Salawaat Love expressed A moment in time His soul stirs Mine illumined Peace be upon you Messenger of Allah Peace be upon you Beloved of Allah.
Ahmad The Praiseworthy One Written On the Canvas of Time And on the lips Of every lover Salawaat And in their hearts A longing desire To gaze upon the face Of Al-Mustafa The Chosen One
I have searched Endlessly for you Set foot in numerous Towns and cities Travelled to far-away places Each time I’m turned away You won’t find him here They say
I’ve looked for you Amongst the turbaned men In prayer rows With perfect bows and prostrations Their voices Were not yours Their faces Devoid of smiles
I’ve seen the traces you’ve left In mosques and marketplaces A destitute being fed An orphan cared for An elderly woman helped to cross the street A youth Soul conflicted Bowing in prayers Fleeting images But enough to know That the goodness You taught Still endures.
I entered the forest And stood amongst The giant redwoods I journeyed across the desert Between sand dunes I sat by the stream And heard The quiet murmur Of water over rock And everywhere I turned I felt your presence
Distance and Time vanish When your name is mentioned And the chorus of salawaat Like songbirds On a spring morning Brings joy to the heart.
Stop trying to be a poet They said to me. I’m confused. How does the moon Stop it’s journey Across the night sky? And the seedling It’s upward push Until it breaks free And emerges into The sunlit world?
My artist’s brush Is moved to paint Images on the canvas Of my mind Perfumes of Jannah Riding on your back Happy to be their camel You lengthened Your prostration The martyr of Karbala A child in an oversized robe Eyes only for you As you spoke on the pulpit You descended Swept him up in your arms Pulled him to your chest Defying the Bedouin’s boast A necklace, and a gold ring For Umamah The apple of your eye Boundless love You are Unmatched in Beauty and Praise! And now billions of hearts Are moved by images Etched on the canvas Of their minds