Note- this series is inspired by the British Museum’s History of the World in 100 Objects, from #1 Egyptian Mummy to #100 Solar Powered Lamp
HOW TO START
WITH THE LETTER ALIF, A SINGLE DOWNWARD STROKE TO BEGIN THE LETTERS OF THE ARABIC ALPHABET, AS MY TEACHER AHMAD TAHIR HASSANAYN ONCE SAID, "ALIF COMES FIRST IN THE DICTIONARY, AND BEHIND IT FOLLOWS INFINITY". FROM BORGES’ ALL-SEEING STORY “THE ALEPH”, TO THE WEHR DICTIONARY’S THIRD ENTRY FOR THE TRILITERAL ROOT ALIF, LAM, FA’- ILF, MEANING LOVER, OR MU’ALLIF, MEANING WRITER, ALL THE WAY TO THE ALIF’S TWIN BROTHER WAHID, THE COUNTABLE ONE, THE SAME VERTICLE SINGLE STROKE, BUT NOT USED ALWAYS TO COUNT OBJECTS AS IN ENGLISH, VIZ. ONE THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS, BUT HERE IS ALF LAYLA WA LAYLA, AS TRANSLATED LITERALLY, A THOUSAND NIGHTS AND A NIGHT, NOT ONE THOUSAND AND ONE OF ANYTHING ELSE
