Poem: Ramadan - A New Start ??

Ramadan - A New Start??

By Umm Sulaym

Today my pen truthfully writes,

And my heart through it speaks,

The gift of Rafeeqal ‘Ala,

In this blessed Ramadan it seeks.

The lips and throat may be parched,

The tongue’s dry yet under control,

O Allah! I need this Ramadan,

To ransom back my lost caged soul.

It trailed off knocking door to door,

Into the Ghostly Town of Desires,

Seeking happiness with security,

And a safe place to retire.

O Allah! My soul became Shaytan’s Puppet,

Jumping to whatever ‘advice’ he gave,

Dear Allah! Let me reach Laylatul Qadr,

To show you that I’m a worthy slave.

Mountains of sins stand threateningly united,

Blocking my view of Your Paradise,

O Allah! Your slave’s trapped in a Well of Darkness,

Pull her out before her spirit dies!

Tarawih’s heavy on the body,

Yet so light and refreshing for the burning soul,

O Allah! Help me cash out all my nights,

So that I can redeem all the nights my sleep stole.

In crowds of excited Muslims at Iftaar,

In a certain anxiousness I feel alone,

Wondering whether You granted me forgiveness,

For the sins in my Past’s Emotional Cyclone…

I admit! Drenched I am in Your Blessings,

I realize that everyday soon after Suhoor,

For it’s easy to pacify the growls in the stomach with the hope of an upcoming Iftar,

Unlike the many ever-fasting needy and poor.

A genuine smile can glue broken ties,

A hug can extinguish the hate,

The currency of Jannah is Ikhlaq,

Which ensures a clean slate.

But the motivation in me vanishes,

As I flick through the pages of my Past,

Ink of failure blackens them,

And also the blame of being a spiritual outcast.

Out of frustration:

My soul knocks at the door of Ramadan,

Hoping to benefit from its company,

It takes my hand and consoles my restless heart,

With words Promising of His Mercy:

“He directs the Creation in their matters,

He pardons the Seeker in the 3^rd part of the night,

You think He cannot forgive YOU?

Or give you the Ability to fight?

Do not doubt His Promises,

And do not doubt His Might,

Enter the Paradise of Dunia,

By remembering Him in times of plight!

Increase in reciting the Quraan,

Ponder but Increase not in speed,

For the Plant of Taqwa grows slowly,

When you with the Quraan nourish it’s seed.

READ in the Name of Thy Lord,

Who created you and that girl who’s deaf and mute,

She memorized Quraan merely by reading lips,

Why does your Faith in Allah then lack resolute?

Control the Rein of your Nafs with His Words,

Devote a portion of it to memorize,

Do you not want to be clothed with the Heavenly ‘Robe of Honor’,

and majestically crowned In His Beautiful Paradise?”

At this my eyes moistened,

And I knew those forgotten words are true,

Has Allah gifted me with this Ramadan,

to start my journey anew?

As my pen finishes dutifully writing,

The narrations of my strengthened heart,

It suggests that if the browser of your spiritual life seems stuck,

Then it’s only YOU stopping YOU from a ‘restart’!

Posted in: poem,Ramadan