{"id":37640,"date":"2025-07-04T10:08:40","date_gmt":"2025-07-04T08:08:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/?p=37640"},"modified":"2025-07-04T10:08:40","modified_gmt":"2025-07-04T08:08:40","slug":"space-imam-a-story-by-hassan-blasim","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldsite\/space-imam-a-story-by-hassan-blasim\/","title":{"rendered":"“Space Imam”\u2014a story by Hassan Blasim"},"content":{"rendered":"
“Space Imam” is a story excerpted from Hassan Blasim\u2019s forthcoming collection entitled <\/span>The Buried<\/span><\/i>, to be published at the end of the year, by WSOY in Finland, and Comma Press in the UK.<\/span><\/h5>\n

 <\/p>\n

Hassan Blasim<\/h4>\n

Translated by Hassan Abdulrazzak<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

They said, \u201cRead!\u201d
\n<\/span>I said, \u201cI won\u2019t read!\u201d
\n<\/span>They punched me, and I fell off the chair.
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

They said, \u201cRead?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Anoko, the planet of the mixed ones, was near the border of the Free Peoples\u2019 planets. It was a place that gathered migrants from across the galaxies. Humans and machines lived together in a strange balance. It\u2019s true that the planet was suffering from resource crises, but life went on, and the crime rate was moderate. I was one of the envoys of the \u201cSpace Imam.\u201d My mission was clear: to reach the planet Anoko and offer guidance to our fellow believers. But the journey was never easy. Distance wasn\u2019t the only problem \u2014 there were also many religious questions that arose in this new chaotic and cosmic reality. My companion on the ship, Mansa, was half-human, half-machine, and was being pursued for being smuggled from the Free Peoples\u2019 planets and reprogrammed. We seized him in a successful act of piracy that took place years ago.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

As we were traveling through this vast space, we began discussing religion. How do we apply religious rulings in this strange world? Mansa was eager to know whether a human could marry a being from another species. I told him that questions like this are addressed in the Jurisprudence of Space by master al-Sadr. The believers had taken his rulings further, but his work served as the foundation. It covers matters like purity, prayer, inheritance, food, marriage, and other rulings. And in answer to your question: yes, marriage with other creatures is permissible. And in point 15 of the marriage rulings, the master states:<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cIf a marriage occurs between a human and a non-human, the children may be male or female from the human species, or they may be from the other species, or they may be a hybrid created between the two \u2014 in any case, they are entitled to the rulings, rights, and inheritance applicable to children.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

After several days of travel, we arrived at Anoko and the planet was unlike anything I had imagined. Half of the planet was immersed in advanced technologies, while the other half lived a primitive life. Everything was intermingled: humans, machines, extraterrestrials \u2014 but without clear values governing them.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Mansa accompanied me to a meeting with some brothers, who offered us a small apartment with an office for receiving visitors. The next morning, Mansa went out to explore the city, while I remained, waiting for believers to visit. I was only required to consult with specialists in two cases.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

The first was a visitor from a sentient animal species, who had a romantic relationship with a half-human female. His issue was that he could not ejaculate during intercourse unless she played with his tail at the same time, which his girlfriend considered forbidden. The second visitor was a human descended from the first settlers on Mars. He told me that on a nearby moon, intelligent creatures were being bred, and their meat was sold here on the planet at bargain prices compared to lab-grown meat available in the markets. He said to me: \u201cWe are poor and need to feed our children. I know the Jurisprudence of Space prohibits eating human flesh as well as the flesh of sentient beings from other celestial bodies, but we have no other option. We won\u2019t survive without this meat.\u201d As for the rest of the believers, their issues were simpler \u2014 related to almsgiving, fasting, prayer, and common questions about marriage, divorce, praying in zero gravity, and the rules of ablution.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

After finishing my meetings with the believers, I called Mansa, but he didn\u2019t answer. I tried again, but he wasn\u2019t reachable. I grew worried and left for the city to search for him.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

They said: \u201cEnough, you scumbag \u2014 don\u2019t continue!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

They brought out a hair clipper, shaved my head bald, and filmed me with their phones. A week earlier, I had posted my short fictional story on Facebook, inspired by the rulings in the <\/span>Jurisprudence of Space<\/span><\/i> book. My dad always used to say: \u201cYour Facebook posts are going to get us into trouble one day.\u201d I was just heading out to work, trying to make an honest living \u2014 I had a small shop in the market where I sell children\u2019s clothes. A white car pulled up, and three men got out. They took me to a nearby house. They weren\u2019t masked \u2014 I knew them. They were members of the Imam\u2019s group, led by Sheikh Mazali, who controlled our neighborhood.<\/span><\/p>\n

