Sincere Heart

"If a heart becomes attached to other than Allah, Allah makes him dependent on what he is attached to and he will be betrayed by it." {Ibn al-Qayyim}

No doubt at times we find it difficult to be upright and resist our bad habits. Struggle for the sake of Allah, for verily Allah will only increase you in ranks. Don’t be those who come short when Allah strikes means of hardship. Don’t be forgetful of Allah for verily His ever heedful of you.

Do the people think that they will be left to say, "We believe" and they will not be tried?” {29:2}

Many amongst us neglect the blessing of Allah for lustful desires and arrogantly fail our obligation as Muslim for worldly materials that won’t even save one from death. What good comes from this world when one abandons the speech of Allah? Verily Allah is Oft-forgiving, Most merciful.

Truly we all will be bought to account for what we did openly and secretly. Let’s not be those who gather themselves with that which Allah hates. Let’s be those who gather themselves with that which Allah loves. Let’s be a reason for good!

“What pleasure is this world when all it contains are means to taste whether you are amongst those who are grateful or ungrateful.”

It is reported that when Al-Hasan Al-Basrî was on his deathbed, some of his companions came to him and said:

O Abû Sa’îd, offer us some words you can benefit us with. He replied, “I will equip you with three words, then you must leave me to face what I am facing. Be the farthest of people from those things you have been forbidden, and be the most involved of people in the good you have been commanded to do; and know that the steps you take are two steps: a step in your favour and a step against you, so be careful where you come and where you go.”

Abû Na’yam, Hilyah Al-Awliyâ` 2:154

Ahmed Abu Mohamed

Copyright © 2013

Fingerprints

Born with a mirror , clear like crystal !

but life twists like a roller coaster !

Days crafting the features along their ways 

waving the mirror to the sun , exposing the reality 

Scratches and in between your finger prints living in harmony 

 a symphony stating that no one will end 

the journey with total purity !

we are

Humans 

Sinners

A mixture of good and evil

sometimes the title is the sorrow of our weakness

and sometimes it is the joy of our strength

but remember that those who repent 

are among the best 

and with every breath 

there is new dawn 

so my final wish for you and me 

is when the time comes

and we meet that last breath

that we will greet it with a smile

and the sacred word resting

on the tongue and the lips

La ilah ila Allah, Muhammad Rasul Alah

rest in peace !

Ismail A. Ali

Copyright © 2013

THEM IN PARLIAMENT

Daily to hear, DN reporting,

Them in Parliament, them discussing,

Their welfare,ours not considering,

Shh! they are listening, no talking,

they are reading,names no mentioning.

They campaigning with determination,

Voices raised as ifwith vision,

Reality, all but a question,

Coz, all said, ease no dedication.

They pennyless, why you millionaire,

They homeless, why you in a bungalow,

They poor, why you away for tour,

Why the inhumanity, why on earth inequality.

Why mama, no milk, can't breastfeed,

Why papa, hands swollen,can't remove weed,

Why aunty, on Tana Road, can't affordbread,

Why granny, mad at home, lonely left for the dead,

Why everyone silent, why the greed,

Why, why turn their basic into your tertiary need.

For a single reason,

Now need say my curse,

With amen in unison,

O Lord! my plea, my verse...

O Lord!, my prayer, make them shed a tear,

O Lord!, my prayer, make their bellies disfigure,

O Lord!, my prayer, deny them worldly pleasure,

For they seem not care, burnthem in hellfire.

Hudhaifah Siyad

Copyright © 2013

An Ode to my unborn daughter

It is wishful thinking on my part, 

but I pray my words are irrelevant in your times,

I pray you find them nothing more than a reflection of the yesteryears, 

nothing more than a picture of how things were in your mother's time, 

but the evident reality is, 

you too shall face the same obstacles;

You will come across men arguing, 

their feets will be firm on the ground as they face one another, 

and you my darling are the subject of their debate, 

They are fixated on the nature of your body, 

of its value in society

both belittle the essence of your humanity, 

proclaiming that you are nothing more than a sexual object, 

either to be kept in a dim room or be publicly paraded;

Dear daughter, tell them, 

God created you with far more than just physical attributes, 

tell them that you serve God 

and not the sexual fantasies of men, 

that even as you cover, 

you do so for the love of God, 

and not for men.

