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Muslim Youth Musings
Poem

A Vignette of Two Vendors

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I know a woman who sells perfume,
and keeps me apprized of the richest scents in bloom.
Whenever I find my fragrances nearly finished,
I peer into her shop window before the store hours diminish.
Ever ready is she with scents that enliven the air:
Freesia, Jasmine, Vanilla, and Pear.
Finally, when I manage to tear myself away,
the fragrances linger upon me, far from decay.

I then see a man parting from a blacksmith marked,
It seemed on his journey home he embarked,
In a state unfit, unclean and utterly marred,
By the remnants of the burnt metal, almost scarred.
Stumbled did he onto the sidewalk coughing,
Incited by the ash and soot he’d been inhaling.
Shaking hands with passersby,
Who wiped their hands clean on the sly.

When I got home, I realized that it saddened me to see,
That this man’s merchant does not do for him what mine does for me.

The Prophet Muhammad (may Allah’s peace and blessings upon him) said: “A good friend and a bad friend are like a perfume-seller and a blacksmith: The perfume-seller might give you some perfume as a gift, or you might buy some from him, or at least you might smell its fragrance. As for the blacksmith, he might singe your clothes, and at the very least you will breathe in the fumes of the furnace” (Sahih al-Bukhari and Muslim).

Zainub can usually be found thawing out in front of her fireplace in Calgary, Alberta, Canada where temperatures often dip as low as -30 C. When not defrosting, she can be located in the University of Calgary library with furrowed brow, trying to understand convoluted literary theories in efforts to earn her degree in English. Zainub is fascinated by the rich tradition of Islamic literature by the likes of Ibn Battuta and Imam Al-Ghazali. She’s part of MYM because she sees the group as a humble and modern expression of the same fire that motivated these great thinkers. She also contributes articles to I Got It Covered, a website devoted to women’s modesty. In her spare time she loves to travel, practice her photography and play with her two cats Mowgli and Lola.

9 Comments

  1. RZ Reply

    Subhaan Allah. I love that hadith. I love the poem. I dont know what to say. Ma sha Allah. <3

  2. Arif Kabir Reply

    This was definitely a very enjoyable piece. 

    I imagined myself in Scotland, seeing a homeless man swathed in dark clothing on the other side of the cobbled street, standing in front of a colorful flower shop :) 

    Random, I’m sure, but that’s the first scene that came to my mind.

  3. Aziza Reply

    Great poem, MashaAllah! From the beginning I was wondering…is this an illustration of that beautiful hadith? And sure enough, it was! :)

  4. Anonymous Reply

    Everything fit together, and I liked how you based it off the hadith. Very nice. :)
    Masha Allah, I love it.

  6. Ish Reply

    Subhana’Allah. I love the use of classical dialect like “Stumbled did he” instead of writing “He stumbled” in order to align the verbs.  Loved how the poem was tied to the hadith :)

  8. Ruqaiyya Maryam Reply

    This is wonderful! It fits perfectly with the hadeeth and I really like the way youve described the effects of both places. For me it highlights more of the long term affects of visiting such places/having such friends. 

  9. Sanaa Reply

     A lovely poem based on a beautiful hadith! Yay perfume vendors <3 

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