Our pathetic State

There I was following links from blog to blog as I do sometimes, very occasionally, and then I came upon this absolute gem of a poem. Simply excellent!
by Mariam from the blog "The Seventeen"

Cute Hijabs, matching tight pants, perfectly manicured hands drumming restlessly to the beat of the latest Nasheed pop;
Nice rides, sipping café lattes, halaqas embraced in the depths of cozy rooms, speaking of distant dreams and privileged existences.
Do we know the real struggle?
ISNA club, throngs of fans milling air conditioned convention halls, pop star speakers glimmer in the spot light, beckoning distant hearts to spirituality and deeper lives; chastising in that “oh so mesmerizing voice”; as the crowd yells a deep bass “Takbir” followed by shrills of “Allahu Akbar”…
Do we really comprehend the Greatness of our Creator?
Trekking the globe in search of meaning, disenchanted existences within treasure filled homes, dreams of substance blocked by trivial minds; apathy radiates in different colors; squeezing potential out of our beings like deep soaked sponges inflated by muddy waters;
Can meaning seep into a suffocated heart?
Following zigzag paths of nothingness; in search of “Deen” or “the other half of my Deen” whatever comes first. So we step in style, mouthfuls of “Subhana Allah”; gleeful “Mashaallah”; echoing from empty hearts frenzied by empty lives.
Scratching the surface of submission; echoing lines from distant lives; dreams of greatness shelved away; as we pander our “Proud to Be Muslim” shirts; cheap prices for cheaper wares.
Pardon my jaded writing…perhaps I forgot the subtle depths of this struggle; as I begin to still the meaningless symbols clanging in my heart;
Please remind me:
Do rays of the Divine
ever
illuminate
these
darkened
c o r n e r s ?

Comments

[mo]

beautifully written mashallah

[Umber Malik]

Yes it is masha'Allah! Highlights the misunderstanding of Islam amongst our fellow brothers and sisters... we need to live Islam day in and out not just wear it or show it!

[Abu Zakariya]

Yesterday early evening we took the kids out to the desert dunes (about 10mins from where we live in the UAE). We prayed Maghreb and sat on a dune while the kids ran up and down it. The peace we felt, and the awareness of Allah, was overwhelming.
As we drove home we got stuck in a traffic jam of locals in flashy cars, children of the desert, queuing up to enter the mall to by overpriced designer clothes and eat burgers, and maybe fit in isha at the mall prayer room.
Brothers and sisters this is a global phenomenon. May Allah help and guide us all.

[Adil]

A bit harsh but I suppose that is what struggle is... Harsh.

[sameeh Hammad]

LOL It's true about the Takbirs all the time? Could you imagine these knick knacks at the Prophet's (saws) last sermon??

[dr bash]

what about the importance of a counter culture

there are lots of people who pass through islam unthinkingly and mistake form for substance and you can find these people among the salafis the sufis the fashionistas the jilbaabis.

I love the poem but think its important to stress that we do need a counter culture to sustain ourselves as a community in the west - a culture that embraces art as well as science.

remember the verses in the quran that talk of how little faith the majority of the crude bedoiun arabs had - and the tafsir that harsh environments often shape harsh and crude people.

and there are enough harsh and crude "muslims" out there......and thats my 2p worth

[Confection]

Deep poem. It was written by sister Maliha Balala and was featured on Azizah magazine: http://www.azizahmagazine.com/images/POPIslam3.4.pdf

Here is her current blog: http://lightnessofbeing.wordpress.com