Name Me.

This is the piece I'll be performing on Friday Insha'Allah. Don't you just love it when people volunteer you for performing. Insha'Allah all goes well. I still don't have a name for it though. Any ideas? If you've ever wanted to give me brutal feedback and butcher my work, this would be a perfect time. I need this to be good, it's for a majority non-muslim audience (hence, should be dawah worthy)

And if the Arabic within it is grammatically incorrect let me know please.
Inspiration: Juvie (the play - Haha. Don't ask. I have yet to come across someone who understands why.)

Dispersed bonds concurrent with the words of man

Layered with soil over the abode of clans

In the soil spread across the withered terrain

Back in time to when infants were slain

Kings of ignorance reigned the existence of man

Until the word came, when one could stand

From the west of the Sahara to the east of the hills

Water freezing with the ignition of ills

Jolting of trees representing the well - versed

Ink gushing from fingers, frantically immersed

From the wheat fields and the blue oceans

Earth worms, satisfying their thirst

Ancient novels, becoming systematic notions

From the devil’s apprentice to the sorcerer’s spell

Upon the earth, in their nature to dwell

Intoxications flooding the deep end

Swords reflecting upon the ripples of the sea

Boots with the grime caked upon the sole

The sweet scent of rotting corpses

Rising above the fold

Coated with the ashes of burning coal

Frosted with powdered sugar

Greased with the oil of greed

Dripping from beneath every horseback carriage

Gutted men with arms lined in rows

Water falls, fire rolls, walls breaks, blood flows

Pebbles fighting bow and arrows

A broken record gone to waste

Split in half in times of haste

The echoes, mazes of phrases

The repetition, alliteration

Realization, inclination

Nuhibbu Falasteen… Nuhibbul Muslimeen

Nahnu Insaan, Khalqul Alameen

Salaam, Salaam… Nahnu Nureedus Salaam

The mural; the graffitied blocks

No spray paint or the dust of chalks

Blowing in the air, in a breath to live

A cleaved vein in this path to give

Painted murals, sculptures to depict

Decorated with rhinestones and the fabric to inflict

The mark of beauty in the soil of the sea

Shackled in cuffs crawling to life past what confines

No boundaries, destruction to the highest degree

Hearts of faith, swallowing each breath gently

Elevated with virtues of men

Humbled before the lowest of shadows

The shadow of words from the sway of palm trees

Birthmarks on the land of fathers

Man; he is, in existence of this world he too lives

At home; in walls of bricks

Bars on windows, chains on doors

Shackled from the wrist to the feet

Merely a meter in distance from this street

With the shadows of the words

A key to the unhampered realms, scriptures

depicting the times of the arc and the herds

to the miracles of the staph and the birds

The lasting image of the moon and the stars

Prostrating before such a blessing misheard

In a time distant from the now

Similar in the persecution we allow

Upon the intrinsic grains of the soil below

Alien to wings spread free

Jolts to the cradle; pulsate inhabitance of the grave

In deep slumber in autonomous dreams

As the soul slips into a comma bliss

In the bare view of the sand

The roots of the trees beyond the seas

Awakening to life as a detainee

Cat and Mouse Chase

The awesomeness of Manahil wrote this... I love it masha'Allah... she wrote it last July:

and my eyes cry dust for they can leak no more...

and my feet bleed rust because so little are they used for

my hands cry wolf when I use them for all the wrong reasons

minute after day after month after season

my ears hear nothing but a screaming silence

my nose smells nothing but the reek of violence

my mind knows so little for what to prep

my heart beats less with every step

where did I go wrong in my lessons of guidance?

the foundation on which I built my life in subsidence

my body, immobile as I leap to the ground

and the stillness echoes with the lack of sound

I try and I reach but there is just no connection

my mind screaming mutely that it’s the wrong direction

seven orbs of light and I’m left in a blank zone

Horrible memories flooding as bone grinds against bone

My mind is warped and I flail blindly and see

Giving submission requires no fee

My soul so lost I almost shed a forbidden tear

And the feet rust shut prevent me running from fear

My hand in position as I raised them up high

My ears strain for sound as I try and try

My nose blocking off the stink of aggression

As I begged and I begged for immediate lack of this regression

My mind nearly cleared and I prayed harder and harder

My intentions reaching up farther and farther

My heart kicked into gear as my soul found its place

And I fell, exhausted at this cat and mouse chase

MIST 08 pt. 2

Pt 2. Nasheed + Friday Activity Improv + Aweesomeness

Pt. 3 Coming soooon.... Insha'Allah

As-Salaamu 'Alaykum

Okay so, I'm doin my MIST update in Installments so my posts don't turn into long winded essays and so I can do them as time allows insha'Allah.

