Man Knows

Man knows 

Man knows no poverty greater than that of his soul,

No happiness greater than selfless giving. 

He knows no grief greater than that of disbelief,

No knowledge greater than that of sharing. 

Of all the things that man possesses,

Knowledge, time and things he collects. 

All decrease upon the giving. 

Save only knowledge and charity. 

For these there is increase. 

Shafees 

Song of Hope

Palestine 

Ancient groves of olive trees

Hundred years to bear fruit 

Moments to be bulldozed down 

The tinkle of faraway childhood laughter

Crescendos to breaking china 

Their indomitable spirit smiling higher

When all is lost 

We find ourselves 

In the midst of those with most 

Their smiles giving lies to the grand illusion. 

Far more is less that more itself 

And those with less, they are the best. 

So visit Rafah,

Spend time in Gaza,

And there you'll find our Kings. 

Without a crown,

With scanty clothes,

But with those, I'd give a million for. 

When they're bombed,

Their veils, they tightly shroud about

Their dignity we will never doubt. 

Never lost are those with home,

Even when all that remains,

                                 are those 

Beautifully wrought iron keys. 

Heirlooms of a bygone age 

Where have all the old folk gone?

We do homage them in this song. 

They saw a time 

When Palestine was free

And they lived to pass on that fair tale. 

That Palestine will be free once 'gain. 

Even when all the World and all its people

Forget them, We will not. 

And happiness will be theirs once again

To spread about, and share. 

END

I wanted to write a happy poem about Palestine. And so I googled "what does Palestine mean to Palestinians" and the first page was all Israeli information airbrushing out a millennia of history. 

Well after all it's clear that google lies. 

And this poet hopes that the idea of a Palestine will never die. 

Sweet Dawn

Sweet dawn

Before the rising sun. 

Cool quiet, 

empty of human industry 

Yet

Lively with chirrups

Songs sung in anticipation

Of another day, yet to come.

The devout man woke 

Obligations completed 

The breaking of the sun

Molten omelette, peppered paprika. 

A breaking surf

On a distant land shelf. 

Across a not so blue. 

Dawn fisherman, he casts

the nett of his eyes

far and wide

Expectantly drinking 

The jumping shimmer fish. 

Till the omelette rises

Reversal of time 

And sits atop the horizon

A golden yoke

On the beast of day 

Another beacon of hope 

That sets his thoughts homeward

And he turns his back.

eyes half closed. 

Still full of those silver fish

Dreams his way home,

A home for every dispossessed, 

To pour them out in wooden bowls 

A release

From the crimes he remembers 

And those that he does not yet know

From the relentless noise of industry 

That juggernaut of humankind 

That will soon break even that dream. 

Jerusalem's Feet

Jerusalem's Feet (Poem). 

( a new version of 

http://shafeesthoughts.blogspot.ae/2017/08/if-i-were-palestinian-poem.html?m=1 )

If I were a Palestinan

I wonder how I would cope

With the loss of my land,

My people, my home. 

They say to keep heart 

One must compare

Not with those that have much 

But with those that have less- than- luck

If I were a Palestinian 

I wonder how would I cope 

Would I bear with patience 

The animosity of this thief Na-tion. 

What could stop me from venting my anger 

In self destructive ways?

If I were a Palestinian 

I wonder how I would cope 

When they come 

Knocking on our doors

Stealing our children 

Locking them away

Murdering them in our streets

That the old people might live to mourn 

Would I pick up their planted knives?

Would I believe their disgusting lies?

If you were a Palestinian 

I wonder how you could cope

Would you crumble 

At that very first Israeli missile strike?

How would you cope?

With settler violence

Vindictive and vicious. 

Unchecked by Moses's law. 

If I were a Palestinian.

I know how I would cope. 

The doors of heaven 

Lie not at it's Tenple's gate.   

But at Jerusalem's feet. 

And those they kill 

They are not dead. 

END

(C) Shafeesthoughts 5th August 2018. 

M S BACHELANI 

if I were Palestinian (poem)

If I were Palestinian. (Poem). 

If I were a Palestinan

I wonder how I would cope

With the loss of my land,

My people, my home. 

They say to keep heart 

One must compare

Not with those that have much 

But with those that have less than luck

If I were a Palestinian 

I wonder how would I cope 

Would I bear with patience 

The animosity of this thief Na-tion. 

What could stop me from venting my anger 

In self destructive ways?

If I were a Palestinian 

I wonder how I would cope 

When they come 

Knocking on our doors

Stealing our children 

Locking them away

Murdering them in our streets

That the old people might live to mourn 

Would I pick up their planted knives?

Would I believe their disgusting lies?

If you were a Palestinian 

I wonder how you could cope

Would you crumble 

At that first Israeli missile strike?

How would you cope?

With settler violence

Vindictive and vicious. 

Unchecked by Moses's law. 

If I were a Palestinian.

I know how I would cope. 

The doors of heaven 

Lie at the feet of Jerusalem

Not in it's Temple.  

And those they kill 

They are not dead. 

Palestinian Heroes

Palestinian Heroes-

Happiness is their only victory,
Their one consolation

Until Israel too takes that from them.
But only for a second
For Islam demands happiness
As a weapon

That they are human
That they are resilient
And that they will smile again
On their own free land.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:Jerusalem

Truth stands out clear from Error

TRUTH stands out clear from ERROR.



When we read the Qur'an we begin with S. Baqara, and its importance cannot be overstated. It is said that its best that it is read once daily in every household.

A couple of years ago I took my boys to a course in Ramadhan called "Journey through the Qur'an", but what I learned there was actually how little even that so called Sheikh understood about its relevance.

Many years ago know I began my journey through the Qur'an with a seeker of knowledge who used the Socratic method in approaching the Qur'an, in a very similar vein to the Qur'an itself. He it was that impressed me with the fact that the Qur'an needs at some points to be approached from a sociological perspective.

That it begins with Baqara that almost immediately talks about the Munafiq (hypocrites) because the chapter is concerned more particularly with the everyday life of the Muslim polity or state. It represents the blueprint of how Muslims are to live.

When it is read in that vein, then it's message rings true.

And it is within Baqara that we find the verse of Power, that contains within it both the most sublime name of Allah - the everliving- and also a statement of His absolute sovereignty over not just the Heavens, but also the Earth.
And then His ownership of all knowledge.

After that statement, what comes next is the most enlightening,
FOR God declares:

"There is no compulsion in your choice of your way of life.

Truth stands out clear from error."

This statement by itself is clear.
But framed first by Baqara, and following directly on from the verse of Power- this statement is overwhelming.

That no one has the right to impose a particular way of life on anyone else, so long as it does not negatively influence society.

And this in a Muslim State, or Polity, and Society.

So whilst those that seek to impose their view on us all often say that the last of Kafiroon is abrogated, ask them and then what do you say of the verse following on from Ayah tul Kursi?

They do not understand and are not given too. And that is our problem.

That our Scholars like to frame themselves as such, and not as seekers of knowledge all on a path.

That our people want scholars, and not teachers, as the people that they look up to. A teacher encourages a person to grapple with the Qur'an, as the Qur'an itself declares in regards to the first Jihaad.

That is even whilst they recognise that one of the Messengers name was Mu'allim - Teacher - and the greatest of Teachers.

END

This began as an overlong Facebook post. So I apologise for that it is not if the blog quality that I like to post.



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:Yathrib