Traveler

Getting used to saying goodbye

2010-01-11T08:34:00.003-08:00

Getting used to saying goodbye
Fate sealed, sentiments override.

Bosom swells with bridal expectancy
Heart aches from years of loving solely.

Had my beloved taken the remedy
My beloved would’ve healed spiritually.

Friend buries even the best of people
And corpse is nothing but remains to be mourned.

So long, Mogadishu, so long:
For me, my nostalgia
As for you, your lost innocence.

@ Safi Abdi...2009

He loved optimism

2010-01-04T12:19:00.004-08:00

Give serenity another name
Or simplicity another face.

He loved optimism
Hated pessimism.

Positive, ever so positive
For the little things always appreciative:
The cackle of the baby
The sip of plain water
The first to smile
The last to disengage.

He loved optimism
Hated pessimism.

Good of intent
Mild of voice
Light of foot
Gentle, ever so gentle.

He loved optimism
Hated pessimism
Invited criticism
Celebrating pragmatism:

His Jihad being just an operation
Against the aberration:
The middle course, O my followers
The middle course, O my followers.

@ 2007 Safi Abdi. All Rights Resevered.

Tanzil : Quran Navigator

2009-12-30T22:47:00.000-08:00

Tanzil : Quran Navigator

Calamity

2007-10-09T04:59:00.000-08:00

Days numbered,
cases mourn
The impatient
at the inception worn.
If all our dilemmas
were sweet darlings
Many a claw would dig in the dirt
like sand ducklings;
It follows that our causes
would then nest kneeling.
But Day follows, too,
in the horizon’s darkening.
And calamities are puffed up
by the sun’s kneading.
The merciful Lord has His ways,
All-knowing:
Lean years
Bitter pills
...ingredients unflattering...
Aren't these for streamlining?
Passages narrowed
for our fattened calves for realigning?
The merciful Lord has His ways,
All-knowing.
Rather needless,
the impatient us are always saying
In the eyes of the ease-loving
horribly taxing.
Yet, who knows best as
to how to polish up the waning
Or can best tie that knot
in the oblivion missing?

Copyright (c)Safi Abdi, 2006, All Rights Reserved.

The Return

2007-08-28T23:44:00.000-08:00

This thing He made
The breath He measured
He awaits the return of
This being He created bare and alone.

@Safi Abdi

Mother

2007-08-13T01:17:00.000-08:00

Love shone her rays
The deserved enhances
In her warmth embraced.

I searched her eyes
To partake of her light
I am all she’d born
But so many she serves
Their wishes she indulges.

I searched her soul
To partake of her light;
Keep not for self, I learned

Be a vehicle for God;
What He gives, I learned
Love commands...
To the next, to the next.
The self serve least.

C)Safi abdi

Why shouldn't I cling to You?

2007-06-22T07:52:00.000-08:00

Why shouldn't I cling
To you?

I was nothing
And
You made me.

A being
Of little substance
I am in earthly eyes...
By all accounts
A nothingness...
Miraculous then how
I am mentioned
In heaven!

I was alone,
Wandering in the dark
And in a raiment
Of sparkling light
You bathed me.

The human in me
Desired an exemplar
And Muhammed,
the ideal being
Into my life came.

I falter
By the second...
Need constant telling
So you speak to me.

I stumble again
Then there You are
To the rescue!

To my clumsy babble
I hear You listen...as if they
Were bejeweled with wisdom...
How you relish the
Screechy whimpering
Mixed with the salt
Of my myriad flaws!

And when sadness disrupts...
Amazing how gratitude
Fills the void;
Why shouldn't I cling
To you?

@ Safi Abdi, all rights reserved.

Between me and my Lord

2007-06-18T00:50:00.000-08:00

Between death and I a breath
Between pain and I a needle
Pray tell,
Where am I between me and my Lord?

@ Safi Abdi, all rights reserved.

Save your tears, dear

2007-05-27T19:02:00.000-08:00

Save your tears, dear
Worlds a place of fear
You were not born in heaven
Travel back in time, regain your sight
Its crucial that you keep sanity intact.
Lament not your case, or mine
Lest the ignorant we cheer
In this parched land of ours
You’re a lone breeze my dear
What rain-drop, in her right mind,
Would mingle with a roaring ocean?

Save your tears, dear
In these dark days of ours
Keep your lids arid, waterless
like the cliffs of this house divided.
But then there is a weapon in Patience
Never has Hope ever lost a soul
And none has monopoly over Air.

@ Safi Abdi, all rights reserved.

The love for Somalia

2007-05-26T08:00:00.000-08:00

The love for Somalia
like a downpour of
sweet fresh water
off the ground
the ills of this nation sweeps.
The newly born bonding
with the plaintiff
resuscitates the forgotten
Saint.
Dare to love
and you shall be
in the rush
to come home.
Cool Southerly breeze
and a North cheerful
are a unit in the Attar.
A body a plane boards;
Somalia is my sanctuary.
@ Safi Abdi

By the Wailing Wall

2007-05-23T19:48:00.000-08:00

By the wailing wall
Palestine is butchered
by the wailing wall
Even though it’s only a wall
It’s the wailing wall
And by the wailing wall
It’s laughter time.

