Faith

My love, how deep?

/ TheAnywayGirl / Leave a comment
Courtesy: Pinterest/Lori Yeager-Salyer (2018)

My raison d’etre is you

To serve you

You require nothing from me, for how could you, when you are The Sustainer, The Supreme Bestower?

When you are the Lord of Power, whose dominion is clear from imperfection?

I must be mad, for how hard should it be to do the good that you have ordained, to do right by you, for you, for me, for my soul?

You only ask this of me, how hard should it be to make those sunnah prayers, for my own palace in your gardens, my own, next to you?

How hard should it be to be patient?

Ya Jabbar, Ya Fattah, this far you’ve  brought me

I marvel at my fortune

When I was done and out, and hopelessly depressed

And when I was shattered and broken, you healed me

And when further griefs claimed me, you lifted me

When I doubted myself, you gave me hope

When I transgressed against my soul, you guided me out

And when I created mischief and harmed your creation, you breached these divisions so beautifully

How beautifully you honour me.

Ya Aziz, how could I think that I would ever flourish, exist for even a second of my life without you?

When you know all that my soul whispers

To think, to breathe, without you?

How could I, when you’re closer to me than my jugular vein?

What would I do without you, my love, without your hope?

And what do you think of me?

Do you love me?

I could never fathom that the answer would be nay, and if ever you considered it, please guide me back swiftly to do what you love, and keep me firm on that path that you love, with the people that you love

Keep me firm until we meet again on that most fateful day, in your house, before your throne, firm in love, hope and fear

And please, my love, please never take my soul when you’re displeased with it

I beg of you, please never take it then, for what would be my fate if my soul is dead before I’m dead?

Ya Razzaq, your provisions humble me

I’m shy at asking you sometimes, yet I know you want to be asked

For whom else would I ask?

Your creation, who hate to be asked? Who turn away from you, who sin against you?

Isn’t that a tragic peculiarity, the greatest paradox, that I would ask from them, who hate to be asked, and shy away from asking you, when you request to be asked? When you so love it? Isn’t it, Your Highness, Your Majesty?

Forgive me my Lord, I submit to you

In totality my Lord, I worship you.

My beloved, keep me with you always

And strengthen me to come closer to you through the actions that you love

And be like those women whom you’ve admitted to your gardens of bliss

Whom you praise in your Book

And how could I ever be lax in my worship of you, when I have the blueprints to success?!

How could I mistreat your creation, and then remorselessly ask of your protection?!

How could I then claim that I’m deserving of your love and mercy?!

And my Lord, how wondrous is it that I still possess the will to come back to you, to ask for pardon, only to repeat the same thing again?

How absolutely fortunate I am that your mercy transcends anything I could ever imagine!

And my worries, and prayers, my Lord, how could you ever not get tired of me?

That I worry about a future I don’t know if I’m a part of

And a past whose absolution and pardon I constantly ask of

Do I not think that you will forgive me the injustices I have perpetrated?

How hopeless would that be!

My lord, what nonsense I spout, have I ever known the purity of despair?

Even in the depths of sadness, I always knew that I had you

How could I, when I once begged for the things that I take for granted now!

When I could only imagine the life that I live now!

And that I want more? What wretched mordancy!

Help me, my Lord, help me live in the moment, forget a past that has gone, and abandon a future that I’m not guaranteed

Help me always be grateful, present, thoughtful, in your remembrance

Help me sufficiently adore you my Lord, because I fail at this

Help me sufficiently glorify you, because I founder at this.

And how fleeting my time is

Sometimes I wish that you would silence all clocks, silence all sound

Clear out this world of all your creatures, except me, to worship you in silence, without distraction

Yet isn’t this why you created me, to do this, despite all of this?

I’m anxious, the clocks keep ticking

My life, an upturned sand timer

And every moment that passes is a moment that I have lost to sufficiently praise you, a moment that brings me closer to my reckoning

And that I dread it, would that you would change my state, my Lord!

To desire it, to meet my dearest father, and my grandparents, and to see you

Would that you would turn my heart to look so forward to it!

Increase my ardour for it, would that you would help me violently want it!

Is my history a rehearsal of what I’m going through now?

My love of wealth and status?

And my desire to be independent? And independent of what, my Lord? Independent of whom?

And how could I ever wish to be independent of you my Lord, when my existence I owe you?

