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Madina Prepares for 'Madina Madness'

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Madina Prepares for 'Madina Madness'
AbdulBasir
03/13/02 at 20:09:24
[slm][i]This article was on the Madina News Network wire. The quotes attributed to the Madinans are their very own words from this board. If anyone is offended for anything posted in this article, forgive me as it was all in the intention of good fun.[/i]:)

[size=2]Madina prepares for ‘Madina Madness’[/size]

MADINAT-AL-MUSLIMEEN, Jannah.org (Madina News Network)- It’s a new Hijrah year, and a newly refurnished Madina teems with excitement on every corner from the Al-Manar Lighthouse to the Ikhwan Health Club, but it's not just because of the beginning of 1423.

That’s right, it’s “Who Wants to be A Mumin” time again. Or “Madina Madness” as some hard-core fans call it.

After WWTBAM #2 had to be cut short due to the complete overhaul, relocation, and renovation of the Madina, WWTBAM returns this Friday with the promise to be as exciting as the inaugural WWTBAM last year.

That is no small promise, considering the twists and turns of the tournament last year. After the short-lived Islamic Jeopardy series, completely dominated by Albanyia competitors, came to an end, Madina founder and visionary jannah introduced WWTBAM and served as its host.  Within no time WWTBAM became the talk at the Bebzi Stand every week. For several months, Madina citizens competed for the right to be called a Madina Mumin. Week after week, Madinans vied with another to answer jannah’s difficult questions, with the option of using three lifelines.

Last year’s competition ended in dramatic fashion, with three competitors tied coming down to the final question. Madina moderator Arsalan and Albanyian AbdulBasir ended up sharing the title and were the co-champions of the first ever edition of WWTBAM.

This year’s WWTBAM comes with an added bonus: an actual prize, as a special Arabic/English Seerah CD will go to this year’s winner. It’s also been streamlined down to seven questions from ten. That just makes every question even more important and raises the stakes higher in the charged atmosphere of Madina Madness.

This pressure packed competition begins with jannah herself, who returns as host. Frustrated by the inability to stump the competitors last year, she comes in this year fresh from an intensive edification and sojourn in Damascus, a newly-acquired firm grasp on the intricacies of the Arabic language and a new fervor for her role as host. “Open your books and get crackin”, she enthusiastically proclaims. Jannah’s adventure in Damascus no doubt adds a new flavor to the questions that will be posed to this year’s crop of WWTBAM competitors. The etymology of Arabic words, the names and traffic patterns of Damascene street corners, among other things, are all new potential additions to jannah’s growing arsenal of questions.

But many Madinans await the challenge and more than welcome it.

Among those is Madina moderator Asim, who in last year’s tournament suffered a heart-breaking loss on the last question, forgoing the use of an available lifeline. “I should have been more patient” he said at the time in retrospect. He returns this year with a well-earned PHD under his belt, a new focus and a deep desire for redemption. “The last WWTBAM ended with a bad taste in the mouth for me…Not this time inshallah”, he says. Though betting is forbidden in the Madina, underground odds-makers count Asim as among the top choices to win it all this year.

But he is not the only one. After the early shut-down of WWTBAM #2 Madina administrator Arshad leaves the controversy of the host’s chair behind and returns to the field of competitors. No one knows the streets and corners of the Madina better than him or brings his deep fund of well-rounded Islamic knowledge, and he comes this year hungry for victory after coming so close in 1422. The Seerah CD will be “a good addition to my library”, says the confident Californian.

To be the best though, one must beat the best and last year’s defending co-champion, Arsalan, comes in to this year’s competition almost unrecognizable. He comes in a year wiser, and with a different name, Abu Hamza. Humble as always, he has refrained from the current pre-competition trash talking. “He’s a new man, getting rid of his old screen name” a WWTBAM analyst comments. “His shedding of the past shows he’s not satisfied with resting on his previous achievements or reputation and that he is committed to repeating as champion and continuing on with the great work he’s been doing. He’s still got the eye of the tiger, and he’s got the experience being a hardened veteran of the old Islamic trivia wars. Definitely don’t mess with this Texan. You can't stop him but only hope to contain him.He’s still the WWTBAM champion until some one knocks him off.”

There is no shortage of Madinans who would like to be the ones to do just that. This year will mark the entrance of se7en to the WWTBAM stage, a year after she mysteriously pulled out of the competition just prior to its start. In the tradition of the well-established intimidatory bravado of the Albanyian Sisters mafia, the young, bold, brilliant Albanyian has already predicted that the reign of Abu Hamza is over, proclaiming at a recent news conference, “y’all are going dowwwwwwn!” Could this be the ushering in of a new era in WWTBAM history?

“This kid is definitely a contender”, another WWTBAM analyst says. “This competition just might be her own private coronation and the beginning of a glorious run of titles. Had gambling not been an abomination of Shaytaan’s handiwork, I think I would place my bets on her.”

