r h y m e s

        Latest statistics put the world Muslim population at around 1.5 billion. Can you imagine that? 1.5 billion Muslims walking the planet, 1.5 billion smaller worlds in this one. 1.5 billion different stories, every one an epic, full of tragedy and triumph, good and evil, despair and hope. How many different perspectives are out there, variations in color and language and philosophy, and we're all bonded by this deen, we are all Ahlul Qiblah. We all turn to Makkah in submission to Allah, but we all turn to that city from a different direction. I think this is why I have such a deep appreciation for poetry. It allows you to see what this struggle is like from someone else's mind. Here are some that I like :)

         

        Still

        Haroon Sellars

        Still I fail to medicate myself

        Still I continue to devastate myself

        By doing what I know to be a sin

        Have I been given a guarantee that in the end

        I will win?

        Just because I’m still alive and have an easy living

        Doesn’t mean that I’ve been forgiven.

        Yes I’m still alive, but how can I expect to survive

        Life in the displeasure of Allah!?

        I say I “love Allah”, but does Allah love me?

        Let’s see, just how real is this so-called

        “Spirituality” that you profess to possess

        But when you’re alone you digress and don’t confess!

        Thought that you could fool ‘em with that beard

        And that hijab

        Not realizing that at your own heart you have

        Taken the deepest stab.

        Thought that you could fool them with that thaub

        And veil over your face!

        How dumb you must have looked in front of the One

        Who’s knowledge, hearing and sight penetrate every place!

        Why do you feel so secure that Allah is going to forgive you

        Everytime?

        Do you really feel secure as you drive home from

        The scene of your crime?

        How do you know the wrath and punishment of Allah

        Isn’t waiting for you around the corner?

        Don’t you know that the Angel of Death strikes without

        A warner?!

        How long do I think I have to make things right?

        By Allah! If I knew the reality of my sins,

        I couldn’t sleep at night!

        Afraid of closing my eyes from fear

        Of dying in my sleep!

        Only to wake up in a grave so dark, lonely and deep!

        -Who’s your Lord? my own desires...

        -Who’s your Prophet? my own desires...

        -What’s your religion? following my own desires...

        -Well welcome to the Fire! -Welcome to the fire!!

        What an awful place to retire!

         

         
        Without Reason

        Muqtedar Khan

        Somewhere, in the vast expanse of our mind

        Is the clue to the secret of the never ending life

        Somewhere in the depths of our soul, We will find

        Some empathy with death and a meaning in life.

         

        Somewhere in this vast desert that is life

        Beyond the agony of recurring mirages

        Is the oasis of hope and the spring of life

        Quiet and serene, uninhabited for ages

         

        On the plains and on the mountains in the valleys and the deserts

        The silence of wisdom has ruled forever

        Banished from the homes, the cities, and the nations

        Overcome by the screams of greed and power.

         

        The truth that was ours, is now alien to us

        Upset with our vision and our refusal to reason

        It lives in exile, within us and without

        Watching in fear as we live without reason.




        Ahad

        author unknown

        Why shed these tears of sorrow?

        Why shed these tears of grief?

        Ya nafsy how soon you forget,

        After trials come sweet relief


        Why turn you from Ar-Rahman?

        Why yearn for a listening friend?

        Ya nafsy, do you not remember,

        On ALLAH, you must depend?


        Read you not those stories,

        of the trials in days gone by,

        Of the Sahabi beloved by Allah,

        who for Allah's cause did strive?


        Why loosen your hold upon him?

        Why fling away, His outstretched Hand?

        Ya nafsy, do you not remember,

        Bilal's sabr on the blazing sand?


               "Ahad! Ahad!" He cried,

                While his flesh did drip and burn.

               "Ahad! Ahad!" He cried,

                To Allah alone he turned.


        Forget you the firmness of Hamza,

        As the gleaming swords did fall?

        With Sabr he turned to Allah,

        as the qureish did slice and maul.


        Why drown in salty tear drops?

        How can you dare compare your pain?

        To that of Yasir and Summayah,

        As the lay tortured on the scorching plain?


        Forget you the charring of Khabbab,

        As on burning coals he lay?

        Ya nafsy how meager your suffering,

        Wherefore do you lose your way?


        Why befriend you not Al-Wali?

        Why not in Salat to Him complain?

        Like Job who only to Allah,

        Turned in all his grief and pain?

        Forget you that trials in this life,

        cleanse your heart and make it clean?

        Ya nafsy, why all this sadness?

        do you not wish your heart to gleam?


        Be patient in all your hardships,

        Allah hears your cries of woe.

        So trust Him and His hikma,

        for He knows best and you don't know.


        So tighten your hold upon him,

        Lest He withdraw His outstretched Hand!

        And remember the example of Bilal,

        as he lay anchored on the blazing sand.


                "Ahad! Ahad!" he cried,

                While his flesh did drip and burn.