So friday was an adventure on its own (Feb 29th) I'll expand further on it when I do my whole MIST recap in a later post or something. But any ways... so they had teams come together in the atrium and do an activity. They gave us a puzzle piece with a scenario written on it and we had to do an improv with a solution to the situation.

Here was ours: "You and your team have worked hard studying for bowl (Hahaha) this year, but your arch (in competition), Asiya and her team wins 1st place. The entire team, walking back from receiving their trophy, rub the trophy in your team's face remarking on your 2nd place trophy. What is the best way to approach the situation?"

I'm laughing (1) thinking back to Scholastic Bowl and the hilarious fun that it was... with our sarcastic remarks and answers. Good Times. (2) We were the only team that did a 'rap' as all the other teams did skits and most of the topics were about Facebook.

Okay, so this is also very ironic because... in the nasheed we wrote, there's a character in it by the name of "Asiya" so when we read this we couldn't help but laugh and make a connection in the rap to our nasheed. We told the audience ofcourse of how ironic this was. It's pretty hilarious, the vids on facebook are proof. I wrote the first line and the rest of the team was sitting there the WHOLE time thinking what rhymes with "nasheed" so in the vid they're just listing words and then you see me writing and writing and writing and by the time they were done guessing words and gave up, I finished this sad sad piece. Perhaps it's not bad for the time constraints, but it's one sad piece. lol

Who knew she'd pop out of our nasheed
To skip to the lead
Defeat us and take away our victory
They showed it off, to make us drool
They didn't realize, we follow the words of our Rasool (saw)
The best way to approach their win
With a pat on the shoulder and a handshake
Said "Masha'Allah" [everyone on the team said it together], saved ourselves from the sin

The performance was just as sad lol. It was my nasheed buddy and I that performed it and then the rest of the girls just yelled the 'masha'Allah' part. There were brothers and there was a mic. You do the math. If you know me well enough you can do the math.

Also... Here's our nasheed:

Some of it was rapped, some of it was sung.. there was humming in the beginning. I loved our nasheed this year even if it didn't make it. We kinda messed up during judging, or rather I did. But it's all good Alhumdulillah... we had a good time. Writing it was a joint effort, two minds work better than one. Bit of a background: We wanted to connect it to the theme with a real life occurrence and we sort of exaggerated it. This past summer I was acquainted with a sister who converted and through our conversations the most disheartening of them was when she told me the reaction she received from the Muslim communities. People would look at her weird, throw out weird remarks and say stuff like "you're not one of us" and in other similar situations I've heard of sisters not being accepted into their communities. This in itself is a huge division and huge problem if we're not accepting toward people of all cultures and races because seriously Islam is a unifying factor no matter where you come from or the color of your skin. Also similarly to my poem, you can't judge someone from their past. Allah (Swt) guides whom He wills.

Seek the True Image

Diversity within unity

This unity this society

This community

Out only hope it is... this Unity

Chorus:

Our mission in life is to strive and survive

Our mission in life is to be one and unite

If one falls down, we all weaken as one

Yeah, Yeah...

You need all the pieces to see this image clear

The pieces together in order to adhere

Immutable to the prophetic revelation

Our way to the ultimate destination

Through our heartfelt declaration

Every race, every color, as the pieces of a puzzle

Seek the true image and defeat the struggle

(Chorus)

I saw a sister the other day she bleeding

Bleeding, with tears, it scares

To know our sister's hurting,

The ummah should be aching

I went on by to inquire her pain

It truly was no gain

Brenda was her name which she had before

Asiya was the name she kept at the door

Engulfed in her arms, close to her heart

She accepted her fate and this was the start

Of the story she began to tell

Brenda is my name and I went through so much pain

The pain of being a child who never experienced love

The pain of being uninformed of the power above

My life is far from a fairytale or a cute little story

The struggles from within forced me to give up

Give up on life, but WAIT! That’s not the end of my story

As I was fading away to the dark I lost all hope

I was brainwashed by the street life of prostitution and dope

This is all before I converted to the greatness

A religion known as Islam where no one is left faithless

I changed my religion and with that came a new name

Asiya was engraved in my heart

A woman who chose to depart

Declaring her faith for her new start

A woman of faith who touched my soul deep

And with her story, I began to weep

Differences within coming out to begin

They never thought I could be one of them

I came to prove, that I survived

Even from the snake's venom, my faith thrived

I am a witness

A witness to the stares

They were unfair

No color or past

Should justify the doubt

Carrying the commands

Up above her head

Chinese, Arab, African, Asian, and American

No race makes you who you are

Your faith is in your heart

Look at that instead

And maybe you can comprehend

From 1400 years before

When it was first read

A kinship through hearts

Bloods connected by those words

Carrying us above

Weightless as the flight of the birds

(Chorus)