Beneath this wailing wall,
A child of the soil
By the scent of heaven I hang;
But how many were the prophets that wailed
Because of this wall?

By the wailing wall it was laughter time then
And by the wailing wall it is laughter time now.

By the scent of heaven
Hang the prophets of God
And now a whole population
Are hanged by the wailing wall.

By the tears of this torn land
This wall is a see-through
My heaven is way beyond this debris
The wailing wall is just a wall.

A chandelier a night for now;
Patience, wait
Be my obedient servant.

Authenticity defies the divide:
This is my land
Before Hitler I was here
After Hitler I am still here
And after all the children of Hitler’s
Wailing wall have gone
Here shall I be.

From this land sprang I
And from this land,
After the bombardment
If nothing else were to remain;
A nail and at least some bone
By the will of Allah
Shall resurrect.

This land is in my bone marrow
I am a child astride by the torn land.
So I will still be here
Even after the Bushes, and all the big
Boys have departed, I will still be here.

Like the prophets I now wail
And like them one day shall I cease to wail.

Authenticity defies the divide
Winner is the one that laughs last
I hang by the scent of heaven
Beneath and beyond the wailing wall
I am with those that wait.

Approaching laughter is a salve
And so much better than impending doom
Patience carries the slave
Yonder, beyond the thunder
Over the wailing metal birds
I wait with those that wait.

For now a chandelier a night, Patience
Wait for me;
It’s wailing time
Palestine is waiting by the see-through wall.

(c)Safi Abdi, 2007, all rights reserved.

The Palestinian Boy

2007-05-23T16:57:00.000-08:00

The Palestinian boy
Happy his lot could've been
Chasing ball
Carefree under the open skies
Dreaming in colors
And of the scent of roses.

But there are no bouquets for this boy
Just coffins and the stench of blood.
At every twist and turn a blockade slaps him in the face...
his ball might just land in a new settler's porch...

In his homeland a detainee
the Palestinian boy is ten-fold older than his tender age.
Yeah, his face is smooth but his heart is folded in grief.
He was there when his home caved in
And his baby sister paved the ruins
And is haunted forever by his Dad's mangled body.
His Mom's shrieks all he hears of music
A cry for help the only song he knows.

He is the product of a world sans conscience;
A sad soul stretched to the limit.
Is it a sin to want to smell my rose? he asks
A crime to call what's mine, mine?
Does torturing me increase the world's joy?
Will the earth cleave asunder
if I till my portion of the soil?

@ Safi Abdi, all rights reserved.

Sincerity

2007-05-23T16:34:00.000-08:00

What's Sincerity? How can we tell when we are sincere? Is there anyway we can measure the level of Sincerity in our hearts?

My computer’s English Thesaurus lists the meanings of Sincerity as: honesty, truthfulness, trustworthiness, genuineness, frankness, openness, candor and innocence.

This to me speaks volumes about the universality of this human quality. Sincerity in its basic form being a common human value that’s shared, appreciated and sanctioned by the human spirit, irrespective of one’s race, tribe or creed. Those of you who are familiar with the life of God’s last Messenger, know how the Arabs of Mecca appreciated Mohammed’s integrity and truthfulness long before he became a Messenger of Allah.

Sincerity in thought, word and deed that in a nutshell is what Islam’s all about; God-consciousness in relation to himself, those around him, and his Maker; all three in a way being interrelated.

"No man is true in the truest sense of the word but he who is true in work, in deed, and in thought," said the Prophet of Islam.

"Verily, the reward of deeds depends upon the intention and every person will get the reward according to what he has intended." If the intention is to show off then the good deeds are nullified.

The first three people on whom judgment will be pronounced and thrown into the Fire, Muslims are warned, are: a martyr who dies to show off his courage, a person who gives to show off his generosity, and a scholar who learns and teaches to show off his learning. All seemingly good actions, yet because of lack of good intentions on the part of the doers, such good actions become the cause of their doers' downfall.

To stress the importance of Sincerity at all times, Allah's Messenger said:

"Allah does not look at your bodies and appearances but He scans your hearts and deeds."

While the Muslim is exhorted at every step of the way to give charity, and non-payment of Zakaat (compulsory charity) might even take one out of the fold of Islam), yet the best charity, Muslims are taught, is the one whereby "the giver’s left hand does not know what the right hand gives."

Believers are exhorted to be Sincere at all times, in all their dealings, whether public or private, expecting reward from none but Allah:

"Say: Truly, my prayer my service of sacrifice my life and my death, (all) for Allah, The Lord of the Worlds". ( Quran: Chapter 6:Verse:162)

Yaa Allah! Shall I ever know why...

