Worldly Imitation

02/09/2012

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I have dressed you up in bright rays of light
Made the earth grow from under your fiery palms
Just so that I could remind the world of Mohammed(saw)
Majestic I made him stand
Flaunting greatness capped in flames of beauty 
Standing still, twelve planets aligned upon his orbit 
No evil can touch the surface 
Spearheading into peaking open endlessness
As his soul touched my throne's endless greatness 
He was created
And perfection was a template taken from his creation 
For surely you are but a burning copy
A worldly imitation 
Just as I have sown your light into each plant
I have sown his name into the delicate heart of each child
This mercy will leave a path behind 
For he is my mercy to mankind 
I have built sculptures upon the silk of his heart 
Placed words upon his mind like 
Glaciers into flowing rivers of crisp crystal worth
Offering life, rebirth 
To each listener, reader from the words he uttered forth 
Civilisation will come and go
But just like you he would outlast them all 
No empire can break his walls 
For I have placed his name between the chords of the soul and the heart 
Like a secret buried between two floating mountains 
Understand that I have created you
As a light in the midst of darkness 
But you are but a portrait of his perfected beauty
As he holds beauty itself by its harness 

Taher Adel
09/02/2012
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One & The Same

07/07/2011

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When words pile upon like dust
And the question arises, as it must
Who is the Hashemite Moon?
And why words fail to materialise
I’m left torn 
How can I describe him?
When his actions describe him better?
My mind turns to his moment
Between the thirst and the water
As if he’s seeking birth or death
Yet they are one and the same
He was born the day he died 
And died the day he was born
My thoughts are stung
By this rose’s thorns
And my pen is torn 
Just like the pilgrims are between 
Him and His Master
Who to visit first?
The slave before his king?
The perfectly perfect
Or the perfectly selfless?
Hussain captures me with the colours of his sacrifice 
While Abbas quenches me 
And leaves me to sparkle in his moon light
Paradise no longer seems a life away

In terms of perfection
Hussain cannot be repeated
But Abbas is imitated every now and then
Each selfless revolution 
Every time the moon gives way to the sun
There is an eclipse
Each time it remembers 
Abbas giving way to Hussain
The sun and the moon become one and the same
Abbas to Hussain
Is Ali to Mohammed
As if Ali’s bravery and valour
Escaped that night and found 
Its home in Abbas
Abbas and Hussain 
Like Ali and Mohammed
From Badr to Hunayn
Abbas and Hussain are one and the same

Taher Adel 
07/07/2011

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A Tale of the Sun and the Moon

11/27/2010

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I speak of a tale, a tale of the sun and the moon
And how they gently eclipsed that day at noon
I speak of the sun of hope, and the moon of salvation
I speak of the bright fire of ahmed, the finest creation


A tale of how the Sun brought the Moon on display
Of how the moon was flaunted throughout that very day
When the fiery palms of almustafa clenched Ali's fingertips
There and then they fell into eclipse

So today we celebrate the day the sun held the moon
How Ali and Mohammed Eclipsed that day at noon.

Taher Adel
2007
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The Oracle

11/27/2010

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A man who breathed life into a nation
Just as Jesus breathed life into clay
The oracle that died in prostration
Ali, the great voice of today

The stanch ship that set gently assail
An ark abandoned by the people of Noah
The promised land to the children of Israel
Yunus to the people of Jonah
Ali, the great voice of today

The quran from the heart of ahmed
Patience from the soul of ayoub
Beauty from the eyes of yusuf
Might from the message of yaqoub
Ali, the great voice of today

The voice of zainab to the people
The palms of Abbas on the shore
The body of muslim dropped from the steeple
The heart of fatima behind the door
Ali, the great voice of today

A blessing born in the lords home
A man who lives on in the heart
A man who's greatness is not enclosed in a dome

 Ali, the great voice of today.

Taher Adel
2007

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Smiling Behind The Scattered Clouds

09/19/2010

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The crescent moon slowly raises her head above the trees
As the final prayer of dawn settles humanity to their knees
Smiling behind the scattered clouds
Wrapped in eternal silken shrouds
The sky whispers back to Ramadhan in indigo blue
As the moon edges in with a silver hue
Higher she rises above with grace
The trees look above towards her face
Like a mighty jewel dropped by heavenly
The diamond ring that joins our destiny
Each one of us but leaves from a different branch up high
Merged by time and ancestors we’re divisible by
The trees sway forth rhythmically
Branches orchestrate their symphony
And leaves flutter along, gracefully
As the crescent of the moon enters my hearts Valley
And there it witnesses the Eid it was foretelling
The spring that Ramadan had sown in my garden dwelling
Together we witnessed the Majesty
Embracing arms, baring the touch of
Another godly Masterpiece
As the setting sun dressed
In his best shimmering gown
Shined forth behind the crescent crown
Hoping our deeds are sown in stone  
As times will once again sweep our feet off into unknown
Skies again brightens in the east
My mind strolls across the glade
The dew hangs heavy and flowers feast
On another Eid Allah has made

By Taher Adel

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Oh Moon, Have You Not Heard?

