Welcome, it’s our monthly Poetry day again! If you want to share your verses with everyone here, kindly email us at poetry[@]muslimmatters[.]org stating your name, along with your poem. Our next Poetry day is on 1st October, 2011.  As soon as your poem is selected for publishing, we’ll let you know so that you can keep an eye out for it, Insha’Allah. JazakumAllahu khayr for sending in your poems!

Without further ado, here are the three inspiring poems we’ve selected for today…

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East Africa Famine Relief – Now is the time to act!
By Bint Ali

Our sister Halima has walked for 20 days,
Why was she walking, when there are so many other ways?
She had no choice, you see, so by foot she had to go,
Oh Muslim Ummah, you need to know!

Why did our sister have to leave?
Why are her and her young children struggling to breathe?
Why has she walked so far with no food or water?
Oh no, here lies her collapsed little daughter!

In the middle of nowhere, little Samira breathed her last,
Her fragile condition deteriorated so fast.
She was three years old, yet she looked only one.
The journey took its toll on her emaciated body, but it had to be done.

So on day four little Samira was buried, and in the days to follow Amir, five, was put to rest.
Shedding hot tears our sister Halima accepted this was her test.
Can you imagine months without a proper meal?
Your children crying and begging for food in front of you, how desperate would you feel?

Then to bury those children, one by one, when you hardly have the tears to cry,
The land, the skies, your body, everything is so dry.
So you see why Halima left home to find food, with a scrap of paper as her map,
With her young children struggling to walk beside her, she headed towards a refugee camp.

The drought first claimed the crops, then the livestock,
and now the people are next to go.
Their desperation needs relief now,
This is what you need to know!

Our brothers and sisters need our help urgently,
to help them live their lives,
We ask Allah Almighty,
to pour down beneficial rains and patience, until help arrives.

We ask Allah to ease their suffering,
to inspire and help us assist them in their time of need.
After all, didn’t our beloved Messenger tell us
that among the good deeds was to feed?

Oh Muslim Ummah take heed, here, today, now is the time to act!
Just as Allah tested Halima,
Allah is testing us with our wealth,
let’s not forget this fact!

“And they give food, inspite of their love for it (or for the love of Him), to Miskin (poor), the orphan, and the captive.” (The Qur’an 76:8)

Narrated ‘Abdullah bin ‘Amr(RA):

A person asked Allah’s Apostle(SAW), “What (sort of) deeds in or (what qualities of) Islam are good?” He replied, “To feed (the poor) and greet those whom you know and those whom you don’t know.”

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If You Will
by Sabina Mohammed

Al Ahad. The One. The only One.

To His slaves He grants security
Ask, if you will, for He is the All Mighty.

“How?… How? For I have sinned,
So much that He will decline to rescind.”
Ask, if you will, for He is the Protecting Friend.

“But, I am a liar… And a thief;
Surely, there is no hope for relief.”
Ask, if you will, for He is Al-Latif.

“But, His guidance I did not heed;
Rather, I acted in such greed!”
Ask, if you will, for He is Al Hameed.

“But, from the straight path I went astray,
Somehow, somewhere having lost my way…”
Ask, if you will, for He is Al-Hayy.

“But all my life I have fought,
Leaving me nothing but distraught.”
Ask, if you will, for He is the Eternally Besought

“But, from this Deen I went far,
Blinded by the charm of a bar.”
Ask, if you will, for He is Al Ghaffar.

“Nothing has ever been clear
While I sought comfort and solace in beer.”
Ask, if you will, for He is Al Kabir.

“I walked the streets aloof,
Acting like a goof.”
Ask, if you will, for He is Al Rauf.

“HOW? How can I ask for forgiveness
When I have displayed nothing but selfishness?
When I continued to go amiss,
Constantly searching for bliss?
He, He is Ash-Shahid, my witness
I deserve nothing but the furnace!

I’ve dug a hole so deep
By stepping on lies and deceit, I would leap
Making promises I could not keep
Leaving my brothers and sisters to weep
Through my thick skin, Taqwa would not seep.
When did this mountain of sins get so steep?”

Ask, if you will, for He is
Al Basit, the Reliever;
Al Mughni, the Enricher;
Al Mu’id, the Restorer;
Ar Rashid, the Righteous Teacher;
and Al ‘Afu, the Forgiver.

Poet’s note: Sometimes we tend to overlook the Greatness of God. Of all things, this isn’t something to overlook/underestimate.  Some, actually a large majority, of His qualities are so… unfathomable. We, as humans, really just cannot comprehend the extent to which each of His qualities expands. So, never underestimate His power, His mercy, His justice, etc.

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Have you ever wondered
How the sky stands without any pillar
Have you ever wondered
How the earth is spread asunder

Have you ever wondered
How the smallest insect flies
Have you ever wondered
Why every living thing dies

I do wonder, but no surprise in this
As my Lord says ‘Be and there it is’
The Almighty, pure and exalted He is

Have you ever wondered
How the mountains stand so tall
Have you ever wondered
Is it really gravity that makes things fall

Have you ever wondered
How blood flows thru your veins
Have you ever wondered
How cloudbursts turn into rains

I do wonder, but no surprise in this
As my Lord says ‘Be and there it is’
The Almighty, pure and exalted He is

Have you ever wondered
How lineage is passed thru genes
Have you ever wondered
Why man has emotions unlike machines

Have you ever wondered
On whose direction the wind blows
Have you ever wondered
On whose command a volcano explodes

I do wonder, but no surprise in this
As my Lord says ‘Be and there it is’
The Almighty, pure and exalted He is

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