2007-05-22T09:20:00.000-08:00

Stars in my eyes that were so trim
My Somalia, my dreams, and that grim
realism
I say, Allah! what an amazing trip!
If only I knew the why of that trick!

This is Your heaven
And there my spot
And there’s that rainbow
At every such grip.

Before the light
There’s the shade
Behind the mountain
There’s the plane.

There’s Great Musa
And there the learned Khidr
There’s the slaying of that guiltless child;
Or so it seemed to the eager Musa
Until absolute knowledge became the truce.*

This is Your heaven
And there’s my keenness
My dreams, my Somalia
And that grim realism
Actuality and hopes in collision
Ya Allah! Shall I ever know why the cactus tree
Teases the green grass?

@ Safi Abdi, all rights reserved.

* The Story of Musa (Moses) and Khidr is told in the Quran, for ref. please check: chapter 18, verses 60-82.

How Grateful are You?

2007-05-22T08:00:00.001-08:00

Visiting the dentist one day for a routine check up I was pleasantly surprised to find just how healthy and fit I really was. A first time patient in that clinic I was made to fill out a form that contained a long list of illnesses that ran up to two pages; diseases that eat away at the bodies of countless people the world over. Having filled out such forms before I’m sure this wasn’t the first time I was asked to declare my health publicly.

But as I ticked the “no” box for each and every major illness listed on the form that day I realized for the first time in my life just how lucky I was to have had such a great health. What amazed me wasn’t so much that I wasn’t suffering from any of the diseases mentioned but that how I often fail to take note in my day to day affairs the blessings that I enjoy, and shamelessly take for granted, as if they were a right I was entitled to have, instead of them being gifts that I should be grateful for.

Health is a great blessing, a free gift that I had been enjoying for as long as I can remember barring a few short intervals in an otherwise disease-free condition.

But sadly, the few times that I’ve consciously pinched myself to attention at this fortunate state of mine can be counted with the help of your fingers. And except for the memorized words that I mouth every morning I wake up from yet another restful sleep, recharged, and without a single major disorder in my body or mind, when was the last time I really sat down for a few minutes to count my blessings?

Has the thought of knowing about the thousands and hundreds of thousands of people who might have passed their nights away in misery suffering one or other disorder, if not multiple maladies that need constant care ever burdened my conscience, except perhaps for the usual sympathetic gestures we all make every now and then when met with disasters happening elsewhere?

There are God’s people crawling on the face of this earth precious limbs blown away by some stupid bullet, simply because they happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. There are people for whom the beauty of Sunrise is something that can only be felt, not seen and because of their disability are unable to feast their eyes on the beauty of a fresh bloom or the kaleidoscope of an autumn day. Others suffer all their lives from physical or mental disabilities or even both while the likes of me which number the bulk of humanity strut around hale and hearty, with all five senses working full time, drinking in the beauty of God’s creation anytime anywhere, without so much as a thank you, God. If we are not careful some of us might even fall into the nasty habit of feeling superior, just because God had chosen to test us this way. The fact of the matter is, we are all God’s creatures, being “things” made, and whether we have a single good leg or two legs, we’re all God’s creatures and are equal before the Creator. The deciding factor isn’t so much what we have, or don’t have, but rather how we deal with the different situations that come our way.

A Muslim I should be the first to know that whatever gifts that are given in terms of health, wealth, faculties, special powers, children, happiness, time, life, faith, peace, rain, and the countless other blessings, heavenly or earthly, are all favors that are entrusted to us; a temporary loan if you will, and one that can be taken back any moment. Whatever is not given or is taken away is also a matter that’s solely in the Hands of God, a trial from God; albeit a different sort, but a trial all the same.

Some of us humans instead of being grateful and happy with the merciful way God has treated us we go out of our way to invite harm to ourselves. It’s strange that the animal kingdom has more sense as you’ll never catch an animal in an act of discontent, disobedience or senseless violence while we humans walk this earth inflicting harm on others and on ourselves and get into all kinds of mischief ruining our health and the health of others and basically falling into all sorts of life threatening traps and harmful escapades.

Instead of being grateful to God for the precious health or whatever other gifts that are lent out to us (for a reason) we get too cranky at the first whiff of an obstacle. Such has been the case with me the few times God put me to a simple test. Like most people I know the tendency is to dwell long on the painful episodes while the good life that are generally enjoyed are put out of sight.

Let me please share with you the story of the man who paid a visit to a wise Sheikh. The man complained about his poverty and made a lot of noise about his dire situation. Having listened to the man’s grumblings, the Sheikh immediately offered the man a huge amount of money in exchange for some of the man’s body parts. As expected, the man refused the offer as his body parts were dearer to him than any money the Sheikh could offer. This way the Sheikh was able to convince the man that the poor man wasn’t so poor after all.

@ Safi Abdi, all rights reserved.

Naked Beggar

2007-05-21T22:19:00.004-08:00

By the door a beggar praying:
walking, laying, sitting, standing,
Waiting for Peace.
What are they saying?
What are they seeing?
Are they as naked as
the beggar by the Door?
@ Safi Abdi, all rights reserved.

