Poetry
Surely there is much wisdom found in poetry
- Muhammad 
In Praise of the Prophet
A Ghazel by Prof. Haroun Mustapha Leon, M.A., Ph.D., F.S.P.
[from the 'Islamic Review vol. 3 1915']
So long as the heart doth pulsate and beat,
So long as the sun bestows light and heat,
So long as the blood thro' our veins doth flow,
So long as the mind in knowledge doth grow,
So long as the tongue retains power of speech,
So long as wise men true wisdom do teach,
The praise of God's prophet, Ahmed the best,
Shall flow from our lips and spring from our breast.
'Twas Rosul-Allah from darkness of night
Did lead us to Truth, did give to us Light,
Did point out the path, which follow'd with zest,
Leadeth to Islam and gives Peace and Rest.
Praise be to Allah! 'Twas He who did send
Ahmed Muhammed, our Prophet, our Friend.
In the Lucidity of a Solemn Silence
by Hisham Mahmoud
In the lucidity of a solemn silence
The night overtook those who transgressed.
Nations we conquered and others we built
As shelters for masses oppressed
Our hearts resounded with a hungry pulse
To make real what was already instilled;
And then His Will became our own
Potentiality, sought and fulfilled.
Souls that were owned by the Owner of all
Yearned to disrobe their outer attire.
Where martyrs lay sleep on the mattress of war
Haunted no more by the nightmare of fire
As 'Umar lay snoozing in the shade of a tree
The Crown of Persia was swept.
Then one of her leaders addressed you and said,
"With justice you ruled and safely you slept."
"Lie down and roll over, "O dog of Rome!"
Wrote Mu'tasim once upon a time,
In defense of your sister who called out his name-
An army prepared to punish the crime.
That was a time when men were men,
Who lived solely to die in battle
What moves you, then, but food, drink, and sleep'
(So much in common with sheep and cattle!)
Now do you hear the screams of torture
A six year old boy sent to the slaughter
Have you not seen twenty three soldiers
Each take a turn with Abdullah's daughter
Bosnia, Kashmir, Kosova, Iraq-
Meaningless slogans, "Injustice must stop!"
A billion sleepers, the dormant giant-
Til when shall the Muslims be so compliant?
Heads that prostrate to Him, the Most High
Now, by the sword, they are chopped,
While you snore in your slumber, comfy and snug,
Rock-a-bye baby on the tree top.
One more is killed, another is raped-
The Ummah drowns into a panic.
Yet only one wall divides you from them-
That great blue wall, the Atlantic
Each wave splashes forth with news of sorrow
Upon rocks as hard as your hearts.
Where death becomes life and life becomes death,
Where the dead from the living depart.
How will you fare when that Day seizes all,
As, now, you refuse to do what you can
Then be not suprised when you look down and see
The blood of Muslims on your two hands.
Bosnian Victims
By Margaret O'Beirne
Poem about the Bosnian Conflict
Two young women shield their faces;
children again, they block out the
bogey- man as the corpses of their
men are unloaded.
On make-shift beds faces are set in pain;
burly men, now passive, view their stumps
with the wrung grimace of defeat.
Toddlers encircled in a mother's arms with
eyes that have seen not pretty things,
await some nameless horror.
A little girl, a slide in her hair,
sitting on a kerb, puckers her brow
to puzzle out why being a Muslim
means she has to leave Banja Luka.
The voyage Home
Hashim bin Ambia
For too long, we have been adrift on the open sea.
Far, far away from home.
Unprepared, we are humiliated by these storms.
Our small boat, sails broken, a victim to the winds
Cross currents, too strong for our thin arms.
Waves, soaring higher than our humble hope.
Our heads, bowed even before defeat.
Our damning eyes, avoiding one anothers'
Our souls, as wild and sometimes as lonely as the open sea.
Let us cease to curse nature.
Abusing our lips, with one anothers' names.
