Longhair shared this little prophetic nugget with me. “In the beginning,” The Prophet said, “Islam came amongst you as a stranger and (before the end) Islam shall once again become a stranger, so those of you who are strangers, rejoice!” My Prophet rested this words of encouragement upon the mantle of the wise, and they have stood by their trust and servanthood to pass on his words to you, sunshine –
O' Stranger, welcome and rejoice! (Ramadhan Verses #13)
If you are saddened by
The state of your brethren,
Do not despair.
If you are burdened
By the knowledge of truths,
Do not give up.
If you look around,
And see people wear hubris, hate and fear
As their skullcap, ignorance as their beard
And insecurities as their perfume,
Do not be swayed.
If you feel alone
In a world consumed by hate
Fear nothing.
For though they look at you
As a stranger,
You are not a stranger
To me.
And even as your path
Runs further from the normality
That has become the daily bread
Of the many,
Rejoice! For you
Are exceedingly beautiful
To me.
For you are in the keeping
Of my words, and my love.
And am I not the Most Beloved of God?
So be as you are meant to be,
As the best that you are intended to be.
Do not change your colours,
Do not change the music.
Do not follow the others
Simply for the sake of following.
Do not raise banners different from
What I have planted in your heart -
The Many Banners of Love, Mercy and Compassion
Of Muhammad and his Nation.
“Who is this Muhammad?” Muslims shall ask of you.
“Who is this Lord that you are describing?” They shall inquire of you.
Such is the divide between form and substance,
Between the apparent and the hidden.
Say something or keep silent,
It is all up to you.
Either way, you are mine,
My Brethren.
I open the newspapers. I read the blogs and news sites. I hear politicians and preachers talk on the soapbox of the television. And again and again, I feel lonely, a stranger in a strange land. Do you feel the same way? Are they mad or is it we who are actually barking mad?
So it is with great relief that I heard the words of the Prophet, as told to me recently. Take succour, my friends, when you are in a crowd of angry believers. When you see the ignorant camp on the public forum. When thousands fight and die, thinking it is real faith that they are struggling for, when in truth, it is the despicable religion of hubris that they extol, though they shout the same words that we, in our intimacies with the Lord, whisper with awe and deference.
You are not alone. For Muhammad certainly remembers and recalls you, a man/woman of good conscience. A follower in the spiritual path of love and sublime manners.
Salam, sunshine.
Pax Taufiqa.
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