The Desert Within

Another day dawns with the rising of the sun
A day of remembrance and prayer has begun
The day-night cycle continues once again
Alternating constantly, this cycle will remain

The rising of the sun, what an awesome sight,
greeting the Earth with both warmth and light
and as the Sun displays its strength and might
we bid farewell to the darkness and night

But on the Earth exists the harshest of land
Devoid of water, it is an ocean of sand
These barren deserts offer no respite or shade
Its brutality and hardship, you cannot evade.

Not much can survive in this infertile land
What were mountains are now mounds of sand
Humbled to nothing, the winds blow them around
These 'eternal' mountains are no longer found

This wind and sand paints a desolate scene
Shades of brown and yellow, lacking all green
Waves of shifting sand and rippling designs
This ruthless wilderness only harshness it defines

When the rain descends, the desert it transformed
From that unforgiving wasteland, it is reformed
It is now bursting with both greenery and life
With water, plants and creatures, the desert is rife

The rain them stops and gradually things return
And for the next rainfall, the desert does yearns
Only a few signs of rainfall are left behind
And a sprinkle of oasis are there to remind

We are like the deserts in many a respect
And share much in common, if we reflect
Many matters of our existence we don't control
This is in Allah's hands, the creator of the soul

Like the desert is subject to the climate ordained
Our life's provisions are set and maintained
So we live by things that have been assigned
We live within boundaries that are pre-defined.

Our hearts are barren where little does survive
Only through His mercy, does our heart revive
Guidance and forgiveness, from Allah comes down
Like the rainfall reviving whats barren and brown

Our hearts return to the remembrance of our Lord
Pride and selfishness we no longer hoard
And all such vices are cleansed from our hearts
And all the harshness from the soul departs.

But when we stops being humble and sincere
And from Salah and remembrance, we stay clear
Our heart gradually returns to a decadent state.
And we return again, full of selfishness and hate

But a voice still remains, yearning for the good
For more rain to return - maybe as a Flood?
But unfortunately our lives take on a new form
A barren falsehood that become the norm

The oasis remains a sign - a voice from within
But this is drowned out by lies and spin
As we are distracted by the lure of the world
into the depth of ignorance we are hurled

When we consider our own youth and might
We disregard Truth and the path that's right
We become arrogant and believe in the lie
We think we are eternal and will never die

Like the mountains before would firmly stand
Their mighty stature is rendered to sand
We will ultimately expire, that is a must
And we will be rendered to a pile of dust

Like the desert adapts to its barren ways
And all is restored to its normal dry days
The heart also hardens and dies once more
And with the next 'rainfall' it will restore

The heart longs for another rainfall
As it wants to submit to Allah' call
Unlike the desert we can always be blessed
To please Allah, we must never rest

Allah is the most Merciful and kind
And eternal bliss you will ultimately find
When you turn to him with a heart sincere
And your goal in life will be crystal clear

To the merciful one, we send all our praise
And all signs of rebellion we try and erase
Submit to His will, our body and mind
And through this act, salvation we'll find

Allah's guidance and mercy shines bright
We bid farewell to the darkness and night
Only will Allah's light, we will stand upright
As life-death cycle goes on, without respite

Author: Zahid bin Ghulam Rasul