The Emotion Overwhelm

At times when overtakes me
the emotion overwhelm
i seek the pleasure of
the shoulder to lean on
the lap to rest my head in
and do away with my worries
but the day shall come when
this emotion overwhelm
would come to me ever intense

At length, when there comes the Deafening Noise,- That Day shall a man flee from his own brother, And from his mother and his father, And from his wife and his children. Each one of them, that Day, will have enough concern (of his own) to make him indifferent to the others.

[The Noble Qur'an 80:33-37]

It is time O Nafs that you
fall into prostration
and submit

that you weep out your worries
to the All-Hearing, the Most Loving
and you leave your tears on the prayer mat to dry

[Photo Credits: GettyImages]

Zero Hour (Some Time Alone)

Learn to not look into eyes fleeting
for a period undying
Seeking the stock of your comfort therein
But halt

wrapped in your garments

And take a moment to yourself,
alone with your Lord, The Most Loving

To Die For [A Tribute to Hossam Meshmesha]

By Allah I am urged to write about him
Perhaps Allah wants to honor him, our dear brother
An honor for me if He accepts to have it done by my pen
He holds a lofty place in our sight, Hossam Meshmesha
He lived to set an example for all those with might
Stregth, firmness, indignation
And a compass aligned:

To each is a goal to which Allah turns him; then strive together (as in a race) Towards all that is good. Wheresoever ye are, Allah will bring you Together. For Allah Hath power over all things. [Qur’an 2:148]

The mosque on Dominion at Northwood
Echoed the voices of those who wept
To die for
To die for Allah
May He grant him rest
And the freedom of birds
In Jannat al-Firdous
O Allah we ask
That you accept him amongst your most noble slaves

It was Maghrib prayer and the imam recited:
"Among the Believers are men who have been true to their covenant with Allah. of them some have completed their vow (to the extreme), and some (still) wait: but they have never changed (their determination) in the least"

[Qur'an 33:23]

To be with You

I’d give up the world today
Just to be with you
If You’d call me
I’d respond
And come in haste
I am Yours
I am Yours
Call me today
I won’t wait a day
I promise
I won’t wait a day

Fuqaraa'

Deem us paupers on an empty street?

Our call is to the heavens, perhaps,perchance,
with sureity He shall relieve!
Our provisions proportioned well
by Allah the Most Benign
We ask of you no favours, let us be
and see how

patiently

we achieve felicity

This poem is written in first person in an attempt to put ourselves in the shoes of those needy, and I feel that just a glance or a few words from a truthful person in the condition described would weigh much more in the heart of anyone than would this poem.

Be wary of what you collect and consume, are you taking in more than your share?

Deem us paupers on an empty street?

A trial for you, would you

show compassion or in insolent pride

cast us aside?

Go beyond, give generously!

Remember, the excess you consume and hoard

holds the rights of other needy

O Allah, The Highest Companion

My heart, it craves the grave
happy to return to its resting place
For once it shall sleep a long night
only to wake up to see Your Light...

Takes hold of me relentlessly
this desire to be with You
Wait patiently for the day I'm dust
Free myself and fly as new

Your Power and Compassion vaster than these senses percieve
O Lord, take me away to a special place
I desire not Zaqqum
Grant me shade and peaceful songs
Hummed in a lasting tune.

Prays my heart relentlessly
for the day I see Your Face.
Race to You past all restraints
glorifying your sweet Name.

Seek shade beneath Your Throne
On a day when the sun is strong.
Grant me bliss and tranquility
as aches my heart to be
among Your accepted slaves.

Grant me love and the freedom of birds
in a garden where RasulAllah (saw) would be.
Take me away to that special place
I desire not Zaqqum.

Repeat Offender

When my disobedience intensified
You showed me the way home
Then I faltered again
and yet You guided me back
but I persisted on the path that welcomes wrath
and repentance became difficult on my tongue

"O man! what has made you careless
concerning your Lord, the Most Generous?" [Qur'an 82:6]

I stuck desperately to evanescent dust
My desire, greed and impatience
forces stronger than gravity itself
held me there, and they might still
until comes to me that which is certain
and then there would be no coming back

Unless You bestow Your mercy upon me
The steep is difficult for me to climb
for I realise I am indeed very weak
make it easy for me and grant me strength O Allah
Indeed You are able to do all things
[I would weep endlessly if only I had the tears]

City of the Heart

At times I’d want to know You more
And head out looking for ways
There is no shortage of evidence
No end to the signs
But what good are eyes when the heart is blind?

