Ya Nafs!

I was rummaging through my old books and notepads trying to do some cleaning today and to my surprise, I came across a poem I had written during my studies of the Arabic language few years back. I was always intrigued by Arabic poetry and our teachers would encourage us to read as much poetry we can. They occasionally requested us to write some lines of our own. Although I was immersed in listening to poetry, I was never very good at composing any. Below is one that I successfully completed. As you can see, I am no Ahmad Shawki. I’ll call it Ya Nafs!

Sabrun Jamil – Patience

A day does not pass without a new claim,
That somewhere a Muslim is learning to maim.
“Islamic” terrorists who want to attack our way,
For them terror and bloodshed is their play.

Cometh the hour, cometh the…

I created these verses to deliver a seminar on death… Sometimes we do need to be woken up to the reality of the end…

Poem on Repentance

 

و كم من ليلة طالت أتتني
How many long nights passed by me

فلم أقدر على إستذكار علم

For I was unable to recollect knowledge

لأني كنت مشغولا بذنبي

Due to my preoccupation in misdeed
لقد أدركت بعد التوب أني

Indeed, I have discerned after repentance that I have
كثيرا ما قد عصيت ربي

Disobeyed my Lord greatly
و لكني بكل العزم ماض

However with firm determination
أحاول هجر معصيتي و ذنبي

I am trying to depart my disobeying and sinning
فيا رحمن يا ذالفضل أنعم

Oh! The most merciful, the one full of bounty, bestow your grace

على عبد فقير يرجو من
upon a poor slave who seeks (your) blessings

بمغفرة و أتبعها بعفو
forgive me, and supplement it with your grand pardon

و بالفردوس والجنات زدني

And raise me (by entering me) in paradise and al-firdous

(Abdullah Al-Hasan)

Secret

 

إذا المرء أفشى سره بلسانه
If a person reveals his secret with his own tongue

 ولام عليه غيره فهو أحمق

And blames another, then he is a fool

 إذا ضاق صدر المرء عن سر نفسه

If he’s chest is too narrow to conceal his own secrets

 فصدر الذي يستودع السر أضيق

Then the breast of the one in whom he places it is even narrower

Imam Shafi’

 

 

 

”O Self! Do you not feel shame”

 A Poet said:

أما تستحيين يا نفس

‘’O Self! Do you not feel ashamed (of Allah)?

أما آن لك أن تتوبي

Has not the time come for your repentance?

ألك طاقة بعذاب الله سبحانه

Do you have the ability to tolerate the punishment of Allah, the Most Glorified?

ألك حاجة بسخط الله سبحانه

Do you desire the Wrath of Allah, the Most Glorified?

‘God-Send’

It was reported that Isa, peace be upon him said

الدنيا ثلاثة أيام: أمس مضى; ما بيدك منه شئ, وغد لا تدري اتدركه املا, ويوم انت فيه;فاغتنمه.

‘’The world is three days: The yesterday has passed away; nothing of it is in your hands; the future day regarding which you have no knowledge as to whether you will see it or not. And the day you are present; take advantage of it’’.

It was reported that Abu Zarr Ghaffari said:

  

الدنيا ثلاث ساعات;ساعة مضت وساعة انت فيها وساعة اتدركها املا‘’The world is only three hours: An hour that has past; an hour in which you are now; and an hour (to come) which you may or may not get. Thus, in reality, you have only an hour’’.

 

Dry Hope

A Poet said: 

 ترجو النجاة ولم تسلك مسالكهاYou hope for salvation but do not traverse the paths of salvation 

إن السفينة لا تجري على اليبسIndeed, the boat does not float on dry land

‘No substitute for Allah’

1-

لكل شيء اذا فارقته عوض – For everything you leave there is a substitute

و ليس لله ان فارقت من عوض – But if you depart from Allah there is no substitute for him 

2-

اذا ابقت الدنيا على المرء دينه – When the world leaves the faith of a man to him

فما فاته منها فليس بضائر – Then whatever he lost from it will not cause him harm

2 Poems on ‘Patience’

!السلام عليكم

As a student I would rigorously record or try to note down on my pad all that my teachers said. We were requested to pay extra attention when poems were recited in the circles and classrooms. One of my very esteemed Shuyukh, Ustadh Abdul Hamid As-Shaiji, advised me when I began the journey of studying the beautiful Arabic language to carry a small note book and whenever I would hear or read anything interesting I should record it in this note book. From that day I carried a small pocket sized note book and whenever I heard or read anything intriguing it would be in that book.

Since then, I have assembled a number of pocket sized note book. Some I still have and some have been misplaced during the years. I still go back to them and reminisce about the classes in which I recorded the various lines, comments, quotes and poetry.

Below are two poems on ‘Patience’. Please forgive me if the translations do not capture the true eloquence conveyed in the original Arabic.

1- الصبر مفتاح ما يرجى

Patience is the Key to all that is hoped

و كل خير به يكون

And all good is attained by it

فاصبر وان طالت اليالى

Have Patience! Even if the nights become extended

فربما امكن الحرون

So happens that a difficulty’s solution ultimately becomes achievable

وربما نيل باصطبار

And perhaps something was achieved through perseverance

ما قيل هيهات لا يكون

To which it was said that those were insoluble

2-

صبرت وكان الصبر مني سجية

I observed patience and Patience has become my disposition

وحسبك ان الله أثنى على الصبر

It should suffice you that Allah has praised ‘Patience’

سأصبر حتى يحكم الله بيننا

I shall observe Patience till Allah decides between us

فاما الى يسر واما الى عسر

Either to ease or to hardship

A story about Sincerity

The following story was reported to have been narrated by Imam Hasan Al-Basri:

A man during the Imam’s time used to say: ‘By the token of Allah! I shall worship in such a manner that I will become well-known of it amongst the people.’

This man would be the first to enter and the last to exit the Masjid. He would regularly attend the Zhikr in the Masjid and would fast abundantly.

He continued in his rigorous activities of worship for about seven months showing off to people without any avail.

People began to curse him saying: ‘May Allah Almighty Himself deal with such an ostentatious person.’

He began to doubt whether his actions would ever bear him any fruits. He did not see that he was achieving any goodness in this life or accumulating merits for the hereafter, his actions had brought him nothing but blame from the people.

He thought, pondered and contemplated his situation and said to himself: ‘All worship and service have gone waste and without any consequence. From now onward I will worship and do the service of Allah purely for the sake of Allah and his pleasure alone.’

He began to worship Allah with a pure and unadulterated intention seeking only his pleasure and bounty. He did not increase in the quantity of activities of worship but continued to perform the same value as he did before. He began to realise and see the affects of his worship. The people now would say: ‘May Allah Almighty be merciful to him.’

After narrating this story Imam Hasan Al-Basri recited the following verse:

{إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ وَعَمِلُواْ ٱلصَّالِحَاتِ سَيَجْعَلُ لَهُمُ ٱلرَّحْمَـٰنُ وُدّاً }

{Indeed those who believe and do good acts, the most merciful will bestow love on them} [Maryam: 96]

Imam Hasan Al-Basri stated that Allah loves them and also makes them loved by the believers.

A poet wrote:

يا مبتغى الحمد والثوابا

O seeker of Praise and commendation (from people)!

في عمل تبتغي محالا

You are seeking an impossibility by your act

قد خيب الله ذا رياء

Allah makes an ostentatious person unsuccessful

وابطل السعى والكلا لا

And renders his endeavor and hardworking futile

من كان يرجو لقاء رب

Whoever desires the meeting of his Lord

اخلص من خوفه الفعالا

He should develop sincerity and fear him alone

الخلد والنار في يديه

Heaven and Hell are in his hands (control)

فراءه يعطيك النوالا

Show your deeds to him alone and he will enrich you with his grace

والناس لا يملكون شيئا

People possess nothing

فكيف رايتهم ضلا لا

So why do you show them your deeds proving yourself imprudent

AH