Eid Mubarak! | MM Ramadan Poetry Contest Winners

See Also: Snapshots: Eid Photos from Around the World

Eid Mubarak to all our readers!

تقبل الله منا و منكم

Taqabbal Allaahu minnaa wa minkum

May Allaah accept [the fast and worship] from us and from you.

The departure of our dear friend, Ramadan, leaves us feeling bittersweet. But we should be grateful that Allah (subhaanahu wa ta’ala) has blessed us with the opportunity to spend yet another Ramadan devoted to His Worship.

But we have now entered Shawwal with Eid-ul-Fitr upon us, Alhamdulillah!

For a start, we, here at MuslimMatters, thought it would be appropriate to say Eid Mubarak in as many different languages as possible. So, here goes:

Arabic – عيد مبارك

Armenian – Eid օրհնված

Bulgarian –благослови за електронна самоличност

Chinese – 开斋节快乐

Georgian – დალოცა eid

Hindi – ईद धन्य

Japanese – イード祝福

Korean – 아이드 축복

Russian – благословил Ид

Urdu – عید مبارک

Apologies if I have missed languages out or if there’s an error, as Eid Mubarak was coming out as it is in English, or the language isn’t available on Google Translator! :D

But as we feast on our food and enjoy the time we have with our friends and families, we must also think of those Muslims around the world who are suffering on Eid. Pakistanis seem to have suffered the most this Ramadan with the worst flooding in 80 years, and Eid doesn’t look too hopeful for them either.

Also, let’s not forget those Muslims who are not able to be with their families on this day and make du’a for them.

May Allah (subhaanahu wa ta’ala) give us many more fruitful Ramadans and blessed Eids… Ameen!

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MM Ramadan 2010 Poetry Contest: THE WINNERS!

by Ameera Khan

Assalamualaikum and Eid Mubarak! :D It’s been a long journey all the way since Ramadan began, now culminating in the grand announcement. The votes are in, the results are here! The race was incredibly close all the way to the finish line but there had to be a winner and here we go…  (All poems can be read in this post, winning poems below)

*Duff-roll*

Winner: “Where hopes lies” by Miriam Islam (126 votes) – $250 + $250 to Pakistan flood relief (Islamic Relief)

1st runner up: “Qiyam Poem” by Emad Hamdeh (123 votes) – $100 + $100 to Pakistan flood relief

2nd runner up: Untitled poem by Hind El-Ayoubi (121 votes) – $50 + $50 to Pakistan flood relief

BarakAllahu lakum, congratulations! Winners will be contacted by Muslim Matters regarding the prizes they have won, Insha’Allah. Regarding the charity, these amounts were just donated (a couple of hours ago) to Islamic Relief in the winners’ names – we wanted to make sure you got the ajr for it while Ramadan was still on! :)

At this moment, a big, big thank you also to all those who participated and make the competition so wonderfully diverse, creative and colorful! Your poems will lighten up our hearts beyond Ramadan too! JazaakAllah khayr! Enjoy your Eid, wherever you may be!

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Where hope lies
By: Miriam Islam

Engulfed in the blackness of despair, drowning with deeds beyond repair

The sinner walks a lonely path

A desperate effort to heal the wounded aftermath

Chased by the demons of desire

The dunya led him closer to the fire

The glitter of pleasures and death never pending

Threw him into sins never ending.

So great is the shame, marred with emotions unnamed

How can he dare to call upon his lord again?

With a heavy heart and eyes downcast

Dreams of carefree days go past

A time when it was so easy to raise up hands and freely request

Innocent pleas and simple decisions, praying Allah would ease the rest.

Requesting from his Lord most high, most bountiful

Who made all good things seem possible, and the evil unthinkable.

So when did the light of goodness fade into darkness?

Was it through the extinguish of the conscience

Or did it diminish with the weak voice of reason

When overshadowed by the shout of Satan?

So the sinner walks a lonely path,

No longer seeking wrong or right, only hoping for a ray of light.

A light of purpose, a light of redemption

A lamp of guidance, leading to the road of salvation.

A way to repent for the time unspent

For the obligations unfulfilled and the book unread

The deeds which rendered the weak heart dead.

