Between the two books
Ayaat*, signs, envelope me
Stars and planets, earth and sky
Every drop of water in every great river
Flowing to meet the sea
Every cell in every body
Pulsating to some internal decree
DNA is a wonder
Mathematical modeling encoding life
Music, numbers in motion
All bound by the time-space continuum
All knowledge spiraling upward, upward
Like some unrelenting stream
Taking the disciple to an eternal ocean
Of oneness, one to one
You to your Creator
Me to the same
You and me and all that exists and ever did exist
All to Allah
Transcending time.
So these signs in the book
Rain from the sky
Verdant tree, bury your head in the ground
To stand tall. Sujood*
Roots connected to the earth
Your Lord will teach you.
Between two books of signs
The one you hold in your hand, you recite, you read, you revere
The other all around you, birds and trees, mountains and seas
All within you, your every cell and sinew, proclaim
God is one, God is one, God is one
You are a living proof, you cannot escape
One day I will join you, our streams joining to one ocean
Before the Creator, realization
Signs brought to final fruition
***
Copyright Joymanifest 2013
*ayaath = plural of ‘ayah’, meaning a sign. see below
*sujood = arabic word meaning ‘prostration’. The pose within the prayer, when we put our forehead to the ground. We say the slave is closest to the Lord during this pose in the prayer. We also believe that all of creation, whether animate or inanimate is in a constant state of worship to God. Not to be fluffy, rather theologians say this as all of creation is obeying natural laws; of physics, chemistry etc. and to obey these laws is to be in a state of worship. Some scholars say that trees manifest their constant worship simply by the way they exist..likening their root system to the human brain synapses…the roots buried in the ground are the trees in ‘sujood’ :). So then when your head is in the ground, is when you find most peace. Muslim theologians go on to say that as mankind has free-will, man is given the choice of whether to worship or not..whether to be in tune with the signs or not…and when he is in tune, he finds complete peace (as he is fulfilling his purpose) and if not, finds discord in his soul.
This poem is inspired in part by the arabic word for the verses in the Quran, each verse is called an ‘ayah’ which literally means a ‘sign’, and the commonly used English translation ‘verse’ is really a misnomer. However it was likely used as it is easier for people to understand ‘verses’ in a book rather than ‘signs’ making up a book :). Peace to you all, Assalamu alaikum