08/28/2010

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A dialogue between the sun and the moon.

Oh Moon, have you not heard?

One day the Sun spoke out
As he flaunted his glory
While the moon gathered round
As he told his story

Oh Moon, have you not heard?
Of the final and awaited birth
Of he, who from all creations, preferred
Mohammed, the great candle of earth!

Yes, his birth lit up the skies for all to read
I moved in closer for a simple gaze
My silver heart began to speed
All I could see was a lightened haze

I envy you oh glowing orb
For I am high up and far away
All I yearn for is to touch and absorb
His radiance on his birth today

There is much you do not know
He is brighter than even you, oh sun
Even the stars are feeding on his every glow
As he reflects the light of the boundless, the one

I can no longer hold my ambivalence
Tell me more about this oracle
Can he ease my infinite incandescence?
Like Yusuf, is his beauty a miracle?

A heart he possesses that can relieve even your heat
Courage that can propel your stable position
A light he radiates that you cannot compete
Beauty that will leave you in submission

If only my flames would be set cool
To embrace his heavenly fire
If only I could descend upon this jewel
To witness my true desire

So the moon and sun remained in dialogue
Till the sun slowly settled in the sea
And the sky was lit by the splendour of the moon
Of imperturbable serenity

But tomorrow the Moon shall again recall
This unforgotten story
As Ali will soon be born
While the Sun will bask in his glory

By Taher Adel
02 April 2008
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Beyond All Things Rare

08/27/2010

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Beyond All Things Rare

What is the secret of his soul?
That we flock to him to mourn and greet
When forty days becomes my goal
And life or death, for him, makes sweet
What is the secret of the shrines?
That my spirit helplessly bends
And my heart burns in sacrifice
But for the pain has sweet amends
What is the secret of this embrace?
That ignites my heart; a gentle light
Distance shall not rob me of his grace
From home, I walk forth day and night
What is the secret of the spoken songs?
That echoes his story, through a melody
With trembling hearts that have no tongues
Beating along to the tragic eulogy
What is the secret of the saddened heart?
Defined by the two mourning eyes
A blazing fire if it were a painter’s art
Or a darkened cloud dropped by the skies
What is the secret of the crying pilgrims?
Straining forward on their knees
Like plotted flowers, the gentle hymns
Echoing beneath the Karbalaei breeze
What is the secret of this universal link?
Where millions of hearts are annually pledged
From his love they all strive to drink
So when they return they all fully fledged
What is the secret of the enshrined sun?
A painted beauty that you cannot compare
Stars glistened and shined but failed to outdo
The beauty of Karbala, beyond all things rare

By Taher Adel
01 March 2008
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Sunrise at Sunset

08/27/2010

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Sunrise At Sunset

At first light as darkness faded
I lay there weak and jaded
Stretching my tiny wings as far as they can fetch
Hugging down my wings as the sun hugged and stretched
Across the horizon so cleverly
Greeting it, as it covered me tenderly
A lonely insignificant bird, colourless and dull
Like the mere passing shadow of that beautiful gull
Oh, how I wish I were that gentle unknown droplet
Flowing joyfully
Within the wandering river
Bound for the yearning sea
As the stars climbed back into their perches
And the soft moon, softened in it's eloquence
Then and there I saw what I cannot forget
As the sun rose at the depths of sunset
Followed by a flock of winged beauties
Angels of god, fulfilling duties
I chased Gabriel as quick as the breeze
And Michael and Raphael through the trees
Like chasing a ray towards it's sun
Towards that newborn, that final One
Such beauty we saw at our reaching
A creation mastered without teaching
But timid shyness kept me aside
Because this colourless bird could not provide
I listened to the angels sing their praises
And heard what till this day amazes
Mystic words we're echoed and said
Words of; Sallu 'Ala Mohammed
So I chanted alongside the words
And soon followed all the birds

My soul's desire now fulfilled in thee
And now, no weapon shall I wield but thee

By Taher Adel
14 March 2009

 

 


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