Tell Me

[SAGAL]

Tell Me

 

 

You want to believe you’re the exception

the strong Muslimah with her hijab and humbleness

while your friends walk around shamelessly

but tell me what have you done today

to help Allah’s religion?

 

Did you offer a smile

to that old lady you saw on your way to school this morning,

or did you turn your head away

and in an attempt to be humble

looked as though you were arrogant instead?

 

Did you carry on quietly

showing the true meaning of hijab

or did you giggle with your friends

and eye that brother with the nice car?

 

Did you stand up in class

even if you were the only one

to prevent al-munkar

when your teacher preached homosexuality

and told you we came from apes?

Or did you sit quietly

hating it in your heart

because you know the Prophet said

that is the weakest of iman,

and you’re the exception, remember?

 

Did you strive to learn something new today

or settled for doing something else instead

because you think you know enough

and that it doesn’t matter anyway

cause you’re already so much better than the rest?

 

Did you feel anger and devastation

when a calamity befell you

or did you raise your hands to al-Qadir

and allowed your heart to fill with sabr?

 

And tell me,

since you think you’re the exception -

exception from who?

The ones living in a time

from which there will be very few ashabul-jannah

and hoards of ashabul-jahim,

tell me ya ukhti

what have you done to help Allah’s religion today?

 

If you want to believe

that you’re doing all that you can

then remember Sumayya

who lay in the burning sun

with blood flowing freely from a fatal wound

yet her heart and lips overflowing

with La Illahe Illalah;

if you want to believe

that your struggle is the most difficult

then remember the wives, sisters and daughters of the ashab

who fought alongside the Prophet;

remember Nasiba bint K’ab

who took her saber

and went to fight with the Prophet

when the arrow men disobeyed his orders

on the battle of Uhud,

remember Nasiba bint K’ab

on the battle of Uhud

when her son was injured

remember how she took care of his wound

and told him to keep on fighting,

remember how the Prophet pointed out her son’s injurer

and she boldly hit the mushrik across his knees

causing him to kneel before her

making the Prophet smile so that his molars showed,

remember Nasiba bint K’ab

and the fire of iman inside her heart

and the hand she lost

during the battle of Yamam.

 

Remember A’isha, the mother of believers,

and the pregnant Umm Sulaym

who went with her husband into jihad

and remained firmly with the Prophet

while the Muslims fled from the battle of Hunayn,

remember her fury for the sake of Allah

when she asked the Prophet to kill all of those

who had upon the conquer of Makkah accepted Islam

but had turned away when their lives were at stake,

and remember Umm Ayman

who gave water to the thirsty and cared for the wounded

on the battles of Uhud, Haybar, Mu’ti and Hunayn;

remember all these Mujahidas

and so many more

true Muslimas who struggled for the cause of Allah,

remember them and compare your iman and struggle to theirs

not to the shells of women living today

and see whether you’re truly an exception

or a poor excuse for a Muslim Woman.