so many years I have wondered

what it means to be a Muslim

after the burial of the Messenger of God

blessings and peace be upon him and his family

I have listened and listened

to every voice tell me what it might be

and I have found that there is nothing as clear

as sacrificing one’s life

to defend the grandson of the Messenger of God

blessings and peace be upon him and his family

and the fact that so few

made that decision

makes all the difference

 

I listened to the Sunni khateeb

remind us not to be selfish

not to make our Salat nor our Hajj

about me, me, me

but instead turn outwards

and connect our worship of God

to our love for God’s creatures

and I finally realized

that opening my heart

to the tears and the blood and the centuries of burdens

was a way to make my worship

more acceptable to God

for what is more selfish

than forgetting

 

the next time I go to the Ka’ba

if God so wills

I will bring with me for the first time

the memories of al-Sajjad

the confinement of al-Naqi

the loneliness of al-Zahra

and so much more

that I never brought before

when it was just

me, me, me

 

you do not need to travel

to the east nor the west

to find Truth and Justice

you need only turn your attention

to Karbala’s burning sands

and listen to the story

of a few heroes

who lived Islam