Allah Loves Those Who Act Justly
During the truce effected by the Treaty of al-Hudaybiyyah, Qutaylah bint ‘Abdil ‘Uzza visited her daughter Asma’ bint Abu Bakr (RA), in Madinah. Asma’ says, ‘My mother came to me, hopeful (for financial support) during the time of the Prophet (SAW), so I asked the Prophet (SAW), “Should I uphold ties with her?” He said, ‘Yes’”*
Though this may seem unremarkable, the Prophet (SAW) was allowing a pagan woman, from an enemy tribe, to stay in the home of two high-profile men of state, for Asma’ (RA) was the daughter of Abu Bakr as-Siddiq (RA) and the wife of az-Zubayr ibn al-‘Awwam (RA). This may have been why she hesitated about admitting her mother into the home, lest her mother assassinate either of these personalities or gather some sensitive information. Ibn ‘Uyaynah, a sub-narrator of this hadith, said that it was regarding her that Allah revealed, ‘Allah does not forbid you regarding those who do not fight you because of religion and do not expel you from your homes for being righteous toward them and acting justly toward them. Indeed, Allah loves those who act justly.’ (Quran: al-Mumtahanah: 60:8)
*Collected by al-Bukhari (801) and Muslim (2194)
Daripada: Mohammad Elshinawy & Omar Suleiman, 2022. The Prophet of Mercy. United Kingdom: Kube Publishing Ltd, halaman 64.
I Love You More
The more I fight for you, the more I love you!
What land except this land of musk and amber?
What horizon but this one defines my world?
The branch of my life turns greener when I uphold you
And my wing, Oh Palestine, spreads wide over the peaks.
Has the lemon trees been nurtured by our tears?
No more do birds flutter among the high pines,
or stars gaze vigilantly over Mt. Carmel.
The little orchards weep for us, gardens grow desolate,
the vines are forever saddened.
Whenever your name sounds in my ears, my words grow more poetic
planting desire for you on every stoop.
Is it possible these words could be torches
lighting each desert and place of exile?
Oh Palestine! Nothing more beautiful, more precious, more pure!
The more I fight for you, the more I love you.
Ditulis dalam bahasa Arab oleh: Abu Salma (nama pena Abd al-Kareem al-Karmi)
Diterjemahkan ke bahasa Inggeris oleh: Sharif Elmusa dan Noami Shihab Nye.
From the Diary of an Almost-Four-Year-Old
Tomorrow, the bandages
will come off. I wonder
will I see half an orange,
half an apple, half my
mother’s face
with my one remaining eye?
I did not see the bullet
but felt its pain
exploding in my head.
His image did not
vanish, the soldier
with a big gun, unsteady
hands, and a look in
his eyes
I could not understand.
If I can see him so clearly
with my eyes closed,
it could be that inside our heads
we each have one spare set
of eyes
to make up for the ones we lose.
Next month, on my birthday,
I’ll have a brand new glass eye,
maybe things will look round
and fat in the middle –
I’ve gazed through all my marbles,
they made the world look strange.
I hear a nine-month-old
has also lost an eye,
I wonder if my soldier
shot her too – a soldier
looking for little girls who
look him in the eye –
I’m old enough, almost four,
I’ve seen enough of life,
but she’s just a baby
who didn’t know any better.
June 1988.
Ditulis dalam bahasa Inggeris oleh: Hanan Mikha’il ‘Ashrawi.
Kedua-dua puisi diambil daripada Salma Khadra Jayyusi (editor), 1992. An Anthology of Modern Palestinian Literature. New York: Columbia University Press, halaman 97, 340 – 341.
Taman Ilham Rasiah Halil 