Let us mend this broken boat,
this broken sail,
this broken soul.
Let us harness the wind.
Make use of the currents.
With faith and sweat, set sail to our land of the Qur'an and Sunnah.
Amidst this storm, let us begin the voyage home.
al Burda
By Imam al Busiri
Translated by Thoraya Mahdi Allam
Reproduced here are verses 34 to 42 from Part 3 in praise of the Holy Prophet.
Muhammad, leader of the two worlds
and of Man and the jinn,
Leader also of the Arabs and
non Arabs and their kin.
Our Prophet, Commander of right,
prohibits evil's way,
Yet no one's speech more gentle could be
than his nay or yea.
Beloved by Allah is he upon
whose pleading we depend
From terrors of the Day of Judgement,
which on us descend.
He summoned people unto Allah,
they to him did adhere,
And clung fast to the rope that none
could ever rent or tear.
In morals and features
he, all prophets did exceed,
None could approach his knowledge,
or his bounty e'er precede.
And thus from Allah's Apostle
they acquired and did gain,
A handful of the vast sea
or a sip of gen'rous rain.
So other prophets in their rightful place
before him stand,
Regarding knowledge and the wisdom
that they understand.
He perfect is in traits concealed,
and features bright and clear,
And Man's Creator chose him
as His most beloved and dear.
Too far above all men is he
to have a partner who
Has equal qualities, because
the essence of virtue
That in him lies is indivisible,
and wholly true.
The Choice is Yours!
By Allama Iqbal
If the kings know not their Sustainer they are beggars,
And if the beggars do they are Darius and Jamshed*;
Freedom of the heart is sovereignity; stomach is death,
The choice is yours; heart or stomach?
[*Jamshed is another name for Alexander the Great]
Sabra/Shatilla: In Sorrow
By Sam Hamod
It is nothing, the blood
red into stony ground nothing, we can say
nothing, the flares red and white, blue, nothing
against black sky, faces flur, nothing
sharp rope cuts into wrists, it is
nothing, slash of knife on throat, knowing
nothing, phalance, israeli, we hear phalance not spoken
it is in the face, frangiah, gemeyal, it is
nothing, mustche moves,
nothing, these words
nothing, thunk of bazookas, crunch
of bone, nothing, it is nothing, the
children run hiding uner the bed
like play, the man comes in
they say nothing, he laughs, tells them
they'll be safe, nothing, no sound, he
shouts, "Come out" nothing
he lifts the bed
their big eyes open
he laughs
his Uzi sputters
they are nothing
their flesh nothing
it is nothing
do not worry, they are
nothing it is
nothing, do not worry, nothing
has happened
nothing, it is nothing, say it is nothing --
be peaceful brothers and sisters and do not run away
we are all Arabs we will do nothing it is nothing we do nothing
it is nothing it didn't happen if it did it is nothing
oh, it is nothing
nothing at all
and now, say it and believe it, it is nothing
nothing nothing
Oh Allah, nothing.
Be Not Grieved
a ghazal of Hafiz
Joseph who was lost will come back again to Canaan; be not grieved.
One day the hut of sorrows will become a rose garden; be not grieved.
This saddened heart will change its state (for the better); do not make thy heart bad.
And this frenzied head will settle down again; be not grieved.
If the Springtime of Life will be back again on the garden’s throne,
thou wilt pull a canopy of roses over thy head; O sweetly singing bird, be not grieved.
O heart, if the torrent of troubles engulfs the foundation of existence,
when thou hast Noah for a captain, from the storm be not grieved.
If one day the spinning wheel (of fortune) did not run according to my wishes,
the state of revolving will not always be the same; be not grieved.
Come, do not despair when thou art not aware of the secret of the Unseen;
behind the veil there be hidden plays; be not grieved.
If thou wouldst walk in the desert with the desire of reaching the Ka‘bah,
if the thorn of the acacia hurts thee, be not grieved.