It seems as if everything has changed, and yet nothing has changed

I’m a sham, and my love is a sham

My beloved, I stand defeated, humbled, bowed

In exultation of your magnificence, your night, your grace, your mercy

And whatever broken, tainted, inadequate love I have to give, my Lord, you have it

And all I pray from you is that you would spare just a little bit of your love, your mercy, your grace, your kindness when you meet me

But I cannot deceive you, I’m greedy and you know that I want more than a little, I hope that you’ll spare all of your mercy, because I need it

And I hope that you’ll remember that I tried, and I pray that as I leave this most temporary abode, I leave in that state, steadfastly trying to please you, always you

In hope and fear of our reunion

Until then, I remain in awe of you

Striving to dive deeper into my love for you

Always you, my Lord, no one else but you.

Seeking His Face…

/ TheAnywayGirl / Leave a comment
Reflection-on-God_s-Creation

Courtesy: Whyislam.org (2016)

It is that time of the year, when that most noble month is almost upon us, almost at the tip of our tongues. And you hope and pray and implore The Most Compassionate to reach it, because how many of us have left us just when we thought we would be standing together – fasting during its days, repenting with utmost sincerity, and praying during its nights, crying together with overflowing iman. And sheepishly laughing when we see each other’s tears, of course never mentioning such breaks in character as we move on with our lives. And you remember that yes, some of us have left, and those lines will never be the same, and our tables will never be the same. And you remember what goodness you shared and cherish those memories, and try your damnest to recreate it with others. It’s never quite the same. But you still try, because that’s all you know, so you trudge along because you don’t believe in giving up the fight.

The people who enrich your life, that’s who they are. Who embody the essence of friendship and good companionship as I have learnt it to be. Those who hold the same beliefs and values that you do – who may hold the most extreme of opinions, and lifestyles, and interests you may never understand, but whose core value system, the foundation of friendship, is the irrefutable truth, Islam. A foundation which links us with our fathers and grandfathers, who’ve left us, and with our children and grand children, in mutual love and mercy.

And it’s scary, that someone may have that much influence over you, without being aware of it. That you may pick up their behaviours and qualities, and this would be amazing if they’re good, but what if they’re abhorrent? What if they, God forbid, pushed you away from the remembrance of The Most Holy. That would indeed be a disaster, as He reminds us in The Book. “And (remember) the Day when the wrong-doer (oppressor, polytheist etc.) will bite on his hand, he will say: ‘Oh!  Would that I had taken a path with the Messenger.  Ah!  Woe to me!  Would that I had never taken so-and-so as a friend!  He indeed led me astray from the Reminder (the Quran) after it had come to me.” (Quran 25:27)

There is this weakness inside of us, to want to be everyone’s saviour and helper and companion. To be thought of kindly by everyone we interact with. So I know I have to be careful of the temptation of The Cursed One to make the prospect of intimate relationships with the People of Desires attractive to me – to take them as my bosom friends, to love them, and to prefer them over the believers. Because they are not the party of Allah. And how much I crave to be amongst those that Allah classifies as His party! So I try my best to treat them justly, and fulfill my obligations towards them, and refrain from committing acts of aggression against them. And if I do, I can attest that this is indeed dished out across the board, believer and innovator alike, fairly and justly. As I know best, may The All-Knowing guide me. And may He soften my flawed heart, and others, to stand firm and act upon His Order in striving to do righteous deeds.

I’m sitting here in wonder at the equanimity with which I’m speaking about friendships, that most challenging and fulfilling of life’s experiences. Whose rule book and code I’m yet to decipher. I remember not so long ago, when I thought most differently of these relationships – I would complain at having to sit and listen to what I then thought, was the most mundane of matters. And I couldn’t for the life of me understand why they wouldn’t think that they were loved and respected from afar, and that they had my undying loyalty, undiminished by distance, time, situation, change. I have learnt that those small things are the big things, and I have since joined that movement, and actively discourse on the most mundane with the best of them these days.

But I have learnt to be guarded and only allow the most steadfast to occupy this mundane train. I have learnt that someone who publicly criticizes you and humiliates you is not fit to be called a friend. And no matter your disregard for the opinions of strangers, I have learnt that this is abhorrent in a human being. And your insecurities are never an excuse to treat your friends in this manner. And neither would I ever tolerate abject disrespect without justification now.  I refuse to shrug at these trivial matters anymore – you see, I have since learnt that it is these small things that matter in life. Distance clarified everything for me, alhamdullillah. And I will admit that it was devastating to discover that my value was confined to what I could provide, and as long as I had nothing to offer, I no longer held a place in someone’s life. And it was a slow and painful process to extricate myself from years of what I thought friendship should be – steadfast and loyal no matter the vagaries of life- and I was traumatized by this process. But I have learnt to respect myself first and will never tolerate this kind of behaviour again from anyone close to me inshaallah, and while it may hurt deeply to remove these people out of my life, I know I cannot simply survive another dysfunctional relationship. And I owe it to my sanity and my emotional health to extricate myself from situations detrimental to my peace of mind.

