POEMS
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Muhammad salalahu alahi wa salam
In Loving Memory of Khubayb - Hassan ibn Thabit
(This Poem in loving memory of
Khubayb is reputedly composed by the Muslim poet Hassan ibn
Thabit, and is hailed in Arabic literature as a masterpiece.
The charm of the original language and its lilt is
impossible to convey in translation.)
The enemy allies have converged on me,
incited their clansmen to muster strength;
They've invited their women and children to see,
and tied me to a solid trunk.
To Allah I complain of my loneliness and suffering;
Of enemies who surround me to rejoice at my death.
O Master of the Mighty Throne, grant me strength ,
To bear what they are doing to me;
Piercing my flesh and tearing my limbs.
They gave me a choice to turn away from Thee,
But death is preferable to that;
That very thought of which brings tears to my eyes,
Not the pain they inflict on me.
I am not afraid of death, for some day everyone has to die;
But I shudder out of fear for the fire of Hell,
for the fury of its flames.
These limbs of mine are a sacrifice for Allah,
Hoping He'll bless every limb offered in His way.
So long I die a Muslim, I don't regret a thing,
For My death will occur in Allah's way.
[At every piercing stab of their sharp spears he
chanted:La-ilaha-illal-aa Muhamma-dararasul-lah, until his
noble soul fled from his body in search of his Lord, to
complain of the tyranny of his tormentors]
In Praise of the Prophet - Hassan ibn Thabit
When I saw his light
shining forth,
In fear I covered my eyes with my palms,
Afraid for my sight because of the beauty of his form.
So I was scarcely able to look at him at all.
The lights from his light are drowned in his light
and his faces shines out like the sun and moon in one.
A spirit of light lodged in a body like the moon,
a mantle made up of brilliant shining stars.
I bore it until I could bear it no longer.
I found the taste of patience to be like bitter aloes.
I could find no remedy to bring me relief
other than delighting in the sight of the one I love.
Even if he had not brought any clear signs with him,
the sight of him would dispense with the need for them.
Muhammad is a human being but not like other human beings.
Rather he is a flawless diamond and the rest of mankind are
just stones.
Blessings be on him so that perhaps Allah may have mercy on
us
on that burning Day when the Fire is roaring forth its
sparks.
A Poem by Jalaluddin Rumi from 'Mathnawi'
Sometimes in order to help He makes us cry.
Happy the eye that sheds tears for His sake.
Fortunate the heart that burns for His sake.
Laughter always follows tears.
Blessed are those who understand.
Life blossoms wherever water flows.
Where tears are shed divine mercy is shown.
A Poem by Jalaluddin Rumi
O heart let go of your soul
Until you see the soul maker
Leave behind this deceptive faker
So you reach your real goal.
Unless you pass through here
You will never reach the beyond
Free yourself from worldly bond
Doubtless clear, to you appear.
If it is a sign that you seek
In this path, my dear friend
Yourself you must transcend
And signs to you will speak.
Advice to a Daughter - Anonymous
A pious mother to her daughter
Be an earth for him and he will be your sky;
Be a resting place for him and he will be your pillar;
Be his Bondmaid and he will be your slave;
Do not make excessive demands for he will then desert you;
Do not become too distant from him for he will then forget
you;
Should he draw near then draw close to him;
Should he become distant stay away from him;
Shield his nose, his hearing and his eye
so he will smell nothing from you
But that which is sweet
hear nothing
but that which is good;
And look at nothing
but that which is beautiful.