Though the stage of the journey be quite perilous, and the goal so far away,
there is no path that does not have an end; be not grieved.
My state is in the separation of souls and the persistence of the antagonist.
The Lord of the revolving state knows all; be not grieved.
Hâfiz, in the corner of spiritual poverty and the seclusion of the dark nights,
as long as thou art saying prayers and dhikr and studying the Qur’ân, be not grieved.
In loving memory of Khubayb
Hassan ibn Thabit
(This poem in loving memory of Khubayb, is reputedly composed
by the
Muslim poet Hassan ibn Thabit, and is hailed in Arabic literature as
a masterpiece. The charm of the original language and its lilt is
impossible to convey in translation)
The enemy allies have converged on me,
incited their clansmen to muster strength;
They've invited their women and children to see,
and tied me to a solid trunk.
To Allah I complain of my loneliness and suffering;
Of enemies who surround me to rejoice at my death.
O Master of the Mighty Throne, grant me strength ,
To bear what they are doing to me;
Piercing my flesh and tearing my limbs.
They gave me a choice to turn away from Thee,
But death is preferrable to that;
That very thought of which brings tears to my eyes,
Not the pain they inflict on me.
I am not afraid of death, for some day everyone has to die;
But I shudder out of fear for the fire of Hell,
for the fury of its flames.
These limbs of mine are a sacrifice for Allah,
Hoping He'll bless every limb offered in His way.
So long I die a Muslim, I don't regret a thing,
For My death will occur in Allah's way.
[At every piercing stab of their sharp spears he chanted:
La-ilaha-illal-aa Muhamma-dararasul-lah,
until his noble soul fled from his body in search of his Lord,
to complain of the tyranny of his tormentors]
Silent Eyes
Haroon Zantia
Wild newborn,
Eyelids gently open,
Delight,
On meeting life,
Visions of youth followed by maturity,
Witness to sin & transgression,
Incorrect half-hearted worship,
Feebleness in old age.
Despair,
A lifetime of enjoyment,
Moment of Death,
Eyes wide open,
Following the departing being,
Waiting for the Day of Resurrection,
Silently,
The chance to provide witness,
Against a wicked soul.
The Submission
Muhammad [Allama] Iqbal
Service and toil is the way of life to camel,
Patience and perseverance is the trait of camel,
Noiselessly his path he treads,
He moves in desert like a ship in fleet.
Every thicket has the trace of his feet,
He eats less, sleeps little and works hard indeed.
To carry his rider he is pleased,
Towards the destination he silently treads.
He is gratified with his speed,
And is more patient than his rider indeed.
You too, with all seriousness, your duty face,
That you may earn in hereafter, the best place.(1)
Be thou obedient O, heedless one,
Self-discipline will make you the powerful one.
Worthless person by self-discipline become the worthy one,
Fire, when goes out of control turned to ashes and undone,
Who so want to conquer the sun and the stars,
First, must bind himself to the Natural Laws.
Air imprisoned in roses become perfumed,
Perfume turns to musk when confined to navel musk-dear.
Stars ever moving towards their destination too,
Because they are bound to the same, Natural rules.
Vegetables growth obey the same rule,
When they stray are trodden under the boots.
The Tulip burn red according to the same rule,
And blood runs in its veins confirms it too.
Drops of water drawn together become a sea,
And grains of sand come together to form a desert.
Every existence draws its strength from this law,
O, heedless, why don't you see this source of power?
O, you, who have abandoned the old constitutional frame,
Once again adorn your feet with same old silver chain.
Complain not the hardness of the laws,
Transgress not the shari'ah bounds of Muhammad Mustafa.
Sincerity
Anonymous
Learn to call on Allah,
In the dark,
While Riding on a bus,
Or sitting in a park
Learn to do it when,
Alone in a room,
Or staying up late,
Staring at the moon
And if someone boasts about,
What he did for Allah,
And asks you to tell him,
What you did for Allah
Just Say, "Why should I tell you"
If I did it for Allah?"