Guest of the Beneficient

2007-05-20T05:32:00.000-08:00

It was the happiest moment of my life four years ago when Allah the Most Gracious finally gave me His permission to visit Him, at His House. I was in a daze. Though I talk to Allah everyday in my prayers and in my heart, visiting His house and practically answering His call is a totaly different experience. As the impact of this sublime opportunity dawned on me I set about making my preparations. I was about to visit a most beloved Friend and I needed to be prepared, body and soul. Hajj is not about just going on any trip, it's about total obedience, hope and ultimate submission. It's a test of one's Sincerity.

Hajj(pilgrimage to Mecca) is one of the five pillars of Islam and is to be performed at least once in a lifetime, if one is able to do so. Hajj is a spiritual experience, the ultimate submission, and no words can do justice to the feelings of joy one feels during the few days spent as an honored "Guest of the Beneficent". The Ka'bah, the Cube shaped structure in the middle of the Mosque is the first house of worship on the face of the earth. History has it that the black stone that's situated within the Ka'bah came down from Paradise and was brought by the Angel Jibril (Gebriel). The stone was initially white but the sins of the sons of Adam turned it into black. The Ka'bah's foundation was raised by the prophet Ibraham (Abraham) and his son Ismael (Ishmael). When the Muslim performs the Hajj he's simply following in the footsteps of the prophet Ibrahim. My intention is not to explain the Hajj rites, there are many Islamic sites on the net that can give the reader a learned explanation of what Hajj is all about: For those who are interested in finding out more about this religious experience I'll paste a couple of sites at the foot of the poem for their perusal.
The following poem merely reflects my own personal feeling of what this journey meant to this spiritual traveler. Some two million "Invitees" perform Hajj each year and the sheer numbers of devotees is an humbling experience for each "invitee". This is the House of God and the people who answer the call are called: "Guests of the Beneficent".

Guest of the Beneficent
Is a bare-footed beggar
A poor thing invited by One Rich and Mighty
To answer the call of a lifetime,
a pledge made to God.
Guest of the Beneficent is a humble follower
Of a humble prophet, himself a follower
In the footsteps of his father Abraham,
For the first to make the call was Abraham
To this house of God and from him sprang
Prophets by the Beneficent blessed, chosen.
Guest of the Beneficent on the path
Of such a one blessed with modest walks
All pretense and ornaments shed
Eyes fixed heart trembling hands raised
A willing guest in tears drenched
The guest is a single entity in a sea of guests
Swimming in tears remorseful
For the flesh is weak and man given to haste…
Guest of the Beneficent is humbled
By feelings of smallness felt
Insignificant he's for once lost
In an ocean of devotees
he looks towards the Lord
With heart longing for freedom
From a self to blunders given.
Guests of the Beneficent are people
Pulled together by a Hand Powerful
Able to call whom He wills when He wills.
These beggars by the Door of the Merciful
In tongues diverse cry
In sizes and hues various appear
But in unison they answer this Call sublime
Joyful in a union at last made they chant
To the beat of a Truth long desired.
Hajj is a time of bonding
Beneath a sky open
The seeker learns and teaches
Equal are the guests of God
In attires easy and plain
Kings and penniless all Needy
Shoulder to shoulder before a King Mighty
This is a time of repentance
An occasion of release in an ocean of tears.
From the attachments to sin and wrong-doing
To the bonds of fellowship, hearts healing
These days of consoling, delivery
And elevated hopes
The guest of the Beneficent returns not home
But happy.

@ Safi Abdi, all rights reserved.

Spirit Collector

2007-05-20T03:19:00.000-08:00

Why me?
Why now?

Why not you?
Why not now?
Spirit Collector
Called on Trader.

Why not YOU?
Why not NOW?
Somebody’s got to go
Every minute’s a go
Together with a soul
For the common goal.

Just doing a JOB
I don’t cry
I don’t laugh
Just doing a JOB.

Why me?
Why now?

It could be her
It could be him
It could be they
It could be them
Now it’sYOU.

I cry not
I laugh not
I am just on call
Making a CALL.

It could be her
It could be him
It could be they
It could be them
Now it’sYOU.

@ Safi Abdi, all rights reserved.

He knows you

2007-05-19T07:54:00.000-08:00

He knows them best
Who created these cells
He gives life
A whole being produces
Showers on it gifts
Gives it form
Embellishes the senses
Shows the ways.

How life would be
if all was had
Luxuries and
human desires unlimited
And nothing for soul’s keep?
He knows them best
Who created these cells.

@ Safi Abdi, all rights reserved.

Guest of the Beneficent

2007-05-19T07:35:00.001-08:00

It was the happiest moment of my life a few years ago when Allah the Most Gracious finally gave me His permission to visit Him, at His House. I was in a daze. Though I talk to Allah everyday in my prayers and in my heart, visiting His house and practically answering His call is a totaly different experience. As the impact of this sublime opportunity dawned on me I set about making my preparations. I was about to visit a most beloved Friend and I needed to be prepared, body and soul. Hajj is not about just going on any trip, it's about total obedience, hope and ultimate submission. It's a test of one's Sincerity.

