Monday, May 25, 2009

A Muslimah's Dignity


Poetry that was expressed,
Insight addressed,
Read what was written,
Comment if befitting,
Gratitude is what I offer to thee,
Penned by yours truly.

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A Muslimah’s Dignity

As the night drapes the earth,
Covering and protecting all its worth,
The Hijab shrouds our sister’s body,
Her modesty the highest testimony,
Just as the pea remains in the shell,
Efforts to gain salvage from the fire of hell,
Ornaments on display loses its value,
For the rare and priceless are quite few,
Found in hidden havens far from prying eyes,
Flowers in harsh conditions wilts and dies,
The caretaker reaps fruit after hours of nurturing,
The prize a personal gift to the deserving,
Behind the curtains of her garments,
She wishes that they would stop their torments,
For under it all lies a modest woman,
She is but a living, breathing human,
On this earth a temporary guest,
Only to be respected is her request.

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Blogging with purpose,
Mariamlelue

Monday, May 18, 2009

Beni Beni

Beni Beni

"A friend is one to whom one may pour out all the contents of one's heart, chaff and grain together, knowing that the gentlest of hands will take and sift it, keep what is worth keeping and with a breath of kindness blow the rest away."- Arabian Proverb

Life teaches not to exploit man’s weakness but to prove endurance is the highest tenant of salvation. The clock is ever ticking to its own rhythm to which we either learn to dance to, tolerate or to which we never learn its true essence and our disharmonious beat clashes with it continuously. Life is a symphony seeking perfection as it seeks to smoothen out the wrinkles even when they remain adamant.

Ya Dost beni, I seek from you enlightenment and your continuous presence. Everywhere I see shadows of hope in the constant drowning of overbearing burden and I remain thankful for your guiding light. Surround me with positivity and per chance it may befall me. I am contented to be enamoured with your essence. Let me be…

Gift me with everlasting insight so that my perception is never blurred. Let me see reason in my struggles as I make effort to escape from its clutches. Time has truly passed a much quicker beat and I await results after an enduring effort.

Welcome me back into your doors of ease and cease to test the depth of my resolve.

Ya Dost beni, from You alone I seek, for I remain the seeker and you the sought.

***

To this end it would only be befitting to include this mystical poem by the gifted Jalal-ud Din Rumi, an extract from Divani Shams, "Life and Work of Muhammad Jalal-ud Din Rumi"

O Friend! we are near you in friendship,
Wherever you set foot, we prostrate ourselves like earth.
How is it permissible, in the religion of love,
That we should see your Creation and neglect to see You?

That Friend brought me up with great care and attention;
He sewed me a garment from skin and veins.
The body is like a cloak and my heart in it like a mystic,
The world is like a monastery and He is my Guide.

Seek knowledge which unravels mysteries
Before your life comes to close
Give up that non-existence which looks like existence,
Seek that Existence which looks like non-existence!

There is a world outside Islam and Disbelief,
We are enamoured of the atmosphere therein.
The mystic lays down his head when he reaches there.
There is neither Islam nor Disbelief in this place.

Whenever I prostrate my head He is the one to whom I bow;
In six directions or outside the six, he is the one I worship.
The garden, the rose, the nightingale, music and the beauteous maiden
Are a mere excuse and He alone is the real object.


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I share with you now a beautiful song expressing the believers plea for respite from the mercy of their Dost… God



These are the lyrics for the song:
Beni Beni - Niyaz

Lastly but certainly not in the least, I would like to give thanks to the reader from Lombardia who has been visiting my blog so religiously over the past few days.

On ne voit bien qu'avec le cœur; l'essentiel est invisible pour les yeux.”
“Only with the heart can a person see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye
.”
~ Antoine de Saint Exupéry [extract from “Le Petit Prince”]


Blogging with purpose,
Mariamlelue