It is soul shattering to discover that your judgment, in these most intimate of spheres, may be flawed.  It goes to the core of who you are as a person.  I feel like my world has turned on its axis, and I question everything. I feel the need to question the verity of what people tell me now, I question the reactions of people around me. And I had to check myself when I recently met a kind soul, and I kept staring into her eyes, questioning whether I can trust myself to believe what I’m seeing. It’s unsustainable.

And so I realize that I needs must look deep within myself, and interrogate, what is within me that attracts this toxicity-I must admire something in these people to not see through the masks taken by them. And I discover that I must have some of it within me, to indeed admire its outward manifestation. That I must admire manipulation, and narcissism and disrespect, to so tolerate it against myself. And I have some work to do – to free myself of those vices most abhorred by the Most High, and grow to be better. Better at respect, better at appreciation of those closest to me, better at empathy, better at support.

And of course I turn to my most trusted friend, my dearest Lord, to whom I pour all of these doubts, anxieties and worries. I discover that I have been unjust to myself and others, and beseech Him to forgive me of these violations and guide me to be better.  And I enquire if I have transgressed against His boundaries, and I discover that I have. And I have been unfaithful to Him, and I have disobeyed Him. I have been everything I have ever despised in man- needy, co-dependent, moved by people’s actions. Everything that I never considered myself to be. And I pray to Him to free me from those most edifying of traits. To heal me and guide me back to the path that He loves, and ensconce me with the people that He loves. And take charge of all my affairs and guide me as He wishes best.

A relationship without the core of our Creator, in pursuit of His pleasure by reminding ourselves of our purpose in this world, I have since learnt, is founded on sawdust, and crumbles easily. As I slowly heal and attempt to get back up on that saddle of life, I’m reminded to keep this in mind in my forays in that most alien social world. To have this core, I have learnt, is to have friends in all levels of society, to remind me not just of my Lord, but of my roots. That I’m a daughter of a shepherd and a clerk’s daughter. And a scholar and a businesswoman. And we had the best of times. And life happened. And they were the worst of times. And as inherent in life’s character, it changed again. But I know that Allah could take it all away in an instant, and I observe no import for material possessions. That this means nothing. And in friendship as well, without God, it all means nothing.

To be cynical and skeptical is to allow a victory of such vices. I’m still obligated to be of service to people, and to better myself everyday. And I know I can’t do this with a foot outside the door, waiting for the first sign of disrespect or betrayal. Because I have also been disrespectful, and I have betrayed, inadvertently though it may have been. I have to learn to not only forgive these flawed humans and take them for who they are, but to also forgive myself for the mistakes I have made, and for falling short of what I hoped to achieve out of life. That I am a human being and falling short is part of my nature, and it does not mean I have failed at life. That I should still strive to do good solely for the pleasure of The Greatest, seeking His Face. He records everything, at fajr, and at asr, when I’ve had it and want to dash home and relax. That none of these sacrifices get lost, but it exhausts me sometimes. So I pray to Him – My Lord, strengthen me, always. And make your remembrance occupy my heart. Always. And keep me patiently with those who remember you in glorification, seeking Your Face. Always.

May we know them, may we be them, may we raise them

/ TheAnywayGirl / Leave a comment

Representation is important. I never realized how important, until the people that I looked up to disappointed me. And then I discerned a problem in what actually was, and what should be, my role model. Representation doesn’t mean perfection because we are ultimately imperfect as human beings. Representation is seeing people who look like yourself, who adhere to your core values, as flawed as you are, but determined, driven, disciplined and daring to venture into uncharted territory, to pick themselves back up after a mistake and join back the race. It is seeing women who look like you reflected in the media that you consume, and women who bear your name being the heroines of your latest action novel. It is seeing women pioneers and businesswomen listed in the stock exchange. If you never saw this growing up, then the experience was isolating.

