Sacrifice

The conscience speaks, the whispers grow
The inner light pierces through.
Like the rays of dawn, - light, hope and life
A new beginning, a new day, the soul awakes.

The soul awakes - fighting its first battle
against the sister of death that longs to keep him in bed
So many more battles lie ahead
Each moment, and phase, so many tests
To be purified and tested, before it rests.

It will struggle, it will fall, it will sin
But most importantly, it will repent and repent, once more stand tall
Washing away all the filth once again
Crying to its Lord in the depth of the night
To be saved from His displeasure, His anger and wrath
This repenting sinner.

Sometimes walking by - hands and arms are bleeding
Compassionate and pure - despite all its heard
So many sacrifices this soul will make
In submitting to its creator, its own heart it could break.
This human.

It will submit humbly in its prayers,
Bowing down, it will submit its own ego
Its anger will turn into mercy, its sadness into reason, its worries and fears into faith and trust.
It will hear ill speech but walk away,
It will spread peace and love to every passerby
It will give what it gives for the sake of its Lord
And what others fight for it will give in charity
They shed blood for this, but it gives it away freely
This mumin.

Enveloped by heaven's love
Blessed steps. And words. And tears.
And - it just keep walking, closer and closer
Towards Allah swt seeking His face, His pleasure
Embraced.

One day, it silently and gently flows away
Embraced by angels, doors of mercy wide open.
For all its done, all its giving, all its sacrifices, everything for the one, it returns.
Heaven.

(c) 2014

Probation on Earth

by zartasha zainab

Al-Ghafur, Ar Raheem defines who He is.

Accepting of Repentence and Mercy in bliss

He is the subtle, aware of the violence, and aggression

Yet for a time respite is granted for those many transgressions

With hope and mercy to His slave He turns

Doors wide open to those who repent and learn

Pardon granted for those who try

And in this testing life, continue to strive

The conscious voice to purify

And bring to life what is inside

A light that shines to guide us through

To be close to Him an invitation to you

Or would you after this choose another way?

When Allah blessed you as His honored creation whom Iblis longed to lead astray?

Would you than turn away from this invitation?

Even so time is passing your life with deterioration?

What excuse than shall you bring?

Life’s 25 550 days

How many chances the Merciful Lord gave?

Than who do you fear and what do you chase?

A fading shadow or your longing desires?

When the way was given to cease that fire?

Probation on earth, this testing period he gave us all

With death and life so why than do you stall?

Turn to your Lord before its too late.

 Turn to your lord before its too late.

(c) 2013

Humbled

Physical Limitations, Spiritual Elevations

By Zartasha Zainab

The new moon has been seen, the month begins

The doors of hell have been shut, the devils in chains

The angels descend as I open my eyes

And sustain myself until the white thread of dawn in the sky

I intend to fast today in the month of Ramadan

The month in which was revealed the Qur’an

And now that I have my needs fulfilled

I fast to enlighten my spirit, a pillar on which Islam is built

Giving up food, drink, and sensual pleasures,

And seeking after the real treasure

And restraining evils so that my soul may be freed

Erasing arrogance, anger, gluttony and greed

Sorrow lust and envy, all devils’ marks

The shaitan’s whispers engrained in my heart

Reciting the word of Allah the final revelation

Enlightening my soul to reach spiritual elevation

It’s a physical fast, but a spiritual meaning

Those physically incapable can be rewarded if the indigent they are feeding

Prayer, contemplation, charity and love

Compassion and justice, strengthening our relationship with the one above

The rewards are doubled and I await layalatul Qadr

Better than a thousand months, rewarding than all other

Greatness of purpose and smallness of needs

Pleasing  Allah by our goodly deeds

Purifying my soul while from the devil I’m freed

A fruit to obtain, planting the right seed

And as sunset approaches I break my fast

Hoping it’s accepted as today’s breath may be my last

How great is Allah for the sustenance He gives

This sustenance from He who forever lives

And now I enjoy food, drink and sensual pleasures

But I know with my Lord lies all without measure

And when they ask me, what is this soul?

It is beyond neurons and atoms in my heart there’s a door

He breathed from His spirit and gave sight, hearing and hearts

And it finds rest, listening, obeying, and comprehending His words

Spiritual elevation is what I hope to obtain

Evils inside me I hope they are drained

And eating to live, not living to eat

Desires in check, is my purpose being fulfilled?