MadinaNews also managed to track down last year’s other co-champion AbdulBasir. Still mourning the closure of the road to Makkah without his old teammate BrKhalid at his side, and drowning his sorrows with shot after shot of Zamzam, he reaffirmed his retirement from the game. “If I learned something last year”, says a haggard AbdulBasir with his voice cracking, “It’s that I can’t keep up with the board and all these young colts anymore. I mean if it wasn’t for a bunch of those Makkah related questions last year, I wouldn’t have even got as far as I did.  It’s very hard to say this, but the game has passed me by.” WWTBAM insiders wholeheartedly agree. "Stick a fork in that sorry brother, he is done", says one.

The washed-up Madinan did express dislike for the reemergence of a brother-sisters rivalry yet again. “This rivalry reared its ugly head back in the days of Islamic Jeopardy and it still remains. I pray to Allah that all this would fall by the wayside and the game itself is the only focus. It’s unfortunate, and I fear that this is just a tactic by some competitors to divide and conquer the rest of field.” When pressed to speculate on whom exactly might be behind this tactic, AbdulBasir, who still resides in Albanyia, refrained to comment, citing concerns over his personal safety.

But Madinans all over, whether over a cup of coffee in the Akhwat Café or some falafel in the House of Kabob, are surely not refraining to comment about their own predictions about the outcome of WWTBAM. One fan, proudly sporting the official Madina colors with a blue kufi and tan thobe with maroon trim, gave this take: “Watch out for the Albanyians, they are both shrewd and sharp. Even if you defeat one, five or ten more lie in waiting. However, I would be a fool to discount the luminaries from last year like abc, destined, Eqbal, Barr, bhaloo, BroHanif, Asim and of course the champ Abu Hamza formerly known as Arsalan. The upwardly mobile Sr Eleanor is a definite threat; she did some serious damage in the early rounds last year and did you see how fast she became a Madina moderator! She comes in with a lot of momentum on her side. And don’t forget about BrKhalid if he’s able to return from Hajj in time. People tend to forget he voluntarily walked away after eight questions last year. It would be a treat to see his fellow Briton Kashif participate too. He knows a lot maashallah, from Seerah to salmon! If he enters the draw the balance of WWTBAM power just might shift back across the pond. I also think that there are a lot of sleepers in this year’s field who might surprise you. Alhamdulillah, there are a lot of newcomers in the Madina, and we just might see a changing of guard by the permission of Allah. And in the end this competition is all about encouraging our brothers and sisters to learn about our deen.”

And to have a little fun too. In the name of Allah, let the Madina Madness begin. :)
03/13/02 at 20:17:49
AbdulBasir
Re: Madina Prepares for 'Madina Madness'
jannah
03/13/02 at 21:59:29
That's hysterical bro.........:) so what is this... are u really chickening out?? come on now are you really that afraid of the competitors...  :P  or afraid you won't be able to answer my questions  8)

03/14/02 at 04:58:09
jannah
Re: Madina Prepares for 'Madina Madness'
BrKhalid
03/14/02 at 06:39:51
BrKhalid confirms entry

The Madina News Network can confirm the entry of the Madinian in this year's competition.

In a brief interview with MNN, Br Khalid allayed fears that his recent arrival from Hajj would necessitate his withdrawal from the competition. Although still suffering from the effects of the PHD virus he picked up in Makkah he was said to be looking forward to the competition which was an undoubted highlight of last year's summer in the Madina.

"Use of lifelines"

When asked about his tactics for the game he commented:

"I think competitors don’t make enough use of their lifelines. No one is disadvantaged by their use and on certain questions it is more than sensible to use more than one should the need arise. This year's game may well come down to how well people use them [lifelines]."

Asked on a prediction for the game he declined to comment but added that the spirit of taking part and learning together was far and above the most beneficial aspect of this seasonal "Madina Madness".


In other news, our London office reports potential strong competition from the UK contingent this time around. It is not far from the realms of impossibility that the title may well be making a trip over the Atlantic for the first time in its history. Preparations are afoot and most are eagerly awaiting the first question by Regis on Friday.

London
11:30 GMT
14/3/02
Re: Madina Prepares for 'Madina Madness'
eleanor
03/14/02 at 06:56:30
Madina, 14.03.02

Crackin' her knuckles and ready to start..

Madinian revert, eleanor, is chomping at the bridle and scuffing the ground, ready to get going on the next round of WWTBAM. "I can't wait" she says excitedly. "It's been a whole year since the last competition and I've learned [i]so[/i] much since then. I did so well last year, that I can safely say that I will be a serious contender for the CD"

When questioned if she was not just a little over-confident, the newly crowned Madina Moderator calmly replied "At the end of the day it's the points that count. How you get the points and from whom is not important"

Do we detect a little behind-the-scenes corruption of the contest?
"Not at all" gushes eleanor, "I only meant that we are surely allowed to ask family and friends, research on the Internet, and look in our books at home, to try to find the answer.."

