¡ One !
A Martyr's Prayer
Years after my ...
'Jerusalem Vision'
I had been thinking about...
the issue of 'terrorism'
after a particularly horrific incident
in The Middle East:
A ... "Suicide ... Bombing"
And I began wondering about Islam...
and about the whole issue of...
'Martyrdom'
in general...
because these 'terrorists'
--- as one side calls them ---
are 'Martyrs'
--- according to the views of the other side ---
and are acting in accordance...
With Their Faith
--- as they see it ---
And While I CAN Understand...
The 'Ideal'
Of Being Willing To...
SACRIFICE
One's OWN Life
For One's God
For One's People
Or For One's Beliefs...
I Cannot 'Grasp' ... The 'Logic'...
Of KILLING OTHERS...
IN THE NAME OF
THAT GOD
IN ORDER TO GAIN...
Some Kind of PERSONAL...
'BENEFIT'...
( ¿ LIKE A 'PLACE' ... IN 'HEAVEN' ? )
... By Slaughtering ...
INNOCENT
People
Or Even By...
Slaughtering People
Who May Not Be...
'Wholly'
'Innocent'
And What Kind of 'God'...
( I Wondered )
Would ... 'REQUIRE'...
That ... 'His' ... 'Lovers'
--- KILL ---
Human ... Beings
In Order To GAIN...
--- 'HIS' ---
¿¿¿ 'FAVOR' ???
At the time that THIS...
... Following ...
'Prayer'
Came to me...
I did not know very much...
About ISLAM
Other Than: Rumi,
Hafez,
And a handful...
Of other SUFIS
( Who ARE ...
¡ ALL ABOUT LOVE ! )
... And of course ...
From what I had heard...
In 'Western'...
'Propaganda'
--- However ---
I Have Since Read...
THE HOLY QUR'AN
And I Found It To BE...
--- BOTH ---
VERY BEAUTIFUL...
( I Have Shed Tears While Reading It )
AND VERY ENLIGHTENING...
( I Have Learned MUCH ... From Its Wisdom )
[ As An ASIDE:
IF ...
Christians & Jews ...
Would Take The Time
To Read The Holy Qur'an
Then They 'Might' See It
As A Kind of 'Coda'
To Their OWN
Scriptures
( Which Is NOT To Say THAT...
There Is ANY END ...
¡ TO 'CODA'S' !
FOR ...
OTHER Such 'CODA'S'...
MAY HAVE ALREADY COME...
¡ OR BE YET TO COME !
Since Allah DOES ...
As Allah DEEMS ...
FIT )
--- AND --
IF ...
Hindus ...
Would Read The Qur'an
Then They 'Might' SEE...
That Allah
Is Not Other
Than Brahman
--- AND --
It Might Likewise ...
Be Profitable ...
For Muslims
To Read The Scriptures
Of Other Religions ...
That They Might Better REALIZE...
Just HOW WONDEROUS
AND TRULY GREAT
--- IS ---
¡ Allah !
Do You THINK...
That Allah
Is LIMITED
To Working
In But One
Tribe
¿ AT A TIME ?
]
... But ... Anyways ...
... To Continue My 'Relaying' ...
Even BEFORE ... Reading The Qur'an ...
--- And Even MORE SO ... AFTER ---
... I Found Myself ...
Simply
Unable
To Believe
That Allah
Condones
... The Whole 'Concept' Of ...
' SUICIDE-Martyrdom '
¡ ASK O ISLAM !
¿ WHERE IS THIS ?
¿ WRITTEN ?
¿ IN THE QUR'AN ?
As I was musing on these things...
A Strange 'Feeling' ... Came Over Me
And I started to 'receive' the words
Of what I ...
--- at first ----
Thought
Was a poem
But which ended up ...
Turning into
A 'kind' of ...
'Prayer'
I Felt 'Inspired' ...
And the words were Coming ...
In 'A VOICE'
That I don't usually write in
A pattern of thought...
That I don't usually think in
As If The Words Were ...
COMING FROM
¡ ELSEWHERE !
And While I Admit ...
That THIS ...
Is How Many of My 'Poems' ...
'Come' ...
THIS
Particular
'PRAYER'
.
Was Coming From 'Somewhere'...
QUITE Different
Than My 'Usual'
'Else...
Where'
Thus Saith ...
'THE ELSEWHERE':
A Martyr's Prayer
A True Martyr
Does Not Bring
Another Soul With Him
To Stand
Before Allah
Be It Woman
Child
Or Man
And A True Martyr
Does Not Become A Martyr
By His
Own
Hand
A True Martyr
Stands Before His Slayer
In The Presence of Allah
Unarmed
At Peace
With Nothing But Love In His Heart:
With Love For His People
With Love For Allah
And With Love
For His Slayer
For It Is His Slayer
That Is The Vehicle
Of His Martyrdom
And The Passageway
To Allah's
Embrace
If One Is Called Upon
¡ BY ALLAH !
--- To Martyrdom ---
Then In Peace
He Presents Himself
To His Slayer
If NOT Called Upon
He Presents Himself
To His Wife
May Allah
Have No More Need
Of Martyrs
And By Allah's Will ...
