Wednesday 28 December 2016

Rudderless Heart

Rudderless Heart.

I read in a shell
And I heard it tell
Of a thunderous clap
Of a crashing wave.

I read in a brow
That furrowed for long
Of a worrisome grew
That was the end,
Of the man that I knew.

I read in the black, steely night,
When the lights were few
And the air was brash
Of monsters living
Beneath the skin of my psyche.

I read in the tart apple crumble
Against the backlash of its sweet custard sea
A mother's love that might surmount
Amy troubles that there might be.

I read in the stain
That pungent stench of gain
That ever lingered about
That would never wash out

A crime of the heart
Blood red, bleeding hot.
Where I would rather lie
Than submit.

And it's this fear that drives me
That my arrogance might blind me.
That my heart might become trash
Not hear
Not see
Nor feel

A reader less heart
Is no heart at all.

Shafees.


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Location:South Sea

Thursday 10 November 2016

Khanata's And

Khanata's And.

Aga sat aghast,
Palm 'f hand, damp
"Khanata, was at last."

The Aga's Papy stark splay angry,
Dynasty at and.
Apax past.

Bara-Bera was the pall-bearer.
Matched by name.
Then afters she changed

Her symmetry name,
She swapped e, sawn a.
Papy was at pain.

Gleary saw past stamps.

Regal Bara-Bera spanned
The bane'd past Khanata
Then she became name'd
as the new Dynasty.
The Bara-Bera Khanate.

END

In our verbal world allowing for full and proper vowelation:

Papy chose Barabara as wife for his regal son, the Aga Khan, because her nominal symmetry was apparent, whilst subtly different. After all true symmetry belonged in the Heavens and not in any earthly domain.

In his dominion and the dominion of his father's, that just off symmetry had been maintained by law on pain of death, that allowed the use of "a" as the only vowel sound that could be used. The ee of y was tolerated as an aberration to be overlooked, and scurried under.

Barabara was the ideal wife for Aga. But there is always a case against being too ideal.

She was loved by the people, the people's queen. Whilst the hereditary power of the Aga appeared to diminish.

Bara-Bera revealed herself and the only Khanata came to an "And" moment. E only just stood equally against A.

Bara-Bera became immortalised in the new Khanate.
Whilst Papy was locked away in a tower with only his regal stamp collection to remind him of those beautiful day, that made him just more bleary eyed.

But the glory of, not his days, but the days of his people would be seen to pass those enshrined in his stamps.

The Aga was confined to the role of puppet to be brought out on show at opportune moments. But once the E was unleashed, who could put that genie back in his bottle?

That he had witnessed the numbering of the days of his Khanata because of an engineered love, that turned into a vile scorn, he would never be allowed to forget.

How many revolutions would it take for the three others to be given free expression?

Location:Xanada

Tuesday 1 November 2016

Belt of Air

Belt of air.

His belt was one to avoid
The anger rose
Like a bubble burst

Not the fizzle and dazzle
Of soft drinks
But the fester of those that let the anger build

Any excuse to be rough and crude
Which they put down to inhibitions being smoothed

They float gently to the top
Rolling all the bad feelings

Disappointments
Hang ups, into one
Big venting bubble of an air.

That when it erupts
Hurts, and tears,
Relationships apart

And the atmosphere surrounds us all,
As a belt that keeps within
All the vile bile that spews
When confronted by no difference at all.

Save our skin thick colour
That hides our common blue veins
Our red thumping hearts that bleed, when those inconsolable words, pain.

Our common ancestry
Is conveniently forgot
Or is engineered by paradigm
To seem like not a lot

But blood is thicker than air
And whilst air will out
Blood should not.




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Location:Tory England

Saturday 22 October 2016

Beauty

Beauty

Why am I drawn to write dark poetry? Is it because I feel that morbidity is beautiful?

When death is brought on the day of no doubt, to be sacrificed, is it brought as a lamb.
Is it doe-eyed?
Will it fawn and cry?

Will it plead beauty?

When you read a poem about love and frolicking, is it beautiful if there is no desire and damnation?
Was Dorian Gray beautiful instead of, or because of, his ugliness?

Was he beautiful at all?

Wasn't Mona Lisa but a plain girl made beautiful by the seemly swathes of dark that Da Vinci framed her by?

Her eyes might follow you, hauntingly,
But It's not in the eye of the beholder,
That beauty.

However, lust always is.

