Transcending the boundaries of the past, present and future. Maturing from a credulous scholar to a proficient professor. Evolving from a mere human to a benevolent deity. Behold the story of the young Moor who was immaculately conceived to be the a...
On May 9th, 1650, the crew left the coast of West Africa. Along the passage they sailed across the Atlantic Ocean. The waters were rough as the weather began to grow turbulent causing a burst of winds to crash against the sails. The large waves collided against the boat aggressively. Ashiq had never experienced the ocean in this kind of manner. The last time he was aboard a ship was during their voyage from Spain to Morocco which he recalled to be quite peaceful. He quickly grew seasick as he began feeling queasy as the boat swayed back and forth cutting through the riptides. Judging by the rough waves, strong winds and vigorous downpour, Ashiq began to assume that maybe the weather was telling them to go back even though it was only the first week.
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They struggled against the severity of the distressed seas from sun up to sun down. Dark clouds covered the skies like a dense quilt of smoke. However, despite it's efforts it was unable to dim the luminous light of the full moon that pierced through veils of vapor staring down at the ship's crew as soon as night fell. This sudden transition made the young boy feel fatigue. So he left the deck making his way down to his cabin. He laid on his bed staring at the ceiling wondering if the stories that his mother told him was true. Yes, not only did Ashiq's brothers and father saturated his mind with tales but his mother told her fair share of fables as well. At least that is how the stories were perceived by Ashiq. Though the accounts of Askia Muhammad and Sunni Ali was well recorded in the chronicles of Timbuktu. Ashiq discerned these tales us nothing more than foundational myths told by griots.
Days before the voyage, Sultana Nazia told Ashiq of Abubakari II, Mansa, [King of the Mali Empire in the 14th century]. He and the Malian sailors were said to arrive in The Americas almost 200 years before Columbus was even born. Ashiq's mother said that Abubakari left his throne and riches to his brother, Kankou Moussa [Mansa Musa] and set off on an expedition into the unknown seas in 1311. However, he was never heard from again. This is what permeated her fears of sending her youngest son out to sea. This made Ashiq ponder about the idea of the same thing happening to them but, before he could arrive at any conclusive thought. He drifted into a dream state.
The young Moor has been having this reoccurring dream ever since he was a little boy. In this dream he would stand in a murky lake full of lily pads with pearly white lotus flowers resting on top. A light shower of rain descended from the clouds up above as a thin cloudy mist would float along the surface of the lake. Above his head was a thick green canopy that belonged to an ancient tree that stood behind him. This monolithic tree had enormous roots and branches that extended far and wide. It was longer than any tree he had ever read about or seen.
The roots of the great tree stuck out of the murky water and extended throughout the marshes. Ashiq climbed out of the murky water and stood on the giant root as he would often do in this dream. He then looked back at the tree realizing that a long broad face made of stone was carved at the center of the tree's trunk. The eyes of the stoned face was closed as if it was asleep, or maybe meditating. The face was a bit spooky, but not spooky enough to force the boy away from the safety of the tree.