May Peace ...
Be Upon The Hearts
Of The Would-Be Slayers
And The Would-Be Slain
Praise Allah
For The Peace
He Is Bringing
¡ To All !
And Praise To The Prophet
Upon Whom
¡ BE PEACE !
Amen
Does Not Bring
Another Soul With Him
To Stand
Before Allah
Be It Woman
Child
Or Man
And A True Martyr
Does Not Become A Martyr
By His
Own
Hand
A True Martyr
Stands Before His Slayer
In The Presence of Allah
Unarmed
At Peace
With Nothing But Love In His Heart:
With Love For His People
With Love For Allah
And With Love
For His Slayer
For It Is His Slayer
That Is The Vehicle
Of His Martyrdom
And The Passageway
To Allah's
Embrace
If One Is Called Upon
¡ BY ALLAH !
--- To Martyrdom ---
Then In Peace
He Presents Himself
To His Slayer
If NOT Called Upon
He Presents Himself
To His Wife
May Allah
Have No More Need
Of Martyrs
And By Allah's Will ...
May Peace ...
Be Upon The Hearts
Of The Would-Be Slayers
And The Would-Be Slain
Praise Allah
For The Peace
He Is Bringing
¡ To All !
And Praise To The Prophet
Upon Whom
¡ BE PEACE !
Amen
The Caller
Atop The Minaret
The Caller:
"
'Tis The Season...
Of The Day...
To Pray
"
The Caller ...
--- REMINDS ---
Those Who Have Forgotten...
And Those...
Who Have Turned...
Away
But Within...
Each Faithful Heart
Ever Lives
The TRUE Caller...
To Whom...
The Thoughtful...
Pray
And From Whom...
The Forgetful...
Stray
The Caller:
"
'Tis The Season...
Of The Day...
To Pray
"
The Caller ...
--- REMINDS ---
Those Who Have Forgotten...
And Those...
Who Have Turned...
Away
But Within...
Each Faithful Heart
Ever Lives
The TRUE Caller...
To Whom...
The Thoughtful...
Pray
And From Whom...
The Forgetful...
Stray
Tawhid
[ توحيد ][ The Oneness of God ]
If Allah Is ALL...
And Allah Is ONE...
Just WHO...
Would You Wage...
--- Jihad ---
¿ AGAINST ?
Would Not Allah...
Be Better Served...
¿ WITH PEACE ?
¿ BY PEACE ?
¿ IN PEACE ?
And Allah Is ONE...
Just WHO...
Would You Wage...
--- Jihad ---
¿ AGAINST ?
Would Not Allah...
Be Better Served...
¿ WITH PEACE ?
¿ BY PEACE ?
¿ IN PEACE ?
¡ Please !
¡ LISTEN !
¡ To Peace !
Peace Train
Yusuf Islam'Cat Stevens'
wikipedia
Tithe: On Amazon On iTunes
[ or on your favorite source ]
¡ LISTEN !
Now I've Been Happy Lately
Thinkin' About The Good Things To Come
And I Believe It Could Be
Something Good Has Begun
Oh, I've Been Smiling Lately
Dreamin' About The World At One
And I Believe It Could Be
Some Day It's Going To Come
'Cause Out On The Edge of Darkness
There Rides A Peace Train
Oh, Peace Train Take This Country
Come Take Me Home Again
Now I've Been Smiling Lately
Thinkin' About The Good Things To Come
And I Believe It Could Be
Something Good Has Begun
Oh Peace Train Sounding Louder
¡ Glide On The Peace Train !
( Ooo-ah-eee-aaa-oo-ah )
Come On Now Peace Train
Yes, Peace Train Holy Roller
¡ Everyone Jump Upon The Peace Train !
( Ooo-ah-eee-aaa-oo-ah )
Come On Now Peace Train
Get Your Bags Together
Go, Bring Your Good Friends, Too!
Because It's Getting Nearer
It Soon Will Be With You
Now Come And Join The Living
It's Not So Far From You!
And It's Getting Nearer
Soon It Will All Be True!
Oh, Peace Train Sounding Louder
¡ Glide On The Peace Train !
( Ooo-ah-eee-aaa-oo-ah )
Come On Now Peace Train
Peace Train
Now I've Been Crying Lately
Thinkin' About The World As It Is !
Why Must We Go On Hating?
Why Can't We Live In Bliss?
'Cause Out On The Edge of Darkness
There Rides A Peace Train
Oh Peace Train Take This Country
Come Take Me Home Again!
Oh, Peace Train Sounding Louder
¡ Glide On The Peace Train !
( Ooo-ah-eee-aaa-oo-ah )
Come On Now Peace Train
Yes, Peace Train Holy Roller
¡ Everyone Jump Upon The Peace Train !
( Ooo-ah-eee-aaa-oo-ah )
! Come On ! Come On ! Come On !
Yes, Come On Peace Train, Yay!
Yes, It's The Peace TRAIN !
( Ooo-ah-eee-aaa-oo-ah )
¡ Come On Now Peace Train !
¡ Oh, Peace Train !
( Ooo-ah-eee-aaa-oo-ah )
¡ Peace Be Upon You !