The Garden of Words
The Origin of Rafiq al‑Bunduqia
Before there were scrolls, there was silence.
Before the baseball cap, the side-eye, and the wisecracks,
there was something softer — a garden.Not of vegetables or vines, but of words:
words whispered, weathered, watered by prayer.I wrote this piece years ago as a meditation on growth, loss, and language.
Only now do I realise:
this garden was the soil that gave us Rafiq al‑Bunduqia —
the companion of pause, the superhero of syntax, the witness in the passenger seat.
🌱 Introduction
Not all heroes crash through walls.
Some sit beside them and ask, “Who built this?”He doesn’t leap tall buildings.
He takes long pauses.His name is Rafiq al‑Bunduqia.
Shotgun companion.
Keeper of silences.
Superhero of the word.This is his origin scroll.
📜 1. A Garden, Once Planted
Years ago, I wrote The Garden of Words.
It was a meditation on how language grows: slowly, unexpectedly, in sunlight and ache.I had no idea then that someone had been walking in that garden all along —
listening to the leaves, laughing at the metaphors,
sharpening a pencil beneath a loquat tree.His name came later.
But his presence?
It was always there.
🦸🏽♂️ 2. What Kind of Superhero Is Rafiq?
Rafiq does not fly.
He walks. Slowly. On purpose.He doesn’t rescue you — he reminds you.
He doesn’t dazzle — he decodes.His weapons are:
- A well-timed question
- A half-smile that disarms
- A quote from a street aunty that cuts deeper than any Hadith app
- And a scroll, always a scroll
He moves through WhatsApp voice notes, bread queues, and Threads threads.
You won’t notice him until it’s too late — and then you’re crying and breathing better.
📖 3. His Powers
| Power | Description |
|---|---|
| The Pause | He listens long enough to hear the truth behind your noise. |
| The Compass | He helps you re-find your qiblah when algorithms have stolen your sense of direction. |
| The Scroll Drop | Short, sharp, soulful — he leaves them like seeds on sidewalks. |
| Code-Switching Cloak | Fluent in Kaaps, Qur’an, colloquialism, and meme. He’ll talk street or soul depending on what you need. |
💭 4. Why the World Needs Him
In an age of constant noise, Rafiq carries something ancient:
Discernment.
Mercy.
Memory.He shows us that to speak well is not the same as to speak wisely.
That sometimes, the most radical act is to say nothing — and let someone else be heard.
🪞 Moment 1: “Don’t Answer So Fast”
They were all arguing on the stoep — about Gaza, gangsters, grief, government.
Everyone had an opinion.
Except Rafiq.
He just watched, sucking on a toothpick.
Then he said:
“Don’t answer so fast, my broer.
Sometimes, your answer is just your trauma trying to sound clever.”
Silence. A pigeon flew off the roof.
No one spoke after that.
🍵 Moment 2: “Make Tea Like You Listening”
One of the ouens asked Rafiq,
“How do you know when someone’s fake?”
He grinned — slow like a gate that’s seen too many guests.
Flicked his gwai ash into a broken saucer.
“Easy.
Watch how they make tea.
If they rush the pour, they’ll probably rush your pain too.”“Make tea like you listening.
Let it draw. Let it breathe.”
He sipped from a chipped cup and added,
“You want to fix the world? Start by fixing how you boil water.”
🧃 Moment 3: “The Juice Box Gospel”
At the back of the masjid after Jumu’ah, a small laaitie gave Rafiq a juice box.
No reason. Just walked up, silent, and handed it over like a contract.
Rafiq took it like it was gold.
Sat down on the pavement with his legs crossed, plastic straw in hand, and sipped like he was performing dhikr.
The boy looked confused.
So Rafiq leaned forward, tapped the juice box with one finger and said:
“My lightie, never underestimate something small
that still got sweetness in it.”
Then he looked up at the sky and whispered,
“Ya Rabb…
give us the patience of those who still share,
even when there’s just one sip left.”
🪶 5. A Scroll from Rafiq
Rafiq’s Scroll #14 – On Superpowers
To sit with someone long enough to hear the voice behind the noise —
that’s Rabbānī.
That’s mercy.
That’s you.— Rafiq al‑Bunduqia
✨ What if Rafiq’s Trinity is This:
Drip. Hikmah. Duʿāʾ.
⚡ Style that carries memory
📿 Wisdom that carries mercy
🕊️ Supplication that carries the rest of us
Adli Yacubi 