By Farhad Khadim

I undertook a journeyBack in time

To meet my BelovedTo tell him of my hurt

Of the wounds they inflict on himThe lies they tell; the hatred they feel

Of the rage inside meWhen they hurl insults at him.

I found him in the Lighted CityBetween two mountain tracts

He was sittingI h h d f hi In the shade of his mosque

Serene and composedA playful smile on his faceA playful smile on his face

A King with no throneA Master with no servant

Alone with His LordThe weapon of his choice

"Assalaamu Alaika! Ya Rasulallah"H i d hi bli fHe raised his sublime face

As I approachedStood up and embraced meStood up and embraced me

My heart melted as Time stood still

And the distance of centuries Disappeared

As if they were a fleeting momentAs if they were a fleeting momentThe moment lingered for centuries

And a strange feeling of peace Engulfed me

Like the early morning fog Th t fill th t i That fills the mountain pass.

Do they know me, he askedHis words soft and steady

Have you told themOf Quraish and its leaders

Steeped in arrogance and disbeliefTheir disdain for Bilal

And the freedom he sought?

Do they know of Khadija, Fatima and KhansaaAnd the lovely Aisha in whose lap I lay my head

When the call came for me to return?

Have they seen the Ka'bahFree of idols?

Restored to the purityof Abraham's time?

Have they heard of Khalid, Ali and UmarHave they hea d of Khalid, Ali and UmaAnd the gracious AbuBakr

Whose heart was made of gold?

Have they heard of TaifAnd the bands of menAnd the bands of menWho answered my callWith stones and sticks?

Do they know of my refugeWithi th d ' llWithin the garden's wallsAnd the curiosity of Addas

Who embraced my call?y

Have they heard of Mu'timHave they heard of Mu timAnd his chivalrous stand

Against QuraishWhil h f h ?While he was one of them?

I shifted my feet f y fAs my Beloved looked at me

With pity in his eyes and kindness on his faceI knew that I had let him downI knew that I had let him down

Failed to speak of himLet the world know of

Th h h W ldThe man who came as a Mercy to the Worlds

And what is my Ummah doing he inquiredAnd what is my Ummah doing, he inquiredWhen they throw insults at me?

My eyes lit up, now is the timeTo tell him of our courage, our loyalty

We march, I said in hundreds of thousandsCh l i d fChant slogans in your defence

We take to the streets and vent our outrageAt the ridicule they have heaped on youAt the ridicule they have heaped on you

We care not for their lives, nor their innocenceThey are all one, united in torment!y ,

The Prophet lowered his headThe Prophet lowered his headA veil of sadness crossed his face

I looked into his eyes, filled with tearsAnd knew that I had made a terrible mistake

b h h dMy brother, he saidThis is not the way

I have endured worse I have endured worse At the hands of Quraysh

And the hypocrites have plotted A d ypo av p o dDay and night

To make me fail in my resolve

Go tell my peopleGo tell my peopleThat kindness and compassion

ConquersThat their love for me is best displayed

When they tell the world about meWhen they walk in my footstepsWhen they walk in my footsteps

Living like I didIn their hours of sleep and wake

When knowledge of me Reaches every household

A d th d f th Q 'And the words of the Qur'anAre recited ever so softly at dawn

When Addas and Mu'timWill rise again

To witness and to protectAnd when my prayer at Taif

Is on the lips of everyone:

"O Allah! I complain to Youof my weakness my scarcity of resources of my weakness, my scarcity of resources

and the humiliation I have been subjected to by the people. O Most Merciful of those who are merciful.

O Lord of the weak and my Lord too. To whom have you entrusted me?

To a distant person who receives me with hostility? To a distant person who receives me with hostility? Or to an enemy to whom you have granted authority over my affair?

So long as You are not angry with me, I do not care. Y f i f i li f t Your favor is of a more expansive relief to me.

I seek refuge in the light of Your Face by which all darkness is dispelled and every affair of this world and the next is set right, lest Your anger or Your displeasure descends upon me.

I desire Your pleasure and satisfaction until You are pleased.There is no power and no might except by You."There is no power and no might except by You.