By Farhad Khadim
By Farhad Khadim
I undertook a journeyBack in time
To meet my BelovedTo tell him of my hurt
Of the wounds they inflict on himThe lies they tell; the hatred they feel
Of the rage inside meWhen they hurl insults at him.
I found him in the Lighted CityBetween two mountain tracts
He was sittingI h h d f hi In the shade of his mosque
Serene and composedA playful smile on his faceA playful smile on his face
A King with no throneA Master with no servant
Alone with His LordThe weapon of his choice
"Assalaamu Alaika! Ya Rasulallah"H i d hi bli fHe raised his sublime face
As I approachedStood up and embraced meStood up and embraced me
My heart melted as Time stood still
And the distance of centuries Disappeared
As if they were a fleeting momentAs if they were a fleeting momentThe moment lingered for centuries
And a strange feeling of peace Engulfed me
Like the early morning fog Th t fill th t i That fills the mountain pass.
Do they know me, he askedHis words soft and steady
Have you told themOf Quraish and its leaders
Steeped in arrogance and disbeliefTheir disdain for Bilal
And the freedom he sought?
Do they know of Khadija, Fatima and KhansaaAnd the lovely Aisha in whose lap I lay my head
When the call came for me to return?
Have they seen the Ka'bahFree of idols?
Restored to the purityof Abraham's time?
Have they heard of Khalid, Ali and UmarHave they hea d of Khalid, Ali and UmaAnd the gracious AbuBakr
Whose heart was made of gold?
Have they heard of TaifAnd the bands of menAnd the bands of menWho answered my callWith stones and sticks?
Do they know of my refugeWithi th d ' llWithin the garden's wallsAnd the curiosity of Addas
Who embraced my call?y
Have they heard of Mu'timHave they heard of Mu timAnd his chivalrous stand
Against QuraishWhil h f h ?While he was one of them?
I shifted my feet f y fAs my Beloved looked at me
With pity in his eyes and kindness on his faceI knew that I had let him downI knew that I had let him down
Failed to speak of himLet the world know of
Th h h W ldThe man who came as a Mercy to the Worlds
And what is my Ummah doing he inquiredAnd what is my Ummah doing, he inquiredWhen they throw insults at me?
My eyes lit up, now is the timeTo tell him of our courage, our loyalty
We march, I said in hundreds of thousandsCh l i d fChant slogans in your defence
We take to the streets and vent our outrageAt the ridicule they have heaped on youAt the ridicule they have heaped on you
We care not for their lives, nor their innocenceThey are all one, united in torment!y ,
The Prophet lowered his headThe Prophet lowered his headA veil of sadness crossed his face
I looked into his eyes, filled with tearsAnd knew that I had made a terrible mistake
b h h dMy brother, he saidThis is not the way
I have endured worse I have endured worse At the hands of Quraysh
And the hypocrites have plotted A d ypo av p o dDay and night
To make me fail in my resolve
Go tell my peopleGo tell my peopleThat kindness and compassion
ConquersThat their love for me is best displayed
When they tell the world about meWhen they walk in my footstepsWhen they walk in my footsteps
Living like I didIn their hours of sleep and wake
When knowledge of me Reaches every household
A d th d f th Q 'And the words of the Qur'anAre recited ever so softly at dawn
When Addas and Mu'timWill rise again
To witness and to protectAnd when my prayer at Taif
Is on the lips of everyone:
"O Allah! I complain to Youof my weakness my scarcity of resources of my weakness, my scarcity of resources
and the humiliation I have been subjected to by the people. O Most Merciful of those who are merciful.
O Lord of the weak and my Lord too. To whom have you entrusted me?
To a distant person who receives me with hostility? To a distant person who receives me with hostility? Or to an enemy to whom you have granted authority over my affair?
So long as You are not angry with me, I do not care. Y f i f i li f t Your favor is of a more expansive relief to me.
I seek refuge in the light of Your Face by which all darkness is dispelled and every affair of this world and the next is set right, lest Your anger or Your displeasure descends upon me.
I desire Your pleasure and satisfaction until You are pleased.There is no power and no might except by You."There is no power and no might except by You.