I told them: \u201cI didn\u2019t mean to mock anyone. The master\u2019s writings show a great imagination, and he wrote about many scientific details that could be useful to humanity. And even if my Facebook writings were a bit bold and weird, that\u2019s what makes the book stand out and draws attention to the master\u2019s work.<\/span><\/p>\n

They said: \u201cLook at this smartass trying to lecture us! First \u2014 delete your Facebook and Instagram accounts. Now. In front of us! And the Second punishment \u2014 you\u2019ll be sweeping the street with the workers every day for a week. And if you open your mouth again, your end will be at our hands.<\/span><\/p>\n

They humiliated me. I was boiling with rage. You can\u2019t report them to the police, and even your family and tribe can\u2019t do anything. Their militias had total control of the area. They didn\u2019t post the video of me being shaved bald and said, \u201cThis is out of respect for your father.\u201d That was because of my father\u2019s generous donations of sheep and chicken during religious occasions. I thought about grabbing my dad\u2019s gun and killing them all. But I thought of my mother, my sisters, and the consequences. I swallowed the bitterness of humiliation and endured.<\/span><\/p>\n

I went out to sweep the streets, and they assigned a young street cleaner named Alawi to train me. I asked him, \u201cHow old are you?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cTwenty-one.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m five years older than you \u2014 what could you possibly teach me? It\u2019s just sweeping trash!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cEverything needs to be learned. Trash is a treasure if you have half a brain.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

I had my brother attend to my shop, and I stayed on the street, sweeping with Alawi. Little by little, I started getting to know him and discovered his personality. What caught my attention most was how passionate he was about the idea of generating electricity from waste. He had finished high school but didn\u2019t continue his education because his family was struggling financially and he needed to work and support them. He told me he had studied on his own online and was ready to produce electricity from trash \u2014 he just needed a little support at the start.<\/span><\/p>\n

My relationship with Alawi eased some of the bitterness I had been carrying after what the Imam\u2019s group had done to me. I grew to admire him and tried to understand more about his ideas and project. I invited him to dinner at my house. We sat in my bedroom, and he started showing me videos and explaining how to generate electricity.<\/span><\/p>\n

Alawi said, \u201cListen\u2026 in many places, they use garbage landfills to generate electricity. The idea is simple: waste decomposes over time and produces methane gas. This gas is collected through underground pipes, then burned to power a generator. The result? Clean electricity from garbage. But here, we don\u2019t have a large landfill \u2014 just open spaces that were originally designed for recreation and now used by people to dump their trash. We can do something similar, in a simpler and more accessible way. Instead of waiting for the waste to decompose underground, we can speed up the process through biological fermentation. We need a sealed container, place it in an open space, fill it with food scraps \u2014 we can even use sheep droppings \u2014 anything that rots quickly. Inside, bacteria will break down the organic material, and gas is released. A small pipe collects the gas, and we store it in special gas canisters. After that, we can use it for cooking, heating \u2014 or even to run a small power generator with it. The idea might seem basic, but it\u2019s already been tested in many places.<\/span><\/p>\n

I asked him, \u201cHow much would it cost if we wanted to start?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Alawi thought for a moment, then said: \u201cFirst, we need funding to generate electricity for one house. If the experiment works, people will get excited and start donating so we can power the whole neighborhood. And if things go well, the bank might give us a loan and we can expand the project. We can start small \u2014 producing biogas \u2014 with a budget of $4,000. We\u2019d need a fermentation container, gas pipes with a safety valve, and a storage tank, like a modified gas cylinder. The rest of the materials \u2014 filters and assembly tools \u2014 aren\u2019t too expensive.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

I said, \u201cAre you sure it\u2019s just $4,000? That seems really low for the idea.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

