By the Wailing Wall

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.

Sincerity

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)