The Journey of Life

This life is like a journey
With stops along the way
Some leave us before we reach our stop
We leave some on their way

You get on the train of life
Because you don’t have a choice
You get off on your stop
Because you don’t have a choice

“What can I do then” he asks
“I feel like I’m trapped”
So he decides to ignore the reality and has fun
Until his body is wrapped

Every stop seems like the final one
I’ve never seen them come back
Some leave while they’re happy
Some leave while they’re sad

He thinks this train came by itself
That there’s no intelligent design
That he can be on this journey and take what he wants
He defines for himself reward for a crime

It doesn’t make sense to him
“How could there be a life after ours?
You know I’ve even been to the edges of this train
I’ve even explored the Moon and Mars”

He thinks his rebellion makes him strong

It makes him feel proud

He writes lengthy equations of math

He gathers a huge crowd

Then one day he too is forced to leave
But they’re always worried before they go
It makes me wonder if this is all there is to life

Or is there something more?

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Where Are The People?

Where are the people who will understand?

Who know that this world is like a castle made of Sand?

And with a single tide, it can all wash away

One moment it’s there, the next cast away

 

Where are the people who still value love?

Who realize all this is a blessing from above?

And those who don’t recommend over men

Their money and their cars, or how much they can spend

 

Where are the people who realize you’re sincere?

Who know that Allah has control of your affair?

And those who rely on HIM and HIM alone

Not depending on what’s apparent and what’s only shown

 

Where are the people who have insight?

Who are ready to take a leap from darkness to light?

And those who do deeds not be seen

Worried about hearts more than clothes to be clean

 

Where are the people who are your true friends?

Who are not afraid to walk with you against the false trends?

And those who, when you fall, will help you to rise

Hold your hand and walk with you on the path to Paradise

Revive The Light Inside, Let The Change Begin

Sounds like the SIST 2014 theme? That’s because it is the same. I wrote this piece to participate in Spoken Word competition at SIST . Finished it 1 day before the event. Too bad couldn’t memorize it properly and forgot while reading. No position for me  lol But Alhamdulillah everything happens for a reason so I’m happy :) I just noticed that now I have 27 pieces and if I reach 50 I might make them into a small book in sha Allah. Man I missed posting on this blog so much! Please do read the amazing Ahadith posted everyday.

Would you believe me if I said there’s an army coming?

Would you prepare to fight, or would you start running?

Or maybe you would laugh cuz you know I’m a liar…

And after a short while, I would just stop trying…

Maybe to you I’m like that shepherd who used to lie

Who had no real threat yet “A Lion, A Lion!” he used to cry…

But I’m confused because whatever I say is not even a lie…

 

I only try to correct you and tell you what is right

Remind you of the Hereafter; tell you about Allah’s Might

So you might come back to the path that is straight

But I’m getting impatient and now I really can’t wait

Cuz it’s late, and I have to go to the cinema with my friend

I really didn’t want to but it is the newest trend

So I spend what I can, to stay up to date

Now if you excuse me I have to leave for my date

But listen to me my mate, you should really fear Allah

Whenever you hear the call, just run for your Salah

And surely Allah will show you your way

The path of those who are guided and not of those who are astray

Man I don’t understand why you don’t listen to me!

I seem to be doing the Da’wah properly!!

 

So I guess it has something to do with that advice

My mother once gave me while cooking white rice

That if you want to change the world you would have to start from yourself!

That people wouldn’t trust me if I committed sins myself!

How I ignored the words that came straight from her heart

Thinking I had my cool ways, thinking I was really smart

But now I see what she said was indeed very right

It was my narrow thinking and my limited insight

And now I realize it after many long days

That I really have to stop, that I have to mend my ways

Cuz change, change and change!! We all want to see it!

The funny thing is that no one is ready to be it

So I gotta start from today and firmly decide

Make sincere Du’a that only to Allah I should confide

To revive the light inside and let the change begin…

Cuz “Allah does not change the condition of a people, unless they change what is within…” [Interpretation of the meaning – Surah Ar-Ra’d, verse 11]

The Meaning of Love

It was considered something sacred

They named that feeling Love

Not knowing what purpose it served

They took it as a blessing from Above

 

Then they started guessing what it was

No one to guide them through the way

They didn’t look at the Manual they were given

And slowly started going astray

 

It was made for a mother to love her child

And a father so on his son he wouldn’t be harsh

And specially to recognize the One Who made it

So it would help heal people’s broken hearts

 

So it would make them kind, and loving, and gentle

So hate and jealousy would be despised

But how the cursed one tricked us to misuse it

On that, today, we’re all surprised

 

Now people take it for romance and lust

And we had to pay a terrible cost

That on it most have lost their trust

And the real meaning of Love was lost

 

All rights reserved by Jody T. Photography

The Signs Around Us

I hadn’t prayed the whole day. I would just join my Zuhr with Asr because I’m travelling. At Asr I was at a place where I couldn’t find a place to pray. I could hear the Azaan echoing in the forest but didn’t know the way to the mosques. When I saw one it was a few miles below from the place where I stood watching. Didn’t see any washrooms either or a place where I could do Wudu. Plus I had to constantly move to keep up with my family. I felt a bit sad cuz I wished I could reach it but I can’t jump mountains. I came back the same way I had gone up, went from the cable car to the chair lift and back to Patriata. Then I sat in the car quietly after trying to raise the issue of praying a few times.

Next stop: Mall Road, Murree. We reached there and the azan for Maghrib was going on. Don’t know where from but I could hear it clearly for sure. We found a restaurant to have dinner in. On the way inside I saw a man sitting there with torn and dirty clothes, messed up hair and having a poker face. He seemed a beggar to me or a guy who would claim to be a “Peer Sahab” and fool people to take money from them. I asked the waiter for the prayer place and he said it’s on the floor above but the Jamaat is going on and there’s no more space so you pray later. I sat there again quietly. Had food and then went upstairs to pray. I prayed in that little dark attic whose floor was moving as I walked on it. I felt peace and sadness inside. I knew I was very late. I went out of the restaurant after praying Isha as I knew I would miss that too if I delayed it till I went back home.

As I stepped out of the restaurant I uttered a deep sigh seeing people roam so aimlessly on Mall Road. No Pardah, no manners (talking about the group of boys that you see there only for the purpose of staring at girls or passing comments), and everyone just lost in the delusionary enjoyment of this worldly life.

“And what is the worldly life except the enjoyment of delusion?” [Surah Al-Hadeed, last part of verse 20]

But I was no different. I was the same. I wasted my day too. I could have tried harder to find a place to pray. Surely I would’ve found it. I could’ve asked my family to wait for me!!

I had seen an ice cream parlour beside the restaurant on my way in so I went there and bought ice cream. As I started moving back towards my car I passed by that guy again who was sitting there outside the restaurant. I went close to him as he was reciting Quran. I wanted to hear him recite as it seemed so beautiful! I had an idea before that it was Surah Yaseen, and as I crossed him I noticed he cannot see and the verse that I heard while I had just started eating that sweet ice cream was

أَلَمْ أَعْهَدْ إِلَيْكُمْ يَا بَنِي آدَمَ أَن لَّا تَعْبُدُوا الشَّيْطَانَ ۖ إِنَّهُ لَكُمْ عَدُوٌّ مُّبِينٌ ﴿٦٠

“Did I not enjoin upon you, O children of Adam, that you not worship Satan – [for] indeed, he is to you a clear enemy.”
[Surah Yaseen, verse 60]

It had never been so hard to eat ice cream before….