A rose does not lead a man to bleed, until he picks it.
A beauty does not corrupt a man, until he desires it..

And cannot have it.

The first sight is yours,
But the second is the devils
Because you lusted after it.

Beauty

Men might lust after beauty,
But beauty transcends them.
Escapes capture by our eyes,

Resides forever in our heart.

And when that is corrupted,
Beauty is lost...

And all that remains
Is lust
Corruption.....

A pale shadow,

END





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Location:Skull Island

Thursday 20 October 2016

Wake up and smell the Coffee

"Wake up and Smell the Coffee"

Two layers of darkness
Envelope me
The inner, shiny
Mirrored and bright.

The tear intrigues
Like a magpies delight
Wafer thin
Feather light

Slither and glides
Slips inside

The bitterest of things
That melts in my mouth
Oozes velvet

I love this best
With Cappuccino
On the side.

But to all the rest
The coffee is the truth

To which this
Dark
Columbian
Chocolate
Is the lie




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Location:Coursera: Sharpened Vision, a poetry workshop.

Wednesday 5 October 2016

For a friend.

And I understand where you are coming from... That there is some Power that is unseeable.

When Aristotle explored life, he did so from looking into its infancy- he reasoned that if you could understand it there then you could anywhere.

And when he looked into it there he found a life force that was clear and evident.

In one experiment he took an embryo cut it in half and reimplanted it back into the animal.
The embryo thrived and produced a whole infant animal... As if some regenerative power made it whole again.

Of all the sciences two figure greatly in the argument of the Qur'an
- one is embryology
- the second is cosmology..

And in our modern era, it is these two that point magnificently to a creator.

I completely understand the contempt that organised religion holds for many..

And yes Islam is organised, but critically with open sources (and not hidden material), and without a priesthood or clergy.

Sometimes it's the not knowing what you are supposed to do that holds you back from focussing on the meaning.

When you know what you are supposed to do, it leaves you free to experience the meaning.

Otherwise your mind is constantly this way and then that..
Without a clear direction or place.

And Islam is the direction, and to GOD is our return.




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Location:The Lyceum.

Sunday 11 September 2016

The Messenger (saw) who asked for one small thing for himself.

I was warned by someone not to say this lest people become jealous, but I hope to instruct people.

I swear that if I have lied here, then May Allah t'ala curse me...

And I am not a liar.

I have seen the honoured one, the Messenger of Allah (saw) in a dream three times, years ago.

The first time I saw him (saw) in a dream from a small distance and he sent his salaams to me through a third person, who brought them to me.

Months later I saw him (saw) again and this time I was ushered by another person into his presence and he (saw) came towards me, smiling with his arms outstretched to welcome me in an embrace. I could not take the auspiciousness of his presence, and the occasion, and I fled.

I did not regret running, because I believed myself to be unworthy. And with good reason.

The third time. I still could not tolerate a direct encounter. And yet when I entered the dream, we were seated on the floor together and his right shoulder was against my left shoulder and his (saw) body was facing away from me and yet his
face was half turned towards me so that I could tolerate his magnificent presence.

And our hands were raised in supplication and he (saw) bade me to ask of the Most Gracious. I asked for what I wished for, and he (saw) said Ameen.

And there the dream ended.
I will not tell what I asked for, that is for me to know.

I swear once again that if I have lied about these encounters then may Allah t'ala curse be upon me.

I am not a scholar, nor do I have pre tensions of being one.
I do not know Arabic.
And even the supplications that I make are in English.

This does not mean that I do not want to learn Arabic or the supplications in Arabic.

Sometimes I oversleep and then pray my Fajr upon waking.
I err, and I ask for forgiveness.
And I am still learning the religion, trying to be better in it... Slowly.

And I am not a Sufi, and do not think that their fervent poetry and overt love is a necessity for seeing what I have seen.

This last Umrah, that I made, a special occurrence happened to me that I will not relate here.

I am not a fervent worshippers, but I worship. I try to follow the advice of Bilal (ra), when he said that after every ablution he performs two rakah Nafl.

I am not of those who make their religion difficult, nor those self righteous types, nor even of those who fasted the ten of Dhul Hijjah.

But j will tell what I do, do.
Perhaps it may be of benefit to you.

The Messenger of ALLAH on this day, the day of Hajj, gave his farewell sermon to a multitude of people, the like not seen.

And afterwards he asked of them one simple question, and they replied and then he asked them to bear witness to it.

Down through the ages, that question remains there for all of us to respond to it.