Hum Ek Hai (Urdu - we are one), We come together as One

Muga tul sura yauw yu (Pashto - we are one), Mother, father, and son

Nahnu Ahhad (Arabic - we are one), Spreading the message with the language of diversity

We Are One. Shoulder to shoulder no traces of disunity

We are one. Through ever calamity

Shoulder to shoulder, no traces of disunity

MIST '08 Pt. 1

Pt 1: Poem with Explanation and Graphics
Pt 2: Coming Sooon.... Insha'Allah!

I Too Have a Dream

It's hard to think, there was ever a time
When the streaks and cracks weren’t imagined
When the Ummah was one, and nothing could divide
A well assembled structure of hearts and even minds
Hearts beating in one beat, heating in the same heat
cooling in the same water with one belief
Prostrating to the One, none but Allah (swt)
Who created our mind, body and soul
From mounts of stress, to a moment of relief

[Indirect reference to the first Muslims, particularly
the event of Hijrah. The Ansaar opened their homes
to the Muhajiroon who were complete strangers
But they were linked together by the bond of Islam
and that was greater than any bond
That made them into families. The Prophet (saw)
encouraged them to treat them like their
Own and that’s what they did. The unity at that point was
like no other, through persecution and their contrived
schemes to get past the Makkans... They held together with
one belief. It was as if their hearts were on one beat,
they were on the same page as far as faith and all other affairs
and would stand together through tribulation and joyous moments.
But also a slight reference to sayings of Sufi scholars who speak
of group dhikrs and it’s mostly to get the Muslims at that same
“heart beat” the name of Allah (Swt) being said by Muslims
together in the same heartbeat. When
I think of it, it seems like the most beautiful thing I could imagine.
Further more, reference to the army
Of believers against Dajjal… etc ]

Wars upon wars to wipe out this mosaic of shades
To remove any meaning to the word diversity
To cleanse it from books and the core of dictionaries
pour in the negativity
Abolish the possibilities and limit the opportunities
Is the grief we hold today of this horrid past
We tend to call history

[Reference to ethnic cleansing and racial discrimination.
From the Holocaust To the time of slavery to the time of Malcolm X.
Books and knowledge was their
Path to freedom, but they were kept from it.
When Malcolm X was told to study
The dictionary, words became clear to him and
from that point forward he Chose his words carefully when
addressing people, especially is own race. I made
It a reference to the holocaust also because even
though it’s not a religious division, It was a racial division
which could effect Muslims as the atmosphere of where a
Person lives affects them and if we were to live in a land
of sever persecution due To our race and religion if would
not only have a sever toll on the current generation
But also on future generations. Also, at that time books
were burned and false information Was fed into books,
as is the case even today to convey hate to the readers.]

In this history there were heros among us
Who wanted change, change for a greater today
Words of Malcolm X spread quicker than a plague
Penetrating the hearts of those who could relate
To the "exploitation, oppression, and degradation"
From Anti-White he became anti-oppression
anti exploitation, and anti degradation
[Stated in Malcolm X’s Speech: The Ballot or the Bullet
http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/malcolmxballotorbullet.htm]
He began not to hate the color of the face
He began to hate the color of the heart
This diversity lay within every shade
This unity lay in one common belief

[Malcolm X is an important figure within this theme.
We tend to judge people And even that too often, which
breaks us off into our own little groups because
We tend to think we’re better than another and
tend to judge them upon their past. Allah (Swt) Guides whom He Wills.
Knowing Malcolm X’s past, who would’ve thought
This man would be one of the most notable American
Muslims in history? There is hope
In everyone, whether Muslim or not,
we come from the same element and created by the
Same Creator. As easily as they can be guided,
we can be misguided.]

