Poetry

OUR SHAME, HIS MERCY

 He tells me and you
My Mercy prevails over my wrath
Did you believe Him?
Yes, I did
Because I have heard it
I have seen it
His wrath now should overcome His Rahma
Yet His Mercy we enjoy in abundance
Did you see the mother’s child scream at her?
What about when she beat her?
Ooo yes! It is true
Then those naughty boys and girls
They finally do it right in the street
That which was to be concealed from every other eye
Then the passerby who was most Allah fearing
He told them; ‘Move away a bit so we could pass.’
Now look at that man and that woman
They do not want each other anymore
The man says; ‘I will only marry him.’
The woman says; ‘I will also only marry her.’
This isn’t the tales of a storyteller
Nor the lines of a poet
This is as it is said to be
Have you seen those little ones?
Their stomachs are suddenly protruding
Ooo yes! That is also true!
But they are not married
We begin to search the owners of the stomachs
The girls mention names
The names say; ‘I had something with her but I am not responsible.’
And the girls continue mentioning more names
Then some of them accept
The shame of our times
And there are more, far worse
Unpleasant to the hearing
Nasty to the seeing
Thought provoking to the mind
Painful to the heart
If you haven’t seen, haven’t you heard?
So we are gradually at that time
That time when holding onto eemaan
That precious feeling
It will be like burning coal
In the hands of its possessor
Yes! If you haven’t seen it, you should hear it
Yet His rain cools
His sun shines
His wind blows
His Rahma flows in abundance
His Mercy still prevails over His wrath
And someone asks a heavy question
Why then does man insist on being an open enemy to Allah?
And that had set me thinking
Our Shame, His Rahma…

RMRS (May, 2014)

 WOULD YOU LET ME LOVE YOU?

Would you let me love you?
Would you let me tell you the truth?
Even when it annoys you
Even when others lie to you
Just to please you
Would you let me love you?
Would you let me tell you
To turn to Allah before you return to Him?
And if I tell you about His Jannah, Paradise?
That beneath it is an amazingly awesome river
Its inhabitants hear nothing but salaam, peace
Would you believe me and strive for it?
If I told you how you could get in there?
And provided I tell you about His Jahannam, Hell?
Would you be scared like me?
Would you live to strive against it?
Upon it are Angels obeying none but Him
Their Creator and your Creator
Its fuel...
Oh would you let me tell you?
Men and stones
Shall we never want to enter it?
Would you let me love you?

A DECORATED PIECE

One morning
I took a shower
I dressed up
Ready to begin the day

I stood in front of my mirror
It did the usual thing
It showed me my self

For a while
I was glad
I looked great
My skirt was fitting

It brought out my curves
My blouse was small and sleeveless
It was right on my waist
The neck was cut low

I had short hair
So I added some more
To make it longer
I let my hair loose
For the wind to take care of it

My eye brows were well trimmed
My eye lashes were longer now
My nails have been lengthened and polished
I put on make ups

When I moved
My blouse rose a bit
Revealing my waist and my navel

When I sat
My skirt rose
Revealing my thighs and legs

My lips were beautifully lip-sticked
I had a tattoo on my chest
It denoted a star

My face was well polished
My blouse was a little transparent
My nipples pushed against my blouse

I looked ravishing and sexy
And that is every woman’s concern
The modern woman of course
Not those old fashioned women
I admire myself

I picked up my bag to go
I looked lovely
There was no doubt
But was this me?

The hair is not mine
The nails are not
The eye lashes
My hair to my toe was not me
I was artificial all over
What was I doing?
Trying to change my appearance
So I could fit into this modern world

I looked sexy
What did that mean to the outside world?
Especially the men
Who was I trying to trap?
No one in mind

I was just an innocent modern woman
Trying to be as fashionable as possible
Wanting people to see my beauty
And admire me for it

I looked like somebody else
A decorated piece
A body for sale
Was that what I was?

