Damp yet gleaming
from fresh ablution
pale hands
touch the smooth pages
of the last heavenly book
that is slightly thicker
from being opened
many a time daily
after the rise
of the aureate sun
but also during the calm night,
each page accustomed
to being wet with
tears of hidden heartaches
These heartening verses
she does not understand
nor is she able to
write or read
in any other language
Yet
Arabic is the only language
that feels like the
cozy cavern
she would sneak into
during her childhood
with her brother’s
share of snacks;
her heart firmly believes
it will never desert her
Arabic is the only language
that she can
recite effortlessly
like enthralling art that
emanates from her lungs;
there’s a tacit
yet solid
bond with it
Arabic is the only language
that reinvigorates
her almost-empty
flask of hope
with an
exquisite shaft of equanimity;
who can dare
touch the soul of
such a person?
They tell her:
what is the point of
reciting Qur’an mindlessly?
you need to understand it too
She smiles
because the ability
to remember
to understand
has been taken away from her –
with Alzheimer’s as her companion,
she turned ninety last winter
She whispers
to nobody in particular:
they’re right
but
there’s a point
there are gifts
this is the Qur’an we’re conversing about
The Holy Book in which
for reciting one letter
Allah Almighty drenches you
with magnanimous rewards
She whispers
to nobody in particular:
they’re right
but
there’s a point
there are gifts
this is the Qur’an we’re conversing about.
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said, “Whoever reads a letter from the Book of Allah will have a reward. And that reward will be multiplied by ten. I am not saying that ‘Alif, Laam, Meem’ is one letter, rather ‘Alif’ is a letter, ‘Laam’ is a letter and ‘Meem’ is a letter.” (Al-Tirmidhi)
3 Comments
this was such a heart-warming read, loved it <3
“there’s a point,
there are gifts”
this one hit me hard — as my own mother has been dealing with this disease the last few years, one thing that I do to stay connected is to recite Quran for her, as she used to have a habit of reading every day and praying almost every night, and seeing her lose that habit over time is… difficult. we pray her habit garners her regular reward for what she would definitely be keeping up if not for this disease.
thank you for sharing this — i loved the style in short bursts as it feels reflective of the person you portray… a few words at a time, yet deeply profound thoughts — I feel sad thinking at how this happens not only with those suffering from this but as folks get older or lose ability to speak well, we discount the immense wisdom and truth they convey because the medium is broken down…
beautifully captured – thank you for this.
This was lovely.