MM Arts | Poetry Day | 1-7-11

The Self
by Saad Muhammad Ismail

Gone are the days of intellectual rhetoric,
Ineffectively contentious, unproductive and overly problematic.

Lets not get carried away, quibbling over semantics,
Lets not indulge in pointless intellectual gymnastics.
To positively engage is the need of the hour,
So let aside all prejudice, preconceived notions,
And  let empathy overpower.

Who are ‘you’, my dear reader?
A biological byproduct or an outcome of social pressure?
Who are ‘you’, my dear reader, if not,
A pre-planned, programmed ‘Robot’.

Is this truly ‘you’, or are you more,
Contemplate this now, if you haven’t before.

Let not ‘yourself’ be defined by societal norms,
If indeed you are more, than just someone who apprehensively conforms.

Know that your ‘intellectual convictions’ will be in vain,
If, for Truth, you are unprepared to stand pain.

You need to stand up for what you believe to be true,
And instead of reacting to context, allow it to react to you!

The bulk of humanity,
Seeks to hide and avoid its reality.
Trying to hide from its own confrontations,
Hiding away in masks and impersonations.

Let me draw your attention,
To the crux of my contention,

As to all things in life, there are two distinct dimensions:
(a) ‘The Facts’ and (b) ‘Our Interpretations’.

Understand that these are two separate spheres to begin with,
For without this realization, we would be entertaining a myth,
A forlorn drama, Rehearsed and reiterated,
Fueling the Ego, which forever remains unsated.

Lets be honest and humble enough,
To make the indispensable differentiation,
Between ‘Facts’ and our ‘Interpretations’.
For, while facts remain ever unchangeable,
Our interpretations are always manageable.

But what are ‘Our Interpretations’ based on ultimately,
If not, our conceptions of who we are, in reality.

Transcend the confines of social structures,
Do not settle for mere conjectures,
Probe into the depths of your mind,
And define ‘yourself’, lest you be defined.

Thus understanding yourself better,
Breaking free from every normative fetter,

Know your created self, Know your Creator!

“Do not become like those who forget God and God makes them forget
themselves. It is they who are truly deprived.” [Quran; Surah Hashr 59:19]

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Islam. the Sibghah (Color) of Allah
By Sabeen Mansoori
The oceans dried up
Not one but two,
But the words of my Lord written were few

Each drop of Divine ink
Each letter, each word
Their uncharted depths few have explored

“Sibghatullah”
The Colors of Allah
Dye yourself in them and attain falah

The hues of humility
The perfect tints of gratitude
The gait, the speech, the right attitude

In the style
Of the Nabi(saw) and the blessed few
They strive but they smile as if Jannah they view

Intense in their devotion
Their obedience glows
In the darkest of nights spent bowed low

Not like chameleons
They change their colors, or discard
When the going gets tough, or the opposition hard

Their deen dyed deep
Not washed away
By the changing tides of culture, or fashion’s sway

Awash in divine recitation
They persist and depend
On none
But the One

At peace in the knowledge
That blessed they are
To be drenched in
‘Sibghatullah’
The Colors of Allah

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Untitled poem
by Muhammad Zakaria Suleman

He washed his body
And Applied perfume

Lightly passed his finger tips over the cover
As if he was blind.

Turned over
To ‘The Opening’ chapter.

And burst into tears
That flooded his Heart.

Softened his Might
And opened his Mind.

The curvature of a single letter
Leading to a Straight Path.

A path that flowed;
From a selfless Heart.