Did the men just admire me and let go
I am not a baby
I know the effect of my looks on them

All these while
I have been dressing for the men
No wonder they come to me like swarms of bees

I was like an uncovered honey
Free for all bees to partake in its joy
I was like an uncovered meat
Every fly is welcomed

What do I gain by doing that?
Curses and sins
Why could I not be my natural self?
People have to admire me for my brains
Not my nudity

Respect me
For the mere fact that I am a woman
And not because I am almost naked

Men have to see me as part of creation
Not a decorated piece
Nor a fun time object

Ignoring the crowd will be difficult
But I would do it anyway
I hate to be a decorated piece

A Feel of Freedom

In my little cup of tea
I see a beautiful blue sky and sea
And the flying yellow butterfly
The fishes smiled
A smile on my face too
A trickling sweetness in my throat
The drop of honey in the centre of my heart
The butterflies gave me a nice tapping
Very joyously ticklish
Laughter replaces a fading smile
On the highest of heights
Mountains circling me
Everyone grasped in my view
In my eyes I saw peace and calm
Dipping a finger in the sea
Water sticking to my hand
Then came a cry and a beautiful song
Freedom I feel
No, I didn’t say that, she did
A pretty woman I would call her
Her face unknown but her shadows so clear
Today she sings songs with lyrics so lustrous
She summons the sea, the sky and the mountains
The world came along too
An amazing beauty she witnessed
People of all races, heights, shapes and sizes
Their language, giving her different tunes
Screams emanating from deep down her
The ninth planet heard and cheered
Floating in a gorgeous white dress and veil
The air privileged to be the palisade
The wild ones playing beats for her from the deep forest
Her words absolve her voice
Free! Free! Free!
Pain they had felt yesterday
So she could laugh today
She, the half of society
Yet she owns the other half
Never did she speak when they spoke
Today she stands proud as they stand
Her head held high
For freedom felt fulfilling

A Little Maryam In Me

Young and innocent

Looking up to God every day of her life

Worshipping and serving Him

The joy of childhood

Taken away from her

A girl so pure in heart and body

A girl whose life was nearly shuttered

Upon the realization that she was pregnant

Just as that man had told her

But he was a messenger of God

That was what he sa...id

How could he ruin her so?

She wished for death

She wanted honour

But that did not seem like one

Who would believe her story?

Her mother was an honourable woman

She prayed to God

To honour her with a child

And God had answered

Her father was an indispensable man

A man everybody respected

Why did hers have to be different?

She looked up to God for mercy

He was her only hope

During childbirth

She felt pain

But God made her birth easy

In a way that marveled her

Then she took her baby home

The people were surprised
To see her
With a child
An illegitimate son
For she was not married
Her mother was an honourable woman
Her father was a God fearing man
Why did she disgrace herself so?
But she pointed at her baby
Lying in his cradle
They were astonished
Why could she not talk to them herself?
How could they talk to a baby?
But the baby spoke
He told them of the good news
He was a messenger of God
Blessed the day he was born
The day he would die
And the day he would be resurrected
He was a mercy onto mankind
A proof of God’s power
An honour unto a girl
An innocent and God fearing girl
A girl who had spent her life serving God
A girl who leaned on no one
But on God
A girl raised above all women
A role model for all who believe
A girl honoured
With the spirit of God
A spirit that was one of God’s creation
What a girl?
How can I be like this girl?
Even if I would not have that great baby
How can I have a little of her blessing
Just a little Maryam in me

Beneath Your Foot

Listen! Listen! Listen!
Listen to my words
And not to my voice
For silvery is my voice
But golden are my words
Listen Oh you who have ears!
Look! Look! Look!
Look not at me
But at him
Look at his heart
And not at his appearance
For gracious is his appearance
But treacherous is his heart
Look Oh you who have eyes!
Watch out!
He is close
Look at him
Run for your dignity
He is behind you
No! Beside you
Oh no! In front of you
Never mind
For however, whenever and wherever
He will always defy you
Be alert
Not a widely opened eye
But a watchful one
Not an opened nose
But a sensitive one
Not a strong body
But a smart one
Don’t run!
Stand where you are
But stand firmly
Remember to lift your leg
For beneath it
You’ll keep him
Nowhere else
But under your foot

