All the world is a sign That a hope is your way If the only thing you fear Is an act where you stray That displeases the One With a will that melts glaciers And freezes the sun Cling well to that hope And nurture that fear Till the journey is done
Poetry
Don’t Answer The Door
Despair comes knocking often in these times Its droll and dreary beat upon your door Conjuring up images of your crimes Until your shattered heart can take no more khalid acknowledge your deficiencies While there’s no good in lying to yourself Your mad frustrations only serve to please The demons wishing ill upon your health But sit upon a rock and let the air Remind you of the one who’s heart was filled With grief that his beloved wasn’t there To nurse him when a rain of stones had stilled The heavens sending prayers upon a man Content revived and pleased with Allah’s plan
In Line
Your life is as long As takes to respond To the welcome iqamah You heard as a babe So weave through your time You’re waiting in line And when you arrive We’ll pray on your grave
On His Love For Tāif
How can you claim To praise his name For the rahmah that is his life Unless you knew What he said to The angel of the mounts at Tāif
On That Fruit Seller Reading Qudūri
How can I being myself to count The many forms of love Of mothers tending babies And fathers burning nights Of brothers standing silent watch Over their brothers rights Of sisters gone downriver And queens becoming mothers Or a prophet drawing back The angel wrath above all others I’ll take the simple love of one For whom he’s never met From whom he has inherited A wealth of intellect Just sitting by his stock of fruit Qudūrī in his hands For time is his who fills it with A humbleness that spans Eternity, and angels marvel: Now there’s a love to love
Manure
Sin you mustn’t but sin you will So when you do plant a tree Of istighfār then spread your sins And spread them flat around the roots A filthy fertilizing mat For khalid, man you’re better than that
Time and I
Come time Have a seat Dip your toes Wet your feet On the shores Of Eternity If you could learn To bide me
Ya Shāfī
Take my weary body Dented by the world Shattered by disease Broken by the earth And make it whole again As whole as you decree That I may die a Muslim Your name my final word And I your slave submitting Ya Shāfī Ya Rahīm Take my weary soul Dented by desire Shattered by the whispers Broken by my nafs And make it whole again As whole as whole can be That I may walk in health And follow my Habib To where the fountain flows Ya Shāfī Ya Rahmān
Don’t Wait Too Long
There is one God Just ask your heart But only after it may start To beat the drum Of lasting Truth For that my friend Will outlast you The prophets came All men you know They came and went Like shepherds go Each looking over His own flock Reminding we’re Of one-God stock The last of them The Lord’s habīb A Rahmah unto All the worlds He came affirming What his brothers Told their flocks Who came before So listen to your heart my friend It won’t betray you in the end Hear its beat and heed its song There is one God and one alone Don’t wait too long
We Love Them All
We love them all The immobilized uncle Who shouts his response blaring Salaam over the phone His hoarse tones streaking our ears Like syrup on pancakes The uncomplaining voice Of a dear cousin poorly faring Who does more with less How her words of shukr Lend her a regal bearing And the affectionate aunt Who braves crowds thronging At the rawdah swearing She won’t leave till Her eyes have their fill “Aayiram Kangal,” she said something declaring In Tamil verses of delight: “A thousand eyes couldn’t Take in this sight.” Lovers of salaam Lovers of shukr Lovers of the habīb SallAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam