With Allah, in Islam
You’re pushing your way through the crowd,
shining like a rough diamond,
chasing changes, gurus, clover, sound…
that thing to quiet the hidden doubt…
but you won’t find it in the avenues of man.
It’s with Allah. It’s in Islam.
You’ve got African earth in your eyes,
saffron under your nails, star fruit, indigo,
snow in your midnight hair,
American dust on your boots.
It’s not there, in the places of man.
It’s with Allah. It’s in Islam.
You’re seeking lightning, heat, serenade,
and quiet whisper, truth or lie… a sliver of jade,
a sighting of something real, some grain
that doesn’t turn, doesn’t die, doesn’t fade.
It’s not there, in the breast of man.
It’s with Allah. It’s in Islam.
Wael Abdelgawad, 2009
Wael Abdelgawad is an Egyptian-American living in Fresno, California. He is the founder of several Islamic websites, including Zawaj.com and IslamicAnswers.com, and also of various technology and travel websites. He is a writer and poet, and has been a web developer since 1997.
This project, IslamicSunrays.com, is very dear to his heart, as it has allowed him to express ideas that have growing inside him for many years.
Wael is divorced and has one lovely young daughter. He practices and teaches martial arts (somewhat obsessively), and loves Islamic books, science fiction, and vanilla fudge ice cream. Wael is an advocate for human rights and blogs about these issues at AbolishTorture.com. He is also a volunteer with the MyDeen Muslim youth organization in Fresno.
Salam alaikum,
Definitively, ….you got it.
Aha!!!!! It is going to be difficult to improve this.
Buen día.
Thank you for sharing
I was in your facebook page and my first vision was this, I don´t agree with this.
“Those who love to meet Allah, Allah loves to meet them, and those who detest to meet Allah, Allah detests to meet them”. Do you agree with this?
Tell me something, knowing that God has created everything us included, you as a father, do you think if you have two children that you are going to treat them differently? do you think that if one of your children is in the wrong way, you are going to despise him or her or you are going to try hard to get him or her in the right way?
If we as human with all our defects, when we are parents we care and love the way we do, then God Almighty, Merciful…….. Love us beyond our human emotions, we are just human beings, and if any of us condemns a brother or a sister we are telling who we are, these are human attributes, God is far beyond our simple human understanding and knowledge.
The word “detest” shows a side of a reality, I mean we are in a world where we handle two sides, God is Oneness, Wholeness,…. includes in Him both sides, how do you think He is going to show preferences for one of His creatures and not for the others, He knows everything,…. He cares of every single creature, ……I don´t know if you get my point here,….
The Word is one of the most powerful tools we have and is good to remember that behind a Word there is always a Thought.
Allah(swt) knows best.
Beslama
I was paraphrasing a hadith qudsi:
Abu Huraira narrates that the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said that Allah says:
“If My servant loves to meet Me, I love to meet him; and if he dislikes (abhors) to meet Me, I dislike (abhor) to meet him.”
Aisha said: “Oh Allah’s Messenger, as for death, we all hate it.” Thereupon he (the Holy Prophet) said: “It is not that, but that when a believer (at the time of death) is given the glad tidings of the mercy of Allah, His Pleasure, and of Paradise, he loves to meet Allah, and Allah also loves to meet him, and when an unbeliever is given the news of the torment and hardship which he is going to face at the Hand of Allah, he abhors to meet Allah and Allah also abhors meeting him.”
***
Maria, I understand the point you are making. It’s true that Allah cares for every one of His creatures, and He wants the best for every creature. But it’s also true that Allah is a just God. True justice cannot exist without reward and punishment.
If someone comes to Allah on the Day of Judgment never having believed in Him, having lived a corrupt life full of sins – maybe a murderer, maybe a child molester, maybe an oppressor, or whatever the case may be – that person will not like to meet Allah. He will fear to meet Allah because he knows he will be punished. Similarly, Allah will not like to meet him, because He must punish him.
So, yes, of course Allah prefers some creatures over others. He prefers those who believe in Him and obey Him, who do good in the world, who show love and compassion to other creatures. This is natural. And He loves to meet those people, as they will be happy to meet Him.
Thank you, I feel closer to the real meaning now. But think yourself as a father, if a son or a daughter makes something wrong wouldn´t you do whatever is necessary to help them improve? would you leave them by themselves? wouldn´t you spend your whole life praying to God to guide them? wouldn´t you feel that a part of yourself is with them?
I get your point about God´s preferences, but as a mother that gives me a hard time, because the one that behaves worst needs me more than the one that behaves right, but I am just a human being. I cannot say I don´t love both of them the same the only difference is that is easier to love one than the other.
This is so difficult, my mind understand it, but something deep in me believes in Hope, Light, unconditional Love, Forgiveness, Mercy, Repentance, …..I believe everyone has inside the seed of Light, maybe covered with lot of layers of dirt, pain or whatever, but God has the power to clean it if he wishes to, I have blind faith in this.
Maria, it’s true that everyone has the seed of light inside. Any human being, no matter how evil or corrupt, can repent and become pure. Allah is always ready to forgive.
But what I was talking about previously are people who die after committing great evil, and never repented or regretted their actions. For such people there must be punishment, otherwise there is no universal justice.
As a parent, I love my daughter and always will. But if I had a child who grew up to become a serial killer, or a child molester, then I would be deeply disappointed, and I might not want to see that child anymore. Certainly, thinking about that child would bring me pain, just as that child would probably be ashamed in front of me.
Gracias. Tienes razón. Buen día.
This is awesome!!.. MashaAllah
You’ve got African earth in your eyes,
saffron under nails, star fruit, indigo,
snow in your midnight hair,
American dust on your boots.
… I haven’t totally figured it out, buuut if it’s what I think it means your roots have many branches! Love how it’s put together mashaAllah…
I’d make mine .. ” I’ve got African earth under my boots, saffron lining my fingertips, snow melting upon the cloth I wear , with my eyes screaming my likes and fear”