Fire In The Belly

The vice of the soul is ignorance
The virtue of the soul is knowledge
But what happens when knowledge benefits not the knowledgeable?
What happens when the knowledgeable become culprits
To crimes that the ignorant will dare not commit?
Knowers of the Qur'an and the Sunnah
How could all that mean so little to them?
When death snatches away relatives
Leaving behind helpless orphans
When the guardians devour the children's properties
Knowing very well it is not their right
When people lie about helping the poor
Poverty, that is so depressing
They rob the good hearted of their wealth
With fat scary lies
Creating orphanages where there are no orphans
Building Masaajid where there are no Muslims
Digging wells where there are no inhabitants
They are full of deceit
All because of the sweets of this Dunya
But Allah gives to them a parable
On their plates may be luxury
But in their bellies are blazing flames of fire

I Could Not Tell

The sight of him made my heart beat
It made me dizzy
My stomach rumbled
My legs shook
My hands became unsteady
He was the most handsome boy
His voice was music to my soul
He was a real gentleman
I could not think clearly
This was love at first sight
I wanted to run into his arms
To hug him
To kiss him
To tell him all the crazy things in my mind
It felt as if a magnet was pulling me
He was completely irresistible
He stared at me
That drained the strength out of my bones
He talked to me
I was dumbfounded
He said he loved me
I loved him too
I managed to say
I allowed him to use me
He used my body
He squandered my money
I gave him all my time
All because I thought I loved him
In a few months
I began to dislike him
I wondered what I saw in him
I regretted ever being with him
I did not love him
What then was that?
Infatuation
That was it
My teacher told me about it
I never understood
I could not tell the difference
Love and infatuation
Fellow adolescents,
Beware
For infatuation can ruin you
Self control is the best

On The Political Podium

In our ears
The sound of music
The singers sing on
From stages up high
Their voices echoing in our heads
The drummers drum on
A boost for the singers to sing on
Excitement fills the atmosphere
The dancers move to the rhythm
The rhythm that foretold the coming of a new day
A day full of hope
Hope for the end of despair
The despair that the people feel
Tears will be replaced by smiles
Yet to the child the drums’ beats
And to the adult the singers’ lyrics

The Ice That Burns

In my eyes is a tear
A mixture of pain and fear
In my mind
A surprise of a kind
The rules are layed
Yet we have swayed
The ice was cold
In my hands I could not hold
Then it became hot
Like boiling water from a pot
The ice now burns
My stomach it turns
Our rule, the Qur’an
The tool for our imaan
A weird path we have chosen
A strange language we have spoken
When will we hold onto the rope?
As I look I see hope
But when will we return?
How will we show concern?
For a way of life ordained
For greatness of purpose to be attained
Somehow! Sometime! Somewhere!

A Letter To The Maker Of Laws

When a little girl decides to speak to the elderly
The elderly that would not listen even to their fellow elders
When she wants to take advantage of her innocent mind
To narrate to the high and mighty a story
A story of the suffering of a people to whom she belongs
When she cannot find the right means
Yet she cannot keep her worries to herself
When she finds a means she could use at least
And she calls it a letter
A letter she intends to give to the maker of laws
But she worries for her choice of language
She worries for her choice of words
Will the maker of laws find it offensive?
Will the maker of laws even understand her?
And will the maker of laws take action?
Yet she writes her worries down
She could not settle for silence
For to her that is equal to cowardice 

A Mother With A Purpose

She ran

Between the lanes

On a very busy road

From car to car

Selling her plantain chips

They were of two types

Ripe and unripe

She had packed them nicely

The big ones were 50 pesewas

The small ones were 20 pesewas

She had a lot of them in a basket

A basket she carried tirelessly on her head

She was sweating all over

Her feet was covered with dust

As she hopped from car to car

She shouted

“Plantain chips oh! 20p,50p”

Her lucky time

When the traffic light turns green

For she can now walk comfortably

Among the cars

Her story

She had a child at sixteen

A mistake she made whilst in school

Her parents never cared

A mistake she was determined to correct

How?

By doing what she did

To the best of her ability

For it was her only decent option

To give her child the best

Of what?

Education and Food

Attention and Affection

And everything she never had

Her dream

To see her child become somebody

And so she does what she does

With a great passion

For the sake of her child

The purpose of her life

The well being of her child

DANCE TO THE TUNE

Here is the dance floor!
Where are the dancers?
Those who instigated the songs
The songs that the musicians sing
From the soil emerge the results of the seeds we put in it
Our youth!
Where are their fathers and their mothers?
Why do they watch our future crush before our eyes?
Strength against weakness
Hardwork against laziness
Discipline against waywardness
Now against later
If you threw a ball to the wall
Then you should better look for somewhere to run to
Because! Because! Because!
Back to you it will bounce!