He smiled and said, \u201cNo, I\u2019ve calculated it. And we don\u2019t have to buy everything new at the beginning \u2014 what matters is that people see the experiment, and they\u2019ll definitely be impressed. First, we will be getting rid of the trash, and second, we will generate electricity.\u201d I stayed up with him that night \u2014 he explained more about the project, and then we watched a series on Netflix. He told me about his father, who had volunteered to fight ISIS and was killed. He asked me, \u201cWhat\u2019s your dream?\u201d I said, \u201cI don\u2019t know. Sure, I love writing, but that\u2019s just a hobby. I want to travel, see new places. I love nature. Or maybe my dream is to escape from everything into nothing.\u201d Alawi laughed and said, \u201cYou\u2019re out of it. \u2018Nothing\u2019? What does that even mean?!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

After I finished my street-cleaning punishment, I went back to the shop, but I stayed in touch with Alawi and we developed a strong friendship. One day, I was chatting with my sister \u2014 she\u2019s a biology teacher \u2014 about Alawi\u2019s electricity project. She thought for a moment and said, \u201cI have an idea for funding. There\u2019s an advisor from the Imam\u2019s group whose wife is a young woman and a friend of mine. He\u2019s married to two women, and my friend is the second wife \u2014 she\u2019s young, educated, smart, and super sweet. Her husband never says no to her. She might give you the money.\u201d I hesitated and reminded her what the Imam\u2019s group had done to me. She said, \u201cCome on, it\u2019s not like you did anything really bad! They forgot. They\u2019re all busy now with the elections and stealing money.\u201d She promised to talk to her friend and get back to me.<\/span><\/p>\n

After some time, my sister came back and said her friend would give us the money \u2014 but on one condition: that the first electricity-from-trash experiment be done at their house, so her husband would be convinced and maybe the Imam\u2019s group would adopt the project. We agreed. Alawi was overjoyed, but I was still a little hesitant. We got the money. For a full month, we worked non-stop \u2014 collecting and buying materials. Then we set everything up in the garbage open space and started working. The neighborhood kids kept mocking us, but in the end, we managed to produce methane gas and fill it into special cylinders\u2026 and the moment of truth drew near!<\/span><\/p>\n

We went to the advisor\u2019s house. His wife welcomed us. We finished the wiring and hooked up the lightbulbs, refrigerator, and television. After half an hour of work, her husband came in with an aide. Before he even spoke, the aide gave me a sharp look and asked, \u201cAren\u2019t you the one who wrote <\/span>Space Imam<\/span><\/i> on Facebook?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYes, that\u2019s me.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

He looked at me with disdain and said, \u201cHow do you have the nerve to come here?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The advisor asked about my family and turned out he knew them. He laughed and said, \u201cYour folks are good people. I hope you\u2019re doing something worthwhile.\u201d Finally, we got everything working \u2014 Alawi\u2019s test succeeded, and they were impressed by the idea. The advisor ordered the media committee from the Imam\u2019s group to cover the story and pay attention to it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Overnight, we became famous. In the video they released, they talked about \u201cthe achievements of the youth of the Imam\u2019s group despite poverty and government neglect,\u201d and they blamed corrupt officials for stealing resources. They even connected the topic to the past \u2014 praising their scholars who, they claimed, had written about space and science years ago, pointing to the <\/span>Jurisprudence of Space<\/span><\/i> book. A few days later, we received a gift: three hundred dollars each. They promised to assign specialists to help develop the project. We were thrilled. Messages and offers started coming in from other provinces. After two weeks, we installed the gas canisters and hooked them up to the advisor\u2019s house, waiting for funding.<\/span><\/p>\n

Then one morning \u2014 disaster. A gas leak had happened, and when the advisor\u2019s wife had turned on the stove, the house caught fire. She escaped, thank God she didn\u2019t have kids, and her husband had a TV appearance at the time. The house burned down completely. Nothing was left. I called Alawi. We were scared and that same day both he and I escaped down south to the marshes, where his uncle lived. I had a go at Alawi and he started crying, poor thing. I consoled him by saying, \u201cThe important thing is no one died. We\u2019ll find a solution.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

His uncle was a good man \u2014 they called him Abu Fadhel. We told him the whole story, and he understood. He said, \u201cCome fishing with me, relax a bit, and we\u2019ll figure out how to solve this, once things settle down. Most importantly, don\u2019t go around telling strangers about it. Just say you\u2019re from Basra and came to help out your uncle.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

