LAYLA TUL QADR
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Gratitude For Knowledge and Teachers
Recollecting and treasuring the knowledge
That your teachers shared before
Is not merely nostalgia
Nor is it a sign of your acquiescence
Of your teachers’ future errors
Verily, your remembrance is simply gratitude
For the enlightenment you received
And a consolidation of ideas
You deem indispensable
Your gratitude for the past is fundamental
And if your past teachers now thrive,
Gives thanks and praise
And if your teachers now have erred,
Pray for their deliverance
For how much of an ingrate is the one
Who once lingered and traced their shadows
And now sticks a proud nose up in the air
Oblivious of the debts you can’t repay
For the inner light of knowledge and progress….
And do be careful, now, my compadre
As on this theatre of inconsistencies
Who knows if you’ll slip far with ease…
So don’t be so impatient to condemn
The ones who gave you such benefit before….
Advise your seers should they transgress
And prosecute should they oppress
But never forget the good that you received…
The Ocean Speaks To The Voyagers…
Some would-be sailors reported abuse by a line of skippers, and returned to the shore, heartbroken, anguished, and perturbed.
One of them said: “We must bring them to account! We have been wronged! Looks like there are no true skippers anymore….”
The ocean listened patiently, heard their pain like a mother, and spoke from within the rising and falling waves:
“Wrongs must be addressed…. You must act with unrelenting fairness.. For all who embark upon the journey deserve a fair hearing.”
Waves ascended majestically and then fell, like swooning dervishes; the water swelled, then settled, proclaiming:
“But there will always be true skippers, who have navigated the ocean, who have travelled far, far, far through me and can show you the way. And there have always been false skippers, full of names for my waters, but full of hot air within. So why do you give in? Was I your goal or was the skipper’s good pleasure your idol? Did you pine after my vast mysteries, or were you just enjoying the cruise? Did you think I would let you voyage upon me without some stillness, without the currents throwing you off course, without assailments by pirates dressed in a skipper’s cape? Perhaps there was nothing wrong with the skipper? Perhaps he was a true guide, and the problem was in your self?”
The ocean grew into an almighty breaker, falling with a thunderous clap, then rested and rocked hypnotically:
“Keep your hearts with me, and I will send you everything you need… Keep your attention on my waves, and I will move you further ahead… And absorb the beauty of the light of my full moon… But remember this, the point is not the skipper, the point is the Sea. If I am no longer your one desire, and it’s just all about you or the skipper, then either you are off, or the skipper is off… So, seek redress with the law, if crimes and oppression were perpetrated, for the pirates in the garb of skippers must be rounded up, but keep your gaze on me; make me your one and only concern, make my vastness your dreams.. Remember the signs of a true skipper, and if you gained from any of the skippers on this sea; if you were guided further through my waves, you must show thanks and send your sincere supplications their way- for they are my special ones; I have brought them closer to me…. But also know this, my skippers can never be as vast and as perfect as me…. Never lose hope in the ocean… And enjoy the resplendence of my full moon, which brightens my waters and fills your hearts with light!”
The ocean breathed out like a hidden saint and then slept soundly, like a sleeping baby. They turned their eyes from their troubles, and looked out- the waves shone, like hearts…
The Destruction of Abu Jahl: The Battle of Badr
The Assyrian came down like a wolf on the fold… The Destruction of Sennacherib: Lord Byron
The hordes of Quraysh, like a dust storm, arose
And their cohorts were cursing and lining in rows
And the sheen of their spears like the candles that burn
In the idols of Makkah which stand taciturn
.
Like the palms in the desert when oases are fresh
The army stood furnished; for battle well-dressed
Like the grains in the desert which scatter and fall
That host in the noon light retreated forlorn
.
For the Angels of Justice, with three fighting winds
Of a thousand combatants, cruelty to rescind
And the eyes of these angels came down on Quraysh
Some stricken with horror and fear in disgrace
.
And woe to Walid and Shaybah and Utba
Vanquished by Ali, Ubaydah and Hamza
And there lay the pharaoh, the staunch Abu Jahl
Abdullah, the reader, beheaded him well
.
And there lay the pebbles, which flew at Quraysh
When Ahmed recited: impaired be their faces!
This army from Makkah quashed by the unseen
A thousand were crushed by three hundred thirteen
.
And the widow of Jahl; despaired and bewailed
And the idols of Makkah unsteady and frail
And the might of Quraysh; severed deep by the sword;
Had melted like sunset, by Mustafa’s Lord
.
Allahumma Salli wa sallim wa baarik alaiyhi wa alaa aalihi wa sahbihi wa sallim
The Sun Rises
‘The night comes in / Like some cool river’ Richard Thompson
The Sun rises
In my grieving heart
And now the Light
Soothes all the pain
Feel the daylight
Embracing the grief
Of the world, which turn us insane
The Sun rises
And now my heart breathes
And the Love
Is all that I see
Deeper than blood
Which runs through the veins
And the fears fade into the Light
The Sun rises
Sheening all my dreams
With a gold
That glows eternally
Even if foes
From hidden angles
Besiege my heart
The Light shelters me
Peace eternal
And flowing blessings
On the one
The Sun of the hearts
And upon his
Blessed companions
And his kin
The bearers of the Light
Tommy Plebdoe
Once there was a cheeky chap
His name was Tommy Plebdoe
Who tried his luck and made a buck
By sending up the ghetto
He’d draw these silly pictures of
The peasants on the estates
The Posh would buy his magazine
To laugh at cultural tastes
Continue readingWHAT IS ON THE MENU FOR SAHOOR?