Abukar Mohamed

Copyright © 2013

Nimo H. Farah

Nimo H. Farah uses language to express things she finds too confusing. Part of her current undertaking is to develop her skills as an orator while blending Somali and English. She thinks herself charming and hilarious in the Somali language, often making herself laugh. But rarely does that humor translate into English. It’ll be magical when she learns to fuse the two languages together seamlessly. She currently resides in Minneapolis, Minnesota and imagines traveling to the moon or maybe Mars.

She currently resides in Minneapolis, Minnesota and imagines traveling to the moon, Mars or maybe Mogadishu. She hopes they’ll have water where ever her travels take her.

Barryck Rifki

Born in Djibouti but citizen of the world. A social media black belt, writer, poet, Motivational speaker and hip hop Choreagrapher. Pays his rent from the Marketing and Media management classes he gives at the University of Djibouti.

Jawahir Ahmed

My name is Jawahir Ahmed and I'm a senior at Utah State University. Currently, I am majoring in Health Education with an emphasis in Health Sciences, with hopes to get my masters in Health Administration. My parents are both Somali, and I was born here in the States. I work for AmeriCorps and CPASS which is a college preparation program geared toward minorities attending college. I love art, education, science, humanities and everything you could possibly imagine.

Famo A.L

Hi everyone, My name is Fadumo a.k.a Famo Ahmed. I am a Doctor currently doing postgraduate training in Pediatrics and I scribble a little occasionally

Mabsud Ali

As-Salamu-Calkeykium folks, my name is Mabsud Ali. I'm from Somalia. Born in Ethiopia. Grew up in Canada. I am a daughter, a sister, a friend and a student. I hope one day to go back home and give back to my people and country. Other than the basics, im just your average young woman living in North America, trying to figure out a way to live a balanced life between the African and Canadian culture.

Poet of the week: Hyder Noor

Would you please introduce yourself to the readers? 

Hi , erm my name is Hyder. No really it is Hyder NOOR HYDER. Its an original Somali name, it means a lion's cub. My dad believes in conserving the Somali names heritage, we shouldn't all be arabized, I quote!!! 

When did you first start writing poetry and was there any particular incidents in your life that inspired you to write?

I started reading poems when I was young. Wow I read a LOT! When kids my age were chasing skirts I was chasing me some books at the library. I got to admit what influenced me to write poetry was the author Robert Frost 'The hopeless romantic'. You will notice the tragedies in my poems sometimes all stem from his influx! Edgar allen Poe and Walt Whitman also influenced me. The first time I read 'The ballad of reading gaol' by Oscar Wilde I was sure that poems were a means for my unsocial behavior to change its course of history on paper. That poem has BLOOWN ME AWAY "Yet each man kills the thing he loves,/By each let this be heard,/Some do it with a bitter look,/Some with a flattering word,/The coward does it with a kiss,/The brave man with a swordHeavy words"

What does "being creative" mean to you?

I believe being creative means switching your phone off, going out of the house and really look at the world our Lord Allah has built and maintained. Observe the fresh air, the dazzling sun , our natural surrounding! Every sunday I had a tradition of sitting alone in Trafalgar Square with a good book and watching people pass me by, this helped me get creative. The problem with our society nowadays, is we don't appreciate THE FRIGGING WORLD!! 

What do you try to communicate with your poetry?

I communicate with myself in my poetries , its like an autobiography, my facebook is my diary per se. I write for me and no one else. Critiquing is for the narrow minded people not getting the point that maybe some things were written for them to judge. My dark beautiful fantasies belong on paper and sometimes people can come and share them. I don't really care to be honest.

Who are some of your favorite poets?

My favourite poet Robert frost FULL STOP. He's the man!!!

What does writing poetry do for you?

Writing poetry makes me feel solely alone in the universe just my pen and I on a intergalactic stellar flight through space and time continuum writing fantastic words free flowing from my lips directly blown on paper 

Anything else you would like to share? 

I would like to tell my fellow somali poets, ask not what your adopted country can do for you, ask what your natural country can do for you. Or else just tick the other option on the ethnicity survey they give on aeroplanes nowadays like i do.

Dear Somali

The beauty you hold is almost blinding

Yet all we hear about is your country fighting

We hear your unsettling crust -

Rupturing tenderly from beneath us

This war torn war lord country that has been stripped in the media

This just in two bombs have gone off in the schools cafeteria

Remember the beauty that has swept our nation, not the disruption and desiccation

See those illuminating colors in your traditional clothing

How cattle and goats stand in the streets roaming

Victimized Tranquilized Vandalized hypnotized

When will we realize?