                "Ahad! Ahad!" he cried,

                To Allah alone he turned.




        The Promise

        author unknown

        There's a promise in our sorrow

        and a blessing when we sigh.

        There's a light beyond the shadows

        and a cleansing when we cry


        So when we are discouraged,

        and face tremendous grief;

        it is during those times of trouble,

        that the heavens send relief.


        With our heart in tune with Allah

        our source of joy and peace,

        be mindful of His promise,

        that all suffering He would cease


        He hears our cries of sadness

        He's felt our every pain,

        He's listens to our sighness

        All glory to His name


        Just yaqeen with HIS promise

        As He whispers to be still,

        for there is joy and comfort

        Beyond the unexpected veil


        So if the sky should darken

        and if the earth should quake

        remember life has struggles

        On the journey that we take


        The aftermath of sorrow

        is beauty and pure light,

        if we can fight the battle

        and pray with soul and might.


        He sent us rainbow colors

        to follow cleansing rain,

        He showed us there are miracles

        that come with all the pain.


        Seek forbearance in the hardships,

        or when we fear or roam.

        Cast your burdens on the Savior,

        and He'll come and take us home.


        For He is our great Redeemer

        our only true best friend,

        He promised he would never leave

        He'll guide us to the end




        Masterpiece

        shazia ahmad

        If I could paint a portrait

        of this life in which I've led

        and somehow sketch a story

        of the visions in my head

        I'd start out with a canvas

        stretched tightly in a frame

        and in the bottom corner

        I'd leave room to sign my name


        I'd buy myself some pretty paints

        made of the finest dyes

        carefully choose my brushes

        and other art supplies

        I wouldn't need a model

        to pose and play a part

        I'd paint for you a picture

        of what lies within my heart


        I'd stain the backdrop all in black

        to hide a distant past

        cover up the broken dreams

        that were not meant to last

        and then I'd add some shades of white

        then splash it all in gold

        I'd marvel at this painting

        this masterpiece foretold


        but in this soulful picture

        you would see some shades of gray

        some imperfect hint of shadow

        which would never go away

        they lie within the darkness

        of the corners in my mind

        stashed away in dark recesses

        that times of sin have left behind


        if I could paint a portrait

        of this life in which I've led

        and somehow sketch a story

        of the visions in my head

        Islam would be a rushing river

        where I wash away my fears

        an ever constant flowing

        which cleanse me from my tears


        I'd outline a horizon

        where the mountains touch the sky

        beyond the range of yesterdays

        where the past's been left to die

        I'd paint the past with sad regret

        those times of wild youth

        drowned in sin and lost in black

        now emerging to the truth


        I'd paint for you the setting sun

        of wasted years left behind

        now fading from my senseless life

        to clear a shrouded mind

        those times of constant searching

        for a single ray of light

        that I could hold before me

        to guide me through the night


        and then I'd place the flowers

        scattered in a deep green field

        each a different color

        their meaning not concealed

        each bloom would stand for triumphs

        all the struggles in my thought

        sprung up from all the fissures

        from the battles which I fought


        there's a highlight in this portrait

        the inspiring shades of white

        the texture and perspective

        that reflect the rays of light

        Islam is what brings color

        in this picture I display

        if it were not present here

        it would all just fade to gray


        yeah if I could paint a portrait

        of this life in which I've led

        and somehow sketch a story

        of the visions in my head

        beneath the color and the hue

        the times of hope and times of strife

        beneath it all, if you look close

        Islam is what brings beauty to my life.




        This life is a bridge

        Abul Arifin Syed

        *Alhumdulillah!*


        Every son of Adam

        makes typos,

        and the best of those

        are the ones who are quickest

        with the "backspace" button.


        Remove your glasses and your wristwatch

        when you enter prayer.


        Your Sajdah is above time, beyond space:


        "Artists construct a body of work."


        Find Creation in the bridge of your nose,

        lay the bridge on the ground as commanded.


        Cross the bridge at the end of Salah,

        looking both ways before crossing -

        first right, then left -

        and DON'T cross the bridge

        on Red.

        The Red is The Fire.

        Cross on Green - that is The Garden (your home)


        And if you look and find the light is Amber,

        Run!!


        (This life is a bridge; make on it no home)


        *Alhumdulillah!*




        Give Me Your Help

        shazia ahmad

        Give me your help Allah. . . to live this one day

        One knot to unravel, one problem to weigh

        One path to discover, and choose the right turn

        One worry to conquer, one lesson to learn

         

        One moment of gladness to overcome pain

        One glimpse of the sunlight, one touch of the rain

        No one can see what is coming tomorrow

        Nor tell if this hour will bring laughter or sorrow

         

        So I will turn to your love, and with perfect trust say:

        'Give me your help, Allah . . . to live this one day'

         

         

        When?

