What were you thinking

my Imam

upon you peace

when you last looked at the House of God

Did you think of your forefather Abraham

hands worn from work

looking at the completed structure

praying for the future

Did you think of your paternal grandfather Abu Talib

sweating under the blazing sun

boycotted while the Banu Umayya

relaxed in its shade

Did you think of your maternal grandfather

the blessed Messenger of God

blessings and peace upon him and his family

making tawaf in his farewell pilgrimage

and wonder how things had come to this

Did you think of your father ‘Ali

born inside its sacred walls

murdered in a mihrab

in faraway Kufa

Was the House of God

my Imam

a reminder of your family

of what had passed

and what was yet to come

Did you leave that blessed place

– even though you had more right to it than anyone –

because of the God who made it sacred

knowing that those who pursued you

had no shame

What was in your mind and heart

my Master

as time’s unfolding

and the plotting of men

drew you away

from a place you loved

and that loved you too

And as you began your journey

did you think of your son

who would one day return

and inspire the poet to speak:

This is the son of Husayn and the grandson of Fatima, the daughter of the Apostle, through whom the darkness dispersed

This is he whose ability the valley (of Mecca) recognizes, He is known by the (Sacred) House and the Holy sanctuary, and the lands outside the sanctuary

and know with certainty

that even should your body be desecrated

to protect the purity of this House

God would always preserve what you stood for

echoing the words of your great-great-grandfather across time:

“this House has a Lord Who will defend it”