All That Glitters is not Gold

All that glitters is not gold
So many times I had been told
Yet I ignored this simple advice
And fell in love with my demise

Glittering bright you enraptured me
The rest I could and would not see
Gilded gold were truly you
All fake and not true

An embodiment of my dreams
In every aspect to me it seemed
A treasure to hold close to my heart
Which one day you would tear apart

But like all lies yours didn’t last
The truth revealed- cruel and fast
And then I realised to what I was blind
An ore of impurities yet to be refined
Lacking the value of true gold
For an expensive price you had been sold

Money cannot value my loss
For my very soul you had cost
But a valuable lesson I was taught
Gold should never ever be sought

For all that glitters is not gold
I learnt once my heart was sold.


Masumah

Like the Strong Wind

It blew like the strong wind;
It burst like a bright flame;
It became like a youth in its determination;
It flew like a hawk, with pride;
Welcome, my caravan; My caravan of wisdom;

O generation of the future, let’s go;
Let’s exert ourselves and work hard;
Let’s always rise to the top;
And never accept to be less than the best;

My friends, let’s go about;
And learn different fields of knowledge;
Let’s excel in five or six;
And help a brother or sister;
Leave your laziness and slumber;
The lazy person has never succeeded;
And stop criticizing and blaming;
As Allah is the Helper of people;

Revive the glory of this Ummah;
When it was at its peak;
And brush this dark cloud away from it;
With your high aspirations…

Busy with Dunya?

A poet said: 
"O he who is busy with his dunya! 
Whom illusions of a long lifetime have deluded; 
Was he not in a state of heedlessness, until his appointed time drew near?
Verily death arrives suddenly, 
and the Grave is the collection-box of actions. 
Be patient over the dunya and its hardships, 
No death is there except at one’s appointed time."

Let Days Go Forth

Let days go forth and do as they please
And remain firm when settled is the Decree

Don’t be afraid of what happens by night
For the affairs of this world are not to last

And be a man, strong in the face of calamities
And let your nature be that of kindness and honesty

If your faults become too much in front of the people
And you wish that they were to be concealed,

Then know that kindness covers all faults
And how many faults are kept hidden by kindness!

No sadness lasts forever, nor any happiness
And you shall not remain in poverty, or any luxury

Generosity cannot be hoped from the miserly
For no water exists in the Fire for the thirsty

Your provision will not be lessened due to life’s delays
And it cannot be increased due to your haste

If, in your heart, you possess contentment
Then you and those who possess the world are equal

And for him upon whose horizon death descends,
No earth can offer him protection, nor any sky

Indeed, the earth of Allah is certainly vast
But if decree descends, then decree is constricted

Let days be the ones that betray you at all times
For no cure can avail a person of death

Imam Al-Shafi'i (RA)

An Ode to Facebook

It all started with an invite.
A crime in broad daylight,
For it was sent to friends infinite.
Yet, meant to excite.

To see my friend’s photos,
My secrets I did disclose.
After creating an account,
Facebook, I did mount.

They bribed me with a Profile
Like a Kingfisher seat in the aisle.

Soon enough, I got poked,
And my emotions got evoked.
I proposed, but she got provoked,
For no fault of mine, I got smoked!

Few strangers sent friend requests,
I ignored the chests & accepted breasts,

Damn! This Facebook suggests,
Strangers I wouldn’t invite as guests.

I got a dashboard too,
And the voyeurist in me grew.
Now I could see girlfriends, wives,
Drives, contrives, thrives and archives.

Now I could see links, pages, ages,
And onstage, offstage rampages.

Status updates, Comments & Likes,
All controlled my mood spikes.

With Newsfeeds served to me hot,
I had hit a jackpot.

Facebook as an idea, I had bought,
Rest of my life, I forgot.

- Jammy

Final Hour

When shall the time begin
When there's nothing left but sin
When the universe comes to a swoon
And the Beast speaks to man, come noon

When shall the time begin
When one ransoms kith and kin
When Allah's Messenger will descend
And when mountains crumble down as sand

When shall the time begin
When man seems drunk, as if boozed with gin
When Beings crawl out to run
And when from west rises the sun

When shall the time begin
When smoke blends with wind
When the fetus from the womb leaps out
And when the angel does siren aloud

Alas, the time has not begun
Now..... what pious deeds got done.

The Slave of Wealth

The passionate slave of wealth
ignores his ailing health
Morning and night he toils
trying to Allah's law foil

At night, even till twelve
will he in riba delve
not realising his riba will cause him to bake and broil
and his wealth round him like a serpent will coil

Unmindful of his salaat
never will he with his time part
When the pious at his door knock
he pretends he's a deaf block

Come the time of death, will he realise
the Deen, he should not trivialise

The Worlds Latest Addiction

Just six clicks away
from five thousand “friends.”
No clue what today is,
or what’s on CNN.

