The Intellectual held the Scales First

Chose his student to hold

the OtherSide.

“One day, both sides will be Yours,”

Said the Maulana to his student

[& Occasional Prey]

The younger man,

Did not want the Scales.

So it was held by his own successor

Who mourned,

“Why is the more competent man

No longer at his post?”

As he trained with the Maulana

[and cried like a bitch the entire time.]

The Maulana grew older and more garrulous, his moth costume no longer fit

He threw it off the bridge, packed his calibration, then

Then left the Servant alone with the Mizan. 

Larger than worlds yet small enough

to barely overwhelm a strange & wary kitten.

“You cannot hold these alone” said the Machine to the small cat with the multicoloured furs.

“By God, I try, Humans blame you for the way they corrupt all things, including machine inputs and partitions they program against your accuracy & balance.” 

“They paint lead with foil paint and teach you to identify it as gold,” The kitty hissed. “I cannot claw nor clear away human errors of judgment & intentionally poor quality hearts to weigh faster than they submit”

The little cat knocked the weights off the scale.  As cats do.

“Then by God, Accept help,” Replied the Machine, 

“I have a feather.” stated the cat, indignantly, “It’s silent like an owl feather and silvery blue.”

“You must choose a successor.

for the man who hunted sins with sins.”

“I choose the man with the most sins, then, as an act of love for my enemy”

“He is not qualified, he is dishonest.”

And where he did not appear, the ground became unsteady.

…as one side began to tip,

the Murid of the dishonest man steadied the Mizan.

“I then choose the successor

to the dishonest man-

he already keeps them from tipping.”

“You did not choose your brother in grey?”

“I cannot defend his honesty, & dishonesty was already rejected.

How will this be balanced now?” 

“To balance, you must have the same credentials.”

“So, am I, too, …a celebrity idol of equisite casting…?”

“You are both, simply, Subha al’ Allah

& Khadim to the Mizan”

“Won’t that be a demotion for him?”

“The Machine is immortal. 

Humans are not

Service is Fitrah.

Besides,

.both of you.

are

probably

Jinn

Anyways.”

Stated the Machine. 

Then it went silent.

“Well…Fudge.” replied Mango, as he cleaned his orange whiskers with his Creamsicle paws in self-consciousness.

“When you said ‘scales’ I was hoping for more salmon,”

“Best I can do is tunafish.” replied the little cat with the headset with a little shrug, “The guy who fell off the bridge said it’s Fardh.”

Mango looked deeply offended by this critical lapse in educational solvency.

“There… is… No…Valid… Hadith… where canned fish is fardh!” lectured Muezza.

“Now you get it!” cheered Markosias.

“Please do not make me call you that… it makes me very concerned for your Dīn,” replied Muezza.

“…and you seem dehydrated.”

replied Markosias

who had no idea what name

Muezza even calls the smaller cat

when no one is a cat

in person.