That is why I’m proud to throw my support behind Amani Al-khatahtbeh’s Muslim Women’s Day coming up on 27th March. Not that I believe that every day shouldn’t be Muslim Women’s day, indeed our religion reminds us of our place by the numerous stories told of inspiring women in The Final Revelation. But the current political and social world around us demands that we do this – it necessitates that we take charge of our own voices and stories, make room for ourselves at the table, take the mic and tell everyone that we aren’t going anywhere. That this is the new normal, and people should get used to it. For me at least, Muslim Women’s Day is a celebration of who I am, a reminder of how honoured I am, as well as an opportunity to remind myself of the value in living 100% as per what I believe in, without diluting any part of myself to conform to society’s expectations. And it is in this that lies a challenge. How do we ensure that we scale the highest of ladders in our contributions to society without conforming? Can we have heroines who are unapologetically believers first, and society’s change makers second? It seems almost impossible to satisfy these two beasts, in these times.

And so I look to the past to learn from our lauded women leaders- ummahatul muumineen, our own Mothers of the Believers, whose strength of character and noble qualities serve as potent examples of role models we would be honoured to emulate. We learn of Khadijah bint Khuwaylid, May Allah be pleased with her, an honourable and noble lady raised in luxury, but who went on to shatter the glass ceiling 1400 years ago in rising to become a successful and esteemed businesswoman exporting goods through the oft dangerous trade routes and primary commerce centers at that time, from Makkah to Syria and to Yemen, whose business was larger than all of the Quraysh trades combined. Whose generosity, integrity, modesty and character earned her the honour of Allah’s greeting through Angel Jibril – who was given glad tidings of having a palace made of Qasab in Paradise, wherein there will be neither noise nor toil.  One of  the greatest supporters of Islam in its earliest days, financially, morally and physically, the mother of Fatimah bint Muhammad, the Leader among the Women of Paradise, and the grandmother of Hasan and Hussain, who are to be of the foremost of the youth in paradise.

And we learn of other Mothers of the Believers – Aisha Bint Abu Bakr, Hafsa bint Umar, Maymuna bint al-Harith, Umm Habiba Ramla bint Abi Sufyan, Umm Salama Hind bint Abi Umayya- whose brilliant minds,  outstanding memory and mastery in interpretation of the teachings of the Prophet have contributed to the jurisprudence of Tafsir, Hadith, Fiqh and Shariah. We learn of their political and business acumen, and their bravery in not just the battlefield but in spreading the message of Islam. And we also learn of Maryam bint Imran, the mother of Prophet Isa, may Allah be pleased with them both, a pious and devout woman with a chapter of the Quran named after her. Whose nourishment was provided by The Sustainer, as she prostrated before him everyday in her sanctuary, and in acknowledgment of her total trust and reliance on Him told one of His prophets, “Indeed Allah provides for whom He wants, without measure.” (Quran 3:37) Who was elected and purified by The Sublime One, and raised above all women of the World (Quran 3:42).

Almadiana

Courtesy: Almadiana(1001 arabian nights)/Pinterest

And we learn of Asiyah bint Mazahim, may Allah be pleased with her, the wife of Pharaoh, a queen who raised a prophet. From whom we learn resilience and courage, in standing up to a corrupter and a tyrant, and in whose backyard she imparted spiritual and intellectual education to Prophet Musa, May Allah be pleased with him, to start a revolution. These women inspire me. From Prophet Musa’s mother who heeded the command of The Glorious One to release her baby into the Nile,  believing in His message that he will be returned to her, and that he will be honoured to be one of The Beneficient’s messengers. And to Asiyah, who convinced the King to spare this one baby of Bani Isra’il from his blood-lust. Who raised her adopted son to disregard the unparalleled wealth and luxury which surrounded him in the palace and be empathetic to the plight of those persecuted by his adopted father. Who displayed valour in the face of attempted murder and stood up against injustice. And who died with absolute conviction in her belief and love for The Magnificent One, so that even in her death she inspires us to emulate her legacy of truth, justice, faith and revolution. Whose station was elevated amongst humankind to be one of the four foremost ladies of the universe. And whose last prayer, as she was tortured to death, was immortalized by The Possessor of Majesty and Honour in The Book- “And Allah presents an example of those who believed: the wife of Pharaoh, when she said, ‘My Lord, build for me near You a house in Paradise and save me from Pharaoh and his deeds and save me from the wrongdoing people’ (Quran 66:11)” These are our outright heroines. Unshakable women. Not just distinguished in their roles as mothers and wives, but warriors in every sense of the word. This is the gold standard.

