Romanticizing Al Hambra

La Ghalib Ilaha Illallah,

No conqueror there is but He,

Adorn your walls, for all to see

Impressive to the untrained eye,

Overwhelmed by it all

Enchanted by its beauty

As words fail to describe,

The splendour in which it surrounds

Exuding elegance for eyes to feast,

Displaying grace through it flowing waters

Unparalleled by any other

During it’s majestic time of dominance

It stood tall among the faltering rest

Casting light upon the people

A beacon of hope for those afraid

Yet its beauty lies in the sweat of those

Who served the rich and powerful,

Never questioning the reasons,

Unless under a muttered breath,

Silently musing the irony

Of aesthetics over functionality

This all went on and on,

As their brothers bled to defend

What was left of a falling kingdom

As the palace stood in its glory,

Apathetic to the struggles afar

What more can one say

Only a sigh as night turns to day...

As it began to fall in place

And prosperity reigned supreme,

Greed reared its ugly head,

Behind the intricately carved walls,

The light of the heavenly rooftops,

Shone upon a sinister plot,

Whisperings of treachery,

As it suffered a cruel fate,

Overthrown from the inside,

Falling prey to lust of man,

Everything lost in battle,

A pitiable meaningless battle,

For this was the price it paid

For bathing in pride,

For basking in glory...

It may no longer belong to us

But the spirit it embodies,

Serves to alert the generations to come

As magnificence is determined not

By mere physical structures...

Let us not repeat mistakes of old

For the battle lies within our souls

Against the lure of the world

Preying astutely on the weak

Control your whims

Do not delay,

For time does not wait,

For those who play

Rome was not built in a day

So be patient my brothers, our time will come

Its been foretold in tales of old

Be patient my brothers, our time will come

Scarred

A blank stare into the heavens,

Unaware, oblivious to the beauty etched

An inaudible sigh amidst the far cries of laughter

Heard only by the ears of the one who suffers

The unfathomable pain of the heart

No worse than a pinch yet painful nonetheless

An expressionless face, belies a scarred spirit

An empty laugh, a forced smile...

Is all but enough, to escape scrutiny

To blend under anonymity

In a quest to find strength

To sieve through this black mist

Arms outstretched, eyes blinded

Equipped with nothing

But for patience and perseverance

He knows that his time will come

When light shines through

When light shines through....

The Decision?

Three golden horses,

Each one claiming to be,

A way bit better than the other,

Each one wanting to be,

The heir to the throne,

In a kingdom governed,

By a mere slab of flesh

Still green and raw

Yet expected to preside

Expected to choose...

Over what may lead,

To paths laden with torment,

Pain, anguish and distress

Ultimately yielding, rewards unfathomable

Three golden horses,

All impressive in their pose

The first out obligation

The other affectionately close

The third so calm and collected,

Has he the wit to make this verdict

Or can he find a way through it

But deep inside, he knows

When the time comes,

There can be no dallying

He has to decide

He has to decide

For the heart of man

Can only be split so far

Will it be the one he cares for,

Or the one who’s never left his side

Can he learn to accept the unfamiliar,

Which will it be?

When poison is consumed like water
One cannot help but see the irony
Of the plague ever so blinding
What had been once decreed
Might have been of old
Yet so relevant in these times of peril
Amidst the symphony of joy and laughter
Of which resulted ignorance and dissent
Diminishes the warnings of hellfire
Of suffering in the hereafter


O mankind, when will you repent?
The drink has turned him
Ever so proud on his pedestal
Into a mere blubbering fool
Blissfully unaware of his actions
Only conscious of his reasons
A pathetic means of flight
An excuse to be liberated
Of all sorrow and plight


As a lonely soul sits and ponders
Conscious of his responsibilities
Yet aware of his incapability
A thoughtful stare into the heavens
As he prays for mercy
For both himself and the misguided
Allah tasketh not a soul beyond its scope

Lo! Allah is with the steadfast
A mere consolation
A mere consolation

Two Eyes

The scene was set,
As the moon lay stagnant,
luminating the dark sky
With its shining bright light
The soft calming breeze
All adds to the chill of night,


With eyes closed shut,
He lets his mind wander,
Into the endless abyss,
created by imagination
He begins to ponder


The creation of man
The point of his existence
The reason the sons of Adam
Were destined upon Earth
From the heavens above


As Fate had it written
That our parents fell prey
To the misdeeds of the devil
Who could never fathom
The reason behind it all

He refused to prostrate
Assuming that he was great
Thus eternal damnation
For a single declination


So Adam was sent
From the heavens above
To a place so distant
As Allah had foretold


As the founding father
For all that is here
A task so great
Even mountains could break
To serve as Khalifah
To prosrate in the name of the Great


Our imminent quest
Our given responsibility
With one common goal
Among the brotherhood of Islam
To merely serve AllaH
As a humble slave,
Just a slave, nothing more...


From a liquid so vile
We cringe at its mention
Yet the miracles of the Lord
Is truly without question

But we tend to forget
Our humble beginnings
As our Lord beseeches us
With blessing after blessing


It is merely a test,
Before we are put to rest
In the darkness of our grave
The angels question His slaves


Who is Your Lord?
A question that may
May or may not
Bring tidings of happiness
Or cries of woe


Two paths lay upon us...
One full of challenges
The other littered with happiness


For whom who have succeeded,
Those who stuck to His path
Will find its tongue obedient
In answering the Ultimate question


While those whom took a wrong turn
Who failed to see the signs
Will face the wrath of the Almighty
For the day will come
Yes indeed as promised
Despite the doubt of some


Who are we to complain?
It is what has been ordained
THe day where ties are broken
The day that strikes fear
In the hearts of many
Some might lose their sanity


In the presence of THe Almighty
Save for the pious
The obedient and the righteous
Those who took heed to the tidings
And kept close the prophet's warnings
Only to those who believe
Only to those who believe


May Allah aid his quest
As life is not but a test
For what's defined as true success
In Jannatul Firdaus he is laid to rest


So open your eyes my friends
For God has given us two
One for the hereafter
Not forgetting Ad-dunia too

Oh...

A thought to ponder amongst us all
Stuck in a rat race, too scared too fall
An endless chase for the big green monster,
A life of misery, for a mere extra penny

To those, oh so fearful toward death
Yet all so faithful towards his wealth
Lest he forget our prophet’s vision
Of a disease that leaves many stricken
Hubbud dunya wa karahiatul maut*

To those, who refuse to read the signs
Put up by His messengers along the line
Reminding us that we all have parts to play
In this chessboard of life, one must obey

Why oh why do you choose this path?
For what is measured are our deeds
To all mankind and those in need
So fret not about one’s age
Fret not about your wage
For what is written cannot be changed

The end is near, don’t fear, be wise
As this might be your last sunrise
The end is near, our future holds
One of two, an ending calls,
Rewards so great one can’t comprehend
Or torture, oh torture one cannot stand

Two tall trees stand side by side
One lush with greens
The other save but naught,
One oh so smart the other so vain
Allah gives signs to those who observe,
So choose your path,
Act now, don’t wait
Success is all
But presented on a plate

Ayyuhal Muslimun
Open your eyes, wake up, wake up!
For it is time for us to rise
From the ashes we must realize
That it is time to stake claim to what is ours
To fight corruption, defend the poor
To put what’s right where there is wrong
To put Islam where it truly belongs….

*Cintakan dunia, takutkan mati, also known as al-wahnu