He (saw) asked, "Have I not delivered the Message?" And they responded, Yes. And then he asked them to bear witness to it.

For a man who gave everything to us, and withheld nothing for himself, to ask of us just one thing is overwhelming. That that thing is something easy to do is outstanding.

For the past I don't know how long, I have responded to that question.

And in my dua I bear witness.

I say,

I bear witness that there is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is His Messenger.
And I bear witness that Muhammad (saw) has fulfilled the trust laid on him by ALLAH, and I have believed in ALLAH because of Muhammad, so ALLAH reward him with magnificence, for verily I would not have believed but for him.

Ameen.




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Location:Arafat

Friday 9 September 2016

Who the Messenger Chose..

The Messenger (saw) choose Abu Bakr (as).

Too often we forget how beautiful our religion is, that it is an open religion.

It is quiet unlike the mystical ancient religions where one caste disdains another, or like our Christian and Jewish forbears that have hierarchies of priests.

Ours is an open religion, where the sources are known, and the fundamentals are available and accessible. Just as the Hajj, the pinnacle of our worship, is in essence a walk and a standing and a sacrifice. It's simplicity and accessibility is startling.

And this simplicity and accessibility is present not just in our religion but also in the society it seeks to guide.

It is instructive to remember that our Messenger (saw) choose Abu Bakr (as).

He (saw) did not choose him because they were best friends. Being aware of this some companions held the opinion that Abu Bakr (as) was the one who best knew the Qur'an.

But that was a speculative judgement as our Messenger (saw) did not leave our appreciation of Abu Bakr's talents to chance, he (saw) said of him that he is the best amongst you, because he has the best heart.

Abu Bakr (ra) had a specialist knowledge in a field of study, but it was not in the Qur'an, nor was it in the Hadeeth.

If you have read the Seerah, then many of you will know his specialisation and where his expertise lay, and I ask that those who know then tell it here, so that all can know.

He was known as a specialist in that field by the companions.
And the Messenger choose him.

Because he had heart.
And he is not the one who brought arguments from the Qur'an or Hadeeth, he was better than that.

He knew that the Qur'an and Hadeeth are there to instruct us, and not there so that one man can use them to control other men and then revert us all back to old ways, of a segmented closed society.

Ours is an open society, where we can question without fear of being accused of backbiting, or causing disunity, or even accused of hankering after Power.

The Messenger (saw) choose Abu Bakr (as).

And in that vital moment when the Ansar confirmed that choice, Abu Bakr (as) did not prove his credentials by saying or using the Qur'an or Hadeeth.

Do not trust men who use the Qur'an in such matters, where they want to impress, or where they want to prove their religiosity. It was not done then, it should not be done now.

The Qur'an is there to instruct us, it is there to be studied and applied, but not used like that.
And not used for backward and forward argument, as if it were a sword in your hands.


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Location:Genealogy Tree

Wednesday 24 August 2016

The Beloved's Call

The Beloved's Call

Should the colour of our skin determine how we are treated?
Does being of another, mean that we are easy game?

That our capabilities are less?
That we cannot be as nuanced of another's cultural vibes?

Could Bilal (ra) pronounce the Arabic call to prayer perfectly?
Did that make his adhan any less beloved?

And on the last Arafat,
We heard his Messenger's (saw) call.

That all men are equal,
Not some more than others.


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Location:Arafat

Saturday 23 July 2016

One - Eighty Souls

One- Eighty Souls

One- eighty souls on board this ship
That plies above the patchwork quilt
Of someone else's land and sea

The straight and narrow
Man-made furrows
That hint at hidden industry

Not lost upon our Alien
Who could not guess our misery
Lest he walks among men as a man.

Then he would cry aloud from pain
And wonder how one heart
....
Could house another.

END
Written whilst flying above Europe en route to Mombasa, via Istanbul.
An alien descending on us from above would see evidence of civilisation, and yet when he comes to live among us then he will know the hatred and contempt that one has for another. And then he will question what we espouse, the love of all. And then he will question how one heart could house both love and hate?


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Location:Europe

Saturday 9 July 2016

War and Peace/ general and specific

As a book, the Qur'an stands out by the shear amount of self-referential passages that are contained within it. This is one of its modern miracles.

For the Qu'an does talk both about war and peace. And some may argue more of war than peace.

But then every rationalist when he approaches a document should always approach it at face value.
And Qur'an says of itself:
S4, v82: "Do they not then consider the Quran carefully? Had it been from other than Allah, they would surely have found therein much contradictions."

