Blood in the River

Jaihoon’s poem on a dream visit to the house of Ayesha Siddiqa (ra) and her advice to the Modern World

Heretic by day,
Heretic by night,
Heretic in my say,
Heretic in my sight.

Lost all faith,
Soul without light.

Eyes open,
Heart closed.

Spirit’s wealth lost,
Body’s pleasures boast.

In such a state,
Of days late,

I saw a dream,
When asleep at night.

My wretched soul,
Knocked on Siddiqa’s door.

The world gained one third,
From this Lady Learned,

Mustafa left the world,
In her lap his head laid.

I hung my head in shame,
A pauper I felt, lame.

The Faithful’s Mother,
Offered date and water.

All who came for a visit,
Left with a bite or new insight.

Of my whereabouts she enquired,
The gloom which on face shrouded.

‘I am the son of troubled times,
Songs of my age have no rhymes.

If a faithful I in the morn,
At night ‘kufr’ in me grown.

Like pinch of salt I melt,
Stones of solitude on me pelt.

Distinction of right and wrong,
Hard as separating wool from thorn.

An arrow set free from the bow,
We are astray from His Law.

We recite His Book day and night,
It goes not beyond our throat.

Our reins in the wrong hands,
Our caravan treads the dry sands.

Men drunk in wine taste,
Women no more chaste.

Time become too short,
For virtues to complete.

Barefooted Shepherds,
Build high towers:
Blinded by envy,
Fooled by glory.

Hey Mother of Believers!
Ah! Blood is spread in the rivers!

How shall I seek light?
Blinded I am with dark-bright!

Tell me what to bring near:
From the dark I am afar?

A luminous stick I need
To show the way as I ride”

As-Siddiqa replied:

“Hey the Son of the Last days
Trials are many you face

Each day afar from the Beloved:
Worse than the preceded.

My own days were a witness,
Without Beloved is all mess.

You need to be as close,
Meem to be your garden’s only rose.

His body and soul is light,
Dark is scared of his sight.

Days when he lived,
Nights when he neared,
In the dark when I wanted light,
The thread in the needle to go right.

Take your heart near:
MAy it shine with his ‘noor’.

As the world expands in space
His light covers all such distance

A moment of his imitation,
Better than misguided intuition.

Paradise doors appear in that light,
Hell is the prize who ignore that light.

Above that light is light of God,
Greater than him is alone God.

It warms your heart
From the sinful shiver
It fills pearls, not blood,
In your river

Therefore mark my words
Set yourself free as birds

You need to be as close
Meem to be your garden’s only rose

16 Dec 2008.