        Haroon Sellars

        When will you stop killing yourself

        with sin!?

        Soon you will wear

        a twisted grin

        Distorted and mutilated from being burnt

        in a Fire Extreme!

        With multiple layers and names

        like Jaheem!

        A beating heart

        that’s dead!

        Pumping satanic blood from your toes

        to your head

        Parasitic sins and lusts have found

        a generous host in you!

        Tainting and consuming

        everything that you do

        Losing the battle

        by losing your Lord

        Regretting all the time that passed

        with this problem ignored

        Left all alone with you, yourself

        and death approaching!

        Couldn’t you find a single righteous one

        to give you some coaching?

        To take you along by the hand

        and by the soul

        And help you on the path

        to achieving the True Goal

        Of purification, refinement, closeness

        and beauty!

        Of victorious submission and fulfillment

        of your duty,

        To worship Allah alone

        without the slightest compromise

        Longing for the Great Vision

        the true satiation of the eyes!!!

        How will you be when your soul is taken

        from it’s bodily shell?

        Will you be left with a smile from Paradise

        or an expression from Hell!?

        Unmindful of Allah, how did you think

        you could survive?

        When He has described the ones who remember Him

        as truly being ALIVE




        Response to the Hebron Massacre

        Mohja Kahf

        When you raise a date to your mouth at maghreb,

        does it come up blood?

        does it come up blood from fajr from Khalil?

        does it come up blood from the throats of the murdered in Khalil?

        Mine does


        When you raise your hands to fold across your chest for maghreb in the mosque,

        do they come up bloody from fajr prayer in a mosque?

        do they come up bloody from the chests of young men in Palestine?

        Mine do



        When you stretch your arm to reach a canned good in the market

        does it come up a pulpy stump of tangled tissue?

        does it come up redslime from the arms of those in Sarajevo?

        Mine does



        When your children jump and play together on the street corner

        just outside your window where you can keep an eye on them

        do their little bodies come up blood?

        from the little bodies of Haris and Aliya?

        Mine do



        Mine do for I am Palestinian

        Mine do for I am Bosnian

        Mine do for I am Muslim

        Mine do for I am your Ummah

        How long will it be before my Ummah finds a way to stop the blood

        from bubbling up between lips trying to speak the Fatiha?



        I am your Ummah and I don't just want your spare change

        or your old clothes

        I am your Ummah and I don't just want thirty seconds

        of your thought after your dinner and your coffee

        I am your Ummah and I don't Just want ninety minutes of your weekend

        I am your Ummah and I want your whole mind

        I am your Ummah and I want your entire workday

        and your exhausting night

        I am your Ummah and I want your degree and travel

        and all your energies

        I am your Ummah and I want you to give your children to me

        I am your Ummah and I want your hunger and your muscle tissue

        and your bone and blood



        Rebuild me

        Raise me to Justice again

        Raise me to truth and to compassion

        Find a way to stop the blood from spurting up between the lips

        of those shot at fajr prayer in the mosque,

        who broke their fast on blood

        still trying to form the words Subhana Rabiyal Athim




        Forgotten Men

        al basha

        There was a time, long ago

        When honor, justice and chivalry

        Roamed the earth, in the hearts of men

        Bidding you peace and prosperity

        Aiding you in dire times

        When brotherhood was

        Sworn by your heart

        Not by your VISA

        Beloved our Prophet was

        Perilous tasks undertaken

        From the persecution in Makkah

        To the Muslims of Madina

        Mercy to mankind he was

        Forget me nots

        Nay what a shame

        Tis we, are who to blame

        They come and go

        High and low

        These forgotten men are everywhere

        In times of ours they are rare




        Pious Shudder

        Ali abu Talib son of AbdunNur

        Contemplating The Owner And Creator Of This Star Lit Night,

        Her submitted, totally committed soul shudders with a kind of fright

        That’s clothed in pious, God-conscious wisdom.

        Then comes The Dawn. And the transcendental freedom

        Of the contemplative night is shackled by routine.

        The Muathin of Satan calls the faithless to his deen.

        And for the whole day they worship at the altar of the dollar bill.

        Led by greed, The great Imam of Materialism, they fulfill

        Their religious duty; bowing and prostrating in the direction of Fort Knox

        Until it’s Miller Time, or on their day of Jummah’; Party Time.

        Then they hold their week end eid amidst the neon slime;

        Or adoring the one-eyed idol or some other Great Satanic diversion.

        But for her, the sound of Satan’s Muathin is obliterated by:

        Allahu Akbar! Allahu Akbar!

        Allaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahu Akbar!

        Allaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahu Akbar!

        And that one shudder during the night’s contemplative scene,

        Is worth more to her than all their pay checks, credit cards, and illegally tenderized green.




        A Cry For Our Ummah

        anonymous

        Here's to a brother, once one of us

        He kept to the faith, good and pious

        But where is he now? oh Allah, I beseech

        He's out Friday Night doing drugs on the streets


        Did you see it coming, did any of you know?