Hajj(pilgrimage to Mecca) is one of the five pillars of Islam and is to be performed at least once in a lifetime, if one is able to do so. Hajj is a spiritual experience, the ultimate submission, and no words can do justice to the feelings of joy one feels during the few days spent as an honored "Guest of the Beneficent". The Ka'bah, the Cube shaped structure in the middle of the Mosque is the first house of worship on the face of the earth. History has it that the black stone that's situated within the Ka'bah came down from Paradise and was brought by the Angel Jibril (Gebriel). The stone was initially white but the sins of the sons of Adam turned it into black. The Ka'bah's foundation was raised by the prophet Ibraham (Abraham) and his son Ismael (Ishmael). When the Muslim performs the Hajj he's simply following in the footsteps of the prophet Ibrahim. My intention is not to explain the Hajj rites, there are many Islamic sites on the net that can give the reader a learned explanation of what Hajj is all about: For those who are interested in finding out more about this religious experience I'll paste a couple of sites at the foot of the poem for their perusal.
The following poem merely reflects my own personal feeling of what this journey meant to this spiritual traveler. Some two million "Invitees" perform Hajj each year and the sheer numbers of devotees is an humbling experience for each "invitee". This is the House of God and the people who answer the call are called: "Guests of the Beneficent."...

Guest of the Beneficent
Is a bare-footed beggar
A poor thing invited by One Rich and Mighty
To answer the call of a lifetime,
a pledge made to God.
Guest of the Beneficent is a humble follower
Of a humble prophet, himself a follower
In the footsteps of his father Abraham,
For the first to make the call was Abraham
To this house of God and from him sprang
Prophets by the Beneficent blessed, chosen.
Guest of the Beneficent on the path
Of such a one blessed with modest walks
All pretense and ornaments shed
Eyes fixed heart trembling hands raised
A willing guest in tears drenched
The guest is a single entity in a sea of guests
Swimming in tears remorseful
For the flesh is weak and man given to haste…
Guest of the Beneficent is humbled
By feelings of smallness felt
Insignificant he's for once lost
In an ocean of devotees
he looks towards the Lord
With heart longing for freedom
From a self to blunders given.
Guests of the Beneficent are people
Pulled together by a Hand Powerful
Able to call whom He wills when He wills.
These beggars by the Door of the Merciful
In tongues diverse cry
In sizes and hues various appear
But in unison they answer this Call sublime
Joyful in a union at last made they chant
To the beat of a Truth long desired.
Hajj is a time of bonding
Beneath a sky open
The seeker learns and teaches
Equal are the guests of God
In attires easy and plain
Kings and penniless all Needy
Shoulder to shoulder before a King Mighty
This is a time of repentance
An occasion of release in an ocean of tears.
From the attachments to sin and wrong-doing
To the bonds of fellowship, hearts healing
These days of consoling, delivery
And elevated hopes
The guest of the Beneficent returns not home
But happy.

@ Safi Abdi, all rights reserved.

Blindfolded

2007-05-19T07:27:00.000-08:00

Blindfolded...
On the pavements
Impatient we push
The traffic light.
Perhaps the light pole's
The summons spot?
Or the Pedestrian's
Just the place
The angel descended?
Blindfolded we walk and tour
Places beforehand determined.
We sigh and whimper
About sights missed
In reality though not meant
To be, but we moan blindfolded
Even as the picked roll off
The heavenly reels,
Our fate decided
Ahead the rules we make.
Beyond the length notated
Crowd the files we keep.

@ Safi Abdi, all rights reserved.

Palestine

2007-05-18T22:00:00.000-08:00

The story of a child
Not combat attire.

The story of a child
Disarrayed in the rain.

Columns of tanks in battle array
And a woman carrying a pitcher of the rain.

She is his mother in total disarray
Welcoming him in the sunshine rain.

Son, come drink this water from the day’s rain!
Where's it, Mama?
Cries the boy disarrayed in the rain.
My hospital leg? My hospital leg?

The woman points
To the column of tanks in battle array
Where stood their home before the morn’s rain.

The boy limps on
On a single leg
Limps he on
To find the rally on.

His father lay high in the rain
On shoulders and tears of the day’s rain
Gift-wrapped in the nation’s rain
Face high in the rain
Peace! O Peace!
How does thou lounge in this rain?

@ Safi Abdi, all rights reserved.

Peace for the world

2007-05-18T21:57:00.001-08:00

Come in speed, Friend to this being in need
Grasp this hand stretching wide
Treat your senses to the fragrance of peace
Hop onto this wagon of hope before we miss the boat.

We tarried for too long in the rags of dispute
Impaired our sight in the dusky zone
And lost our ways in combat fatigue.

