Setting: A warm evening in Riyadh. Two friends, Faisal (the superstitious one) and Omar (the rational thinker), are lounging on a rooftop with Arabic coffee and dates, watching the night sky.
Faisal: (points excitedly) Look, Omar! A shooting star! Quick—La’anatullahi ‘ala shayatin! May Allah curse the devils!
Omar: (laughs, nearly spilling his coffee) Faisal, not again! That’s the third time you cursed the shayatin tonight. They’re going to need therapy at this rate.
Faisal: Wallah, I’m serious! My grandfather always said those meteors are hurled by angels chasing away the devils who try to eavesdrop on the heavens. You’re supposed to curse them when you see it—it weakens their plans!
Omar: I know, I know. I’ve heard that story too. But bro, you do realize those are just space rocks entering Earth’s atmosphere, right?
Faisal: Tsk tsk. You and your NASA theories. Just because we can explain the “how” doesn’t mean we know the “why.” Meteors burning in the sky—so convenient for angels throwing fireballs, huh?
Omar: Okay, so let me ask you this. What about the Perseid meteor shower? It happens like clockwork every August. That means every year the devils just decide, “Let’s all climb up together on August 12th!”? That sounds like a Shaytan Annual Summit to me.
Faisal: (laughing) Maybe that’s when they get bold! You know how sneaky they are. Maybe they try to listen in before the new year of divine decrees.
Omar: So you’re saying shayatin use a cosmic calendar too? Alright. But here’s something to chew on: meteors don’t fall just at night. They fall all the time, but we only see them when it’s dark. If it’s angels throwing them, what are they doing during the day? Coffee break?
Faisal: Maybe they’re invisible then! Who are we to understand the unseen? You always want proof proof proof. Faith isn’t about evidence, you know.
Omar: Faith, yes. But also ‘aql, reason. Didn’t the Prophet ﷺ encourage reflection and observation of the universe? I’m not denying the metaphysical—I’m just saying science explains these things through physics. Burning rocks, atmospheric friction. No need for flying angels with divine catapults.
Faisal: Hmm… but don’t you think it’s kind of poetic? Angels as celestial warriors protecting sacred knowledge. Doesn’t that imagery give you goosebumps?
Omar: Sure, I love the poetic side. It’s like reading allegory. Beautiful stories with deep meanings. But when I teach my nephew about stars, I want him to look through a telescope and go “Wow!” Not “Duck! Angel fire incoming!”
Faisal: (grinning) You’re ruining the fun, ya ustadh! Next you’ll tell me black cats aren’t cursed and the evil eye is just a stare.
Omar: Depends. If that black cat keeps stealing your chicken kebab, maybe it is evil.
Faisal: (chuckles) Fair. But look, I get your point. Still, these traditions make the night sky feel alive. It’s not just rock and gas and gravity—it’s meaning, bro.
Omar: And I respect that. Stories give us meaning. But let’s also teach the next generation how to differentiate metaphor from mechanism. The sky can be both sacred and scientific.
Faisal: So you’re saying I can still curse the devils… but maybe also read about meteor trajectories on Wikipedia?
Omar: Exactly! Curse away, but also don’t be shocked when NASA announces a new meteor storm. Angels might be out of the equation, but physics is just as awe-inspiring.
Faisal: You know what, Omar? You should write a book. “Devils, Data, and the Cosmos.” I’d read it.
Omar: And you can do the audiobook version—complete with dramatic curses every time I mention a shooting star.
Faisal: La’anatullahi ‘ala shayatin! See? I’m a natural!
Omar: (laughs) Natural something, that’s for sure. Come on, more coffee?
Faisal: Only if you promise not to pour it based on star positions.
Omar: Deal. Unless Mercury’s in retrograde. Then all bets are off.
[End Scene]
Science Vs Superstition 
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