I should really get dressed,
Or at least shave my pits.
But with all these new friends,
I can’t stop the clicks.

Glued to the screen
like some kind of affliction.
Welcome to Facebook:
the world’s latest addiction.

I Worship My Lord

Author: by Na'ima B. Robert

I wake before dawn.
No muadhin calls me,
No footsteps stir me,
Instead society spurns me,
Labels me and burns me.
But everyday,
I wake before dawn.

I wear my hijab.
No father threatens me,
No religious police warn me,
Instead society judges me
Mocks me and shuns me.
But everyday,
I wear my hijab.

I rear my children.
No family pressures me,
No work barriers limit me,
Instead society shames me,
Names me and blames me.
But everyday,
I rear my children.

I follow the Sunnah.
No culture defines me,
No history holds me,
Instead, society scolds me,
Re-makes and moulds me.
But every day,
I follow the Sunnah.

I strive for Paradise.
No teachers indoctrinate me,
No worldly hardships sedate me,
Instead society rejects me,
Tempts me and affects me.
But every day,
I strive for Paradise.

I worship my Lord.
No imam compels me,
No rules force my heart,
Instead, society fears me,
And dares not come near me.
But every day,
I worship my Lord.

Every day,
In every way,
Through hardship and strife
And the all-consuming,
O so fleeting,
Bitter sweetness of life,
I worship my Lord.

Lal Masjid Massacre

By: Showkat Ali

Lal Masjid Massacre

You have seen us on the news
Heard many stories
Mostly negative
Don’t blame you if you hate us
But now its time to hear our views

You have seen men with beards and turbans
Women with faces covered and sticks in one hand
Children shouting militant slogans
We don’t blame you if you are scared

Who are we?
Are we mad, raving lunatics?
Intent of destruction and mayhem
Or are we human and Muslim just like you?

You have seen the house of Allah surrounded
Helicopters and armed soldiers
Used to attack us in our place of worship and home
You have seen bodies flooding out
Most believed the official version
But some sincere Muslims have doubts
Questions and criticisms

Do we not deserve justice and a fair hearing?
Or is it ok for us to be butchered like animals at Qurbani?
Over hundred plus dead and even more wounded
Mass graves and cover ups
Some witnesses say 1500 martyred
what was our crime and who convicted us in what court?

If you’re willing to listen and think for yourself
Then here is our story

We are Muslims
Just like you
Believe in Allah and his book and Prophet
We accept all the verses and hadith
Regardless of the change in time and place
Islam is not only in our hearts
But in our actions too

We saw the evil all around just like you do
We felt angry and sad like everyone else
Pakistan established in the name of Islam
But where is Islam in society we asked?

Musharaff came
some people applauded
Need for change from the Bhuttos and the Nawaz Sharifs
what has he delivered?
A partner in America’s war against Islam
Thousands of Muslims dead
And open vice and evil everywhere

Brothels even next to masjids
Corruption so open
Modernisation and progress some say
It’s the price we pay
For being Secular

Islam inside people’s hearts
While the decadent values tear our nation apart
Polarisation
Islamists and Secularists
With millions in the middle

So we took a stand
Against those who do evil
Used our hands
To change the condition of the people
We expected the Government to attack us
But we expected better from our brothers and sisters

Do you not wish to live in a better society?
Free from corruption and evil
Based upon the Prophets Sunnah
Where your daughters can walk without being molested
Your sons can get jobs without paying bribes
And the nation’s wealth will be utilised for the ummah

So we suffered the consequences of our sincerity to Allah
We have no regrets
After all death is decreed by the creator
We leave this world working for Allah’s deen
You and us will meet again soon
Where the only currency will be good deeds
So take advantage of the time you have left
And read the Quran and Sunnah with an open mind
And act upon its commands
InshAllah

Ladies first

It's easy to get swept into this society's norms
In a World of "After you" and "Ladies first"
All wrongs seem to come at you in the right forms.
In a World of "After you" and "Ladies first"

In a world where girls and guys can intermingle
In a world where it's a virtue to stay single
Where the only guideline is in each persons ability
Where everyone has stripped themselves of liability

We tend to forget the people of our history
making the achievement of good deeds a mystery

such as the story of a man in madyan
who helped some women get water from a well

such as the story of a man in madyan
who into his desires, he did not sell

"come with me" the girl said
and to her father, he was led
the father was impressed with his manly nature
He wanted to see this man of great stature

on the way he did not twidle
making sure there was no chance for shaytan to fiddle
Ahead of the girl he chose to walk
and if he were to walk too far, he bid her to throw rocks

he dared not walk behind her
not because of arrogance or pride
he dared not walk behind her
for fear he would take joy in their stride

a man of great stature indeed
a man who truly did succeed

A different story, today's society does tell
A different story, into which many of us fell
a story of "After you" and "Ladies first"