Introduction to the Poem: Glimpses of Mercy in Suffering
Peace be upon you and God's mercy, dear brothers. This is a poem I composed in prison titled "Every Day is a Feast for Us". I wrote it during last Eid al-Adha, but before I share it with you, I would like to set the mood with four quick glimpses:
The First Glimpse: My mother - may God preserve her - would always say as Eid approached, "If God wills, this Eid will bring us relief," to which I would reply, "Mother, it doesn't seem likely, but nonetheless, we have our own feasts in our own way in this prison."
The Second Glimpse: I have always been concerned with dispelling doubts about Islam.
The Third Glimpse: A person may read certain verses outside of suffering and hardship and not be greatly affected by them, but in the womb of suffering, they read them and a tear falls from them resulting from love of God, glorification of God, hope in God, and attachment to God Almighty and fear of Him. If God accepts it, it will remain under His shade on a day when there is no shade but His. On the other hand, we know that if every soul were to be given all the wrongdoing on earth and its like with it, it would not be accepted from them on the Day of Judgment; therefore, the tear in the scale of God is heavier than the earth and all that is in it.
The Fourth Glimpse: I have seen in the atmosphere of imprisonment people who have suffered greatly and been tested for the sake of God Almighty, but as soon as they left their prison and their trials, they forgot all these worries and they were lifted from them at the gate of the prison, and the reward remains for them if God wills, and they went out to life with a pure, happy, contented heart. And so is all of life; the beautiful memories and the difficult memories are forgotten the moment you are placed in the grave, and only the reward or the burden remains.
Within this atmosphere, I composed this poem:
Poem: Every Day is a Feast for Us
Behind the bars, we have a feast.. more beautiful than all the feasts
In the company of people whom I consider.. brothers of righteousness and guidance
For the companions of the faith, there is submission.. and upon the enemies, there are lions
We are united by the love of the Book of God.. and the victory of the nation through jihad
Oh mother, do not be sad for me.. as I spend my feasts in prison
For what can my enemy do to me.. while I have a garden in my chest?
The prison is a beacon of education.. and for my soul, there is purity from my burden
If they banish, I will hear our call.. who will I meet from mankind?
Or a killing, then the beginning of my life.. in the belly of the green birds
Their abode is better than lanterns.. their source is rivers that flow
And after death, there will live.. what is in my papers from my ink
Oh mother, do not be sad for me.. as I spend my feasts in prison
I strive to live a feast.. in every moment of my life
For my ambition is higher than moments.. that I spend in travels
Or a piece of candy that I eat.. or an Eid outfit that I acquire
My feast is in knowledge that I gain.. that elevates and purifies the soul
My feast is with tears that I shed.. longing for God, I conceal them
For the tear outweighs in the scale.. with all the earth and what is in it
My feast is with a hadith that I read.. about the best of people and their guide
So I feel the breaths of my beloved.. in the ribs, warming them
My feast, if my words reach.. hearts that are filled with doubt or deviation
I will be a healer for them.. and they will become safe hearts
Longing to see their Lord
My feast is with seeds that I sow.. perhaps my God will water them
So I see one who missed the Fajr prayer.. praying in the first row
And a girl after adornment.. has taken refuge in the hijab
Or one who disobeyed his mother.. clinging to her feet in submission
My feast is to contribute to my children.. with a more beautiful craft for the future
Honor, faith, and steadfastness.. that repels the plots of my enemies
These are my feasts, oh mother.. and the prison is a helper for me in them
I have lived three feasts.. in which I did not embrace my children
But sufficient for me is the radiance of my soul.. and the belief in the appointed time
An enemy who awaits the wrath of God.. and I await my birth
How sweet is life for the sake of God.. how sweet is life for the sake of God
We proceed and struggle in the name of God.. we become and we sleep in the care of God
We do not break except for God.. and it is enough honor that we have spent
Our lives in the support of the religion of God
Even if a trial comes.. and we stand firm in it by the grace of God
The thirst has gone and the sweat has wet.. and the reward is confirmed by the permission of God
The thirst has gone and the sweat has wet.. and the reward is confirmed by the permission of God
Peace be upon you and God's mercy.