        If you did, did you help him those few years ago?

        Now his life is meaningless and bleak

        Once a strong brother, now he is weak


        Here's to our sister, once righteous and pure

        She prayed and she fasted, her Deen was for sure

        Now, at eighteen, she's no longer chaste

        Her innocent spirit, all gone to waste


        God gave us all eyes for us to see

        Yet we each still claim "it will never be me"

        And these two from our Ummah once claimed that too

        So..My Sisters, My brothers,

        It could always be you.




        Love your Brother? Love your Sister?

        al basha

        The time has come to ask the self

        A question out of sincerity

        To ponder from the depths of the soul

        And the chasms of the mind

        Whether there is a place in the heart

        For your brothers and sisters in Islam

        Does it pain you to see them?

        CRY!

        DIE!

        Laying awake at night

        Praying to Allah

        For their protection

        For their salvation

        For the Muslims to unite

        Out of the mist of confusion and fright

        Comes clear the question

        Love your brother?

        Love your sister?

         

         

        The Mulla

        Abul Arifin Syed

        Mullas in Pakistan used to sell

        themselves as pious men - say "hell

        for you, and heaven for you!" But

        that's not the most unfortunate

        thing. The unfortunate thing is

        now average people dislike things

        Islamic. Now, wearing a Beard

        is "Mullish", dhikr is "Mullish" -

        saying the Shahada is weird.

        Just strive for Allah - "you're foolish!"


        We are mirrors for each other,

        So we are each other, brother.

        Candy is dandy,

        but dhikr is quicker.


        You hate me to distract your eyes,

        When a sura I memorise.

        But Allah is with the patient,

        and not with the couch potato.


        And when you stare at the T.V. screen,

        You urge me to recite *Yaseen*.


        It is an irony,

        in my home,

        that the television

        is opposite the Qibla.

        You don't understand.

        Your back is to the Qibla

        when you watch television.

        And when you face the Qibla -

        the noblest of directions -

        your back is to the television.

        I wish Allah returns the Salaams

        you deny me in this world, my brother.

        I am not a "Mulla" as you think I am,

        someone who "uses religion"

        by whispering durud sharif

        to bug you,

        so you leave the apartment,

        and I get the plastic chair to sit on.

        I read durud sharif to solve the silence,

        of a brother who thinks I'm a "mulla",

        because I enjoy reciting out loud.

        I accept all your allegations. I am worse than you think! I am worse than a mulla! I am worse than you!


        And praise be to Allah, Who is above any imperfection, Who is the Source of Peace whether I live or die, whether I'm right or wrong.




        Jumu'ah!

        Haroon Sellars

        The blessed day of Jumu'ah!

        the BEST day upon which the sun rises!

        Full of blessings and surprises

        but only for the one that realizes

        The reality and the favor

        of the shahaadah

        A day to increase

        in our 'ibadah

        Gathering in humility and stillness

        no pushing and shoving

        Opening floodgates of Mercy and Love

        from the Most Loving

        Sending prayers of peace upon our Prophet,

        the Mercy to all creation

        Faces radiating with light

        from our excessive glorification!

        Coming together with our beloved

        brothers and sisters in the deen

        Wearing the best of our clothes

        not to show off or to be seen

        But to be pleasing to Allah

        and to increase in His praise

        To hear a reminder

        and ask for forgiveness for our ways

        Uncountable reward for the one who listens

        to the Imam and follows the best

        of what he says

        Surely this is the best of our weekly days!!




        To a Stranger

        Ash Shura

        As you gaze across to me

        Your searching eyes are questioning me

        'How is it you live?' You say

        'Do you trek a straight pathway?



        With Whom do you daily plead?

        Why this Book you always read?

        And the dress you women wear!

        Why this khimar upon your hair?



        In your palm is there some power?

        Why then supplicate each hour?

        What then, do you claim to share?

        For world justice do you care?



        Tell me! Speak what is right

        What then is your plight?'



        In Allah's Name I now begin

        'For Him, I do everything

        Dependent I am, so I pray

        Seeking Guidance night and day



        His Good Will I try to live

        To share my love and wealth I give

        My prayers for blessings never cease

        For all creatures, man and beast



        My coverings are His decree

        To help me grow in purity

        And my Qur'an fulfills a need

        It strengthens me and my belief



        And every human I embrace

        Extending peace to every race

        My path... Islam, is straight and pure

        For every sickness, there is a cure

        O stranger! Much talk you raise!

        Know this! To God is due our Praise!'