Come quickly to this friend in need
Listen to this voice above the din risen
Catch this light put forth for you and me
Cast off these fraying sheets scratching my back
In the showers of Summer bathe freely with me.

Hop onto this wagon of desire burning anew
Come share this shade in the gentle wood
Touch the blossom with tenderness
Our worlds let hearts united scale the heights
Leap into the arena of expectations grand
And soar with the birds free at last.

From the shackles of bonds man-made
On the changing winds let the hopeful ride
As we cuddle the star born anew
With an olive shoot let's write today
And let our verses on the milky way pour.
A dreamer that I am
But I study the seasons with an eagle's eye
And have witnessed a frosty stalk melt on a Sunny day

© Safi Abdi

When I'm gone

2007-05-18T21:46:00.000-08:00

When I'm gone
and veiled
In green grass
When I no longer cast
a shadow under
the afternoon sky
And words no longer
the voice machine jam.

In that moment
of belief...
Flowery speech?
No, my dear,
Spare me
The Incense and Oud.

What need'd
a bone have
for milk or silk?

@ Safi Abdi, all rights reserved.

Small thanks

2007-05-18T21:40:00.000-08:00

haven't you noticed…

how belittled
benevolence stands,
small thanks given
for health or wealth
gratis obtained.
it's when the bills
mount or the body
declines truly
awareness dawns.
it's human nature
to take lightly
the gems of life...
oblivious of the cost
involved
man drinks
the air,
as though
it
were
an object
purchased.

@ Safi Abdi, all rights reserved.

I revisit my love

2007-05-18T21:20:00.000-08:00

After 13 years of persecution and mistreatment in Mecca the prophet of Islam and his companions migrated to Medina. The people of this city (named by the prophet “the helpers”) had pledged to protect the prophet and assist him in his struggles to establish the truth and it’s here that the prophet spent the last 10 years of his mission and the first community of Muslims were firmly established. Even after securing Mecca and purifying the house of God (the Kaba) from idol-worship the prophet lived on in Medina until his death and was buried in this mosque on the spot he died. Millions of Muslims visit this Mosque each year to visit their prophet. The prophet’s mosque is the 2nd holiest shrine in Islam.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Days of joy and love true
A sacred track my steps
retrace
Devotion divine
for peace to reign
In the way of God
no toil’s too great
It’s here in this town
my beloved reclines
Within these walls
luminous
a piece of heaven lies
By the meadows
of paradise
I revisit my love
To praise the Lord
as he’d have me do.

@ Safi Abdi, all rights reserved.

Heavenly Hug

2007-05-18T21:09:00.000-08:00

Heavenly hug
Happily joins
Cohesive parts
Interwoven needs
Needing no coercion
Heavenly love.

Mercy kissed
Children
Falling in love
With the mother soil
Heaven held.

Nontoxic jokes
No more pokes
Poise in our votes
Freshly doused
Flowers
Shimmering, adoring
Falling in love
With the heavenly hold.

Heavenly hug
Happily joins
Cohesive parts
Interwoven needs
Needing no coercion
Heavenly love.

@ Safi Abdi, all rights reserved.

Those who blaspheme

2007-05-18T21:00:00.000-08:00

In this world of tests and trials
Deliberate
Those who blaspheme the Lord
Their souls degrade.

It's a free world they say
And right they are
But the Creator so did make
These days and minutes to pass
An ordeal for those who walk His earth.

But those who blaspheme the Lord
All sense shut
Seeing but seeing not
Own voices alone exaggerate
Averse to stop
Or take stock by the setting sun.

@ Safi Abdi, all rights reserved.

The Voyager

2007-05-18T20:51:00.000-08:00

The voyage is a process in Time
A chain of Light stretching
The heavens and the earth.

The voyager is but
a knot
On the chain.

Happy is the knot
That unravels in Heaven.

@ Safi Abdi, all rights reserved.

Yaa Allah!

2007-05-18T18:43:00.000-08:00

When your nation becomes a liability
And your voice adds to the disability
A matter of sink or else…
And a people that won’t swim
Yaa Allah!

@ Safi Abdi, all rights reserved.

By the Dome of the Rock

2007-05-18T07:49:00.000-08:00

Heart weeps
For hands tied
Yours and mine joined
To infinite eyes tear-logged
Heavenwards flooding reverent
Heads raised by the Dome of the Rock
A billiion hearts united..

@ Safi Abdi,all rights reserved.

Why Blame Adam?

2007-05-17T07:28:00.000-08:00

each to his grave...
it's the doings made
for the liar his speech of blame
accrue;
why blame Adam?

each in his seat recline
in bliss or torment earned
in melancholy remorse
or in peaceful repose;
why blame Adam?

it's the look
that stains the sight
the picture skewed
to the devil's delight
the immoral
becomes a matter
beyond reproach
and the deceived sponsor
the fraudster's case;
why blame Adam?

@ Safi Abdi 2004, all rights reserved.