Rebellion

A little child knows not, the dangers of the playground in the dark

And you see the stars shining but the fire that has caused them to spark

As their shining in the sky and an angry man throws on it sand

wishing he could be the shining star so he throws with his hand

but the sand falls back to him and the star continues to shine

that is the example of the man that acts blind

And that is the difference between hating and climbing the ladder

A hater knows not the responsibilities of the shiner

A hater is the man that just throws up the sand

But back at his face is where the sand is going to land

And there is a difference between getting a position

And a criminal versus a civil citizen there is a clean division

Difference between a theif and the one that earns his prize

Nothing special about a theif or a lie

A follower knows not the responsiblities of the leader

He wishes to become or be in the position of the leader

Or a rebel that gathers his following based on a persons wrong

But does not look within him and that will not make him any more strong

Because climbing up that ladder was not an easy task

The one that gets up there doesn't hide in a mask

The one that gets there stays true to his word

The one that teaches gets up there with love

And flies upto the sky like a glowing shining dove

Rights and responsiblities come in a combo

Just like the little child cant be responsible

And cannot understand the dangers of the playground in the dark

And cannot have the right to play or go very far

You are where you are because thats where you can be

If you wanted to get higher than know there is more responsibility

IF you think you have enough challenges in you life right now

Than I better not see a new hater frown

First learn to endure what is in your own life with patience

Than Allah will begin for you your next stage up! Your next mission

by zartasha

what is faith? by kamran pasha

 what is faith?
It is a memory. Of a time when all was perfect in the world. When there was no fear, no grieve and no judgement and no death.
It is a memory of a time before we were born, a beacon to guide us back from the end to the beginning, to the memory of where we came from.
It is a memory of a promise made before the earth was formed, before the stars glittered in the primordial sea.
A promise that says that we weill remember what we have learned on this journey so that we may return full circle, the same and yet different.
Older. Wiser. Filled with compassion for other. And for ourselves.
What is faith?
It is the memory of love.

Freedom?

 let me tell you something about freedom
so many people think that freedom is about getting independence
They're right to a degree because it is about having your own choice
They're right to a degree because its about hearing your own inner voice
They're right because its about being true to yourself
Because thats the start of where you need to stop to dwell

But the long story, it doesnt end there
Because it makes us selfish and life unfair
Because it creates the conditions of greed in our heart
Because that, its only the start

Freedom is the day you need to stop from doing what everybody wants
And stop from doing what pleases everybody else
And stop your own self from being false
This is where you living your own life starts.

And nobody needs to tell you to make your decisions
And nobody needs to tell you how you have to be
See theres norms out there that tell you how to act
Theres false information that is claimed to be facts

But we need to find something thats deep within us
Theres a voice of reason and its the only thing that will please us
The thing that will free us and it will sustain us
Its not collecting all the wealth in the world
Its not being better than everybody else

It is Allah's light that can only perfect us
Show us our purpose and why it was that He made us
The only thing that will put us to peace
Its when the only one we worry about is the Lord whom we must please

And that thing inside is always asking
Always seeking for something
Something that we can depend on
Something that will be with us from now on
A source so true that it will guide us
One that will guide whom we owe our dependence

And that place we find when we find Allah
And that place we find when we start to obey his law
When we put ourselves in the place he made for us
In peace and harmony for the purpose for which he created us.

That's the day we'll truly be free
Free to experience the life for which we should be
Free to grow, to learn to love
All of his creation
Is the day we reach submission

Submission to the will of God
Thats where the real journey will start.
A rope so strong it will never tear us apart.
Save us from the many tricks of shaitan
Save us from falling into wrong

To sail our boat through the vast ocean
And keep us sailing and prevent us from drowning
Keep us smiling and stop us from frowning
Make us dependant on our sole creater
The one in control, the one who is the maker

Time

The value of time cannot be simply understood
And the things that we do with it eat it up like its food
Whether its thoughts, whether its actions,
whether its production whether its exploitation
whether its good deeds or its bad
whether its wasting it and being sad
whether its giving to others
whether its taking from your brothers
whether its spent remembering Allah
and praying like theres no other God
Whether the intentions are pure
whether into a trap your being lure
but this second that has gone away
is dead forever from this day
from this moment from this world
whether dream or real
wal Asr
Inal insana la fi khusr
Illulazi na aminu wa amilus sali hati
watawa sow bil haqi
watawa sow bis sabr