         

         

        KIB (Khawaga in Black)

        author's name withheld by request, 2/24/98

        [khawaga means stranger]

        KIB

        Protecting you from the worst scum of the IG

        Even Oasis gets near me

        The Abdul-Khaliq chem teacher gets wicked on you

        Answer back, or chew the fat

        That's all we can do to those rats

        Dressed in Outpost black

        Yeah it's all from the rack

        You can see me

        At the corner of Lasilky

        Getting into those cars of black

        Arguing with those men that lack

        Respect, men who live on cigarettes

        When it comes to money they all fret

        Cut the pleasantries

        All I need is some dignity

        I don't need their sympathy

        It's all about apathy

        Muslim, Coptic, Jew

        Makes no difference to me

        Family reeks with danger

        As if I am a stranger

        I have no home

        Like a travelling circus that lives to roam

        Living in houses of foam

        In spite of this we are together

        You and me

        We are the KIB

         

         

        Walking the Weeds of South Carolina

        author's name withheld by request

        When I stumbled upon the grass, and pushed away the weeds of my nafs,

        I found the fireflies flashing their beauteous glory,

        I stared, pondering the ever-emerging radiance

        from the darkness of a green lost land.

        Once and again

        I stared my lost youth in the face

        A hoping glance into my future

        When I looked up upon the star studded sky

        Through the magnificence of my experience in the forgotten forests

        I saw a land that my mind had forgotten

        Being taken to the heavens by our late night discourses.

        The light of purity is ineffable;

        Only moments spent polishing the heart can illumine the darkness within.

        Search for that light.

        We cannot hold it lest we be blinded; the sun is visible only through clouds.

        Learn to see the truth behind the clouds.

         

         

        Just Like That

        anonymous

        Sometimes I think about

        the moment of no doubt

        the fate that reached every

        tall short person

        thin be he, or stout

        when it came it just came

        just like that

        the intensity of the pain

        unconceivable by the brain

        they said it was like

        70 swords aimed to strike

        how can I bear that if

        only by a cut,

        my arm will get so stiff

        How will I act.....

        What will I say....

        I can't just run away

        from facing that day

        All I can do is Pray

        to Allah everyday

        in hope that he may

        make it a simple day

        I heard that some hallucinated

        and from the pain

        committed blasphemy

        now.... I really won't like

        that to happen to me

        at least because

        at that moment of pain

        I'll be under so much strain

        that caring about someone else

        would be the least

        Will I go to Janah

        what my soul always desired?

        or will I be sent

        directly to the hellfire?

        ........just like that

        My soul always tells me:

        "No, that won't happen to you....

        you are a pious man

        with a heart

        overflown with Iman

        Allah will spare you

        from the pain"....

        But how can that be true....

        When the Prophet sent to you

        better than you and him.....

        peace be upon him

        suffered these moments too

        .....just like that

        Or are you better than him?!?!?

        So my advice for you

        ......and for me too

        is to stick to The Book

        sent by The Creator of man

        (and every other thing)

        The Holy Quran

        and read a part daily,

        at least one chapter

        this insha Allah

        is good for the Hereafter

        not only reading....

        ....understanding too

        Quran and Sunnah...

        stick to these two

        Is it too hard

        to do that at once?

        Well,... and so is

        ... entering Paradise

        So DO IT........

        that is my advice...

        .....just like that

        and pray for the person

        who wrote this poem

        so he won't be punished

        ..... just like that

         

         

         

        Just Wait

        shazia ahmad

        You live your life in darkness

        we struggle towards the light

        we strive for purification of the heart

        you hide your sins under the shadow of night

        Behind your charming smile

        lies a heart darkened with sin

        behind that gleaming surface

        you're really dying within

        Your lust and greed consume you

        your lies and deception prevail

        but on that day, when you will be judged

        on that day you will be of those who fail

        Look at whats going on around you

        evil murder rape hypocricy sin

        you think you're gonna get away with it

        you may plot, but Allah always wins

        Your lies will be brought to light

        your deeds will be exposed to all

        you thought you were gonna live forever

        now we're gonna watch you fall

        On that day your heart will be examined

        your deeds exposed, all your joys, your strife

        by the one who created you and caused you to die

        He will be the one who will judge your life

        Your dark oppression, the pain you caused

        the pain and bloodshed you deny

        all that which you caused to suffer on earth

        will bear witness against you, all your lies

        Your shiny little world will be broken

        with the harsh reality of that which is true

        all that you have done and forgotten

        on that day you'll receive that which you are due

        You thought you'd turn into dust

        that life was just a game

        you forgot to think about your actions

        and now your excuses just sound lame

        We lived our lives struggling for good

        you lived your life in wrong and sin

        on that day we'll watch you lose

        on that day we will win

        We are the ones who strove for Allah

        Fisabilillah we've prayed and fought

        you think we'd let you do what you do

        not knowing you'd get caught?

        Live your life the way you do

        don't think or reflect at all

        I fulfilled my duty, told you truth

        now its on you, whether you pass or fail

        Be of the strangers, RasulAllah said

        this life is nothing but a test

        you think you're with the victorious

        but we are the successful, of the best

        This life is but goods and chattels of deception

        the true life is the world in the next

        and thats the life I'm preparing for

        may Allah keep me among the blessed.