Realize that there is hope in the eyes of our children

Realize that there is pride inside every women

How cliché is it to say that I don’t see Somalia that way

I see the modesty in the everyday mother -I see honesty in the prideful father

I see the media has portrayed you as pirates, terrorists, and divided

But I don’t see pirates, I see poets

I don’t see terrorists, I see environmentalists

We have been divided but only to be united again

Let us end the stereotypes-

Which has dragged Somalia through many fights

Where you were raised and where you were born- shouldn't matter anymore

And as K'naan said

"Until the lion learns to speak

The tales of hunting will be weak

My poetry hales within the streets

My poetry fails to be discrete

It travels across the earth and seas

From 'SOMALIA' to the West Indies

It knows no boundaries

No cheats

It studied in parts of Greece

Runtaa!

Hadii kale waxaan lahaa 

Aaheey!"

Jawahir Ahmed

Copyright © 2013

Ramadan Reminders: Poetry Edition! Day 6

   Challenge

Family that is near

Family that is far

All connected

The recipients of

Mercy and tranquility

Tick-tock

Time is nearing by

Soon, it will come to an end

And the challengers of nafs

Trumpets forward

Heralded against

The kindle of iman

Boosted through Ramadan

Testament of endurance 

To survive, to liveFor another lunar year

Anon-MN

Copyright © 2013

Ramadan Reminders: Poetry Edition! Day 4

       Fast End

I am

a lost wanderer,

not thinking

about hellfire

nor heaven.

I am

a lost wanderer,

seldom remembering,

rarely looking

for the path.

I am

 a lost wanderer,

longing

for a month

maybe longer

to give

looking

for a speed pump 

to slow me down.

I am

a lost wanderer,

with no prayer rug

ask me

to pray

 next you

help me

hang on

to my fleeting faith

I am

a lost wanderer,

thirsty

to find stillness.

My peace is hiding

 far away

 between pillows

and blankets.

My peace is dusting

 in dark closets

I once knew.

Don’t judge

my shadow.                                                    

Whisper

reminders

to my soul.

Nimo H. Farah 

Copyright © 2013

RIP to the dark chocolate

Perfection, it inspired what she wanted,  

It was all she ever wanted, Perfection,

To gain prominence, predominance, to be held in high esteem,

But her self-esteem, has it ever been redeemed?

Such a travesty, a miscarriage of justice,

The crime, the horror, can you feel her pain,

Rich and beautiful coloured skin has been maimed,

The pride of her ancestors slain,

Each generation left an imprint,

In the genome programing the tint,

A layer of protection, carefully refined,

Tested and developed under conditions so harsh,

Only the best survived,

Now she cannot survive,

She’s been besieged and her defences hammered,

Her skin now the thinnest of veneer coverings,

Barely covering the harshest of her inner turmoils,

Pressured by her peers, she was lied to,

The poor dear, her peers so insincere,

So she did what she thought was right,

It’s always mentioned that she’s so bright,

Only in the photos did she want to be bright,

So she figured it out, modern day alchemy,

She went through a mutation, colour was muted,

Beyond recognition and now lacking definition,

Now a pale imitation of its past vast potential,

Truly the largest of all organs is left a residual,

My senses tell me of a senseless destruction,

Millions upon millions destroyed, bleached away,

Skin cells, bleached, all for a misguided dream,

For if she knew, if only she knew,

That I pray, and wish that it would rain,

To both wash away her pain,

And to wash away her pain,

Abshir Bille Ahmed

Copyright © 2013

Ramadan Reminders: Poetry Edition! Day 3

    Your Mirror

The heart is like a mirror shining

It must be kept clean

So it will become blinding

Wipe the mirror with prayer

Use faith soap during every cleaning

Clean five times daily

It takes self control and dicipline 

Don'f forget or your mirror will become dirty

Full of dirt, grime, and shaitan will start coming 

Ramadan is a time to remember the cleaning

So don't forget wipe with faith and prayer 

To keep your mirror shining

Happy Ramadan!

Sindiya Darman

Copyright © 2013

Ramadan Reminders: Poetry Edition! Day 2

    Ramadan Time

Time

We

Fast

Talk

Eat

Nap

Remember

Give

Pray

Celebrate

Time

We

Invest

Together! 