Have You Not Seen It Coming?

And is the knowledge of the deen not fading?
Replaced by ignorance?
Has adultery not become widespread?
And alcohol so common
Don’t you see their advertisements on TV?
Do you know of the disease that has no cure?
Are the Muslims not also committing suicide?
Have you not seen it coming?
When Muslims are fighting each other over trivialities
When time is running as if it is being chased by a cheetah
When everyone is getting richer and richer
Have the women not dressed up
And yet are naked?
Don’t you see the rich sharing only with the rich?
As the poor gazed at them in their poverty
Have you not seen it coming?
Is the payment of zakat not a burden now?
And the worst of the people, now their leader
Is homosexuality not being forced down our throats?
In the name of human rights?
And the Muslims falling into the trap
Have you not heard of the war waged on Islam?
Have you not seen it coming?
When a virgin feels ashamed of her virginity
And the fornicator is proud to let everyone know
Don’t you see the pre-marital sexual nonsense?
And the innocent babies that come with it?
Have you not seen the woman who wants to be a man?
Did you not hear of the Muslim who calls himself liberal, Modernist?
So he could dodge the rules
And considers others fundamentalists
Those who hold onto the rules
Have you not seen it coming?
And then when I talk about the Dajjal, Anti-Christ
And Ya’ajuj and Ma’ajuj, Gog and Magog
Does it not come clear to you now?
That indeed you might have seen

On My Knees

They treated me badly
And I yearned to treat others well
They showed me pain
And I wanted to kill everybody’s pain
They troubled me
And I learnt to seek for help from God
Every day I look up
Every day I get to know Him more
He gave me all the love I needed
He repaid my life with a good heart
They taught me to be kind and appreciate kindness
Because they were rude to me
I didn’t tell anyone my problems
Allah knew it all
They punished me to go on my knees
From there I was humbled
To see the greatness of the distance from the ground to the sky and beyond
On my knees, I gave a silent prayer
Help me God!
And He answered, my prayer and yours

The Beauty Seeing Eye

His heart beat too fast with such bad temper
Subhaanal Laah, how amazing these heart beats are
Her dress so nasty I wonder how she feels in it
Alhamdu lil Laah for such a beautiful creation
And then I wish I could cover her up
They say treasures are always hidden
He writes vulgar things for his selfish and lustful desires
Such a great writing style he has been endowed with
Couldn’t he write to praise the Creator?
His words so rude I could not believe it
His talking style so exquisite it could call to the truth
I see people, different shapes and sizes
I give praises to the Al-Mighty for such awesome design
Her frown so provoking I would never go near her
But wait a moment!
What a beautiful face she has
How extra beautiful it would be to have a smile on it
She cursed the heat burning her from the sun
Is that not a sign of greatness beyond imagination?
Their lyrics instigating nothing but temporary worldly pleasure
But how heart-warming their voices would have been
Singing the most luxurious of all lyrics
From a book without error
So many so healthy and so strong
Yet they bother not to bow and prostrate to Him
The Owner of their strength
It is always about the satisfaction of friends, family or fans
Why not seek the pleasure of the Owner of those three fs
My God! What fading opportunity for earning pleasure
A permanent pleasure and contentment

The Miss

 

She walked down the isle
Gracefully, as many said
Ravishing, sexy, daring
Many among the people thought

She was a celebrity
They loved her
So many girls wished they were her
So many men wished she was theirs
She had the attention of the world
Great men watched her
The wealthy were ready to give to her

What?
A car, a house, a fat account, clothes, jewels
And all that made life worth living
And so she waved and they waved back
Goosebumps all over their skins when she talked

They called her Miss Whatever
For she wore the crown
The envy of the people of her time
To wear the crown of glory

Yes, for that was what they called it
A crown that made her the best of them
Yes, for they were many
So many who wanted it
And they wanted it so badly

They all had it
What she had
But all could not have the crown
For it was one
And she was lucky
So today
She walks down the isle
A crown on her head
A bouquet of flower in hand