An hour of heedlessness can undo a year’s worth of worship
Be vigilant and guard night and day, the city of your heart
Your tongue - a tool for His remembrance
Ears – to attend to His call
Eyes – to reflect on His creation, His signs
And limbs to carry you to His obedience
When left unattended, your city is open to attack

Be vigilant and guard night and day, the city of your heart
So call upon the Almighty making your religion pure for Him
Sincerity itself is a grant, return to Him pleading for it!

Poor

Slaves so poor, created to strive for the Master.
In His benevolence, He grants us in abundance,
A morsel of bread, a slice of meat
Pages of knowledge, mind to retain and heart to feel
Body to hold together and fulfill obligation
A Messenger as a mercy, and a Book as a guidance
Brothers, sisters, parents and families for support…and much more,
Yet we forget…

“O ye men! It is ye that have need of Allah: but Allah is the One Free of all wants, worthy of all praise.”

[Qur'an 35:15]

[PhotoCredits:GettyImages]

All the world's a stage

All the world’s a stage
and the death of the stage performer
is his contentment with the cheers
and clapping of ephemeral hands
“…so serve Allah, offering Him sincere devotion.” [Qur’an 39:2]

Virtue

Reliance as that of Ibrahim and the gratitude of Daud
The forbearance of Muhammad (s.a.w), the chastity of Yusuf
The repentance of Dhun-Nun, and the recovery of Ayub
The treasures of Suleman and the ears of Musa
The da'wa and hands of Nuh, the two children of Yaqub
The knowledge of Khidr, and the dominion of Dhul-qarnain
The youth of the companions of the Cave and the Ummah of Muhammad (s.a.w)
The obedience of sons like Ismail and Yahya, the miracles of Zakariyya and Isa
Our women like Maryam, Asia, Khadija, Ayesha, Jawayria, Zainab, Safiyya, Saudah, Umm Habeebah, Umm Salamah, Umm Kulthum and Fatima, may Allah be pleased with them all
Companions like AbuBakr, Omar, Uthman, Ali, Zubayr, Talha, Hamza, Abu Ubaidah, Salman, Shuaib, and all those who fought in Badr
To build as a result a society like that of Medina

A life of submission, sincerity, and remorse for our past,
Firmness in our present and hopes for the future
Righteous followers and just rulers
Charitable people, abundance of provision
And hearts which tremble before the Most Gracious in prayer
Minds which memorise
And bodies which instruct and call to the path that is straight
The path of those whom He hath favored
Not of those whose portion was wrath, nor of those who went astray

[PhotoCredits: GettyImages]

My Empire of Sand

Crumbles to pieces my empire of sand
Years of work and lessons learnt, the false contentment that brought some knowledge
Where was I looking? How did I lose focus?
The rights of my family denied as I raced to build and maintain
My empire of sand

Eight to four and overtime
Blood and sweat to emerge renewed
And said I like Qaaroon,
“Because of knowledge I posessed” (Quran 28:78)

Reclining and relaxing, I look back and boast
“Quite a feat I pulled there”
Me and my fleeting empire of sand

Had forgotten I that to Allah belongs all that is in the heavens and earth
And I learnt and experienced all by His decree, to be given a trust
To educate, alleviate and myself take heed
As I reclined cushioned and comforted,
I reduced (without forewarning) to ashes
As crumbled my empire of sand

A common avenue of misguidance for people who are succesful in their careers. The disease of the heart is called ‘Ujab (self-pride, conceit) and is considered the root cause for all other diseases including Kibr(pride/arrogance) and Hasad(malicious envy).

Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) has mentioned the story of Qarun (read Qaaroon) in the Holy Qur’an so that the believers may take heed. Click here to read the story of Qarun: 28:76-83

[PhotoCredits: GettyImages]

The Bent Rib

You percieved that perhaps this poem

is a criticism of the female race
being bent makes the rib easier to embrace, being bent makes it adaptable
not stuck, stiff, straight
the rib is positioned close to the heart, and that defines its place
a shield for the submissive heart which worships its Lord with grace

They characterize beauty and their inner precedes their outward
Their hearts as if fragile crystals wherein lie treasures of empathy
And in their intellect lies the ability to sustain a family, a man, a small world of happiness
with God's Will and Mercy.

A general perception of animosity create by women's lib
the feminist movement served only to make things worse.