Muhammad

2007-05-17T06:56:00.000-08:00

The stone pebble and the soil under his feet gentle
Grateful, delighting in every moment treaded
To the cave of light, soul eager as he retreated:
Read! The Arch Angel commanded.
Read! In the name of thy Lord!

By the Lord of the alalamin,
'To all the world a mercy' Rahmata lilaalamin!
by the One Merciful sent;
Rahmata lilaalamin!

Never for a moment severe
The rowdy with mildness he amended
Rahmata lilaalamin!
'A lamp spreading light', Siraajan munira!

Modest traveler for whom this world
a place of sacrifice sufficed…a servant
While the world under his feet pined
His own shoes he mended...a servant.

Piety he wore, poverty with pride chose, a servant,
he gave up himself, and all he had, a servant.

In his Name! in his Name!
All night long, supplicating
All night long, supplicating
All night long,
a servant in the Lord's way,
supplicating...a servant.

This son of Makka did ascend
To the Heavens in person did ascend;
an eye-witness to a glory awesome
yet on earth moved he gentle...a servant.

The exalted charcacter the Majesty crowned
The hand of God a spirit perfected.
Beloved of the Loving One and all those who walk upright.

The souls he stirred with happiness shined
The ideal human nation did evolve
under this builder of the hearts; a servant.

Let the ignorant say what may, it's lack of nearness,
Not knowledge that feeds on lies promulgated.

Know him, you shall love him.
The most praised
Between heaven and earth
His name's daily repeated:

Muhammad!
Mohamoud!
Ahmed!
Yaa Mustafa!
Your name's with the Lord's joined;
A celebration in the Heavens echoed.

From minarets and on mountain tops
In deep valleys and on the sailing ships
In needy hearts
And wherever the Lord resides
Your name's praised, Yaa Ahmed!
At the heights of fame and power

His tears of compassion
The lowest on heavenly wings to the Heavens soared.

Proud protector of women
Orphaned child and baby-girl…
A community of justice for all he founded
Slave and master in fellowship joined
Under his care all hearts rejoiced.

In the way of God he marched
Liberator of the sinner
In shinning armor fought he evil, relentless
In the face of corrupting forces, undaunted, a servant.

Those who find fault with Ahmed
Far removed are they from the person praised.

Sad indeed is the soul that disregards or
distances itself from this lamp of God.

Rahmata lilaalamin!
Siraajan munira!
Allahuma sali wasalim 'ala sayidina muhammad,
salla Allahu 'alaihi wassalim tasaliman kathira!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
"Allah and His Angels send blessings on the Prophet: O ye that believe!
Send ye blessings on him, and salute him with all respect."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
(Qur'an : 33:56)
@ Safi Abdi 2003, all rights reserved.

The writings on the wall

2007-05-16T19:19:00.000-08:00

When the saint and the sinner are one and the same
When king and subject are similar in intent
When the evening shadow gulps down the morning star
When small beings destabilize their habitats
When your designs clash with the Lord’s Plan
Then dawns the annals of the written.

The earth’s chockfull of visitors’ flakes.
Yesterday he hoarded;
a perfect nuisance unrepentant.
Before that he was only a speck,
a bird’s bite;
toss-able by the wind
Afterwards just a heap of sorrowfulness;
Excess baggage…
that’s the hindrance catastrophic
If man had any wits at all
he’d apologize to his host
Or read his story to his ego.

@ Safi Abdi, all rights reserved.

On the Map of God

2007-05-15T04:21:00.000-08:00

You are my kind of Book

2007-05-15T04:09:00.000-08:00

You're my kind of Book
You've a life of your own
What a bounty of mercy
This ocean of compassion
Each page's a goal
Each word a sign
Each pause a wonder
For me to ponder
Heavenly
Awesome
Spring fields at every season.
You're so authentic
In sickness or health
Through lands or seas
You counsel me so.
You're my kind of Book
Come walk me through life
And take me Home.
So wise so candid so simple
So very true
So totally divine
If only we knew.
You belong to the world
You impart piousness
Instill kindness
What a revelation of composure!
For everyone to ponder
Heavenly
Awesome
Spring fields at every season.
Your promise's true
What an honor so true
What a marvel each word
What magic in each letter
A glance and you gain
Each letter's a chain
Connecting to all Gain
If only we knew.
You're my kind of book
Light upon the way
Come take over this being
The Word the Word
Tranquility's the word.
You're my kind of book
Alight, alight, right here on my heart
Alight, gentle Word, alight
Pour honey on my tongue
Springfields every season
You're my kind of book.

@ Safi Abdi

Gracious Lord!

2007-05-14T09:18:00.000-08:00

Greater than all is the Lord of all
Glory and Praise are His alone
High above all is our Lord!

The Heavens above His throne rules
He alone the balance holds.
The mortals He made
Are His,
His alone.
Gracious Lord is the keeper of all
The Exalted in power before Him all fall.

The blessings of rain
The beauty that we see
The pleasures devoured
The air breathed
The horizons we seek
Are His,
His to name.

