The only one to bow to is One
And if you must know how to become
Unbowing to creation
Then seek that lowly station
Where rivers of humility run
Istighfār
When you think
That you’ve made it
Then something occurs
Reducing your self
In your sight
Know that you
Like all things
Are in the control
Of that One
Indivisible Light
Istighfār is a muscle
That’s often unheeded
So best exercise it
To use it when needed
When Clouds Go By
When clouds go by
I don’t know why
It makes me think
Of how we cry
Perhaps it is
Because we bear
Some semblance of
A grief or care
That we hold in
Till comes the trigger
Makes our burden
Somewhat bigger
There is no planning
When or where
We send those tears
In despair
The clouds will form
The winds will blow
We let them take us
Where they go
You can’t control
Your tears soul
And you dare think
You’re in control
Breathing
Inhale shukr
Exhale ṣabr
Repeat until you
Reach the qabr
Generous
When we consider generosity,
We think of those possessed of wealth and time
Who give with or without the vanity
That often taints a gift with hues of crime.
And then we hear the term afresh from those
Who saw its splendor in prophetic light,
For giving matters when the giver knows
The value of what’s given, all despite
The ignorance and bliss ingratitude
Of them who walk the earth in heedlessness
While harvesting the riches that accrued
Upon the breaths of those who do with less.
SubhanAllah is charity that turns
The world despite the punishment it earns.
Vision, Green and Clear
Let’s put on our tauhīd glasses
(Of course they’re tinted green)
And maybe we’ll see glimpses of
The things that Khidr’s seen
Thinking
The more I think,
The more I think
The world should be protected
From my thinking.
The more I think
The world should be protected
From my thinking,
The more I think.
Harvest
Every dhākir knows
What a dhākir sows:
Where your tasbīh goes
There your garden grows
Wordwise
To think before you speak is to
Account for all effects that you
May have upon the world with words
In ways not even actions do
The silence of the wise can be
More active than what eyes may see
Making It Count
All those tears are no good
If you don't do what you should
All those prayers are in vain
If you don't try when you could
All your lofty plans are empty
If they're written in the sands
For the waves will come to wash them
And the will out of your hands
Think about the time you spent
All the thoughts that came and went
Why the rush into repentance
If you don't mean to repent
Don't just drain the cup of water
Even water has a taste
Savor every drop that quenches you
So nothing goes to waste
Now, turn to Him with every haste.