         

         

        What Will the Date Be???

        anonymous

        What will the date be?

        Praised be He,

        who knows the future

        Lord of The worlds,

        Creator of every creature

         

        Did you sit down and think

        About the moment when

        your eyes will cease to blink

        yes, I am Talking to you

        sit down and do

        and do not pretend

        That it won't Happen to you

         

        What will the date be?

        What will be the time?

        And Most important...

        am I the next on line?

        Oh no you think...

        not Me....

        and even if it was... you say

        it won't be today....

        It will be At a time

         

        so far away...

        like a hundred years

        or maybe even more

        When Angel Izrael

        will be knocking at my door

        and the problem Is.

        you know that you know....

        That when death comes...

        it will Come like a blow

         

        I just can't believe

        maybe can't conceive

        that God knows the very second

        when my soul will come out of my body

        And the news will shock everybody

         

        So am I ready for the test?

        The Most important final test?

        But how can I pass

        when I knew all the While

        that when I didn't prepare

        for a test in school

        I got a letter in

        My mail

        a lousy F

        for Fail

        Exactly what I was expecting

        WHAT AM I EXPECTING??????!!!!

         

        Don't take God for granted

        Yes, He is Merciful

        His Punishment is also

        Painful

         

         

        Ya Allah!

        unknown author

        All praises are for you Allah, how I hope that you are there.

        For sinful though I know I am, your displeasure I can not bear.

        Never, till this moment, did I realize how much I've strayed.

        Never, till now, was I more conscious of all those times when I should have prayed.

        For sins are like heavy baggage, that one carries through Life, the airport.

        Why didn't I realize sooner, that Earth is but a place of sport ?

        Ya Allah! Forgive me. Save me from the fire of Hell.

        Forgive me as you did my parents, from Jan'ah though they fell.

        Ya Allah! Protect me. From myself for my soul is weak.

        Let me not falter ever, for Jan'ah is the abode I seek.

        Ya, Allah! Please help me. For I don't understand and thus, I fear.

        What happened to all those moments when I never doubted that you were near?

        My actions once were guided, by my faith which, once, was strong.

        Ya Allah! please guide me. What happened, what went wrong?

        Each footstep that I used to take, I took with you ever near my side.

        The Quran was my faithful companion, Rasoolallah my beloved guide.

        How I yearn for those bygone days Allah, for I know that the day comes near

        When we'll each receive our just rewards, and Truth will stand sparkling clear.

        Life is like a spider's web Allah. We get caught in its tricky snare

        So thoroughly are we disillusioned, time for salah we can not spare.

        I sit here and I wonder, Ya Allah! Why did I fall so low?

        What happened to my faith Allah? Where did my Iman go?

        In this earthly life of ours, so often does sin seem right.

        Falsehood seems to be the truth, as if days are confused with night.

        Man is an imperfect creature. And thus, Man shall always wrong.

        For the road to Jan'ah is rocky, and the journey seems awfully long.

        Ya Allah! Our creator, we are all just pieces of clay.

        Please help us with our steps in life, and let us not lose our way.

        All praises are for you Allah, I know that you are near.

        I know that you have read my heart, and my words I know you hear.

         

         

        My Shade

        Khadija Javed

        You wonder what my shade is,

        What it represents.

        Call me anything;

        An extremist, a fundamentalist,

        Anything you desire.

        I don't care.

        My shade is

        My protection

        from this evil world,

        from roaming eyes,

        from diseased hearts.

        Call me anything;

        Vain or

        Submissive.

        don't care.

        My shade is

        My Protection

        of my beauty,

        reserved for one

        special gift

        that God has given me;

        My Life Partner.

        This world

        is but a fleeting moment

        about to end

        at Any Time.

        The Signs are here.

        The Day of Judgement is coming.

        No one will enter my grave with me except

        My body, my heart, my soul.

        Call me a pessimist

        Distressed

        Repressed

        Oppressed

        I don't care.

        My shade

        Covers me

        Like a tree from the sun;

        Like a coat of wax

        on your shiny new sportscar.

        My shade

        My protection,

        is my Khimaar,

        I am a woman of Islaam.

         

         

        To A Non Muslim Woman

        unknown author

        When you look at me

        All you can see

        Is the scarf that covers my hair.

        My words you can't hear

        Because you're too full of fear,

        Mouth gaping, all you can do is stare.

         

        You think it's not my own choice,

        In your own "Liberation" you rejoice.

        You're so thankful that you're not me.

        You think I'm uneducated,

        Trapped, oppressed and subjugated.

        You're so thankful that you are free.

         

        But western woman you've got it wrong-

        You're the weak and I'm the strong,

        For I've rejected the trap of Man.

