Allah Cannot Be Caged

Some people think that if they are diligent in their prayer

and observant in their spiritual practice

that Allah will behave Himself 

and do whatever they ask of Him.

Religion is a good and noble thing

and being observant is helpful indeed

but such people are mistaken if they think 

that Allah is so easily caged or controlled.

Tragedy does not care how religious you are.

A sandstorm will blow over the Sultan's tent 

just as quickly as the herdsman's. 

If you want to be successful, work hard.

If you want to be loved, pray.

Trust Najat on this:

When you are loved, 

hardship is so much easier to bear.

The Intimacy of Silence

I am sitting with this person

who doesn’t know how to shut up

and I want to strangle him.

Most people are terrified of silence.

They will chatter on about absolutely nothing

just to avoid it.

It’s not that they love the sound of their own voices,

it’s that they can’t stand the absence,

the quiet, the nothing.

The reason they hate it so, I think,

is that silence is incredibly intimate.

And intimacy scares people.

Listen to Najat:

Words are clothes,

but silence is nakedness.

Prayer is no time for modesty.

If you really want to get close to Allah,

you must not be afraid to get naked with Him.

(Thanks to Dan Prechtel for his help with a tricky bit of translation on this one—JRM)

Allah Needs You

I’m sorry I made you angry.

You were telling me about how things should be

and about how Allah should not allow this and that

and instead of agreeing with you

I smiled.

I meant no offense.

Please don’t leave the cafe,

please don’t deprive us of your company.

We need you at the mosque.

So please, stick around.

Allah needs you to tell Him how things ought to be done.

Not Tonight

You said, “Make love with me”

and I said, “I don’t feel like it tonight”

and now I feel like a heel.

Have you ever said “no” to me?

As far back as I can remember

You have responded to every come-hither look

I ever gave You.

Be patient with me, my Love

and remember the frailty of flesh,

the fickleness of emotion,

and the way every stray breeze

causes my spirit to flicker.

“Not tonight” doesn’t mean “go away”

it means please wait for me to come back.

Grow Green

This tender green shoot

fragile and bright

sings to me of your friendship and care.

It is a reflection of my very soul

rooted in the rich soil of the Prophet

—peace be upon him—

and stretching toward the radiance of Your glory.

Watered by prayer

and pollinated by every person who smiles

and says “Salaam,”

it would be a stubborn root indeed

that did not thrive and grow green

in such a place.

Weak Words

My imam and your mother

both seem convinced

that a sufficient quantity of words

can make and sustain their worlds.

My heart goes out to them.

I do not stop them from trying

but words are simply not strong enough

to pull the weight that these kind people require.

They are like hand baskets

in which they are attempting to carry camels.

The baskets always snap and it irritates the camels.

No one likes irritated camels.

Listen to Najat’s words, now:

Stop talking. Trust the silence.

This is what makes the world

and sustains it.

Only A Flag

If there were no love in the world,

we might as well just roll over and die.

What meaning is there if there is no Meaning?

What love is there if there is no Love?

What hope is there if there is no Hope?

I have no reality of my own.

I am only a flag,

lifeless until His wind whipped me into some semblance of life.

Najat only knows these things

because Wisdom has given me a crumb

to taste.