On his sacred journey in the blessed month
On the blessed land, he discovered something so real [Hajj]
It seemed too real to be the truth, diversity living in unity
"I have never before seen sincere and true brotherhood practiced
by all colors together, irrespective of their color"
[From Malcolm X’s letter home from Hajj:
http://www.jannah.org/hajj/malcolmxhajj.html]
Were his words to emphasize the value of unity
And extend his hope for completion of his refined duty
[Acceptance of “real” Islam]
After his reflection and comprehension with extreme scrutiny
resulting in comprehension of the ultimate beauty

The equality every man blessed with a mind has sought
Equality within race, equality within religion
Accepting the diversity which lays within our community
This being the core of our ultimate unity

Only through acceptance
May we rise from this decadent state
Only through our conscience
May we accept our unified fate

Bani Adam, we are the children of Adam
Created by the command of Allah (swt)
with the Angels descending to the earth
To gather the dirt of every shade
Brought back to create the first of us
Diverse colors in one product
[Creation of the first man… resulting in people
Of different shades]

And these strains to remain
Only to regain and maintain
The rain cleansing the stain
Re-linking the withered chain
These divisions with the names
The descendents of the beloved
Mutilated the names of Hassan and Hussein
Precious names looked upon in disdain
[Sunni-Shi’a dispute and how people tend to get carried away
And degrade those who deserve respect – grandsons of the
Prophet (saw). As Muharram recently passed by, it was something
I couldn’t help, but mention. Having witnessed these disputes
Within in my own family also, I realized how big a problem it is.]
It's insane, they can't explain but nor wish to ascertain
The core of these shreds the pieces can't be upheld
When the truth is disheveled and hearts are dismantled
Words reverberated, jotted on sheets aimed to destroy
Dividing us with labels like boxes of toys
[Two days before MIST I saw the front of the newspaper and it said
“Sunni forces” and I realized that the labeling doesn’t stop with us,
Because others are putting labels on us as well, the media playing a huge
Role in this. It’s like, since when did Sunni and Shi’a turn into a race.
But to surpass and rise, move past the noise
To attain an inscription of those who can't be impaired And
Only then can we claim our rights in this era we stand
Once we stop selling our own kin, committing this sin
[Feb 28^th I attended an event at GW where there were lawyers speaking
Who were representing detainees in Guantanamo Bay. They reiterated
Some stories, atleast those that they were allowed to tell and what was
Most disheartening was how most of the men ended up being detained.
They were captured by their own brothers in Islam and sold for money.
There at fliers around that if you turn in someone that’s linked with
Those questionable groups, you will get money. So they’d load up
A bunch of innocent men, most travelers, and ship them off for their own
Advantage. The divisions don’t just lay within sects, but in our own moral standards.

Imam Ahmad reported via Abu Nudrah that Abu Sa'id said:
"One day the Prophet led us in praying the afternoon prayer
(Salat al'Asr). Then he stood and addressed us until sunset.
He mentioned everything that was to happen until the Day
of Resurrection, and left nothing unsaid. Some of us remembered
it, and some of us forgot it. One of the things he said was: 'O people,
this world is full of attractive temptations. Allah has appointed
you as vicegerents (Khalifah) in this world, and He will
see how you will act. So guard yourselves against the
temptations of this world and of women' Towards the end of
this speech, he said, 'The sun is about to set, and what remains of
this world, compared to what has passed, is like what remains of this
day compared to what has passed.'"]
And only then can we maintain a dignified rank
Maintaining the rights of the land
[The promised land]

It's tingling in my spine
A kick in my gut I can't deny
There's a promise of division
['Awf ibn Malik reported that the Prophet said:
"The Jews split into seventy-one sects: one will enter
Paradise and seventy will enter Hell. The Christians
split into seventy-two sects: seventy-one will enter Hell
and one will enter Paradise. By Him in Whose hand is my soul,
my Ummah will split into seventy-three sects: one will enter
Paradise and seventy-two will enter Hell." Someone asked,
"O Messenger of Allah, who will they be?" He replied,
"The main body of the Muslims (al-Jama'ah)." 'Awf ibn Malik
is the only one who reported this Hadith, and its isnad is acceptable.]
A promise of addition
A moment to unfetter the chains
But ultimately a contrived destination
[Death, Day of Judgment, and Insha’Allah Jannah]
Immutable to the prophetic revelation
[That which was revealed to the Prophet (saw) is final
– unchangeable
and a clear means of guidance.]

What words can be brought upon to ensure its actuality?

What days can pass without a glance at reality?

[The state of the Ummah is clear, the End is also near]

...And only then can I say, I too have a dream far beyond spiritual fatality.

[I too have a dream: Referring to Martin Luther King. The connection is

Malcolm X and MLK… one mission, different faith, different approach,

But respect for one another, but ultimately ONE mission.]