I wanted to surprise my family
So up and to Jerusalem I went
I touched down when the soldiers came for me
It seemed as if the questions wouldn’t end
They didn’t Every checkpoint was the same
Until I reached the room where I would stay
I rested first then went in Allah’s name
To Masjid Al-Aqsa in time to pray
Salaam in every corner of that space
Is this the spot my nabi was Imam
To lead a congregation cast in grace
Unmatched from its takbir to its salaam
The love I found on faces there eclipsed
Their grief that never passed through grateful lips
As It Is
Heed advice that tempers you khalid
So you see things for what they are
Just like that sweet prophetic prayer
That steels the heart and stills the air
Cinquain, Prophetic
if you
cannot act then
speak and if you can’t speak
at least condemn it strongly in
your heart
Lifes
Life after death:
longevity isn’t a concern
quality of life is
Life before death:
don’t miss the big hint
as you squint
at the small print
Get Up
how can you be lost
if you are exactly where
He wants you to be
no khalid you are
on your way as long as you
don’t think you’ve arrived
On Altruism
We give and often think we love to give
But hear the warner school us about giving
How can we be called altruistic if
Our contributions barely dent our living
Our paragons they come from two: one glad
To leave behind their home and wealth and kin
The other hosting them with all they had
Despite the difficulty they were in
Such was their love for him who bound their hearts
In sweet eternal brotherhood that when
He called for contributions to the cause
One gave one half, the other, everything
So khalid, swipe your card and puff and preen
You’re all the altruism you have seen
Inspired by a portion of this Tafsir session delivered by Shaykh Amin on May 5.
Boomerang Pie
The bitter center baked in deep
Deep within the luscious pie
Of “how could they”
Is “how could I”
That Hurts
Why do we press our lips together
To hold back a tear
Maybe that holds the clue
To why when you
Are smitten there
Do I wince here
Reflecting
a puddle for some
an oasis for others
a mirror for all
Sunny
Bask in the sunshine
of constant tauhīd
Dip your toes into
the stream of ikhlās
Lay your head down on
the mossy green pillow
Of ‘ishq till you hymn salawāt