A House I’ve Never Seen
Shrugging off doubts.
Wistful for a house
I’ve only seen in dreams,
a green garden for my child,
a woman with kind eyes.
A Western sky
and a bell of brass.
A wall that evil cannot pass,
a patch of sunlight on the grass,
a place to live and laugh.
- Wael Abdelgawad, 12-31-2011
All I Have is You
All I have is you Allah, all I have is you
No lover, no fighter, no comforter
All I have is you
All I have is you Allah, all I have is you
No strength, no hope, no wishes
All I have is you
All I have is you Allah, all I have is you
No colors, no peace, no whispers
All I have is you
All I have is you Allah, all I have is you
No pride, no beauty, no certainty
All I have is you
All I have is you Allah, all I have is you
No future, no patience, no ease
All I have is you
All I have is you Allah, all I have is you
And you are everything that I lack
All I have is you
- Amy Estrada, 11-19-2011
Nothing, Only Love
He comes to you with barbs in his skin
and blood on his cheek.
He comes with eyes of loam and gold.
He comes to you again and again,
as a youth and a man.
He has never forgotten you.
He comes with burns on his back
but standing straight,
hiding his scars and his shame,
wearing a half-thawed grin.
He has never stopped thanking you.
He comes with no answers,
with nothing, only love,
a heart like a sun,
and a soul like an African rain.
Will you open your arms to him
and hold him so tightly
that when you let go
he falls down laughing
happy to be alive,
happy to be a father and a man,
happy for you
and for the first time, years ago
that he heard your voice
like the whisper
of a summer wind?
- Wael Abdelgawad, 10-21-2011
This is an excerpt from a song by Aaron Niequist. They are a Christian chorus, and this is a Muslim blog, but I consider that irrelevant. It’s a beautiful song.
Love Can Change the World
Bridges are more beautiful than bombs are
Bridges are more beautiful than bombs.
Listening is louder than a lecture
Listening is louder than a shout
But Love – Love can change the world.
Oh do we still believe that
Love – Love can change the world.
An open hand is stronger than a fist is
An open hand is stronger than a fist
Wonder is more valuable than Wall Street
Wonder is more valuable than gold.
Repeat chorus
May we never stop this dreaming
Of a better world
May we never stop believing
In the impossible.
©2005 AARONieq Music
A Gate Called Ar-Rayyaan
Allahumma, Ar-Rahman,
let me in through Ar-Rayyaan,
with my daughter hand in hand.
Or if not, then shake me loose
of all I’ve done;
brush the sins off me like dust
and show me the path
to Bab As-Salat.
Or Bab Al-Hajj, or Bab-As-Saum.
Let me come home,
let me come home to You.
Bab At-Tawbah, Bab Al-Jihad,
with my child, that’s all I ask,
and let all else vanish
beneath the waters, or be taken
by the wind.
Wael Abdelgawad
August 22, 2011
In Allah’s Loving Hands
May Allah swt be with you every step that you take,
May HE guide you with each decision you make,
May HE help you when life gets rough,
May HE lift you when you’ve had enough,
May HE protect you when you fall,
May HE hear you when you call,
May all your duas be accepted,
May you always be in Allah swt’s loving hands. Ramadan Mubarak x
- Anonymous Muslimah
In generosity and helping others, be like a river
In compassion and grace, be like the sun
In concealing other’s faults, be like the night
In anger and fury, be as if you have died
In modesty and humility, be like the earth
In tolerance, be like the sea
And either appear as you are, or be as you appear
Received from oral tradition of Rumi, paraphrased by Kabir Helminski.
Wounded brother, sister in belief:
pour out your cup of hurt and grief
and fill it with lavender leaf.
Fill it with sunlight seed
and the moon’s reedy laugh.
Fill it with the history of grass,
and the joy of breath.
Fill it with hope
and the poetry of God.
Fill it with Quran
and the moment before dawn.
Fill it with Allah’s soul-saving light,
and the power of His love
expressing in your life.
Fill it with dhikr like gold,
and Prophetic stories
that were old
a thousand years ago.
Fill your cup with beach foam
and the smell of baking bread;
with the mark of prayer
impressed upon your head;
with lemon drop soup
and the comfort of your bed.
Fill it with gratitude
for His gifts from above.
Fill your cup, and laugh,
for you are loved.
Wael Abdelgawad
April 14, 2011
Sister Wafa submitted the following poem:
As the seasons change
The leaves turn yellow, orange and brown
eventually falling
the trees are looking bare now
The sky is grey
Winter has arrived outside my door
The most merciful the great is protecting me from it all.
My heart is filled with warmth from his grace upon me.
You are the one and the only that will make the seasons change within my heart.
- Wafa
Everything to Gain
I open to you like a door
on a spring morning.
Your voice is a sun song.
Your words are water and earth.
I hold your heart like a newborn.
I hang on
because I have everything to gain.
Wael Abdelgawad
3-27-2011
Islamic Sunrays .com, finding hope and inspiration in Islam. Essays, poetry, and photos that inspire the spirit. Entries (RSS) and Comments (RSS)
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