season at the time of this writing. Scholars share their stories and their journeys. Imran Malik had American Submitter. He is starting a new project called The Seekers Podcast. Here’s hoping he is consistent with it. If you know of others, please let me know in the comments.

With all this said, here is our story. This is America’s story.