Nimo H. Farah 

Copyright © 2013

Ramadan Reminders: Poetry Edition! Day 2

 Moonwars 

With the onset of Ramadan  

  We welcomed, yet again        

 Through the never-ending-debate-of           

   Global vs. locality                

Science vs. tradition 

Driven by a vocal minority    

   Their rhetoric fully laced        

      To overcome the other team       

          And to win you over

 Community 

    Now overran by these ambient voices    

     Leaving behind           

  A separated neighbors

Anon-MN

Copyright © 2013

Reflection

Echoes from history,

Shout from her skin, her blood,

Her ancestry,

M.A.C had tried to contour, that nose,

Stain those lips, straighten that hair to

Shout a different type of whisper,

Those dark rimmed lips,

Much like her mother’s,

Those eyes are a window to her grandfather’s

Whose gaze was constantly fixated on the African plains, a rich a brown colour.

Skin which show the glow of the sun,

Had once radiated on her mothers skin,

And even in a land with distant a sun

Her skin tells the world where she’s from

 She gazes into the mirror and realises

I am beautiful, held in a million hearts,

Not for magazines for all to see,

With her blue diraac, she is the Somali pearl

Her grandfather used to speak off,…

  

Hawo Sayyid

Copyright © 2013

For my sisters who are contemplating marriage

my dear sisters,

do not marry a man

who values getting married

more than he does marrying you.

if his love carries conditions,

do not break your back

trying to change

the curve of your spine.

and when you say

you are not ready,

let him leave.

if you learn he has married another,

do not be disheartened.

there are men who love the idea of marriage

more than they will ever be able to love a woman.

you are better of without them.

Farah Gabdon

Somalia

The finest day has arrived

For the people of Soomaal

Our celebrated independence day

In which we happily celebrate

So please accept my request

To gather on the streets

To make the longest lines,

All facing Allah with gratitude

For I now want you to give

To hold your warm hands

Facing down with closed eyes

Sensing secure and surrounded

Feeling the blood of my brothers

Sensing the blood of my sisters

To feel I’m protected.

To feel I’m loved.

To heed in I am cared.

To a nation, people, and place

Let’s us straight up our chins

Opening our innocent mouths wide

Singing our national anthem

Till our throats desiccated

Till emotions run too high

Tears rolling down the cheeks

To pray and heal our hearts

Hugging and helping each other.

O' you my honorable youth

Hoping we make a difference.

Let's pray for our country

Let's pray for our leaders

To understand and reconcile

To sign accords of peace

The long waited unification

Let’s ask our Almighty

To forgive and bless us

Now let’s read few verses

Including the surah, Fati'ah

Acknowledging the power

Of our feeder and forgiver

And ask for help and bless

He so may bless Somalia

With peace and tranquility

Faisal Abdi

Pre-Ramadan thoughts

I'm a Muslim.

I'm Somali.

A Daughter.

An Older Sister.

A younger Sister.

A story teller.

A writer.

A poet.

A Med Student.

My freedom to love,

believe,

and believe and love of which I write will always set me free.

But it isn't easy.

As a writer you're conflicted between the worlds you live in.

Every writer lives in her/his own world, where your own ideas and ideals live...

From an early age, I've been different.

Not German.

Not Norwegian.

Not Egyptian.

Not Malaysian.

Not Russian.

Not anything but..a believer. I never questioned my faith not because I had no reason to but because it always guided me. Not really beloning to the serval countries I lived in but always the Religion I believed in.

Your skin color can turn against you, if your own community rejects you. "Somali girl born and raised in Germany? She doesn't wear Hijaab? She doesn't speak Somali? Doesn't know her Qaabil?  She's trouble."

It doesn't matter if you're part of a community that doesn't accept you,

at the end of the day, you're one of them too.

You've got the same blood flowing through the arteries and veins that complete the cycle which makes your heart pump,

they may reject you or dislike you,

but Allah the Almighty the most merciful,

will never deny you.

So repent every day,

and forgive every day.

And even if you're just at the beginning of a new journey like myself. Don't even for a second believe that the lessons you learned aren't worth teaching!

If you've ever felt the pain of your mistakes when your faith was at your lowest,

you now feel the importance of guiding our misguided youth at which might possibly be humanities lowest.

Arwa Abdulkadir Mohamud Yusuf 

Copyright © 2013