Her self esteem so high
She was the beauty queen
She had the world at her feet
She showed them what she had
She walked in sexy panties and brassieres
They called it bikini
And she showed the world her hair to toe
Great men and great women judged her
They gave her high marks

She had the best body shape
She could handle herself best
And so the world clapped for her
For going nude before them

They applauded the beauty of her body
But no one called her a prostitute
Nobody said she was immoral
Nobody said she was indecent

And that is how far the world has come
Applauding women
Who were brave enough to show to the world
Their nudity

Their God-given body
What have they to lose?
Nothing
Absolutely nothing

But God is watching the world
I did not create man and woman
I did not create anything
Except for them to worship me
That is in the Holy Book
That wonderful book
And we are doing just that

The Most Beautiful

She is the most beautiful

Everybody says so

She does not have the smoothest skin

Neither does she have the best face or body

But she is the most beautiful

She is not the most intelligent

She did not have the best voice

But everybody called her

The most beautiful

Her beauty was not for the eyes to appreciate

It was for the heart to see

An inner beauty

This is not located in her blood

Nor in her flesh

But deep down her heart

An inner beauty that reflects on her face

And makes it the most beautiful face

A beauty that makes her skin glitter

Like the stars in the sky

A beauty that reaches out to the poor

To give them food and money

To give them hope of a brighter tomorrow

A beauty that lustful men might never see

A beauty that is light

For those living in darkness

A beauty that is hope

For those who are down

A beauty that is company

For those who are lonely

A beauty that is joy

For those who are sad

A ravishing beauty

An adorable beauty

An expensive beauty

Her inner beauty

The most beautiful of all the most beautiful

The Pearl Of Peace

You are sad
Because it is a girl
You hide yourself
You cannot stand the shame
You bury her
With her eyes widely opened
You indeed have erred

You possess her body
Against her will
And misuse her
You indeed have erred

You make her a slave
You, a poor slave
You take away from her
What God has given her
You indeed have erred

She the most expensive jewel
Yet you dare look at her!
With those evil eyes
How much did you pay for that?
You dare touch her!
How hard did you work for that?
You indeed have erred

You O precious jewel!
Cover up!
Cover up all that you have
You are not for free
No, you are not
Your head to toe

He must work and pay!
O Yes! He must pay
In cash or kind
It must be one man
Just one man
All the others must stay away
They must be kept at a distance

Do not touch her!
Do not dare touch her!
Put your hands in fire instead
That is cooler for you
Burn yourself instead
Cut your hand instead
That is much better for you

Do not touch her!
Do not dare touch her!
For indeed you would have erred

Take heed O you man!
For she is precious
Her head to toe
She is indispensable
She is a pearl of peace

The Wrong Role Model

Terror was the only hero I knew
He was very muscular and fearful looking
He had a lot of men behind him
He was their master
His words were law
He intimidated people
I could not imagine anyone stronger than him
He rode in the best of cars
He only had to ask and he would be given
It was wonderful knowing him
He had so much power
It was a privilege to see him
I admired him beyond reason
I never saw him smile
Children loved him
He never harmed us
I wanted to become like Terror
I wanted people to fear me
I wanted my words to be law
I refused to go to school
Terror did not go to school
But he had so much power
I named myself Junior Terror
We smoked and drank alcohol
That was what Terror did
I lifted heavy metals
I became very muscular
I looked double my age
I trained to become the strongest person in my group
We defeated other groups
We had to kill and steal to become rich
In a few years
I became the real Terror
Even Terror,
My role model
Was accountable to me
People ran when they heard my name
I was the lord of my community
Nobody dared disobeyed me
I had finally achieved my dream
One day,
I sat in my house smoking
I had guards all around the house
I had all kinds of spiritual powers
I gave a loud laugh at my success
I put my cigarette on the table and slept
I had a terrible dream
I was burning in hell
It felt so real
I could feel my flesh burning
Suddenly, everything went blank
I woke up on a hospital bed
I had been there for two years
I was flabbergasted
I was given the bad news
The fire had left me crippled for life
My skin was a mess
Where were my body guards?
Where were all my powers?
What a wasteful life I have lived
I looked like a monster
I looked three times older than my age
I had no wife
I had no children
Life was not all luxury after all
I took a wrong role model
Regret, remorse
That is what I feel
Had I known…?

