And tell me if you see it too
Either my eyes do me deceive
Or you and me both see it true
I see mass upon mass with access to light
Who prefer still the dark cover of night
At our fingertips, knowledge and wisdom
Yet lost in procrastination and boredom
Lost willingly; distracted easily
Confused wastefully, misled readily
No need to worry about material need
But deep inside their souls bleed
Bleed softly away, and as it dies
We become deaf to humanity’s cries
And on the other side of the world
I see others who for scraps do fight
And survival is a pure contest of might
No difference to them whether day or night
No interest, nope, not even in light
Of these the first group have just apathy
Leading the second down paths of indignity
This is not how we are supposed to live
Look after yourself, fine, then to others give
Something has gone wrong along the way
And who knows where it started or what to say?
I see evil looking to manipulate and control
Emotions, money, power, and the soul
Slowly shaping society as it pleases
Under the guide of freedom and release
Note; as we slide down the slippery slope
That things are turning very ugly indeed
Society has people seeking paths of ease
Not knowing that these paths are diseased
Self-interest serves you only so far
It’s just an instinct, not a guiding star
When did we start to fear making some noise
Fearing to help those without a voice
Stand by and watch as power is abused
At various levels justice is refused
Huge companies and Organs of State
Play with people’s lives and fate
You know we well and truly have failed
When human life is worth so little on a scale
----------
And yet, and yet…
With the world in myriad shades of grey
I recall an event that shows me the way
And event that polarises black and white
Leaving clear the path to the light.
Nearly fourteen hundred years ago
The world was worse than it is now
The most perfect religion had come down
And within fifty years turned inside out
Society was changing, and not for the better
The law being disobeyed, both spirit and letter
Again people sought their interests alone
Heedless of days when they would be just bone
Evil and power combined, making cowards of men
Leaving them with no sense of either duty or shame
People remembered; it was not always like so
A utopia was being built just fifty years ago
Then the praised one* was called back to his Lord
And him of high rank** was then denied his post
Event upon event then led society to that state
Where evil was openly committed in light of day
And Husayn (A) didn’t even have to ponder his fate
He knew full well what he would have to do and say
In order to revive the spirit of his grandfather’s days
The tyrant Yazid demanded his hand or his head
Over life under oppression he chose freedom in death
“The likes of me do not bow to the likes of him”
He refused to give in to the tyrants whim
Forced to leave Madina under cover of night
He saw his grandfather and complained of his plight
Choosing to go away and leave the city in peace
Though from then on his troubles did not cease
To Makkah he went, but even there no respite
Assassins sent as pilgrims, ordered to strike
With no respect for the peace of the holy month
But should we be surprised, when not even once
Did Yazid ever show any inclination to good?
Nay, he chose evil any time that he could
As with Madina, forced to leave Makkah too
To the truth of his religion he stayed true
Preserving the sanctity of the holiest mosque
That no blood be shed as he carried out his task
He sent his Emissary to Kufa to scout for him
News came back from Kufa that was indeed grim
Muslim, son of Aqeel, welcomed with open arms
By the whole city, within a few days was in harm
As the people who professed faith and loyalty
Proved themselves to in the end be cowardly
And the brave soul was in the end left alone
Against an army with spears, arrows and stones
He fought bravely until he was captured and killed
But his killers failed to keep his message still
The palace where he was killed is rubble and ruined
Yet his tomb stands till now; golden, and alluring
Hussain (A) knew, and headed to his fate,
Headed to that most fateful of dates
Headed to Karbala; where history would be made
In aiming to invite to good and discourage wrong
His family and friends proved themselves strong
They loved him and laid down their lives for him,
Elderly, aged, youth, and child; each story is grim
But each story also makes the soft hearts sing
And provides flight by giving the soul wings
Finally all were gone, and Husayn (A) stood alone
Facing an army of thousands with hearts of stone
Who already had turned the desert sands red
Who would not be pacified without his head
“Lift yourselves from oppression”, cried he,
“At least in this world be free”
But they would not listen, on deaf ears this fell
And he then fought bravely, until for prayer he knell
At which point the accursed did the most evil act
From which we know his heart was fully black.
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Husayn (A) was killed but his message lives on
Carried forward by his sister and his ailing son
Sermon upon sermon in prison and court
Their voices did the evil plans thwart
And now millions every year commemorate his stand
And to him in allegiance they offer their hand
To his shrine they come, with earth on their face
To that small, timeless tract; limited in space
That thousands of pilgrims and angels now grace
Though the honour is theirs; that they are invited
Visitors who; in seeing his dome they are delighted
And remind themselves and awaken their souls-
Enjoin Good
Forbid Evil
Lift yourself from Oppression
And remind themselves and awaken their souls
And from him learn how to make themselves whole
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So when we look around and see what we see
And consider what it means to be free
Remember the history of Husayn (A) and be true
Roll up your sleeves people; we have work to do.
Labbayka ya Husayn (A)
Labbayka ya Mahdi (AJ)
[END]
* Muhammad (SAWS)
** Ali (AS)
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Alhamdulillah; I forced myself to write this to meet with the deadline of a poetry competition. Win or don't win, I hope that it is accepted, and that I can live by the words I write.
With duas for you and yours
I
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