Therefore the need for interpretation can be deduced. But once again, to leave you in no doubt about it's logical source of clarity, the Qur'an makes explicit what is already implied.

S39, v18:
"Those who listen to the Word (the Qur'an), and follow the best (meaning) in it: those are the ones whom Allah has guided, and those are the ones endued with understanding."

So if we take the Qur'an at face value, which we should do if we claim unbiased rationality, would mean that the Qur'an cannot be an advocate of both war and peace.

And then as the exegetes (interpreters) from before said in relation to interpretation that significant question to ask of revelation is it's occasion, whether it is of the Meccan or Medinan period, and also whether it is specific or general in its application.

The one verse that comes to mind that relates to version of Islam that advocates peace is

"Thus, have We made of you a Nation justly balanced, that ye might be witnesses over the nations, and the Messenger a witness over yourselves;"

This verse does not advocate war, but advocates tolerance between Nations and the ways of Nations.

How can this verse not be taken except in a general and universal manner.

I knew of this verse before I looked for it to both verify and then copy and paste it here.

On finding it I was awed by it's position in the Qur'an, for it is found in S Baqara. This chapter is the largest in the Qur'an and is also the first. The virtues of reciting in your home are well documented.

Essentially S. Baqara lays the foundations of an Islamic society and a Nation.

So that the verses of war contained in it are in response to specific situations and the default position is peace and security.

Shafees


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Monday 11 April 2016

Northern

Northern.

They chant it in rhyme at Nursery,
But when they picked it up,
They transported it, every brick
To the new country.

Then how could I change there
How could I return home?

I passed an Angel
But has anyone ever been to Morden and come back to tell the tale?

At Moorgate
Every tin has a silver lining
And the sweet clothed sardines
After a hard days work

Mixed with the bitter tar
Reminiscent of cold September days on the way to school

We banked on that
That smells carry emotion
Like when you smell bleach it takes you way back
To swimming pools.

Funny thing is you never realise the connection
You just think happy thoughts

Until
Sharded like wool
We disembarked
And discarded

Our train of thought.
Each one to his own way.
Oblivious that we had shared.

END
A POEM FOR LONDON UNDERGROUND.
written as spoken between an Angel and New Cross.


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Location:A tunnel.

Sunday 13 March 2016

First Dream

First Dream

Eyes slid shut
Encased in my own dream
I felt weightless
May be I was lost in space

My hand floated involuntarily in front of me
As if I had to learn again what they had once known.
I curled my legs
A topsy tervy question

And suddenly flip
Like the spin off a trampoline
Head over heels
Then heels over head
I didn't know which

I was bunny hopping
Without the luxury of friction
Not even noting my breath on my visor
Not even having a breath to notice

Then tug
The pull of the life cord
Woke me with a start

My webbed hands made a chance grab
My foot lashed out
"Boom, Boom"

"Go on son"

Reverberated around
I noticed shadows in the darkness
And I heard the chant of soothing prayer

That had set me off on my first adventure.
"Go to sleep my little darling..."
A cavern so dark
And a voice so sweet and loving

My head dozed
And i curled again on my amniotic bed.

END

Location:Amnesia

Wednesday 2 March 2016

Advice for the Hujjaj, and those intending Umrah

Advice for the Hujjaj, or those making Umrah.

The haram are places of small miracles, but don't let those go to your head, instead be humbled by them and let them help you to do good to your fellow Muslims by helping them in the small things- like carrying a stool for an elderly person.

And every trial that you face, face it as a trial of Sabr- with patience- and accept it with grace. Things will work out in the end.

And whilst entering Mecca do so with utmost humility both physical and spiritual. Lower your head, and slump your shoulders and enter the haram with a pilgrim's gait.

Remember how Muhammad (saw) entered Mecca as a conquering hero, with head bowed on his camel Qaswa.

The pilgrim's garb has a reason to it.
It is meant to be uncomfortable and to be a trial. So eschew all garb that is elasticised or has button glued on, though not stitched.

Likewise the pilgrims mental state should be one of being away from the World, and it is only one of the times that Islam asks of you this. The other time is at itikaaf.

The stark nature of this is complemented by it being recommended that before you adorn yourself with the pilgrim garb that you take full advantage of the World-
Cleanse yourself and then to perfume yourself exquisitely.

And so in accordance with this being away from the World, eschew everything from this World except the necessary. Refrain from taking pictures or even using your mobile phone for anything other than the necessary. And it is better for you if you leave it aside, and forget the World.

Islam is a social religion, but at this time keep yourself solely in the presence of Allah t'ala with his remembrance and the Talbiyya-
Labayk Allahuma Labayk.

When starting the ritual Tawaf of Umrah men are to uncover your right shoulder but only do so at that point. The first two- or three rounds (I cannot remember which, so please consult a book on this) are to be done as Raml for men. Imagine yourself as the first Muslims who made Tawaf whilst surrounded by Quraish who were distant but who looked on them - in accordance with the treaty of Huddabiyyah.

The Raml is a jog with bent arm movements that swing back and forth as if you are in an army and are displaying your strength to the onlooking Quraish.

If you are stationary then jog on the spot. Do not try to push past people even whilst in or out of Raml.
Raml is peculiar to Umrah, and once out of Ihram the other Tawafs do not include it.

Also at the start of the Tawaf or just before it say in dua the words that Ibrahim and Ismail (as) said whilst building it, in English they are
"O Allah accept this from us, and make it acceptable to you" (S. Bakarah).
This is not in Hadith, but I have found it beneficial as a prelude to the Tawaf.

In the Tawaf do not turn your body at any point towards the Kaba,
Always keeping your left shoulder towards it.

The Prophet (saw) taught us the dua that commences from the Yemeni corner that precedes the Black Stone, Rabbana Atayna ...
By this he clarified for us that the best time to make dua for yourself or any others is at the end of a process of worship.

So do not be ashamed to make dua for yourself and others at that point and even in the last round of the Kaba of your Tawaf.

As you pass the Black Stone, raise your right hand and point it to it, Palm towards it and say Bismillah Allahu Akbar. A green light marks the point of starting and the finishing of each round.

Set out a plan of what you will do in each round as a means of keeping track, for me

1- SubanAllahi WA Bihamdi- "words which are easy on the tongue but heavy on the scale", and then from the Yemeni corner I asked Allah to bless me with His Worship that I might enjoy it and be blessed with doing it abundantly.

2- start with SubhanAllah and then move on to Istighfar- and make dua for that forgiveness at the end

3- start with SubhanAllah, then Istighfar and then send salutations upon Muhammad (as).
And respond to Muhammad's (saw) question on the farewell pilgrimage, after all he was talking to us all there -
say "O Allah t'ala indeed I bear witness that Muhammad (saw) has fulfilled his trust that You burdened him with, and that we have believed in You because of him, so reward him in abundance. Ameen"
This is a like manner to what Saad bin Abi Waqqas (as) said.

4- for the 4th I added supplication for my parents

5th onwards I did other supplications

On the 6th round starting make your way to the outer edges of the Tawaf, so that on the 7th your dua for yourself and those you love can be prolonged.
Also walk slower in this last round that you might prolong your opportunity.

After the Tawaf it is customary to perform 2 cycles of Nafl Salaat near the Station of Ibrahim, this is mentioned in the Qur'an : "And take the station of Ibrahim as a place of worship."

For these it is often better to go past the station of Ibrahim before looking for a place to pray, as the space between the Black Stone, where the Tawaf ends, and the Station of Ibrahim is usually more crowded.

For this prayer do not prolong it nor any dua after it as many of your fellow brothers and sisters will likewise be waiting to complete their obligation.
But after it nothing should stop you from making further worship or supplications elsewhere in the haram.

After this to Safa and the Sai'. To once again remember the struggles and tribulations of the first Muslim family.

Then to the honour of those shaven heads relinquishing their manes of glory for HIS greater glory.

And the remembrance Hudabiyyah of how precious that shaven head is, and to the remembrance of Khalid (as) as he caught up with his army in Sham, as they beheld in wonder his shaven head.










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Location:Meqaat

Tuesday 26 January 2016

Lessen Learned

Lessen Learned

School is where we go to learn
Kos we couldn't spell before
Until they taught us well, with
Lashings that curbed every
freedom's true bell.
"Enough enough, I can't receive no more."

Rules that cause us to bend and sway.
Unruly though we were before
Learned we then bureaucracy
Engine's oil to monster industry
Stopped or flowed with every tap twist.

Only afterwards did we desist
Kept closed, against their will

Not to submit, nor to desist
Only for truth shall we fight
Truth, truth in that we delight.

Ended.




Location:Naughty Chair.