So what can revive the stricken heart?

Allah set a month apart.

A time of healing, a time of hope

A time when everyone can grasp a lifeline boat.

Drifting to Allah’s mercy, escaping to the plains of tranquillity

Wherein lies a night, better than a thousand nights.

Containing beauty and power concealed from sight.

A time to walk through a new door and emerge with vows of “no more”

And so the sinner walks a lonely path

Towards renewal and amendments for the past.

Through doors of repentance and levels of submission

Allah’s mercy leads him to the doors of admission

The promise of two gardens for taqwa for a lord unseen

In the prevention of a fearful deed.

For O son of Adam if your sins reached the sky

But you called on your lord just one time

You would be forgiven as if you had never turned to transgression.

So never despair of the mercy of Ar Rahman, turn the key in Ramadan.

Reignite the former glory of Eemaan.

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Qiyam Poem

By: Emad Hamdeh

In the day I struggle and sin while You watch me
Forgetting what I promised Thee
That I won’t do it again
I have come to realize that being far from You is disgrace
Now being near to You is the only place
I wish to be, please grant me my wish by Your Grace
All others closed their doors
You are The Most Generous, please open up Yours
Allah allow me to wake up at night
I have sinned much in the daylight
Please my heart needs to come to you in flight
My desire of sleep I shall fight
To prostrate to You in the nights peak
Complaining about my heart being so weak
Bless me and let that tear leak
Down this sinful mans cheek
Let my tongue ask for forgiveness, for all the evil it did speak
Let my arrogant nose
Go on the floor where peoples feet and toes
Walk, where it belongs my forehead goes
Let my prostration be lengthy and my tears plenty
My back is getting weak, as the sins on my shoulders are so hefty
Please Oh Allah let me be among those who are awake while others sleep

I carry heavy sins and the road to You is steep
They are holding me down and making me slip and fall
But Your name I will always call
Allow me to prostrate to You in the dark
As sins have left on my heart a great black mark
Allah I beg You not to leave me to myself
For clearly I cannot see
My sins have left me roaming blindly
Guide me to Your Light
I miss prostrating to You at night
Now I tear, because I fear
Not tasting the sweetness of being alone with You and so near
Oh Allah I haven’t prayed Qiyam in so long
Since the last time, I have done so much wrong
Oh Allah without You I can’t be strong
Being away from You I can no longer take
From the chains and yokes of my sins I want to break
Oh Allah grant me this request
Though of your servants I am so far from the best
Oh Allah I am so sinful compared to the rest
Please let me pass this test
Oh Allah don’t deprive me of standing between Your Hands
A place a sinner like me never stands
My sins are enough to cover the lands
Let me be pleased with Your decree
Whatever happened was meant to be
Whatever I missed was not meant for me
My only strength and courage is through Thee
Accept from me my prayer
Oh Allah my heart aches
Being alone with You brings back great memories
Remembering those days takes
My heart into different states
Oh Allah my heart misses You so much that it is about to fall and break
The thought of how much I disobeyed You makes me quiver and shake
Oh my Lord, please give me my wish and inspire
Me to do good so I may be saved from the fire
Oh Allah I can no longer speak
My heart misses You so much it has become weak
Oh Allah How Revered You are
You are so near, but I chose to be far
Allow me another chance to be close to You
To drop another tear while prostrating before You
My sins covered my heart with a dark thick layer

Remove it with Your Light
Allow me to come back and stand before You at night
Return to my heart its sight
For it is weak and losing the fight
Help me as You are my only Power and Might
La Hawla wala Quwata illa Billah

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Untitled Poem
By: Hind El-Ayoubi

It’s the feeling I can’t explain

The way that it made me forget my pain

With every breath that I take

Never in my life have I ever been more awake

The way it made its presence known

Sent a chill down to my bone

As I look up and ask God to witness this miraculous time of the year

Reassurance accompanied me with tears

Ramadan how I’ve counted down the days

Until you came and cleared up the haze

The month of mercy and forgiveness it is

Puts me in an unworldly state of bliss

The Quran which was revealed on this day

To understand it all and live by it for this I pray

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