My Greatest Need is You
Rabi'ah al-Adawiyya
Your hope in my heart is the rarest treasure
Your Name on my tongue is the sweetest word
My choicest hours
Are the hours I spend with You -
O Allah, I can't live in this world
Without remembering You -
How can I endure the next world
Without seeing Your face?
I am a stranger in Your country
And lonely among Your worshippers:
This is the substance of my complaint.
Awakening
Amjid Yaseen
I sail to you in the ocean of my dreams
To a far away distant place
Of great beauty and tranquility
Where pain and suffering do not exist,
Where we give praise for our joy and happiness,
Where our love intertwines with a love for all things
O beloved keeper of my heart
The companion of my soul
You have reached out and touched the essence of my being
And shown me the way to a higher plane
Your love has awakened me from my years of slumber
A beckoning call to the spiritual world
Where my body is mist in the mountains
This is where my heart belongs
This is where my soul lives...
AlMighty
By Abu Bakr Ahmad al Haroun
Grant me authority.
My craft is to travel on the sea light
Do not amend my attention to others, but You,
My head, brain and acumen
Shall be acquiescent to You.
I pray to you.
I shall not desire depending upon the will of another.
Where doubtful and uncertainty
You are Compassionate.
I pray to You.
I have no accusation but am grateful to You.
Me and my life, the gifts You Manifest.
I pray to You.
Remember Just Remember
By Anonymous
When things are down
And you are out of your mind
Remember just remember
Allah is The Kind.
When your life is in darkness
And nothing is right
Remember just remember
Through the darkness Allah is The Light.
When nothing makes sense
And your heading for demise
Remember just remember
It doesn't make sense, but Allah is The Wise.
When times are troubled
And no one seems to care
Remember just remember
Allah won't hurt you, He is The Fair.
When your heart is breaking
And your pain makes you fall
Remember just remember
Allah Sees it all.
When you are weak
And the road seems long
Remember just remember
Seek strength from The Strong.
When life is a burden
And everything is unstable
Remember just remember
Allah is The Able.
When the way is cloudy
And there is no one by your side
Remember just remember
Allah is The Only Guide.
When no one wants to listen
Or is willing to lend an ear
Remember just remember
Allah is always ready to hear.
When you are poor and penniless
And you are stuck in a niche
Remember just remember
Allah is The Rich.
When you are down in your misery
And there is nowhere to run
Remember just remember
You can always run to The One.
When your all alone
And your pain has no end
Remember just remember
Allah is your Friend.
And when your scars are hurting
And your heart is in fear
Remember just remember
Allah is really here.
Untitled
By Fadhlalla Haeri
We have to return
To our home,
Free of time and space
Away from constant change,
Life’s dash
And the permanent race
With glitter,
Sparkle and glow.
To yield and accept
Life’s ebb and flow
The heart must rest,
Content,
At peace
Beyond the cosmic space
In lands dominion
In the abode of
Divine grace.
From where the seeds of life grew
Many many creations
All to some enlightened few
Troubled Soul
By Hassan Radwan
When anxieties trouble my soul
and the night is heavy with sorrow
I look up to the heavens
where the angels hover amongst the stars,
I feel a gentle embrace so sweet and soft
Calming my mind
and healing my soul
Filling me full of peace and love
"Oh you whose throne enfolds the heavens and earth"
"Envelop me in your mercy and bring me back to your presence"
"To walk again in tranquil gardens"
"Wherein is neither suffering nor sickness"
"Nor pain nor misery"
The sky looks so perfect and beautiful
The stars shimmer while the Moon silently looks down
The air is fresh and clear,
Reviving my spirit and giving me hope
Can I believe that the dawn will bring
the answer to my prayers?
And the world will be a different place?
The love of the Beloved
By ibn al Qayyim al Jawziyah
The love of the Beloved
must be unconditionally returned.
