My Father, My Teacher

In the name of Allah, the All-Merciful, the Especially Merciful

I often think about a man who made such a deep impact on me

Obstinate as I was I now realise that he was teaching me the person to be

Sadness overwhelmed us as his worldly life was slowly taken from him

But even to the end this silent teacher taught as to remember Him

So now when I recite that “there is no either deity to be worshipped but Allah”

How better to remember the one who taught me about Allah

And I thus pray for the mercy of the Almighty on him who taught me all this

That this person deserves nothing less than the Garden of Bliss

A great thanks to my Dad for what he taught me with such few words

I remember well how he took out time to also feed the birds

So I can go on and on about the lesson I learnt from this great man

Yet few knew him and yet less will even begin to understand

That parents are a blessing from Allah if only we will sit and ponder

There are lessons for us in this life that will take us to an awesome place yonder

And so I remember my father who taught me to remember my Creator

To Him, no doubt,  is our final return as He decrees, be it sooner or later

That day when in the morning he prepared himself so well

By the afternoon others gathered as if to bid him farewell

As we continued to recite with him the ultimate declaration

That we worship none besides Allah, the Lord of all creation

By the night as silence fell, it was decreed that he breathed his last

But even in this moment his impact over us was like a shadow cast

The tears then and even now a few years later for a man not forgotten      

A man of few words yet he taught us to love the God that was not begotten

We washed his body and then in three white sheets he was shrouded

For the prayer  it was humbling to see the mosque so crowded

Beyond words it was when came the time to lower his body into the ground

Then the body was covered with sand forming on the grave a little mound

So praise to the Almighty who has granted me a good father

As even now I am best known for being the son of my father

Forgive me if every now and then I shed a tear

For even in death my father is always to me dear

Amnesty

AMNESTY

The call has been made. It is my turn to apply for amnesty. I have travelled a long way to attend this conference. The crowd is large and growing. This amnesty of a lifetime is for one day only. Those not called here can apply for minor amnesties.

I am certainly dressed for the occasion. My garb is simple. If you will look carefully, I am the one dressed in two pieces of cloth. Oh my, and so is everyone else. So this is the dress-code of this convention. I do carry another garb and the one which I, with much help, have sewn onto my self.

I have done the registration at a place nearby. I spent the day there yesterday. This was quite important as it allowed me to check myself one last time before that important appearance and application for amnesty.

Now the time has arrived. How long do I have? What am I to say? I step forward. A thin layer of cloud has dimmed the heat of the sun. The moment though does cause me to perspire somewhat. I raise my hands and present myself finally: “Here I am, O Allaah, here I am. Here I am, You have no partner, here I am. Verily all praise and blessings are Yours, and all sovereignty, You have no partner.

All Praise be to the Lord of the worlds. Peace and Blessing upon Our Leader, Muhammad (peace be upon him), his family, his friends and all those who follow him until the appointed time.

O our Lord, we have harmed ourselves and if You, O Allaah, do not forgive us we will certainly be of the lost ones.”

These words seeking forgiveness, first uttered by our father Aadam (peace be upon him) in the very place I am now, brings fear to me as I wondering whether I am deserved, yet there is hope because these words were accepted from Aadam (Peace be upon him)

My words are interspersed with trying to control my tears which by now is streaming down my cheeks. My beard is soaked and my voice even I cannot recognise. How fortunate am I to be Muslim and how more fortunate am I to be given this opportunity. If I pass here, and I continue to wear my garb tightly, the garb of taqwa, the garb of God-consciousness, then perhaps the next time I present myself to my Lord, that ultimate time, that perhaps then my passage on that day will be easy.

How did I commit so much sin, O my Lord, I have been oblivious of you when you have blessed me with much. I cannot thank You enough, but please please dear Lord, do not forsake me. I am but weak, and I humbly present myself to Thee. Cleanse me O Lord, Cleanse me, Forgive me and show mercy to me. O My Lord have mercy on  my parents as they showed mercy on me when I was little. And as they have grown old, make me one that show mercy to them.

O my Lord, our dear children, take care of them, and make them standard-bearers for Islam until the end of time. O Lord, You know we live in difficult times, make us and them the strangers that Your Prophet (peace be upon him) spoke about (when he- peace be upon him- said "Islam began as something strange, and it shall return to being something strange, so give glad tidings to the strangers.")

O My Lord, Thou who are Most Merciful, forgive us, our wives, our brothers, our sisters, our children, our families, our friends and all Muslims.

Let not my actions be in vain, please O Lord accept from me.

As those not here have been involved in the minor amnesty through their fasting and other acts of worship, what a truly amazing day.

The feeling though, the feeling standing there on the plains of ‘Arafah, can never truly be explained, it has to be experienced. If for no other reason, that feeling of that day alone makes me long to repeat my Hajj.

The unity of the Ummah is captured on this day when we stand before the Almighty as equals. Certainly we need to inculcate that into our lives.

The Mercy of our Lord is certainly understood on that day. Certainly, it is something we need to seek out every day and Praise Him who is Most Merciful.

To those currently on Hajj, We pray that Allaah Almighty accepts from them their standing and repenting on ‘Arafah. To those not there we pray that your wuqoof through your fasting is accepted and that you too may be forgiven.

For those who have not been there, may Allaah increase in you that desire to present yourself on this glorious day and may He indeed make it a reality for you.

For those who have been there, no doubt you still have that yearning, may He, the Most High, make it easy that we may yet have another opportunity.

“Here I am, O Allaah, here I am. Here I am, You have no partner, here I am. Verily all praise and blessings are Yours, and all sovereignty, You have no partner.

All Praise be to the Lord of the worlds. Peace and Blessing upon Our Leader, Muhammad (peace be upon him), his family, his friends and all those who follow him until the appointed time.

O our Lord, we have harmed ourselves and if You, O Allaah, do not forgive us we will certainly be of the lost ones.”

Allahumma taqabbal minnaa wa minkum