He had colon cancer, and his condition was serious.<\/span><\/p>\n

The water shimmered under the sunlight, and the scent of the marsh filled every breath \u2014 the smell of mud, reeds, and water. On our first day of fishing, Alawi and I were in the mashoof (a narrow canoe), and Alawi\u2019s uncle was talking about fish; about the birds that flutter over the reeds, about the marshes that you have to understand, listen to, and feel. You have to live with it, become part of it, so it will offer its sustenance. The fishing net was heavy in my hands \u2014 it kept slipping through my fingers as I lowered it into the water. I felt like my heart sank with it, waiting for that first fish to be caught. Alawi laughed and said, \u201cSo, new fisherman \u2014 how does the sci-fi guy feel now?\u201d Abu Fadhel lit a cigarette, exhaled the smoke, and said in a low voice filled with sorrow: \u201cThe marsh is sick today, dying. The drought will kill everything.\u201d He paused, then continued: \u201cThe water is low, the fish lost, the birds disappear. And if the marsh dries up\u2026 how will we live?\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

We saw the marsh as life but Alawi\u2019s uncle looked at it with fear. The fishing wasn\u2019t great. We rested and grilled some fish for lunch. I asked his uncle: \u201cHow can this country change? Isn\u2019t it a shame \u2014 all these resources, yet all this poverty, fear, and deprivation?\u201d Abu Fadhel said, \u201cThese marshes have sheltered many armed movements in the past \u2014 the communists, the Islamic parties, even army deserters during the dictator\u2019s time. This country is divided \u2014 full of sects, ethnicities, and religions. Armed movements won\u2019t help \u2014 they\u2019ll just increase violence and division.\u201d I said, \u201cWe need a peaceful revolution.\u201d Abu Fadhel replied: \u201cEven a revolution won\u2019t help. What\u2019s the alternative? The revolutionaries are raised in the very farm of corruption. This country\u2019s history has never changed through reason or reflection \u2014 it always changes through catastrophe. From the Mongols to the Americans. Invasions and coups have been nesting here for centuries. Things change only on the surface. Because the change doesn\u2019t come from the minds of the people. Change through invasions and coups comes with consequences \u2014 it takes years to heal from. The only solution in this country is to save yourself \u2014 by yourself.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

After two weeks of our life in the marshes \u2014 which had started as tourism and wonder but gradually turned into hardship, heat, mosquitoes, and boredom \u2014 the issue of the fire at the Imam\u2019s advisor\u2019s house was finally resolved. My tribe and Alawi\u2019s tribe paid compensation to the advisor. Alawi decided to flee Iraq and leave through smuggling. I sold my shop and returned to the marshes to stay with Abu Fadhel. Despite the difficulties of life, I decided to be patient, stay here, and integrate with the marsh. I met a group of young men who had formed a small grassroots organization with limited means to protect the marsh birds \u2014 many of which were endangered due to drought and illegal overhunting. I rented a small mud room from Abu Fadhel, fixed it up a bit, arranged and secured it, and started volunteering with them. The money from selling the shop covered my expenses, but I knew I couldn\u2019t stay unemployed for long. Sometimes I went fishing with Abu Fadhel, but most of my time was spent learning from the marsh bird association.<\/span><\/p>\n

I started seeing birds differently \u2014 as I began to learn their names, their migration patterns, which ones were wild or aquatic, their lifespans, their beauty, and their stories.<\/span><\/p>\n

Alawi came to visit me to say goodbye before fleeing Iraq for Turkey, and from there to Europe. We chatted and laughed about ourselves and the miserable state of this country that lives in a spiral of violence and fear. Alawi asked me, \u201cIs it true that the master in his book about space says it\u2019s possible to throw a corpse to animals so they eat it?\u201d I said, \u201cYes, it\u2019s true \u2014 but he explains the topic in detail. He says that if burial isn\u2019t possible, and if there\u2019s no liquid, like water or something else to throw the body into \u2014 like a lake or even a valley \u2014 and if that\u2019s not possible either, then yes, it could be thrown into space. Of course, he says it should be moved if the corpse poses a danger to others \u2014 like if the corpse is inside a spacecraft for a long period \u2014 and the last resort would be to give it to animals to eat.\u201d Alawi stared, worried, and then said, \u201cThe master\u2019s mind is wild \u2014 like you, he loves science fiction.\u201d Then he asked me about my story: \u201cSo, what happened to the Imam\u2019s Messenger and Mansa? You didn\u2019t tell me the ending.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I said, \u201cThe story is long. I was thinking of posting it in parts on Facebook \u2014 but you can\u2019t write freely in this country. Anyway, listen \u2014 two days later, Mansa appeared in front of the Imam\u2019s Messenger and told him what had happened:<\/span><\/p>\n