Gracious Lord is the One and Only
Be not fooled by men deluded
Fit Him not in minds limited.

Gracious Lord turns the hearts
It's not for man to call the shots
Or write rules he little grasps.

He is One, the One and Only
Nearer to you than the very breath
To assign Him sons is to abuse the Lord.
He is Allah!
The God of all.

@ Safi Abdi, all rights reserved.

Are You Ready?

2007-05-14T06:17:00.000-08:00

Swift is death when it meets the host…
Death comes and man a weeper...
His case closed now just a moaner:
My Lord! My Lord!
As of today I shall abide
Undo my time to prove the right
I wish to revise, improve
No more breaking of rule
Or tool.
But death comes and none can do reverse
Air
Health
Wealth
Misapplied
Gifts immense for self supplied
All gone all gone
Reversing for none.
Death comes and man a weeper...
His case closed now just a moaner:
My Lord! My Lord!
Man! Oh, man!
Wasn't his life just a loan?
A pair of eyes, faculties to apply?
Wasn't happiness his lot and cause?
And sadness a trial for him to know?
Basked he not in sunshine clime?
Much blessings did he not deride?
Tasted the cold did he not…all right?
And heat did he not sample in delight?
Feasted on beauty did he not quite?
Feeling the opposite did he not cry?
Trekked the mountains did he not to write?
Admired the blooms did he not in a dye?
Whilst his heart the Maker did deride?
Man! Oh, man!
Time enough you were hearty and fine!
So fuss no more and stop the chime!
Death comes and man the weeper
His case closed now just a moaner:
O Lord! O Lord!
Man! You knew your guest in deep sleep
I took your friends to make you see
Arrested your neighbors to make you feel
Then you shed a tear or two or more
And straight away a beer or phrase.
I said: Listen to you in the dark of night
I said: I am the One in Whom You flee
I said: I am the Link so break not free.
You said: Later! Later! O god of mine!
You said: Create me a god, if You are true !
I said: Look at you, O man of man!
You said: Not now! Not now! Not You again!
You said: I like things just that way they're!
And give not a hoot whether false or trite !
I said: the Angel of Death's always nigh!
You said: So long I don't see the night ignite!
I said: Death comes the nut to crack at dawn!
You said: I'll wait and see that night crack!

@Safi Abdi, all rights reserved.

Allah! Allah! Allah!

2007-05-13T07:25:00.000-08:00

Everyone is talking

2007-05-13T07:11:00.000-08:00

There’s talk of God talk of Islam
With every bomb that falls
With every limb that breaks
There’s talk of God talk of Islam
A cry for help unperceived
But the talk goes on
Never ceasing to amaze:
God why me?

Yes there’s talk of God
In some minds it jams
A bubble on some lips
In some hearts it rhymes.

For some:
Wavering distress calls
Undiscovered truths
Messages confused
But there’s talk of God
Talk of Islam.

Race against the hour looms
Lest the bomb detonates
By the foot of one unready downs
Voice from voice separates.
Yes there’s talk of God talk of Islam
Speeches of blame
Finger pointing in disputes
A question of
when’s the dawn?

Talk of things unknown
On both sides of the ocean
Currents walls erect
Noises in the hawks beak
The airwaves pollute
For partitions to persist.
But there’s talk of God talk of Islam
For some futile
For others a boon
This talk of Islam.
@ Safi Abdi, all rights reserved.

He is One

2007-05-13T01:39:00.000-08:00

The light is on, there…right here...
Not yonder!
O ponder;
One is one!

They agree on the sum
The-God is One
They diverge on the count.

Gullibles galore
Love’s in the misread;
O Ponder!

Life’s a whiff
That’s the con
Consent, or not
God is One;
O ponder!
@ Safi Abdi, all rights reserved.

A minute with the Maker

2007-05-12T23:53:00.001-08:00

I love to be loved
So love Me,
I am Al Wudud The Loving.

I seek contentment
I am Al Mughni
Give Me your heart
And contentment shall be yours.

I wish to be kind
I am Ar Rauf,
Be My servant.

I crave knowledge
Become My companion.

I am afraid
Flee to Me!
Your life is in my Hands
I own the air
I order the heavens
The whole universe
Is under my Command.

Patience eludes me
I am As Subur, the Patient
Stay with Me.

I need to be guided
I am the Guide
Follow Me!

I want freedom
Become my Slave.

I want to know You…
Talk to Me
Say: O God! Yaa Allah!

Can I call you Adam?
Did Adam tell you he was Me?

Can I call you Jesus?"
Did Jesus tell you to worship him?"

I am puzzled…Where can I find you?
Call on Me! I am Allah! The-God!
Confuse Me not with My creation
And find Me you shall.

I am a sinner
I am Al 'Afuw!I plot out sins
Just return to Me!

I want peace
I am As Salaam! The Source of Peace
Submit and peace shall be yours!
@ Safi Abdi, all rights reserved.

Stop for a minute

2007-05-12T23:14:00.000-08:00