The scholar on the car radio is an eloquent preacher;
Impressive how he delivers and drives
Your heart to emulate the sublime teacher ﷺ
The passenger abreast of you, though,
Drowns out the fountain of wisdom
What if I told you
It’s not ascribed solely upon Ulama*
To invite people to Islam?
They’re best at refining the religious,
Polishing the pious
Yet, the numb and ambivalent ones
The lost and somewhat asleep ones
Are thrust into awakening
When they witness Islam manifest
How else does one reach the ordinary
If not by being an ordinary devotee?
We, the ones who are scattered in the wider fields of life:
The entrepreneurs, the waiters
The doctors, the teachers,
The photographers, the writers,
The painters and even singers
We – the random Muslims
To them, we are Islam
It’s the doctor who,
Before stepping up for surgery,
Bows down before Ash-Shaaf’ee*
Reminding the entire hospital
It’s not him who heals or resuscitates,
It’s The One he chooses to serve and submit to,
Who does
It’s the entrepreneur who, before her sales,
Purifies her intentions over and over again
Stays honest about her products,
Perfects her measurements
Imparting positivity to all those she serves;
Not even the grandest gains of dunya*
Outweigh the success of Aakhirah*
It’s the languished teacher in the hallway who,
Presents the best bits of himself at school
Then deposits his efforts into the hands of The Master
Inspiriting himself, and everyone else
A human is obliged to endeavour his best;
Allah handles the rest
It’s the mother who, after an excruciating day,
Still wonders if she’s done her job okay
With forehead on the ground – she surrenders again
Beseeches her Lord to nurture her children
To preserve them on Siraat-al Mustaqeem*
Reminding herself yet again
She’s only but a gardener
But gardener she is
It’s the farmer who,
After fertilizing his crops and watering his fields
Lowers himself to the ailing leaves
Recites aayaat and salawaat
Enlightening every atom in the field
It’s not him who causes them to thrive;
They’re nourished by Al-Muqeet*
And yet, there are those who overlook us
Their minds eclipsed under the dark dense clouds
Unable to see the Nur*
How, then, do we reach them?
We step into the domain
Holding on to the rope of Allah
Through our words and our colours
Through our anasheed* and our pictures
We shine a glimpse of light
Into their weary eyes
We hold their hand and guide them through
To the Nurof An-Nur
Nur un ala Nur*
Light upon Light
How else would they experience that
If not through the dim light of you and I?
Be the light – albeit dim – wherever you are
Light up the darkness
Through your existence
- Ulama – Religious Scholars
- Dunya – This life
- Aakhirah – The Afterlife
- Al-Malik – The King (A name of Allah)
- Siraat-Al Mustaqeem – The Right/Guided Path
- Al-Muqeet – The Sustainer (A name of Allah)
- Anasheed – (plural of nasheed) Islamic vocal music
- Nur – The light of Allah i.e. the Qur’an
- An-Nur – The Light (A name of Allah)