A switching of roles

Some women trying to settle the score

The bent rib tried to straighten itself

And broke!

"Men are the protectors and maintainers of women, because Allah has given the one more (strength) than the other, and because they support them from their means. Therefore the righteous women are devoutly obedient, and guard in (the husband's) absence what Allah would have them guard... " [The Noble Qur'an 4:34]

"And among His Signs is this,
that He created for you mates from among yourselves,
that ye may dwell in tranquillity with them,
and He has put love and mercy between your (hearts):
verily in that are Signs for those who reflect."

[The Noble Qur'an 30:21]

The Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) said,

“ Paradise is at the feet of the mother.”

"And We have enjoined on man (to be good) to his parents: in travail upon travail did his mother bear him, and in years twain was his weaning: (hear the command), "Show gratitude to Me and to thy parents: to Me is (thy final) Goal." [The Noble Qur'an 31:14]

[Photo Credits: GettyImages]

Muhammad (salleAllahu 'alayhee wassalam)

Has it not occurred to you dear friend, the smallness of your (personal) calamity?
Considering that came the blessed, and then passed away
A creation so cherished that sought permission the angel of death
And acceded he after enquiring, “What of my people?”

Omar distraught by the episode, and Uthman lost speech
Medina in chaos
Had a wayfarer sought shade, fear would have carried him
A hundred miles away
Oh the sorrow in Medina, the day my prophet …

So, has welcomed your heart the swift gust of responsibility?
Have your hairs stood in fear, trembling?
What answer have I prepared to pass the account of the Most Gracious?
The day I would see Muhammad gather his nation, and see my own self, left alone

Have passed now centuries (a few)
As if tide at the shore,
Our nation has been in a state
Of constant ebb and flow
How would we taste success when tremble our hearts standing before people
Forgetful of the standing, the length whereof is fifty thousand years?

Have forgotten you and I
What consumed us after Muhammad
As what consumed the people of old,
Those of ‘Aad, Thamud, and Madayn?

And now has fallen upon the earth due to our very misdeeds
The calamity that witnessed Lut
Scream now and fall to weeping
Indeed we have all been miscreants since passed away my beloved
Peace and blessings be upon him.

I urge you therefore my dearest brothers and sisters
to repent for the past and begin life anew
a life of sincerity, devotion, and fearless calling
to the path of the Most High, as did the one nearest to Him
Peace and blessings be upon him

“Say, (O Muhammad, to mankind):
If ye love Allah, follow me; Allah will love you and forgive you your sins.
Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.” [The Noble Qur’an 3:31]

[Image Credits: http://mohamed.navajo.cz/]

Homesick

In the Name of Allah Most Kind Most Merciful

Between pillars tall, stands a me unknown
Gazing at the fountain (steps away), a tear leaves the eye,
Clearing dust (on mosaic beneath)

Creak open doors far yonder
Fields of lush green, fruits in colours citrus
As glides a me unknown
Meandering with the river, the wind in my face
Dives like a kingfisher and soars out (through rays of early sunlight)

I dream of stars and miles in endless space
Planets in orbit, stardust, and light
Meteors and comets speeding from space to earth ablaze
Causing formations, a pleasure to the worthy eye

Life, will end now or then, and shall creak open the doors far yonder
Doors to ultimate bliss, and lay I intoxicated
In the kingdom of my Beloved
The shuttering of pigeon wings at my windowsill
They too flew away, and so shall you upon burying me in my grave
The rainbow is in my garden far yonder, I dream of endless gain

The day come my Lord when You reveal to this poor man the secrets which lie with You
“No soul knoweth what is kept hid for them of joy, as a reward for what they used to do.” (Qur’aan 32:17)
When You teach Him that which You taught those nearest to You
My fore is in Your hands my Lord, You take life whenever You will,
Allow me to die as one whom You are well pleased with.
Someone to welcome me home…
Ah! Who better a host than Ar-Rahman?

One

O Allah

In the darkest moments,

Your light shines inside of me

In the coldest of nights

Your warmth fills inside of me

Would the day come...

When in hunger or thirst

Your remembrance would satiate me?

"The (only) Creator of the heavens and the earth! You are my Walî (Protector, Helper, Supporter, Guardian, etc.) in this world and in the Hereafter, cause me to die as a Muslim (the one submitting to Your Will), and join me with the righteous." [The Noble Qur'an 12:101]

[Image Source:Unknown]