This is a point which has not been confirmed by Regis as this goes to press.
Re: Madina Prepares for 'Madina Madness'
UmmWafi
03/14/02 at 12:26:57
REGIS CALCULATING COST OF POSTING CD TO SOUTHEAST ASIA

Singapore, Thursday.  

The Madina Madness has reached the far eastern shore of Singapore with multi-talented candidates waiting to enter the fray.  The SouthEast Asian candidates are amused at the confidence of their Western counterparts.

When interviewed, one Madinat born-again Newbie who declined to be named told MNN that "as usual the West always claim superiority over any battle but as history has shown over and over again, the quiet and humble Asians will claim sweet victory".

The general atmosphere in Singapore and Malaysia is very encouraging with one anonymous sister saying " The resurgence of the glory of Islam will come from the East."

With so much talk, can the Singapore slings and Malaysian murtabaks defeat the Albanyan mafias and British bhaiyyas ? Well folks, all we can say is, the SE Asian GDP per capita is much higher than the Albanyan and British ones.  With regards to the Texan pretender who mysteriously acquires a son Hamzah, one sister commented "Why the weather in Texas is so hot the trees are bribin the dawgs". MNN reporters failed to get further explanations on those mysterious words.

With the first question due just hours away, the heat is definitely on.  We would like to wish may the best man wins, but then again, wouldn't it be easier to just say May the best SouthEast Asian wins.

MNN, SouthEast Asian correspondent 8) :-) :-)
Re: Madina Prepares for 'Madina Madness'
eleanor
03/15/02 at 17:33:30
 [slm]

ok it's fixed now.... you can see it [url=http://www.geocities.com/ellipunk]by clicking here...[/url]


wasalaam
eleanor  :-*

[]
03/16/02 at 19:32:23
eleanor
Re: Madina Prepares for 'Madina Madness'
UmmWafi
03/17/02 at 11:05:11
Ellie...are u bored ????? Sheeshhh u could have knitted me a sweater or something  :P

He he....on the whole, good work lass good work
Re: Madina Prepares for 'Madina Madness'
eleanor
03/19/02 at 13:47:19
[quote author=UmmWafi link=board=special;num=1016068165;start=0#6 date=03/17/02 at 11:05:11]Ellie...are u bored [/quote]

if I were to write a book about it it would be called:

Beyond Addiction: What to do when it becomes an obsession

 :P

wasalaam
eleanor   :-*
Re: Madina Prepares for 'Madina Madness'
UmmWafi
03/21/02 at 21:52:54
He he  :D

Can I write the foreword to that book ? It will be a simple foreword cenraling around the theme of curng obsessions with CHOCOLATES.  Cadburys Chocolates  :-)
Re: Madina Prepares for 'Madina Madness'
BrKhalid
03/25/02 at 12:03:39
Asalaamu Alaikum ;-)

Madina Madness underway

So after weeks of nervous anticipation, the competition finally begun last week with a huge increase in numbers from last year.

From the outset there was already controversy over the answer to Week One's question, but Regis allayed fears by allowing alternate answers which were also applicable.

Cotenders

Although still too early to call, there appears to be an impressive list of contenders this year, all aiming to win the coveted Mu'min tag.

Sr Hania won the week's award for best answer which was sleep.

Sr se7en seemed to be getting into the spirit of things by actually acting out her answer as she wrote it [it iz za sleeb] but enough was decipherable for her to qualify through the first round. [Ed I think she must have posted that in the morning] ;-)

On a sad note, last year's joint champion Br Abdul Basir confirmed early suspicions that he would be unable to defend his title. It is yet to be seen if he will make a late entry into this year's contest.


Lifelines

Surprisingly no lifelines were used by any of the contestants thus far. The huge, and greatly improved, scoreboard registers a series of "No's" in this regard. The outcome of the competition may well rest on the employment of the available lifelines but for now it seems the contestants are keeping their cards closely to their chests.

Madina News Network
25 March 2002
Re: Madina Prepares for 'Madina Madness'
AbdulBasir
03/25/02 at 21:56:13
[slm] Congrats to all the competitors for doing so well this week. BrKhalid ;-), this just in, a Madina News exclusive confirms the early suspicions...

Former co-champ’s condition deteriorates

MADINAT-AL-MUSLIMEEN, Jannah.org (Madina News Network)- As the 1423 edition of WWTBAM got off to a thunderous start, Albanyia authorities confirmed today that former co-champ AbdulBasir will not participate in this year’s tournament due to continued deterioration in his health. In a shocking revelation, it was reported that the Albanyian has been essentially confined to a local institution for almost a year.