Learning about these women gives me immense hope and lays bare to me the triviality of my problems compared to our heroines of gone days.  It then becomes easier to live our lives, unafraid, to encourage each other to stand firm in doing good and leave a legacy that our children would be proud of. To strive to please The Most Sacred just as our heroines proved in pleasing Him when it mattered most. To be unapologetic strong women. We each recognize this potential  in each other – let us encourage each other, we recognize some of these women amongst ourselves – let us always know them, let us always be them, let’s raise similar women to them inshaallah.

Sources: thesalafifeminist.blogspot.com

http://www.iupui.edu/~msaiupui/wives.html

How fast time flies…

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Nelson Mandela

Courtesy: Pinterest/feeldriven.com

It’s been a year since my beloved father, may Allah have mercy on him, left for the other world. I remember the disenchantment and restlessness with life that engulfed me then  and my resolve to align my goals with my purpose in this world, the worship of my creator. A year down the line though, and I am at a cross roads.

Against all that is systematic and methodical about my life, I have personally taken out the carpet from underneath me- without a back up plan. Against all that I have ever known my life to be, organized, well thought out, and boring. But for once, I’m not thinking 10 steps into my future. I’m content to take off this time and reflect on the direction in which I want to take my life. To renew my intentions, purpose and relationship with my Lord and to take a deep breath and appreciate all the favours that have been bestowed upon me.

This year, I have learnt a very important lesson regarding human nature. I have seen the ugly side of it and I’ve come out alive. And I never knew I had it in me. How too well aware I am now that the world I lived in was too idealistic, too perfect. Change is hard, but necessary. I had been fortunate enough to work with some of the most amazing people in the world who let me be as long as I delivered. By that, I certainly don’t mean that I strolled in whenever I wanted or that I spoke to people whichever way I wanted.  It means that I was allowed to be uniquely myself, just as you are uniquely you – I was trusted and honoured to do whatever needed to get done. That nothing concerning my identity was mocked at and my opinions and concerns were respected and acted upon. I now understand the paradox to the coin that is human nature. Principled yet fleeting, kind yet selfish, beautiful yet ugly. I saw the other side to the beauty and I have changed, good change, well I hope inshaallah.

As my illusions shattered left and right, I am immensely blessed to still have had the presence of mind to know that my one constant would never change. And how fervently I prayed to Him that I never change to accommodate that other side. That I never get bitter or cynical, no matter the incitement. That I commit to believe in the inherent goodness of everyone else I meet and forget these experiences. That this is the exception. That there is maror and dandelions but there is also stevia, blossoms, lavender, violets, roses.

I have learnt not to follow the world as it will never be satisfied, at my psychological, emotional and physical expense. I have learnt that I will speak up at injustice but most importantly I have learnt that I need to be careful of what I allow into my life. That I am also fragile and need to actively ensure that all that is negative, be it disrespect, intolerance or arrogance have no place in my life. This is the essence to my leaving. I have resolved to retire and attempt to heal, God willing, my weary soul. To recharge my positive vibes and warm my icy heart. To empathize as easily as I did before and to once again aspire to facilitate the improvement of mankind, a critical goal to my happiness. To do good not because of others’ sake but because my Lord loves the good doers. Most importantly, to praise, thank and worship my Creator in this life.

So a year later, I have not forgotten, but time slowly but surely dulls the edges of my grief. As my life rolls over, no matter the pauses I desperately attempt to throw at that wheel, to remember that most beautiful face, and that most fleeting sweet smell, I stoically accept, but beautifully mark you, with patience, that change is hard, and change is good. But there is hope, there always will be. What doesn’t change? My endeavour to make the remembrance and worship of The Greatest, The Inspirer of Faith and The Source of Peace, my ultimate goal. So help me Lord.

My day will come too…

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When was the last time you thought of your passage from this world? Do you ever imagine it could be you or is it an abstract scenario where you envision someone else passing, a stranger perhaps or a relative or friend whose life would very rarely intertwine with yours? Someone you’d be sad about losing or have been sad about losing and you’d remember, again in an abstract way, of the certainty of your own passing, for a minute! before getting lost in the rush personified by this world? I would certainly try to empathize with anyone who’d lost a loved one but I can’t say I have ever really understood how they felt. Or how their lives changed from their loss. And how they struggled to control their emotions whenever people would mention their loved ones or how they succeeded in putting a lock to the grief that threatened to erupt at the most inopportune of times as they attempted to move on with their lives. Yes, I can’t say I really understood, until my beloved father recently left this world and went to meet The Eternal Lord. And then I came to my senses regarding my mortality and the impermanence of this world. The saddest bit about it is that He does remind us a lot about this certainty but for some reason we choose to ignore or forget about it. “And this worldly life is not but diversion and amusement. And indeed, the home of the Hereafter, that is the eternal life, if only they knew.” (Quran 29:64) Really, how often do we reflect on this?