        Fancy clothes-low neck, short skirt,

        These are devices for pain and hurt,

        I'm not falling for that little plan.

         

        Always jumping to the male agenda,

        Competing on his terms.

        No job share, no creche facilities,

        No feeding and nappy changing amenities.

        No time off for menstrual pain-

        "Hormones" they laugh. "What a shame."

         

        No equal pay for equal skill-

        Your job they can always fill.

        No promotion unless you're sterilized.

        No promotion unless you're sexually terrorized.

        And is this liberation?

         

        I'm a person with ideas and thought,

        I'm not for sale, I can't be bought.

        I won't decorate anyone's arm,

        Nor be promoted for my charm.

        There's more to me than playing coy.

         

        Living life as a balancing game-mother,

        Daughter, wife, nurse, cleaner, cook, lover-

        And still bring home a wage.

        Who thought up this modern "Freedom"?

        Where man can love 'em and man can leave 'em?

        This is not free but life in a cage.

         

        Western woman you can have your life

        Mine-it has less strife.

        I cover and I get respected

        Surely that's to be expected-

        For I won't demean the feminine

        I won't live to a male criterion.

         

        I dance to my own tune,

        And I hope you see this very soon,

        For your own sake-wake up and use your sight!

        Are you so sure that you are right?

         

        From A Muslim Woman

         

         

        Women of the Veil

        Hena Farooq

        Her long, thick, shiny black hair

        Fell against her back.

        Her rich, copper skin

        Gleamed in the sunlight.

        Her slender figure outlined,

        With her soft voluptuous curves.

        But when she stepped outside,

        She became a ghostly figure of the night.

        Nothing more to the people

        Than a dark, shadowy figure of oppression.

        But she showed them.

        As she walked down the street,

        People made way,

        Men lowered their gazes in utmost respect.

        And others whispered,

        As she held her head up high,

        With pride in her belief

        And showed them how oppressed she really was!

        While they whistled at their women,

        Looking them up and down as they were pieces of meat to be inspected?

        She pitied their savage ways.

        As she walked into the arms of her partner,

        Her only love,

        Her husband.

        Where she was transformed,

        Into her beautiful self,

        For only his eyes to see.

         

         

        To the People of the World

        unknown

        This is the story that must be told

        of an Iraqi baby, not very old.

        Lying in her crib one star lit night

        How could she know of those planes in flight?

        She lay there quietly touching her nose,

        Watching her mobile, wiggling her toes,

        Oohing and cooing, so sweetly is she,

        Talking to someone, who could it be?

        An angel is standing with her in the room.

        The baby is smiling, unaware of her doom.

        The crib starts to shake and the mobile goes round.

        And suddenly comes a most deafening sound.

        The ceiling drops in, in a second or two...

        On top of her crib so she ceases to coo...

        No one knows how long she lie there

        Who thought about it? Doesn't anyone care?

        Is she alive? Is she dead? Is she in any pain?

        Now that you mention it, who knows her name?

        Her name is Amal. In English we say Hope.

        Crushed between the rubble, her tiny fingers start to grope.

        Where is my mommy? I love her so dear

        Come, get me mommy! It's dark in here!

        I'm scared and I'm hungry and I can't see my feet.

        There's blood in my mouth! Give me something to eat!

        Where is my daddy? Where's my big brother?

        It hurts when I breath! Where is my mother?!

        How long have I been here? Is this just a dream?

        I open my mouth, but can't even scream.

        That angel appears once again to my side,

        This time with a tear I plead Why have I died?

        Am I alone in my sufferings? No, there are many others.

        In our grief and our misery, we are sisters and brothers.

        Who are we? I ask you ... for what crime did we die?

        They're throwing a party! Doesn't anyone cry?!

        Is it True? Am I nothing?! How could it be?

        Don't they also have babies, just like me?

        It is war they say, of which death is part.

        How blind they've become, How hardened of heart.

        Did someone say hero? To whom do they speak?

        A victory claimed for killing the weak?!

        Why are they happy? Why are they proud?

        Don't they know that I'm cold in my burial shroud?!

        No war has been won; no ifs, buts, or maybes,

        For Saddam still lives, and they've only killed babies!!!!

         

         

        Blind Lies

        Shereen El-Kadi

        He gazes absently at his red-stained hands,

        Apparently unaware of the writhing bodies around him.

        He is numbed, and feels no remorse -- no pain.

        The fallen are numbers --

        Simply unavoidable "collateral damage."

        And he is blinded -- not by the will to survive --

        For it is a one-sided war;

        But by the attempt to strengthen an id,

        The attempt to gain and exert supreme power,

        And for the sake of selfish material obsessions.

        The world catches no glimpse of the continuous

        Pain and suffering of those caught in the middle.

        All we see is a man named "hero,"

        Cheered by people who are ignorant of the truth.