Authorities revealed that since his return from the Holy Cities of Makkah and Madina al-Munawwarah about a year ago, AbdulBasir has been suffering from an ailment called MD, or Makkah Dysthymia, a chronic depressive disorder characterized by excessive longing and fixation on Makkah. The disorder is often refractory to treatment and can be easily confused with Post Hajj Depression, says a leading expert at the renowned Madina Clinic.

“Post Hajj Depression is a very common disorder which affects millions of people worldwide each year and usually resolves on its own within a few months. Many people suffering from it can live normal lives during the course of the depression.” The expert pointed out the example of BrKhalid, who is currently battling PHD but still has been able to successfully enter this year’s edition of WWTBAM. “Makkah Dysthymia is a condition that can continue on for years, sort of like a Post-Hajj Depression that never resolves, and it can be complicated with withdrawal, a co-existing dependence and addiction to Zamzam, and even delusionary behavior. They claim and truly believe that Makkah is continuously calling to them.”

MadinaNews had recently encountered AbdulBasir at the newly placed roadblocks closing off the Road to Makkah several weeks ago. The Albanyian was able to give a short interview and was visibly disturbed, and witnesses at the scene said he exhibited bizarre behavior soon after, behavior which ultimately led to his re-institutionalization.

One witness recounted the incidents in horror. “He had a towel wrapped around his waist and some flip-flops and was madly sprinting up and down the road, back and forth, over and over again. He claimed he was ‘practicing’ or something like that. Then he started to shove me and was shouting repeatedly, ‘Are you ready for Rawdah! Are you ready akhee! The time has come! Are you ready!’ It was very frightening.”

“He thought I was the Jamarat and started throwing pebbles at me, and really hard too”, says another innocent by-stander. “At that point a group of brothers had to wrestle him down and take him back to the hospital, and it still took a high dose injection of Zamzam to calm him down.”

Officials are guarded in giving their prognosis. Said one, “It is very dire. It appears that only an Umrah can save him at this point.”

And the Madina Madness continues…:)
03/25/02 at 22:03:53
jannah
Re: Madina Prepares for 'Madina Madness'
UmmWafi
03/26/02 at 11:47:26
[slm]

*Wipes tears from her eyes*

That is arguably one of the best read of the week Bro AbdulBasir.  I have been ill since last Tuesday until now actually (doc dunno whats wrong with me  ::) ) so I was a bit down.  Your post is ingenue  :-)

Have a Bebzi on me  []

Wassalam
Re: Madina Prepares for 'Madina Madness'
M.F.
03/27/02 at 07:05:34
Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullah
One of the main symptoms of Makkah Dysthymia is Dunya Disengagement, or DD.  People with this symptom have described it as a feeling that their worklives have paled before the image of the kaaba that is constantly between their eyes.  They have also been known to make statements such as: "My dreams in which I see the Kaaba are much more real than my waking life."  These patients have been given shock treatment for their DD.  They were forced to go out into the Dunya and continue on with their lives despite their constant longing to go back to Makkah and just gaze at the Kaaba all day and live on Zamzam water.  
No doctor has yet been able to discover how this could sustain their patients for days on end.  "It is a miracle", said one of them.
Sufferers of MD have also been known to grow overly excited upon seeing a flowery green carpet.  "Ar-Rawda!" they have been heard to yell.  Investigations have shown that this "Rawda" is one of the gardens of jannah, and doctors were able to better understand why these patients had such a strong attachment and love to the point of delusion.

There is no cure for MD, only a temporary treatment, that of taking the patients back to Makkah and Madina long enough to replenish their souls.  However, symptoms reappear as soon as patients are put back in the dunya.




Re: Madina Prepares for 'Madina Madness'
UmmWafi
03/27/02 at 12:38:44
Aiighhhtttt !!!!

How is it we all now wanna have this Disease ????? Grrrrrrr

:(  Waaaahhhhhhh  I wanna have DD and whatnots and write a book abt it and win the Oscar heh heh

Re: Madina Prepares for 'Madina Madness'
BrKhalid
04/04/02 at 10:00:13
Asalaamu Alaikum ;-)

Week Two

Madina Madness continued this week with Regis asking a question related to Aisha (ra). 34 contestants are currently vying for the prize and it is already apparent that this year’s quiz will be closely fought.

Research

In an MNN exclusive, one of the contestants from the South East Asian contingent confirmed that this year’s questions were “much more difficult” and that “more research” was needed than before.

Indeed contestants are having to become more imaginative in their ways of tracking down answers.

Week Three

In an unprecedented move Regis attached a clue for week three indicating the growing difficulty of the contest. Next week may well be a defining moment in this year’s quiz. MNN will of course be first with all the latest news as it happens.

Madina News Network
4 April 2002


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