To Mama With Love

My heart sees
The greatness of your heart
My eyes see the blessings in your actions
Did God not strengthen the hearts of men?
Definitely, yours is a part
When you give so freely
When you let it out
What others will rather keep within
For fear of losing love
To you truth must be told
To whoever and whenever
If it only had to be done right
Am I not jealous of you?
Are you not the best of parents?
Is food not in abundance in your home?
Is love not overflowing in your home?
Are you not like the moon in the night?
Have you not provided for yours and others?
When God blessed you with His provision?
Is it not easiest to love Allah?
And then the very noble one?
And then you?
Are you not to me like a mystery?
Like a puzzle
One I will like to imitate?
Did I not see your heart cry
As half of what you bore
Suddenly exited this world
And the words Alhamdu lil Laah had been your tears
And gratitude in your heart
And patience in your demeanor
For blessing you with children such as us
Oh! How I want to make you proud
And has it not been pain after pain in your marriage
Until now you still stand tall
Amazing to the lookers
Has the joy of others not been your joy too?
And sufficiency you see in your provision?
Mama, you truly are blessed
And how great was your achievement
When Papa had lived the rest of his months in sorrow
For the pain he put you through from the morn
But with him you were till the dusk
Did he not continue to ask for forgiveness?
For the pains, the sorrows, the hard times
And did he not call upon me to do so too
On his behalf many times
And the last gives mixed feelings
Of sorrow and joy and jealousy
Sorrow that they were his last words to you
Forgive me for the sake of Allah
And you had ask of him but the same
Joy that you ended on that note with him
Did God not give you the success crown by that?
And didn’t the noblest of all being say
Jannah for she who ends well with her husband?
Mama, I love you
Yet jealousy I sometimes feel
Can I be as you were to my father?
The same and better to my husband
Can I be as you were to your children?
The same and better to my children
Could my heart be strong as yours?
Would I be able to give as much as you do?
With all the books I know
Which you know not even a word
Has your actions not proved you better and best?
And the good wishes for those who hurt you so badly
And your abundant awe-inspiring prayers
For us and for others
If I could write you a poem
It would be with these words
If I could sing you a song
It would be with these words
But prayers I have resorted to
Even as you live and surely will die
May your life continue to be a blessing
May your death be easy on you
May Jannatul Firdaus be your final abode
And your copycat plus I yearn to be
Mama, you are my icon

Where From This Blazing Passion

Scrolling down my facebook home
I couldn’t help but shake my head
Such diversity in posts and comments
Whiles some chose to go secular
Others chose to go funky
Yet others chose to do religious talk
For those who chose to go religious
I write this poetry
Where from this blazing passion?
Whiles others chose to have fun
You chose to preach peace, Islam
In your posts, comments and notes
There were hope and love and unity
For a people who cared to read
That was your fun
The number of lives you influence
You could probably never imagine
Even if it is one, it is ok
Where from this blazing passion?
As some go partying, drinking and eating their lives out
Your mind works industriously to do something
Your little something for peace, Islam
You want to clear that misconception
You want to be and make that change
Oh My God!
I am very proud of you
And as some call worldly enjoyment exciting
You sign against it: MUNDANE
Your heart aches at: IMMORALITY
And beyond that there is no faith
Your mouth yearns to speak against THE WRONG
Your muscles shake to fight OPPRESSION
Oh My God!
I am very very proud of you
When it is IN THE NAME OF ALLAH
You stand, sit, cry, or laugh when you have to
Alone: YOU THINK CRITICALLY
With others: YOU THINK CRITICALLY
What can I or we do for development of peace, ISLAM?
My pride in you might be dispensable
Because I am not ROYALTY
But a slave: OF THE SHAKUR
My pride in you is that which asks you
Where from this blazing passion?
Pleasure I seek: FROM THE ALIM
I hear you say
Then accept my pride in you as the best
Blessed BROTHER AND SISTER
For it is a message: FROM AL-AZEEZ
Telling you: DON’T GIVE UP
It is all the excitement you could ever seek
Your humility, patience and love for your brother and sister
That is a marvelous thing
He has seen you: AL-BASWIR
Mmmmmmh! ALLAH IS PROUD OF YOU