“I Wish I’d Been There” By Navyn Naran wish i’d been there, weaving my web over the cave, Mount Thaur wherein The Great Witness takes refuge. Rasoullillah quiet, receiving; Abu Bakr, his companion resting, under crystal stars, night darkening. Angels. not a stir i sense, and i weaving my lace piece working my threads dense as Allah Commands. why, o pigeon, why so hurriedly you nest? your eggs laid, you brood nothing disturbed, endearments cooed, resting under your wings, here, as if our home for days. in the peace of this night there is greed and distrust a bed Blessed, and a sight – horses run, in desert’s dust, see! Ali, the Master of believers vanquished, His nafs – while their eyes for Nabi intensely lust. ‘Ali ibn Talib! the prophet’s cousin? Ali! ‘ aghast those Qurayshi perturbed in the house of the Prophet… i am spinning at that cave, from sweaty, snorting horses they dismount searching where they cannot see, though my filigree, they cannot doubt. for the goodness therein i am drawn, and entranced in three days we shall leave in the footsteps, i will dance. i wish i’d been there, under His feet, as leathery sandals, cushion for streets, the steps of glory of a Purpose a rope unending, in His every footstep, not to touch the earth, only to pretend. after all, there is air below me, i am wings gliding in these sand dunes of gold or stones or gravel; in time, tile or rug sandals so His feet may not touch. i wish i’d been there, laying the carpets in God’s Majestic garden this Shangri la, the murids of Tajikistan in awe amidst the awe of “the mountains, and rivers, and flowers and trees” as Allah’s majesty unfolds for our Mowla. a thousand years of Knowing, longing, believing, waiting. laying the carpets, gathering the roses, Ya Ali Ya Ali shaking in our veins, we are just bodies (if) without His Blessing. i wish i’d been there… wishing to be near, shukran, for being here

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A brief note about the poem

The poem by Navyn Naran (see profile below) is in reference to the story of the Hegira (migration) of the Prophet from Mecca to Yathrib (Medina) when, in 622 AC, he was warned of a plot to assasinate him. “And the (unbelievers) plotted and planned, and Allah too planned, and the best of planners is Allah.” Holy Qur’an (3:53)

When the messenger of Allah took leave, his house was besieged by young men drawn from the Quraish tribe. The place of the Prophet on his bed was taken by Hazrat Ali to confuse the men and to act as witness of their actions. “And among men is he who sells his Nafs (self) in exchange for the pleasure of Allah.” (2:207). By sleeping in Muhammad’s bed as masquerade, Ali gambled his own life to obstruct an assassination plot, so that his cousin could retreat in safety. Ali survived the conspiracy, but risked his life again; he stayed in Mecca to carry out Muhammad’s directions: this was to return to their owners all the assets they had relegated to Muhammad for guardianship.

The enemies were aghast that the Prophet had escaped them, and pursued the Prophet until they arrived at the cave at Mount Thaur, en route to Medina, where the Prophet was hiding with Abu Bakr. “And God helped His Apostle when the unbelievers banished him. And when they were in the cave, he said to the second of the two: ‘do not be grief-stricken. God is with us.’ And God bestowed His peace upon him (upon His Apostle).” (9:40)

The cave, as stories relate, was covered with a spider’s web, misleading the enemies into thinking that it had long been abandoned. The Prophet remained in the cave for three days, and then continued his journey to Medina where he was received as a hero. This migration has a special significance in the history of Islam. It ended the period of ignominy and anguish in Mecca and began the era of progress. In this poem, Navyn lovingly and in utmost humility expresses the wish to be the spider that spun the web over the cave’s entrance, and the sandals which carried the Prophet on his arduous and dangerous journey. The sandals and terrain later represent the same wish for every Imam in time. In an expression of continuity in her journey she wishes she had been present when the Imam Blessed his Ismaili Murids of Badakhshan in the natural beauty and splendour of nature.

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About the writer: Dr.  Navyn Naran was born in  Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania, to Anaar and Badrudin Naran.  After beginning her high school in the UK, her family immigrated to the USA where she has lived since.

Dr. Naran went to medical school at Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston, MA. She currently works in Paediatric Critical Care in New York State.

She has been an active volunteer in various organizations, medical and otherwise, including Doctors of the World, the Aga Khan Education and Health Boards in the Northeastern United States. Navyn has also offered short term services as a primary care physician in Philippines and also at the Aga Khan Hospital in Dar-es-Salaam.

Amongst her other endeavors, Navyn  enjoys her spare time in nature and in literary and  creative pursuits such as writing poetry, from which she finds a certain contentment and inner happiness.

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