If you claim love
yet oppose the Beloved,
then your love is but a pretence.
You love the enemies of your Beloved
and still seek love in return.
You fight the beloved of your Beloved.
Is this Love or the following of shaitan?
True devotion is nothing
but total submission
of body and soul
to One Love.
We have seen humans claim to submit,
yet their loyalties are many.
They put their trust here, and their hope there,
and their love is without consequence.
Should I not be grateful
By Anonymous
I have a nose with which I smell
the perfume of sweet flowers
My hand could never make such beauty
with a brush I but copy their delicate lines
I have two eyes with which I see
the marvels that surround me
I am powerless to even make a fly
why then do I destroy?
I have two hands with which I do
all within my power
To help, to search, to find my way
with them
I send out deeds that one day will confront me
I have two feet with which I walk
to traverse this aging earth
that bears my footprints
and the echo of my voice
I seem so small
the glorious sky
towers over me
a canopy fixed for a certain time
My very fingertips contain a miracle
of creation, of life
something that was given to me alone
a trust to yet be answered for
I turn my hand
all that it finds
does not belong to me
I've been assigned to care for it
and raise the word of truth
truth emanating from the One
Who gave me all I have
Should I not then be grateful?
A poem of the soul
Imam abu Hamid al Ghazzali
..Much I have strained to make my soul obey,
But for whose sin I had not gone astray;
When I would be obedient, it was faint
And showed a strange distaste and unrestraint.
I wrestled with my soul as with a foe,
It bidding me to err, I saying no;
We were as ancient enemies at large.
I put on patience, to withstand its charge;
With troops of tempting it came forth to fight -
What patience could withstand such reckless might? -
Which gave it courage when its courage quailed,
And reinforcement when its forces failed.
Now I succeed, now it, in the affray;
Yet, when we meet, it ever wins the day.
I love it well, but it opposes me
As if I held it not in amity;
It is an enemy I cannot hate,
A memory I can ne'er obliterate.
Blindly it swims upon its sinful sea,
Clutching the hems of its iniquity;
I greatly fear, it it doth still rebel,
Its ruin in this life and, after, Hell!
Wherefore, O Lord, bring its repentance near
And wash away its sins in founts of fear.
If Thou, my God, its chastener shoudst be,
O whither shall it look for clemency?
Be Gracious then, and all its sins forgive;
Thou art its Lord, for through Thee it doth live.
A poem by Rumi - 'Mathnawi'
Jalaluddin Rumi
Sometimes in order to help He makes us cry.
Happy the eye that sheds tears for His sake.
Fortunate the heart that burns for His sake.
Laughter always follows tears.
Blessed are those who understand.
Life blossoms wherever water flows.
Where tears are shed divine mercy is shown.
Untitled
Fadhlalla Haeri
The morning breeze
Soft, gentle and moist
Caresses the cactus
With it’s spikes and thorns.
Gently, like mother life
Covers the living and the dead.
Always now
Extending into the future.
Inventing, destroying
So that life appears in ebbs and flows
Yet all is suspended
In life’s glow
From one Divine source
Forever contained
Always maintained
By Allah’s love sustained.
Ghazal 945
Jalaluddin Rumi
A voice out of this world
calls on our souls
not to wait any more
get ready to move
to the original home
your real home
your real birth place
is up here with the heavens
let your soul take a flight
like a happy phoenix
you've been tied up
your feet in the mud
your body roped to a log
break loose your ties
get ready for the final flight
make your last journey
from this strange world
soar for the heights
where there is no more
separation of you and your home
God has created
your wings not to be dormant
as long as you are alive
you must try more and more
to use your wings to show you're alive
these wings of yours
are filled with quests and hopes
if they are not used
they will wither away
they will soon decay
you may not like
what I'm going to tell you
you are stuck
now you must seek
nothing but the source.
Poetry
The enemy allies have converged on me,
You too, with all seriousness, your duty face,