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When You Board Hussain’s Ship

A Breath…
He exhaled from sacred lips

Whipped…
The wind would as it willowed with emptiness

Fit…
His father’s sword in his sheath
So they would remember that battlefield skills like this only Ali could teach

Walked…
His noble feet made footprints in the sand
So no one could claim the straight path wasn’t always clear across the land
For in this man’s very body the Holy Prophet would stand

Sparks…
The embers of the camp’s fire burned…

Churning…
The adrenaline and hearts of all warriors were spurning

Away from the Love of this Dunya and for something else they were yearning

Returning
Was no longer an option

For once you see the truth you cannot turn back
Unless it is to join the rear troops of the Qamar Abbas

So once you see Hussein there is no going back
For could you really turn down that Woman in black?

Waiting…
counting to see who helps her brothers
Waiting…
to give word on the last day to her mother…

And whisper in her ear,
If you left them or stayed standing….
If you loved the Prophet… or simply loved to profit…
If you stood like Ali… or sold your soul for money
If you never abandoned the poor and oppressed like the poisoned Hassan
Or if you fled from God’s message and ignored your kaffan
Like Hussein did you die with dignity, or did you live in  humiliation?
If you feared the Creator or just the creations

If your face shined in Salat and beautifully shimmered or inside were you like the beast, capable of sitting on his chest like Shimr

Did you ensure the hungry had some dinner?
Did you ensure that justice would prevail as winner?

Did you stand up when you should have and sat down at the right time?
Or did you just sit by and let the evil ones continue to commit their crimes?

Look around you!

What differs from the time we live in now and Hussein’s time back then?

The AhlulBayt wanted us to build ourselves so what happened to him will never happen again…

Imam Mehdi is not coming back while we remain ignorant of our responsibilities

When we take the words of our Maraji like a joke, and in our imagery

They are outdated, reading and writing books nobody will read…

But laugh all you want at the men who when it comes to true Islamic understanding, they hold the keys

And some may say I do not need anyone to keep me straight… I am an adult,

I know:
How to behave,
I’m not a slave…
I know how to think,
Who is anyone to tell me what I should do, what I can eat,
What I can say, what I can drink,

Who are these old men in the Eastern part of the world to tell me what God desires?
I have his book and the hadith from the one who he has inspired?

But the very same book tells you only the people of knowledge truly understand
That to ask those who know is compulsory when there is questions at hand

And by definition saying to ask those who know implies that there are some who don’t…

But it seems today our standard of where we get knowledge from is anyone with a throat anyone who can speak… even if they are clearly incapable of interpreting the steps of the Prophet’s feet

True: we can think, we are not slaves, God has given us the intellect to understand, to perceive, to delve into books to seek understanding about whatever we need

We can journey to the gardens of goodness, to smell the flowers of knowledge, to taste from the trees therein and eat its fruits…

But know that the sweetness you indulge in from it, could have never been grown without that scholar who is its roots

And though they cringe when we mention their names, like they are terrifying, terrorizing, backwards, hardlined, un-inviting, hypnotizing of massive amounts of people and are dividing…

Tell me whats different about the reputation Yazid gave Hussein when it was to Kufa he was riding?

But as Malcolm said:
If you believe the newspapers they will have you hating the oppressed and loving the oppressors

So if we remain uneducated, afraid, shivering in our shoes, then give me some proof

Tell me what makes us different than the ones who allowed Muslim bin Aqil to be thrown off that roof?

And it’s the same stories throughout history that’s why the book of God is timeless and his AhlulBayt will reach victory

They’ve learned the games of the destroyers, and killed them with kindness

Like Imam Al Mujtaba when he responded in a manner so beautifully surprising

When a man from sham came cursing him brainwashed by Muawaiya’s devising

When the man began cursing, Imam Hassan responded:
Brother,
Are you hungry so we can feed you?
Are you cold so we can get clothes to fit you?
Do you need advising?
Help deciding?
I am a trustworthy man so with your secrets in me you can be
confiding.
Do you need a place to sleep tonight? If you stayed with me I’d be
so happy and excited
My home is your home so never feel uninvited

And the true Islam he made Clear

Even though they’ve tried to tarnish our image for so many years

So we say to the imperialist powers who’ve created Islamophobia to accomplish their objectives

Please stop the spread of so much horror in the name of “justice and democracy ” its overwhelming…

And it would be very beneficial if we all stopped pretending,
That injustice has ever stopped

Because it has continued with every single ticking of that clock

And what makes us so ignorant that when some countries fund a group, claiming to support the “moderates” and make clear they are involved and then when it backfires and their goons become animals, severing off, heads, legs and arms

They can get away with a few airstrikes against the group they created to make everybody calm

Let us wake up so that this stops going on
And prepare for the one who for so long, has been gone

And to ready ourselves for him our minds must be sharp,

Our hearts must be strong,

And that only happens through Taqwa–obeying the wajib and not doing haram

Little by little and step by step we will be in the presence of the last ark that has salvation equipped

For we know that all of the Ahlul-bayt will get us there on this divine trip

But even they assure you that no one will get you there as quick,

Then when you strive with your life to board Hussain’s Ship

[blockquote author=””]But even they assure you that no one will get you there as quick, Then when you strive with your life to board Hussain’s Ship…[/blockquote]
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Hassan Salamey

Hassan is a spoken word poet, writer and law student from Dearborn, Michigan. He writes to not just invoke emotions or entertain, but to encourage the growth of religious, spiritual, and socio-political understanding as promoted by the grand scholars of the AhlulBayt (a.s). He has most recently been published in The Progeny Publications of Australia, and has performed his poetry at various venues, events, and conferences in the United States.

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