I knew this brother...

I knew this brother, dont want to give away his name
Growing up he was everything we wanted to be, he had money and fame
And everyday was different, never the same
He had all the girls and played them like a game
He had the latest clothes on
Never wore the same shoes twice as he felt it was wrong
But he wasn’t happy and was putting up a mask
I often wondered what was wrong but didn’t dare to ask

I minded my own business but admired him from afar
No need to lie I too wanted to be the neighbourhood star
And then one night I saw him, stumbling
I approached him, he started talking but I couldn’t understand, he was mumbling
Then the smell of alcohol entered my nose
He was intoxicated; I prayed he didn’t leave the smell on my clothes
This was the price he had to pay, I suppose

But then he started to explain and confess
That he was far from happy living in distress
He said he bought materialistic things in hopes of relieving the stress
‘’My life is empty and one big mess’’
I was shocked and couldn’t believe what I was hearing
I looked at him and noticed he was wearing an earring

I was blinded by my worldly desires
Thinking the one who has it all is the one whom everyone admires
I couldn’t be more far away from the truth

I went home and took a shower
I must have stood there almost an hour
Iblis takes everything that is sweet and makes it sour
So many times I gave him all the power
I didn’t even put up a fight
But I swore from that night
I would struggle with all my might

I knew this brother don’t want to give away his name
I used to avoid him as he didn’t have money or fame
The girls didn’t even know his name
When I reminisce on the past I feel full of shame
Cuz this brother lived simple, always in the mosque always the same
I thought he was annoying and that he always used to nag
Constantly reminding me of death, I looked at his clothes, he lacked swag
Indeed he was happy and never wore a mask
I often wondered what was the cause but didn’t care to ask




And I noticed every time I saw him he greeted me with a smile
‘’Asc brother, lets sit and take for a while’’
It went in and out through the other
‘’Inshallah and you too brother’’
Was what I forced myself to utter

I sighed and went on with my pursuit of ‘’happiness’’

But he didn’t give up on me and I wondered why
Cuz he knew I wasn’t interested but he never passed by
Without always giving it another try

Now it was the other way around
I searched for him everywhere but he was nowhere to be found
So I went to the mosque and hoped he would be there
Longing for his advice he always was willing to share
But to my disappointment he wasn’t in sight
I asked the imam, he answered that he had departed
I asked him where so I could get my journey started
He gave me a sad look and said he had martyred…

He died while saving a sister
She didn’t see the buss coming when she crossed the street
He pushed her out of the way, swiping her off of her feet
She ran towards him , knowing what had occurred
La illaha illalah was all she heard…


Ismail Mopreme
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