Sir, I apologize for my absence. I was unable to send any distress signals because the gang that kidnapped me disabled my remote system. Then they took me to a place called \u201cThe Valley of Reverse Burial.\u201d They intended to bury me, thinking I might come back, as I had transformed into something beyond my own capacity. Sir, the valley is no ordinary place. It is a vast force of metallic clay, shimmering under the sun of \u201cOmis Three.\u201d At dawn, every crack in the valley turns into lines of light, as if the sun itself were merely a reflection of what the earth has buried. The gangs control the place. They say that anything buried there at night will reemerge at the first light of dawn \u2014as something magical and precious. But not everyone is lucky. Some only find an empty hole, and others never return at all.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

I saw someone bury an old, augmented reality headset from the \u201cBlue Settlements\u201d era. When he dug it up, its lenses had turned into holographic projectors displaying maps of paths not yet discovered in distant star systems. Another buried a broken power disc, only to find it pulsing with a deep blue glow, generating clean energy from an unknown source and radiating a light that changed the color of the horizon at sunset. Even an elderly woman, sir \u2014 I saw her bury a handful of soil from her original planet, which died a century ago. By morning, the soil had turned into seeds of a plant unknown to recorded star catalogs. The seeds sprouted instantly, as if they came from another era. People harvested them cautiously, as if the plants carried a mysterious legacy. Even the gangs, sir, no longer content themselves with stealing from dreamers \u2014 they\u2019ve begun experimenting on beings like me. They collect discarded mechanical limbs, malfunctioning control devices, half-organic remains from ancient Martian wars, claiming they\u2019re assembling a monster from the future that waits to awaken. It seemed as if they were creating wonders and sins together. I heard that the government is preparing to reclaim the valley. They say it\u2019s called the \u201cRestoration Campaign,\u201d but there\u2019s hesitation in the decision. They know the gangs don\u2019t just control the valley \u2014 they\u2019re part of a broader informal economy that empowers them across the planet.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

If the government tries to seize it quickly, it might find itself in a devastating war. Tensions are already rising on the horizon. The government knows that any rash move could destabilize the planetary balance. As they always say: \u201cA fragile peace is better than open war.\u201d It\u2019s said in back rooms, there are some who support swift reclamation of the valley, while others resist, warning it could lead to an unpredictable disaster. Mystery still shrouds that cursed land. What\u2019s buried at night may carry a power no one can predict. Some say the government is deliberately cautious because they understand that the valley isn\u2019t just about controlling a place or a resource \u2014 it\u2019s something deeper, sir. It\u2019s about time itself, about fading memories and irretrievable moments. Some speak of \u201cmessages\u201d in buried objects. Rumors swirl of a force capable of controlling the burial itself \u2014 suggesting that not everything is buried by choice. Perhaps it\u2019s all part of a larger plan we can\u2019t yet comprehend. Is this part of a government scheme? Or is there a third force behind it all? Questions with no answers.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Sir\u2026I think I\u2019m lucky because I managed to escape \u2014 and because I\u2019m here, speaking to you now. Or, at least, I believe I\u2019m in a strange state of awareness, after the days I spent there. Maybe I\u2019ve changed a little, or maybe I simply see things differently now. But let me tell you this: the valley is not just a pit, nor merely a burial site. It is a battlefield of time, and it lies within reach of anyone who understands how to dig into the depths of the future \u2014 not as it appears, a place to bury the past and retrieve it anew.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

* The Jurisprudence of Space<\/span><\/i> is a book authored by the cleric Muhammad Sadiq al-Sadr. In this book, the author presents his unique vision regarding Islamic legal rulings in space, along with his ideas about what may happen in the future, in an attempt to link Islamic jurisprudence with advancements in science and technology. Muhammad al-Sadr is considered a significant religious authority and is influential among most of the Shiite parties that dominate power in Iraq today. Many of these parties possess armed militias.<\/span><\/p>\n

His son, Muqtada al-Sadr, leads a broad religious movement known as the \u201cSadrist Movement,\u201d which enjoys wide popular support and has an armed wing. Muhammad Sadiq al-Sadr himself was assassinated in the 1990s. Some blame the dictatorial regime at the time of his assassination, although no conclusive evidence has ever been presented.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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