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
A Mercy Case 
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