         

         

        Object of Despair

        Fahim Firfiray (Abu Omar)

        Emma is a lawyer

        And so is Aisha too

        Colleagues going into court

        At circa half past two



        Its 1 O'clock right now

        They grab a bite before the trial

        They chat about this and that

        Conversing with a smile



        Aisha is in full hijab

        With a loose all over suit

        Emma's in her business wear

        With accessories to boot



        Emma's really quite bemused

        At Aisha's godly ways

        She looks Aisha in the eyes

        And very firmly says



        You're a smart girl Aisha

        Why do you wear that across your hair?

        Subjugated by "man"-kind

        An object of despair



        Take it off my sister

        Let your banner be unfurled

        Don't blindly follow all around

        Declare your freedom to the world



        Aisha is amazed

        But not the least bit shy

        She bravely puts her milk shake down

        And gives Emma the reply



        My dear sister Emma,

        Why do you dress the way you do?

        The skirt you're wearing round your waist,

        Is it really you?



        Now that we've sat down,

        I see you tug it across your thighs,

        Do you feel ashamed?

        Aware of prying eyes?



        I see the way you're sitting,

        Both legs joined at the knees,

        Who forces you to sit like that?

        Do you feel at ease?



        I'll tell you who obliges you,

        To dress the way you do,

        Gucci, Klein and St. Laurent,

        All have designs on you!



        In the main, its men my friend,

        Who dictate the whims of fashion,

        Generating all the garb,

        To incite the basest passion





        "Sex Sells" there is no doubt,

        But who buys with such great haste,

        The answer is the likes of you,

        Because they want to be embraced.



        They want to be accepted,

        On a level playing field

        Sure, with brain and intellect

        But with body parts revealed



        Intelligence and reason

        Are useful by and by

        But if you want to make a mark

        Stay appealing to the eye



        You claim your skirt is office like

        A business dress of sorts

        Would we not laugh at Tony Blair

        If he turned up in shorts?



        His could be the poshest pants

        Pinstripe from Saville Rowe

        But walking round like that my friend

        He'd really have to go



        Why do you douse yourself with creams

        To make your skin so milky?

        Why do rip off all your hair

        To keep your body silky?



        A simple shower's all you need

        To stay respectable and clean

        The time and money that you spend

        Is really quite obscene



        Why do you wake up at dawn,

        To apply a firm foundation,

        Topped with make up and the like,

        In one chaotic combination?



        And if you should have to leave the house

        Devoid of this routine

        Why do you feel so insecure

        That you should not be seen?



        Be free my sister Emma

        Escape from your deep mire

        Don hijab today my friend

        And all Islam's attire



        Avoid all those sickly stares

        Or whistles from afar

        Walk down the street with dignity

        Take pride in who you are



        Strength lies in anonymity

        Be a shadow in the crowd

        Until you speak and interact

        When your voice will carry loud



        You're a smart girl Emma

        Wear this across your hair

        Don't be subjugated by "man"-kind

        An object of despair



        To use your very words my friend

        Let your banner be unfurled

        Don't blindly follow all around

        DECLARE YOUR FREEDOM TO THE WORLD




        /other/




        MISSION: POSSIBLE

        Operation: Dawah

        Good morning, Mr. Abd Allah. Ex-inhabitant of Paradise, the notorious Shaytan Iblis and mastermind of the material intelligence ring: KUFFAR, is seeking revenge on IMF (Islamic Muslim Fundamentalists) after being dismissed from Paradise with the charge of having hostile and arrogant behavior towards his Creator, and tempting his fellow creation to that which is forbidden. Our sources show, that he is using the spiritually lethal weapon, Nafs, which erases the remembrance of Allah and the afterlife from the mind and causes the user to fill his stomach and ego with material attachments and gives disillusions of temporary highs and superficial happiness to lure unsuspecting servants from the Straight Path and blow them into Hell.

        Your mission, Abd, should you decide to accept it, is to take the statement of Tawhid and bring the servants back to the Straight Path. You will be equipped with Worship and Tawakkul to fight the Shaytan and his evil Jinn. But these tools will only work when combined with the Pure Heart. This, you will find in the Valley of Purification. There, you will need to wash yourself with the water from the River Repentance, and only then, will you be able to enter the Cave of Knowledge. Once there, you will meet your guide, by the name of 'the Rasool (saw),' who will train you in the ways of the IMF Agents, and take you to the station of Self Annihilation. It is only when you reach this station, will you be able to confront and overcome Shaytan and destroy the deadly Nafs. If you so happen to get lost on your way, consult your IMF guidebook: Qur'an and Sunnah.

        As always, should you or any of your IMF be caught, you will be condemned to Hell. And if killed, the Angel will disavow any knowledge of your sinful actions and you will be brought back to your Lord. This message will self-destruct on the Day of Judgement.

        Fiamanillah Abd.




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