WHAT IS ON THE MENU FOR SAHOOR?
Fried eggs sizzling, paratha from tandoor?
Buttered paratha in the shape of the full moon?
Paratha filled with succulent Aloo?
Now that would be so absolutely cool!
In Ramadan I just appreciate the food!
WHAT IS ON THE MENU FOR IFTAAR?
Biryani made with chicken and piyaar?
Mango milkshake, my wife is such a star!
Homemade samosa and pakora!
So spicy they would tantalise a Gora!
In Ramadan the food is best by far!
WHAT WILL BE MY WORSHIP FOR TARAWEE?
Speeding through rakats in such a hurry?
Coz I’m feeling bloated from the curry?
Head and heart pulsating in a flurry?
I need to sleep, Allah, I am so sorry!
In Ramadan, take your time, no need to worry!
“WHAT WILL THEY GAIN TONIGHT?” The angels surveyed.
“Nice suhoor? So, they feel strong at day?”
“Light Iftar, so they feel light to pray?”
“Recite Quran, to clear the disarray?”
“Staying up to perform Qiyam Al Layl?”
“In Ramadan, the nafs can fade away…”
“There’s no fear or grief from these pure days…”
Locked Down
One night as I sat
Shackled up by Facebook
The jitters from the Twitter
Filled my body and my face shook
The trap of the Whatsapp
Enwrapped my intentions
But a voice from beyond
Just arrested my attention
Sallahu ala Muhammad! Sallahu alayhi was sallam!
Locked down to the ground
Of the multiplicity
My heart was aground
A beleaguered city
Spellbound in the haze
Of my lusts’ euphoria
But the voice cleared away
The phantasmagoria
Sallahu ala Muhammad! Sallahu alayhi was sallam!
I arose with a heave
Enclosed by acedia
My head leaking facts
From the Wikipedia
My eyes bleeding tracks
From the social media
But the voice kindled me
I rejoiced with a fever
Sallahu ala Muhammad! Sallau alayhi wa sallam!
I strained to my door
To the ways of the speaker
My phone tingling
Making me feel weaker
My soul signalling
To awake like a seeker
The voice echoing
And the light shone brighter
Sallahu ala Muhammad! Sallahu alayhi wa sallam!
I followed the voice
In my mind’s metropolis
Approached by these hawkers
And hucksters and sophists
They plied me with gadgets
And pure luxuria
But the voice stirred me
Like the Queens of Nubia
Sallahu ala Muhammad! Sallahu alayhi was sallam!
Then beyond the display
Of my urban madness
A pistachio tree
I encountered with gladness
The limbs shivering
With the breezes of Oneness
The leaves whispering
Shimmering with abundance
Sallahu ala Muhammad! Sallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam!
The roots of the tree
Spoke to me in a dialect
The fruits of the tree
Was a map to redirect
“To find the essence
When you’re feeling remoteness
Recite this sentence
Tune in to the gnosis.”
Sallahu ala Muhammad! Sallahu Alayhi Was Sallam!
THANK YOU DEAR NHS!
There’s a group of heroes
Enough we can not stress
That deserve our gratitude
They’re in our NHS!
The doctors and the nurses
And the workers and the porters
They’re helping us negotiate
Covid’s choppy waters!
They’re working 12 hour shifts
They put our safety first
Without their stirling bravery
Our health would be much worse!
Despite the clear adversity
Despite the challenges
Despite the risks to their safety
Despite the ravages
These people just keep fighting on
With undying dedication
They are the darlings of the hour
The pride of all the nation!
Please make their lives more bearable
By staying safe at home
Stem the spread of Corona Virus
Don’t let them fight alone!
We pray that all the blessed staff
Of our great NHS
Manage to steer through this trauma
Without unending stress
And bless the souls who passed away
Whilst caring for patients
They are the martyrs of this war
Which has rumbled since the ancients
So every Thursday clap your hands
Stand by your front door
Say bravo to the NHS!
They serve the rich and the poor.
The Two Strange Men Of Kashgar
One day, two men were arrested at the Id Gah mosque in Kashgar and sent away for cultural citizenship education. Onlookers, rather stunned, watched as the men were ushered into the police van, while the accompanying officers scanned around for potential trouble. No one stirred as the officers jumped in the back of the van, next to the men, who were also seated silently. The authorities were expecting a massive uproar from the locals, especially as intelligence had uncovered that these two men were revered as holy men or healers, who lived on the streets and could heal supernaturally. But there was no resistance; no struggles. The locals seemed pacified and the two men just sat there calmly. Just as the van pulled away, a local grocer woman called out: “see you again, insha Allah.”
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