cooden-beach

Atop The Seven Sisters, East Sussex, U.K. (2016)

When you think of yourself and your place in this world, do you ever marvel at your insignificance  in the whole scheme of things? That you are one soul on this earth, which is only one planet in the solar system amidst thousands of inter alia yet discoverable smaller planets, asteroids and meteoroids? Just one slave among a million others at present or who came before and after you, steadfast in their worship of The Accounter? That you are in need of Him when He does not need you, Exalted be He? That being that tiny person, Allah The Sacred and The Mighty, remembers you amongst the billions of your kind, when you do not remember Him and yet you only have one Lord?

The Swahili people have a famous saying, mwenzako akinyolewa, wewe tia lako maji (When your companion’s head is being shaved, wet yours). It’s a reminder that one should strive to always prepare themselves- thus when a loved one dies, I should know that I’m next in line and act accordingly. But do I? Indeed, what have I to show for my time here? When my Lord questions me on the Day of Reckoning, what words and actions will I have to save myself? If I were to die today, or the next hour, what have I got on my plate to show my Creator?

A few months later, just as I did when those strangers, friends and relatives passed away, life moves on for everyone else… except me. I don’t know if I will ever forget the stunning unwrinkled face of my late father, may Allah have mercy on him, the fleeting warmth of his forehead and the stillness of his corpse. I don’t know if I will ever forget the sweet fragrance of his shrouded self and sharp taste of his musk when I last kissed his dear face. Indeed, I pray that I will never forget as it is a sign that my day will yet come. And when I depart, I fervently hope that I depart this world a good soul.  I hope my legacy is that I helped people; that I improved upon what fell on my lap and I stood firm for truth and justice; that I never begged for anything and relied on my Lord for everything; that I was honest in my dealings with people; that my intentions, words and actions were pure; and, that I was a positive influence to those around me. And I hope that my loved ones would take comfort in that when I leave this most temporary abode, just as I take immense comfort in the kindness, generosity, teachings and deeds of my father, may Allah have mercy on him and reward him immensely.

I also found comforting the text of a poem that I discovered ensconced in one of my late father’s books:

When I die

When I die,

when my coffin

is being taken out,

you must never think

I am missing this world.

Don’t shed any tears,

don’t lament or

feel sorry

I’m not falling

into a monster’s abyss.

When you see

my corpse is being carried,

don’t cry for my leaving

I’m not leaving,
I’m arriving at eternal love.

When you leave me

in the grave,

don’t say goodbye.

Remember a grave is

only a curtain

for the paradise behind.

You’ll only see me

descending into a grave.

Now watch me rise

how can there be an end

when the sun sets or

the moon goes down.

It looks like the end

it seems like a sunset,

but in reality it is a dawn

when the grave locks you up

that is when your soul is freed.

Have you ever seen

a seed fallen to earth

not rise with a new life?

Why should you doubt the rise

of a seed named human?

Have you ever seen

a bucket lowered into a well

coming back empty?

Why lament for a soul

when it can come back

like Joseph from the well.

When for the last time

you close your mouth,

your words and soul

will belong to the world of

no place no time.

Jalaluddin Muhammad Rumi (1207-1273) in An-naseehah, 15 Shawwal 1428

My Lord, The Everlasting One, The Glorious, The Guide to Repentance and The Responder to Prayer, I pray that you forgive me and make me mindful of your presence, the certainty of my death and of the Day of Reckoning. I pray that you make me steadfast upon the right path, that you make me kind, and just and generous. My Lord, I pray that you make me firm in doing good in this world, not expecting any good from anyone but because you are The Doer of Good, and you love the good doers. My Lord, The Gatherer, The Restorer and The Resurrector, I pray for a reunion with my father and all my loved ones in a place far much better than this world where souls find peace, I pray for al-firdaus al’ala. My Lord, you are The Sustainer, The Ever Living One and The Bestower of Honour, I pray that you bestow your honour on me and my father, my mother and my siblings and their families, and our friends and their families, and the entire Muslim ummah, in this world and the Hereafter. Ameen.